Spirit Pours On All

Acts 2:1-21 “When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.  (2)  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.  (3)  Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them.  (4)  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.  … (14)  But Peter, standing up with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them, "Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and heed my words.  (15)  For these are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day.  (16)  But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:  (17)  'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams.  (18)  And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy.  (19)  I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath: blood and fire and vapour of smoke.  (20)  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.  (21)  And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'”

This series is written to provide a biblical framework for believers regarding their encounters with the Holy Spirit. We teach on this subject because if believers are ignorant of what the Word of God says about these encounters, our adversary, the devil, can exploit that ignorance to lead them into error.

The above passage of Scripture describes the first outpouring of the Spirit of God on all flesh. In this account, the apostle Peter quotes the prophet Joel, who foretold that God would pour out His Spirit on all flesh in the last days. On the day of Pentecost, the Church was in its infancy, with a total membership of just over five hundred saints (1 Corinthians 15:6). Scripture states that they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. From that point forward, as the Lord added to His Church worldwide, God would give His Holy Spirit to every new believer who asked Him (Luke 11:13).

Throughout the book of Acts and the epistles we see accounts of God filling His saints with the Holy Spirit. Clearly, God is still pouring out His Spirit on all flesh in these last days, just as He promised. There is no doubt that as we draw closer to the end of the age, there has been a dramatic increase in the outpouring of God’s Spirit. The evidence is clear: at the start of the 20th century, Spirit-filled believers around the world could be numbered in the thousands. By the start of the 21st century, they numbered in the millions.

The outpouring of God’s Spirit is unique to the New Covenant. Under the Old Covenant, the Spirit of God came only upon three categories of individuals: prophets, high priests, and kings. This anointing enabled them to fulfil the callings God had placed upon them. Other believers under that covenant had no direct contact with the Holy Spirit. However, under the New Covenant, all saints encounter the person of the Holy Spirit. As we will see in this series, there are different levels of encounters that believers can have with Him.

The above passage of Scripture, for example, refers to a second encounter with the Holy Spirit, not the first. All believers experience the first encounter; some go on to experience the second, and others progress to many subsequent encounters. Because there are different levels of encounters, it is crucial to understand how to interact with the Holy Spirit without grieving Him.

To encounter the Holy Spirit is to encounter the supernatural. Since most believers have no prior exposure to the supernatural before entering the kingdom of God, proper teaching is essential. Without it, they may be vulnerable to encountering the wrong spirit and risk being misled.

Michael E.B. Maher

Faith Toward God

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