“The Holy Ghost
Is For All Believers”
Acts 19:1-6
1)
And it came
to pass, that, while Apollos was at
2)
He said unto
them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye
believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much
as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
3)
And he said
unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they
said, Unto John's baptism.
4)
Then said
Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the
people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is,
on Christ Jesus.
5)
When they
heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6)
And when Paul
had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with
tongues, and prophesied.
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f
one professes to be a believer of Jesus Christ, he must receive the Holy Ghost. The Lord has given His Spirit
precisely so that all who wish to receive His power can do so.
Even
now, we can identify too many with the Holy Ghost who find it had to maintain
their salvation. It should be obvious then, that those without the Holy Ghost
have difficulties.
Despite
the fact that we live in an age where we are given many avenues to make excuses
for our conduct, in the end all of the World will have to accept the fact that
God never has and never will accept excuses. Simply being a disciple of Christ
with no is not enough.
Today,
in our sermon text Acts 19), we find Apollos, who knew only the teaching of
John the Baptist. What he knew, he taught zealously and faithfully. Today, as
in ancient times, many are following preachers who are not familiar with the
fullness of the truth. Obviously, under these circumstances it is impossible to
be lead to the full revelation of God’s Word. Where truth is taught, it is
manifested in souls being filled with the Holy Ghost. So, you see, a profession
of truth is nothing without a manifestation. Also, where there is truth, there
is deliverance. It is sad, but true, that a seminary degree does not carry with
it the Holy Ghost. The best religious education in this world cannot endow one
with the Holy Spirit. It takes God.
If
all who professed to be servants of God, were, they
would be able to get their direction from Him as opposed to continually groping
in darkness. Only those who have truly been illuminated can manifest the fruits
of light.
In
that it is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that separates the believers from
the nonbelievers, we must get those without Him to understand and accept the
biblical truth that all were born in sin and “shapen in iniquity.” It appears
as if our efforts may need to be focused upon congregations, rather than
pastors; for today, many of them accept the Holy Ghost—but will not tell their
congregants that they, too, must be filled.
One
of the saddest realities is that as hard as many “work” for the Lord, that work
is in vain if one is without the Spirit. Undoubtedly, we are to be found
laboring for Him, but we know not what to do unless we are saved. And the
primary reason the Lord saves anyone is so we might work for Him. Despite
appearances to the contrary, God has never saved anyone to just do nothing.
Even
those who have been enlightened by the Hoy Spirit can miss an important point:
we have the Spirit so that we might be steered and directed by Him. Our spirit
needs to be so sensitive to the Holy Spirit that when He “whispers,” we move.
Many
who have been won to the Lord are tricked by the fact that upon receiving the
Holy Ghost, the devil approaches them to convince them that they have received
nothing. That is why it is the believer who must know what and whom he has
received on the inside. That is why He leaves evidence of what He has
accomplished in us.
The
bottom-line is this: one can talk as much as one wants, but simple “talk” will
not change one’s status with God. One must receive the Holy Spirit according to
scripture. No other church but the apostolic church offers evidence that one
has been changed. This evidence is absolutely necessary because it proves that
something other than me is in control of my life.
For
all of us, one of the realities of life is that problems will come and seas
will rise, but the believer (one with the Holy Ghost) knows that God is in
control. Therefore, he need not worry, for the One who indwells him controls,
solves and takes care of everything.