Act 1:4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me;
Act 1:5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
Act 1:6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
Act 1:7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.
Act 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
On June 5th, 2022, according to the Biblical calendar, Pentecost Sunday was celebrated. It was the Biblical Holy day of Pentecost in which the promised Holy Spirit of God fell upon the people in Jerusalem, as prophesied by the LORD to empower them to do great works for Christ.
Before the day of Pentecost came to pass in Acts chapter 2, the LORD gave them instructions and wisdom on what they were to do before the Promise of the Father came to pass.
As we look at the event that transpired, I want to expound some wisdom on what happened years ago and how it applies to us today!
In Acts 1:4, the LORD told them to wait for the promise of the Father, the prophesied coming of Holy Spirit who would empower them, lead them and guide them into all truth! Read (Luke 24:48-49, John 14:15-17, John 14:26, John 15:26-27, John 16:7-15)
This is interesting, because I’m sure they were waiting and watching and finally it came to pass.
Can you imagine waiting on God for two weeks and nothing happened. 30 days and nothing happened, 40 days and nothing happened. Then all of a sudden it came to pass on the 50th day! (After Resurrection Sunday/Passover)
It is important for us to know that our waiting is not in vain. Whatever you are believing and trusting God for will come to pass in the appointed time and season. There are some things God will do, and some things you have to do. Let God be God, but you must have faith and wait!
That’s sounds easier said than done, but we all need patience. And God does his best work when we are patient with faith trusting him!
The Bible says in Isa 30:18, ” Therefore the LORD will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefore, He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him.
He then confirms it in Isaiah 40:31
Isa 40:31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
He then tells them in verse 5:
Act 1:5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
Notice that he makes a distinction in the baptisms. There is water baptism and holy spirit baptism. Although some people debate this, the scripture is clear!
Water baptism is symbolic of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When you repent of your sins, you die to your old ways and self, this is the DEATH. (Identifying with Christ death at the cross)
When you go down into the water (full immersion), you are BURIED with Christ, when you come out of the water, you are RESURRECTED in the newness of life, just as Jesus was raised from the dead.
2Co 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
Holy Spirit baptism is the empowerment, and infilling of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer who is completely yielded to Him. This baptism is not a requirement for salvation; rather, it is a gift and empowerment to do the greater works of Christ for those who have born again in Jesus Name!
Peter said in Act 2:38, ” Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
There are some who say that the baptism in the Holy Spirit no longer exists today and was only given to the first-century church. Others say that every Christian is already baptized in the Holy Spirit when they receive Christ, but the LORD said in Act 1:5, “For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
Then they asked the LORD a question, in Act 1:6. Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
Act 1:7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.
In other words, time is in the hand of Almighty God. Time is his business. Why? Because we serve a great God who ordained time but sets outside of time. And the reason many people are frustrated with time is because they don’t respect time or can’t accomplish what they want to do in the time that they want!
The disciples wanted to know in Acts 1:6, what God was going to do with the nation of Israel! But the LORD told them again:
Act 1:7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.
Act 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
In other words, God has a plan, and the important thing that you should be mindful of right now is that you are to wait for something that is so important, which is the promise of the spirit!
The LORD then tells them in Act 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
In other words, you are being empowered to be witnesses for me wherever you are in the earth! Which means you are the light of the world, the salt of the earth, and you are a city on a hill which cannot be hidden! So let your light so shine that other may see your good works and glorify God in heaven! Matt 5:13-16
The promised Holy Spirit was important for the church then and is important for the church today! We should embrace the Holy Spirit like never before!
Why? Because we can’t do anything in our own ability! We need Gods presence and his power in the church to serve and change our communities, counties, cities, schools and country for Christ! We don’t need more man-made religion or rules that have no power to induce change.
The church needs believers who have the power of Holy Spirit to stand strong like the Apostles and believers in the first church who were victorious in their walk with the LORD and displayed the love of Christ!
Are you ready to receive a fresh a touch from God and the Holy Spirits power? Then lift your hands by faith, open your mouth and ask the LORD to fill you again with a fresh touch of his precious Holy Spirit!
God Bless,
Pastor Quinn