Have You Received the Holy Spirit?
Posted by: biblenotes <biblenotes@...>
From: Martin M Overfield
Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2000
Have You Received the Holy Spirit?
"Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? (Acts 19:2) (Please do
read the context: Acts 19:1-7; also, see Acts 8:5-18)
Ananias in Damascus greeted Paul, the apostle, who was converted on the
road to Damascus, three days later with the words, "Brother Saul" (before
his name was changed). God had told Ananias to go to him and pray for him
that God would give him back his sight and fill him with the Holy Ghost
(Acts 9:17). Paul certainly knew that he had received the Holy Spirit in
His fullness AFTER he had been converted -- born again and had become a part
of the family of God.
When this same man, Paul (Saul), had been a minister and a missionary
for some time. He arrived at the great city of Ephesus and found twelve men
who knew "the baptism of John" (John the Baptist). John preached the
"baptism of repentance for the remission of sins". He preached repentance
so clearly that, if a person obeyed his teachings, he would certainly find
forgiveness, or "remission", of sins. We would say that such a person was
"saved, "justified", "converted", "born again", or made a "new creature in
Christ" -- that he had become a Christian.
What is the first thing Paul does when he finds these "certain
disciples"? He asks them whether they had received the Holy Spirit since
they had believed. In the book of Acts, you will find that this word
"believed" is used to indicate those who have truly been converted.
So, Paul, whom we do not doubt was endowed with great discernment,
realizing that these men had truly been converted, was determined to make
sure that they receive the "promise of the Father", which Jesus had poured
out on the Day of Pentecost. That was the mighty "baptism with the Holy
Ghost" (Acts 1:4, 5; 2:1-4, 32, 33).
After hearing that they had not yet received the Holy Spirit, he told
them that John the Baptist had told about Jesus. (In Matthew 3:11 John
said, "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh
after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall
baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:") These men were then
baptized in the name of Jesus, and Paul laid his hands upon them and "the
Holy Ghost came upon them" (Acts 19:6).
Someone may say, "But, doesn't every Christian have the Holy Spirit?"
That is true. "If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his."
(Romans 8:9). When Jesus said of the Spirit, "He dwelleth with you, and
shall be in you." (John 14:17), He was speaking of the disciples being
baptized, or "filled", with the Spirit. This was to happen after Christ
died, rose again, and ascended to the Father. Jesus referred to these men
as belonging to Him. Therefore, they did have the Spirit, but not yet in
the sense of His promise.
This is a deeper and fuller experience of the presence of the Holy
Spirit, which does something more for the Christian than he experienced in
his initial salvation experience. (More about this blessed Bible
experience, "the baptism with the Holy Ghost", will come in later notes.)
Well, have YOU received the Holy Spirit -- in His fullness -- SINCE you
believed?
Yours In Christ,
Martin Overfield
Please pass this Bible Note to others who may
be interested or helped by it.
To subscribe to FREE Bible Notes just send an empty e-mail to
[email protected]