Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  Day 36

February 5;   Acts 2:4;   91/260(VI);   ‘Pentecost’ 

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

The Lord Jesus, having risen from the dead, appeared to His disciples and commanded them not to leave Jerusalem to minister, until they were baptized in the Holy Spirit.  As the disciples and other followers waited for the empowerment, they met together to hear the Word and to worship the Lord.  The Bible says that they were in one accord.  They were united around the things of God and fellowship with each other.  On the day of Pentecost, the power of the Holy Spirit came upon those in the upper room and they were baptized in the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues.  Speaking in tongues is how everyone knew they were baptized in the Holy Spirit.  Acts 10 and Acts 19 confirm that the first thing done when the Holy Spirit baptizes a person, is that they pray in tongues.  When the Lord Jesus was water baptized, the Holy Spirit came upon Him and empowered Jesus for ministry.  Preaching, teaching, healing, miracle, signs and wonders were all a result of the Holy Spirit coming upon Jesus.  Once the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples and the others on Pentecost, they too were empowered by the Holy Spirit exactly the way Jesus was.  The unity of those in the upper room created an ‘atmosphere’ for the Holy Spirit to manifest upon those believers, just like Jesus.  A local church being in one accord today, creates that same atmosphere for the Holy Spirit to manifest with great power.  Christianity is supernatural.  The baptism in the Holy Ghost is real.  God’s power is so needed today to reveal to the lost that Jesus is alive and His power will help them in every way.  Nothing is more exciting than this.