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 vapor 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 meant to provide a biblical framework for believers regarding our encounters with the Holy Spirit. The reason we teach on this subject, is because if saints are ignorant about what the word of God teaches about these encounters, our adversary the devil can use that ignorance to lead them into error. The above quoted passage of scripture is the account of the first outpouring of the Spirit of God on all flesh. In this passage, the apostle Peter quoted the prophet Joel who prophesied that God would pour out His Spirit on all flesh in the last days. On that day of Pentecost, the church was in her infancy with a total membership of just over five hundred saints (1 Corinthians 15:6) and the scripture says that they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. From that point on, as the Lord added to His church throughout the world, God would then give His Holy Spirit to every new believer who asked Him (Luke 11:13). And so, we see that all through the New Testament, there are accounts in the book of Acts and in the epistles, of the phenomenon of God filling His saints with the Holy Spirit. Very clearly, God is still pouring out His Spirit on all flesh in these last days, just as He promised that He would. There can be no doubt that as we draw closer to the end of the age, that there has been a dramatic increase in the outpouring of God’s Spirit in the earth. The evidence is clear, for whereas Spirit filled believers throughout the earth at the start of the twentieth century, could be numbered in their thousands, Spirit filled believers in the earth at the start of the twenty first century, can now be numbered in their millions.
Michael E.B. Maher
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