We have been talking about the subject of the Baptism with the Holy Spirit. We ended our discussion last time looking at the words of Jesus in Acts chapter 1 and verses 4 & 5.

Acts 1:4 – And being assembled together with them, commanded them – what? – that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which saith he, ye have heard of me….verse 5 – For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

Why did Jesus command his disciples to wait for this experience with the Holy Spirit? I do not believe this experience was for Jesus’s disciples only. There were at least 120 individuals in the upper room on the day of Pentecost. That means there were at least 109 people, other than the original 12 disciples of Jesus. The reason I say 109 is because Judas Iscariot was not present with the original disciples on that day.

Also, we read in Acts 2:39 Peter said, “For the promise (what promise? It must be the Promise of the Father that Jesus spoke about) 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.

Why did Jesus command all believers to receive this experience that we call the Baptism with the Holy Spirit?

The first reason is found in John 14:12 – “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.”

In this passage, Jesus is talking to his disciples and to everyone who believes on Him. Jesus said to every believer, “The works I do shall he do also.” I believe Jesus wants every believer to carry on the works that Jesus started 2000 years ago. What were some of those works?

In Acts 10:38 – How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

Notice again the connection between the anointing of the Holy Spirit and power. Power for what purpose? Doing good and healing. Jesus wants his body the church to carry on His work that he began nearly 2000 years ago. The Bible tells us the church is the spiritual body of Christ. In Ephesians 1:22&23 – And hath put all things under His feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all.

Notice, Paul calls the church the body of Christ. In verse 22 Jesus is called the head of the church, we as believers are the body. While Jesus was on this earth with his disciples, He was the body of Christ. His physical head and his body were one.

However, after Jesus died and was rose from the dead, he ascended into Heaven to sit at the right hand of the Heavenly Father. Now, Jesus is called the head of the body. The body is called the church.

If you are in Christ you are in his body the church. (Universal Church). When you drive your car or clean your flat, let me ask you a question. Who drives the vehicle, who cleans the flat? Does your head drive the car and clean the flat? No, your body does. You head gives your body the instructions it needs to carry out the function the head desires.

Jesus is the head of the body of Christ (the Church). Jesus gives every believer instructions, from His written word and by His spoken word through the Holy Spirit witnessed. The body, the church, every Christian is to carry out the work that the Head, Jesus instructs them to do.

So, when Jesus said, every believer will do the same works I did and greater works, then we must ask ourselves the question, how did Jesus perform those works?

Let’s read Luke 4:14-19.

And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.

And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.

And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.

Remember Matthew 9:35 - And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

These two passages, Matthew chapter 9 and Luke chapter 4, refer to the works of Jesus. They give us a summary of the works that Jesus did. Obviously, these are not all the works of Jesus. John 21:25 tells us – “and there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.”

So, when I say Matthew 9:35 and Luke 4:14-19 list the works of Jesus, I am saying that this is a summary, or the main classifications of what Jesus did.

Matthew says, Jesus did three things. He taught, He preached, He healed people.

Luke says, Jesus preached the Gospel, he healed the broken hearted, he preached deliverance to the captives, the recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.

How did Jesus do those works? Luke says Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit– then he wrote – Jesus said, the Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me.

Notice the connection between these statements – the power of the Spirit, the Spirit of the Lord is upon me – because He has anointed me. All of these statements speak of the same thing. They talk about a ministry of the Holy Spirit working in and through the life and ministry of Jesus.

In essence Jesus is talking about being empowered with the Holy Spirit. It is interesting to notice that there were no miracles or healings or manifestations of the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ life or ministry until after he was baptised in Jordan’s river by John the Baptist.

What happened in Jordan river when Jesus baptised? In Matthew 3:16 – And Jesus, when he was baptised, went up straightway out of the water; and lo the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him.

What does that experience signify? If we connect this experience with what we read in Luke chapter 4 – we can see that this experience of the Holy Spirit coming upon Jesus is what Jesus referred to as “the spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me.”

In John 2:11 after Jesus turned the water into wine – John recorded these words – This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

In John chapter 4, Jesus heals the nobleman’s son and in verse 54, John says, This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judea into Galilee.

So we can see that Jesus performed no miracles or did not heal any person, or we could say, Jesus had no manifestation of the Holy Spirit in his life or ministry until after he was baptised in Jordan’s river and anointed by the Holy Spirit.

No wonder Jesus instructed his disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they received this same power.

The first reason we need this experience with the Holy Spirit is so that we can fulfil the command of Jesus to do the works he did and greater works.

When we come back next time, we will begin looking at the second reason we need to receive this power from Heaven which is called the Baptism with the Holy Spirit.