Good Shepherd Lutheran

Pentecost, which commemorates the receiving of the Holy Spirit by the Apostles, is one of the major celebrations of the church. After receiving the Holy Spirit, Peter, who’d so often been afraid of ridicule, suddenly stood up with the other eleven apostles, and in a loud voice began to speak to the crowd: …”These men are not drunk, as you suppose…Rather, this is what the prophet Joel spoke about: This is what I will do in the last days, God says: I will pour out my Spirit upon all men; Your sons and your daughters will prophesy.” Many of them believed his message and were baptized; about three thousand people were added to the group that day (Acts 2:14.17, 41).”
Talk about a change after receiving the power of the Holy Spirit! From then on, Acts becomes the record of how the Holy Spirit worked through those early Christians. He helped them witness, spread the Gospel, and win people of every description to Christ.
But the gift of the Holy Spirit wasn’t reserved for the apostles alone. They expected all believers to become filled with the Holy Spirit. Peter says: “Turn away from your sins, each one of you, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins will be forgiven; and you will receive God’s gift, the Holy Spirit. For God’s promise was made to you and your children, and to all who are far away – all whom the Lord our God calls to himself (Acts 2:38-39).”
If new converts didn’t receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit right away after their conversion. Someone went to pray for them so that they would. According to Acts 9:17, after Saul was converted, Jesus sent Ananias to pray for him: “He sent me so that you might see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit”.
God wants to fill all his children with the Holy Spirit and power. Rich and poor; men and women, illiterate and well educated. While visiting the Roman soldier Cornelius, Peter said: “I now realize that it is true that God treats all men alike. These people have received the Holy Spirit, just as we also did (Acts 10:34, 47).”
The Holy Spirit sends us tangible signs of that indwelling in powerful faith, powerful prayer, powerful witnessing and powerful preaching, as well as conversions, healings, baptisms in the Spirit and church growth.
If you just allow the Holy Spirit to equip you for spreading the Gospel and living in a way that gives glory to God, He’ll do it and provide you with the tools and the power to accomplish everything you need. All you have to do is let Him in!