The Holy Ghost and Fire

Acts 2: 14-21

But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

If ever The Church of God needed the power of the Holy Ghost dwelling and working inside every member, it’s now!

The Apostles, along with the infant Church were obedient to Jesus to tarry in Jerusalem until, “ye be endued with power from on high.” About 120 Church members, including the Apostles, were in complete unity of heart, mind, and spirit on the day of Pentecost. They were worshipping in spirit and in truth!

And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:2-4)

Oh, what Holy Ghost power fell that day! Such power and anointing of the Holy Ghost that they could not contain Him within themselves, much less the 4 walls of the upper room! Peter and the 11 may have been on the streets of Jerusalem. They may have been on a balcony of the upper room; the Bible does not tell us where these words took place. But we do know that they spoke to over 3,000 souls that day. The wind and the water of the Holy Ghost was blowing and flowing in Jerusalem!

There were Jews, devout men from under every nation dwelling at Jerusalem for the Passover. They all heard every man, in his own language-more than a dozen named in the Scriptures, the wonderful works of God!

Some were amazed and wondered what it meant while others mocked and accused the Church of being drunk. But Peter, being full of the Holy Ghost stands up and begins to preach! This man who had been rebuked by Jesus, who had denied Jesus three times, who went back to his secular job of fishing rather than serving in the Ministry, had been not only converted as Jesus said he would be, but had received the Baptism of the Holy Ghost and fire!

He assured the crowd, the people were not drunk, especially considering it was only about nine in the morning! “But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;” (Joel 2:28-32)

Only the anointing of the Holy Ghost being demonstrated with such power could bring these verses to Peter’s mind to explain what they were all hearing! God wasted no time with this wonderful Baptism and put His Church to work immediately!

There are those who think that this Baptism was only for them and not for us today. But Brothers and Sisters, we NEED the Baptism of the Holy Ghost and Fire! Without Him, we are a powerless Body. He is the fuel that keeps us alive and propelled into the work before us! Yes, there is power in the name of Jesus! Yes, there is power in the blood of Jesus! But it is Jesus Himself that instructed, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost”, “It is expedient for you that I go away: I will send him unto you” and “tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem until ye be endued with power from on high.”  (John 20:22; John 16:7; Luke 24:49)

We have Scriptural evidence from the Old Testament powered forward into the New Testament teaching, verifying that the Baptism of the Holy Ghost was not only for the early Church, but it is also for now, and it is for as many as the Lord our God shall call!

Peter continues to preach Christ and Him crucified.

“Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.”

This pricking in their hearts was the convicting power of the Holy Ghost bringing these 3,000 souls of the crowd to believe, be baptized and be added to the Church! Sadly, there remained a sect of unbelieving men and women on that day who believed not the Gospel!

We are facing dangers from the enemy of our soul on every hand. We need the Holy Ghost working in our prayer lives! We need the discernment that comes from the Holy Ghost. Our altars need the fire of the Holy Ghost covering them. The preaching and teaching of the Ministry must have the power and anointing of the Holy Ghost to reach the lost, draw them into the Body of Christ and feed the sheep. How we need the refining fire burning, helping the Church make Herself ready! The Holy Ghost is directing and moving The Church of God. Receive the Holy Ghost! And every member full of the Holy Ghost will make a power filled Church!

In Acts 1:4-8, before Jesus ascended to Heaven in a cloud out of their sight, He gave a few final instructions to His Apostles.

And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 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.

Luke 22:49 gives the same account, but with the word “tarry” used.

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.

Have you been baptized with the Holy Ghost and fire? The command is to receive this Baptism. The command is also- do not depart from the place where you wait, and tarry for the Holy Ghost, this blessed Promise from the Father! If the early Church tarried for the Promise, should not we also tarry? How many are willing to tarry, to wait, and not depart from endeavoring to be baptized with the Holy Ghost and fire? Will you tarry at the altar at Church, in your home, wherever, no matter how long it takes until He comes to dwell within you, as evidenced with the tongues of fire? For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.