”Until the day when He was taken up to heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen.” -Acts 1: 2

“ Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” – Acts 1:4-5

Notes:

Over the last couple of days, we have been discussing about service in the kingdom of God, and the character responsibilities that go along with that service/ministry.  Today, I would like to briefly discuss God’s empowerment for service.  

In short summary of the passages above, The Lord gave specific instructions to the apostles to carry out His mission upon the earth while He would be away.  He said, alright boys, this is what I want you to do: Preach the gospel, heal the sick, and train others to do all that I have commanded you to do. In other words, fulfill your ministry to the fullest. They said, “How are we going to do this since you are leaving?”  “Wait for the promise of the Father which you have heard from John, tarry in Jerusalem until you receive it. It is the Holy Spirit I am sending to you, and He will give you the ability and power.”  

You see, God never gives a commission without the provision of power to accomplish it.  

When Paul got word of His ministry to bear the Name of Jesus before the Gentiles, God sent a man named Ananias to him in the night to equip him for this service.  

“Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” – Acts 9:17b.

Because God has called each one of us to ministry, each believer needs to individually receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit for him/herself. This is what the Apostle Paul had in mind when he was passing through Ephesus: 

It happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the upper country and came to Ephesus, and found some disciples. He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” -Acts 19:1-2

Willing to Take the Challenge?

You may be thinking “I am not in ministry; therefore I do not need to receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit.” The truth is, you are! You’re in ministry to your family, your children, your job, your spouse, and your friends.  As we have mentioned before, the promise of this gift is for every born again believer.  So how are you filled with the Holy Spirit? 

Here are some tips:

1. KNOW THAT IT IS JESUS’ WILL FOR YOU TO RECEIVE. FOCUS ON HIM.
2. THE WORD RECEIVE MEANS TO WELCOME OR INVITE TO COME IN. LIKE A GUEST KNOCKING AT YOUR DOOR, YOU ALLOW HIM TO ENTER.  IN THE SAME WAY, WHEN YOU ASK, YOU GIVE HIM PERMISSION TO FILL YOU. 
3. RECEIVE BY FAITH. ONCE YOU HAVE ASKED JESUS TO FILL YOU AND HAVE ALLOWED HIS SPIRIT TO COME UPON YOU, YOU SEAL THE DEAL BY RECIEVING IT BY FAITH.  BELIEVE THAT WHAT YOU HAVE ASKED FOR, YOU HAVE RECEIVED. 
4. WALK IT OUT IN PRAISE.  ONCE YOU HAVE ASKED, ALLOWED, AND RECEIVED BY FAITH, THANK HIM AND GIVE HIM PRAISE FOR GIVING YOU THIS WONDERFUL GIFT!