THE HOLY SPIRIT HAS COME (2)

“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:4 NKJV)

The coming of the Holy Spirit is meant to equip believers to effectively represent Christ on earth and then to re-present Him to the world. This explains why every believer must not stop at nothing less than being full of the Holy Spirit and letting Him lead the way as we walk in the steps of Christ. It is erroneous to think that the Holy Spirit is meant for any special class of God’s children and not for others. I remember a dialogue that occurred between one young zealous charismatic and a priest in our student days.  The young charismatic had enthusiastically declared to the priest that he could preach the gospel and cast out demons because he was filled with Holy Spirit.  The priest took strong exceptions to such confidence and quietly asked the young charismatic why he could claim to be filled with the Holy Spirit when he was neither a priest nor a bishop.  He went on to explain that priests and bishops are representatives of Christ and therefore are the only ones that are filled with His Spirit.

Our text is clear on who was filled with the Holy Spirit on the Pentecost –“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.” Everyone among the one hundred and twenty disciples including the twelve apostles and others were all filled with the Holy Spirit.  God expects this pattern to be followed in all generations. Every believer in Christ should seek and expect to be filled with the Holy Spirit.  Have you been filled with the Holy Spirit?  “For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:39 NKJV). Do not let anything prevent you from seeking to be filled with the Spirit of God.  God has not hidden His ardent desire to have anyone who desires, to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The prophet Joel declared, “And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days” (Joel 2:28 NKJV). You are included in this broad category of all flesh. Get filled with the Holy Spirit! Ask God to fulfil His promise to you and fill you with His Spirit. He will never disappoint you because He called and saved you for this purpose.

When you are filled you will know it.  when the disciples were filled on the Pentecost Sunday, they knew it. “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:4 NKJV). They spoke in the supernatural language as the Spirit gave them utterance. The Holy Spirit gave each person an utterance and each person spoke out what was given.  You are not to seek the utterance but the Spirit who gives the utterance. Some people seek the ability to speak in other tongues rather seeking for the Holy Spirit. The resultant effect is that we have people today who can speak in “other tongues” but who are evidently not filled with the Holy Spirit.  While the Holy Spirit can give one the ability to speak in “other tongues,” the ability to speak in “other tongues” cannot give you the Holy Spirit.  Go for the Holy Spirit with all the faith you can muster and the gift of tongues will be added to you.

When the Holy Spirit comes, He does so with all kinds of gifts, one of which is tongues.  Paul explained these supernatural gifts in his letter to the Corinthians; “for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. (1 Corinthians 12:8-10 NKJV). These nine supernatural gifts are included in the package the Holy Spirit comes with. You can ask for any of them and be sure He will give you attention.  God is eager to see you full of His Spirit and power such that you can effectively represent and re-present Christ on earth. May the hunger for the fullness of the Spirit drive you to the closet to pray until the fire comes upon you in Jesus’ Name.