In our last lesson, we ended our discussion in Luke, chapter 29, and Acts chapter 1. Let’s read Luke 24:49. Remember, Jesus reappeared in the upper room with his disciples immediately after his resurrection and ascension into Heaven. Luke 24:49 - 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. (KJV)

In John chapter 20: 22, John says concerning his account of what happened in the upper room, that Jesus breathed on his disciples and said receive the Holy Spirit. John chapter 20: 22 - And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

Immediately after the disciples experience the new birth, Jesus instructs them to stay in Jerusalem until they receive the promise of the Father – Luke 24:49 at the end of that statement, Jesus calls the promise of His Father the enduement of power from on high. Notice that and in God’s Word translation says…., "Wait here in the city until you receive power from heaven.” What is this power from Heaven that Jesus is talking about? What is the promise of the Father that Jesus is talking about?

Can we find the statement – the promise of my Father – anywhere else in the Bible? In Acts chapter 1 and verse 4 – before we read this verse, remember, Luke is not only the writer of the Gospel of Luke, he is also the writer of the Acts of the Apostles. We could say, Luke, is giving us a brief commentary about what he wrote in Luke chapter 24.

Acts 1:4 - And being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father… There is that statement – wait for the promise of the Father – so what is the promise of the Father? Jesus said, ye have heard of me…..verse 5 – For John truly baptised with water, but ye shall be baptised with the Holy Ghost not many days hence."

We can clearly see that the phrase, "The Promise of the Father,' and the phrase, "Endued with Power," refer to the same experience. If we connect Acts 1:4 (read) and Acts 1:5 - For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

And with Acts 1:8 - 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 - we can come to the conclusion that this experience called the Promise of the Father or receiving enduement of power is what Luke referred to as the Baptism with the Holy Spirit.

In Acts 1:8 - 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. Notice Jesus said to his disciples, remember they were already born again in John 20:25 – You shall receive power, that word power in the Greek language is where we get our English word for dynamite – it means explosive power – it can also mean miraculous power or miracle-working power. 

Obviously, Jesus is not referring to the work of the Holy Spirit in the new birth. The new birth is a miracle; but this word for power describes power that is demonstrated or power that equips the Christian to accomplish the will of God.

When he made this statement to his disciples, it was exactly ten days before the Jews celebrated the feast of Pentecost in Jerusalem. After the ten days were fulfilled, we read in Acts 1:1-4 what took place in the upper room with the 120 disciples who were following the instructions that Jesus gave them just before His ascension into Heaven.

Now we can connect what Jesus said in John 20:22 and Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:1-8 with this experience in Acts 2:1-4. And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 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.

The first work of the Holy Spirit is the work of salvation or regeneration. The moment a person believes in the Lord Jesus Christ and confesses Jesus as their Lord and Saviour, the Holy Spirit immediately moves into that person's spirit and recreates or regenerates their Spirit. That person becomes a child of God. That person becomes a new creature in Christ. That person becomes the righteousness of God in Christ.

This is the first work of the Holy Spirit – the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, as Paul wrote in Romans 8:9 – “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of God, he is none of his.” When a person is born again, the Spirit of God moves into their Spirit. That person becomes a child of God. Every Christian has the Holy Spirit living inside of them.

Romans 8:16 says, The Spirit himself beareth witness with our Spirit, that we are the children of God. 

It is impossible to become a Christian without knowing you are a Christian and without knowing that God lives in you in the person of the Holy Spirit.

So the question we must ask ourselves is this: is salvation the only work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Christian?  From reading the verses that we read in John and Luke and Acts, we can see that another work of the Holy Spirit equips the Christian with supernatural power and the ability to become an effective disciple for Christ.

Let’s look at another portion of scripture found in John 7:37-39 - In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

When Jesus made these statements, it was during another Jewish Feast – the Feast of Tabernacles. Every day, water was carried from the pool of Siloam to the temple and then poured out as a reminder of God miraculously providing water in the wilderness.

It was in this context that Jesus made this statement – If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

Now compare this statement that Jesus made with another statement He made in John 4:14 – But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

Here in John chapter 4, Jesus is speaking to a Samaritan woman who was drawing water from a well. Jesus said to her, I have living water, and if you drink of this living water, you will never thirst again.

The Samaritan woman immediately interpreted what Jesus said to mean natural water – water that would never dry up. However, Jesus was referring to a work of the Holy Spirit that would produce a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

This is the work of the Holy Spirit in salvation. When we become Christians, the Holy Spirit becomes a well of living water in us, producing everlasting or eternal life.

Now, compare this experience that Jesus talks about with what he said in John  7:37-39. In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.

He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

In this passage, Jesus is talking about a river of water – not flowing into the believer but flowing out of the believer. The river in these verses refers to a work of the Holy Spirit that produces power. River water can generate more power than water in a well.

What Jesus is talking about in these verses is not the work of the Holy Spirit in salvation, but a work of the Holy Spirit that empowers the Christian to bless others.

This sounds very similar to what Jesus said in Acts 1:8 – "But ye shall receive power after the Holy Ghost is come (where) in you? No – 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.

So we can see this experience or work of the Holy Spirit is to equip the believer with power to become a more effective witness for Christ. This sounds very similar to what Jesus said in John chapter 7 – rivers of living water flowing out of you, your inner most being – flowing out of your Spirit.

When we come back next time, we will begin looking at the Holy Spirit's second work that we call the Baptism with the Holy Spirit. What is the purpose of this experience? Is the command that Jesus gave to the early disciples still applicable to Christians today?