The promise of the Holy Spirit / Acts Bible Study / Chapter 1 (TV Audio #471)

The Acts of the Apostles is the story of a transformed Church, a Church motivated, with a purpose, on fire with the power of the Holy Spirit! The Word of God says Jesus will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire! 'You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth' (Acts 1.8, NKJV). One time when I was away on one of my prayer walks, I was talking to the Holy Spirit and said, "Holy Spirit, You know Jesus better than any of us. I want You to tell me what was the key to the Power that Jesus had." It became absolutely clear from reading the Scripture, that when Jesus was born, He gave up His heavenly power and authority and lived as a man here on earth with us. And it wasn't until His baptism in the river Jordan, when the Holy Spirit came down on Him like a dove, that He received the Power which transformed His life. What Jesus is saying here to these humble men is, when the Holy Spirit is come, He will give you the power which will transform your lives. The revolution when you are baptised in the Holy Spirit has to be life-transforming! In the Acts of the Apostles the disciples received the baptism of the Holy Spirit – instantly they were no longer frightened and ineffective, but filled with boldness and fire! That’s what we need today in the church – a new boldness, a new authority, a new power – which is the result of a baptism in the Holy Spirit!