Memorise: But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:
and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea,
and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Acts 1:8
Read: John 7:37-39,37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
39 (But
this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should
receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was
not yet glorified.)
Bible in one year: 1st Samuel 13:8-14:46, Proverbs 5:7-23
The
baptism of the Holy Spirit is very important to every heaven-bound
Christian for many reasons. The first thing that comes to mind is the
personality of the Baptiser, that is, the Holy Spirit Himself. He is the
third person in the Trinity. From the beginning, God has been in charge
of everything that goes on in the universe including the redemption of
man. The Holy Spirit, being the third person in the Trinity plays a
major role, not only in the redemption process but also plays the role
of preserving the believer after the salvation experience.
“And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”
Ephesians 4:30
There
are lots of spiritual virtues the Holy Spirit imparts on believers when
they receive His baptism. These virtues are very fundamental to the
Christian experience. For example, in our text for today, we read of the
flow of rivers of living water, symbolizing the Holy Spirit. Just as
water is very important to the physical survival of man, so also is the
Living water very important to the spiritual survival of man. A
Christian gets spiritually dehydrated and consequently spiritually dead
as a result of the lack of the Holy Spirit. This is the reason why one
wonders when some schools of thought say that the Holy Spirit baptism is
an outdated Christian experience. It is not. Another fundamental
blessing which accrues from the baptism of the Holy Spirit is what we
find in the instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ in today’s memory
verse. Without the baptism of the Holy Spirit, there can be no power for
Christians to evangelise or witness about the saving grace of Jesus
Christ. It would have been a different ball-game if the disciples of old
were not empowered and emboldened by the coming of the Holy Spirit when
they were apprehended by the Jewish leader:
“And
when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled
together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake
the word of God with boldness. And the multitude of them that believed
were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought
of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things
common. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the
resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.”
Acts 4:31-33
Beloved,
do you think you are a weak Christian; afraid of coming out to exhibit
your conviction that Jesus is Lord? Or, you are rising and falling
because you cannot stand the wiles of the devil which are inevitable in
this perverted generation? Are you being played with like a toy in the
hands of demons? All you need is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. To be
baptised, however, requires your determination to please the Lord and
live above sin. Pray earnestly for it and you will be baptised for
power, refreshing and for a victorious Christian living.
Prayer Point
Lord Jesus, please send your Holy Spirit to me afresh, and get me refreshed and empowered today.
