Matthew 3:11 says, “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that comes 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:”
John the Baptist foretold that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit.
Jesus said in Luke 24:49, “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.”
The Holy Spirit was promised by the Father. The Holy Spirit is the promise of the Father.
Peter said in Acts 2:33, “Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.”
Peter refers to the Holy Spirit as the promise received from the Father.
Paul speaks of the Promise of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 3:14, “That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”
Paul said the Holy Spirit is received through faith in Jesus Christ and that the blessing of Abraham accompanies the baptism.
Isaiah says, “For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.”
Isaiah foretold that the Holy Spirit would bring stammering lips and another tongue as He spoke to His people. The Holy Spirit would bring the rest Jesus promised in Matthew 11:29.
Ezekiel 11:19-20 says, “And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh: That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.”
Ezekiel foretold that the Holy Spirit would change the hearts of men from self toward their Creator.
Joel 2:28-29 says, “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out of my Spirit.”
Joel foretold that the Holy Spirit would be given to all flesh with gifts of prophesying, dreams, and visions.
The Book of Acts and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit:
- The Holy Spirit was given to 3000 souls who believed Peter’s Pentecostal message in Acts 2:1-42.
- The Holy Spirit was given to the Samaritans in Acts 8:5-18. “Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)”
- The Holy Spirit was given to Cornelius and the Gentiles in Acts 10:44-46. “While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were
amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. - The Holy Spirit was given to the Disciples of John in Acts 19:1-6. “And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.”
The Holy Spirit is promised to all who believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and as the only way to eternal life.
If you have not received the Holy Spirit, you need to ask God to baptize you with the Promise of the Father as demonstrated in the Book of Acts.
The Holy Spirit will:
- be your helper, teaching and bringing to mind all that Jesus has taught. John 14:25-26 and John 15:26
- be your Comforter. John 14:15-18
- be your guide. John 16:13
- be your Spirit of Truth. John 14:17 & John 16:13
- be your conviction of sin, righteousness and judgment. John 16:8
- be Living Water springing up from within your innermost being. John 7:37-39
- be rest unto your soul. Matthew 11:29
- be your power to witness about Christ as your Lord. Acts 1:8
- be your resurrection power at the Rapture. Romans 8:11
