Have you received the Holy Ghost...

…since you first believed?

Acts 19 (KJV) 1-6

 ¹And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,
  
²He 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.
  
³And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.
  
⁴Then 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.
  
⁵When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
  
⁶And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.


Paul did NOT ask those that he spoke to if they wanted the Holy Ghost.  He asked them if they had received the Holy Ghost.  So, I say to you today, have you received The Holy Ghost since you believed?   


So, why didn’t Paul ask them if they wanted The Holy Ghost? 

Paul was following Jesus’ teaching.  You see, after Jesus arose from the dead, but before He went to Heaven to be with the Father, He appeared to the disciples and He taught them for 40 days.  

You have to remember that these are the same people who wrote our Bible through the inspiration of The Holy Ghost. 

They didn’t have a Bible to take with them.  They had always walked and talked with Jesus.  So, when it was coming time for Jesus to leave them, He told them to wait for the coming of the Holy Ghost.   

He also told them that they would need the Holy Ghost to be able to minister the gospel (the things that He, Himself, had taught them.)   
Jesus told them that the Holy Ghost would teach them and help them remember the things that He had told them.    

John 14:16-18, 25-26    ¹⁶And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

¹⁷Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. ¹⁸I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.


²⁵These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you.  ²⁶But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.


John 16:7 (AMP) However, I am telling you nothing but the truth when I say it is profitable (good, expedient, advantageous) for you that I go away. Because if I do not go away, the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Advocate, Intercessor, Strengthener, Standby) will not come to you [into close fellowship with you]; but if I go away, I will send Him to you [to be in close fellowship with you].


So, I guess the disciples waited and they got the Holy Ghost.  They sure did!!!  That’s what we call the Day of Pentecost in the Bible.  Here’s what happened! 

Acts 2 (CEV) The Coming of the Holy Spirit

¹On the day of Pentecost all the Lord's followers were together in one place.

²Suddenly there was a noise from heaven like the sound of a mighty wind! It filled the house where they were meeting.

³Then they saw what looked like fiery tongues moving in all directions, and a tongue came and settled on each person there.

⁴The Holy Spirit took control of everyone, and they began speaking whatever languages the Spirit let them speak.

⁵Many religious Jews from every country in the world were living in Jerusalem. ⁶And when they heard this noise, a crowd gathered. But they were surprised, because they were hearing everything in their own languages. ⁷They were excited and amazed, and said:

Don't all these who are speaking come from Galilee? ⁸Then why do we hear them speaking our very own languages? ⁹Some of us are from Parthia, Media, and Elam. Others are from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia, ¹⁰Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt, parts of Libya near Cyrene, Rome, ¹¹Crete, and Arabia. Some of us were born Jews, and others of us have chosen to be Jews. Yet we all hear them using our own languages to tell the wonderful things God has done.


¹²Everyone was excited and confused. Some of them even kept asking each other, "What does all this mean?" ¹³Others made fun of the Lord's followers and said, "They are drunk."   
   

Peter Speaks to the Crowd

¹⁴Peter stood with the eleven apostles and spoke in a loud and clear voice to the crowd:  Friends and everyone else living in Jerusalem, listen carefully to what I have to say!  

¹⁵You are wrong to think that these people are drunk. After all, it is only nine o'clock in the morning.  

¹⁶But this is what God had the prophet Joel say,  

¹⁷"When the last days come, I will give my Spirit to everyone. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will have dreams."

 
So, are you telling me that every believer is supposed to have the Holy Ghost?

Yes, that is what I am telling you.  Jesus says that HE is sending the Holy Ghost, the promise of the Father, and so yes, we are definitely supposed to have the Holy Ghost.  Jesus also says, ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.   


Luke 24:49 (KJV) ⁴⁹And, 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.

Acts 1:2-5 (CEV) ²until he was taken up to heaven. But before he was taken up, he gave orders to the apostles he had chosen with the help of the Holy Spirit.  

³For forty days after Jesus had suffered and died, he proved in many ways that he had been raised from death. He appeared to his apostles and spoke to them about God's kingdom.

⁴While he was still with them, he said:  Don't leave Jerusalem yet. Wait here for the Father to give you the Holy Spirit, just as I told you he has promised to do.  

 

⁵John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

But why do we need the Holy Ghost?  We need the Holy Ghost so that He can teach us about God.  We need His help so that we can live, and love and forgive like God does.   

The Word says that we don’t even know how to pray like we should.  So, we need the Holy Ghost every day and in every way!!! 

John 14:26 (KJV)  ²⁶But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

 

John 16:12-15 (CEB)  ¹² I have much more to say to you, but you can’t handle it now.  

 

¹³ However, when the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you in all truth. He won’t speak on his own, but will say whatever he hears and will proclaim to you what is to come.  

 

¹⁴ He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and proclaim it to you.  

 

¹⁵ Everything that the Father has is mine. That’s why I said that the Spirit takes what is mine and will proclaim it to you. 

Romans 8:5-6 (CEV) ⁵People who are ruled by their desires think only of themselves. Everyone who is ruled by the Holy Spirit thinks about spiritual things. ⁶If our minds are ruled by our desires, we will die. But if our minds are ruled by the Spirit, we will have life and peace.

Romans 8:26-28  (AMP)  ²⁶So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance.


²⁷And He Who searches the hearts of men knows what is in the mind of the [Holy] Spirit [what His intent is], because the Spirit intercedes and pleads [before God] in behalf of the saints according to and in harmony with God's will.

 

²⁸We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose.


So, how does this Holy Ghost thing work?

Well, even though you have the Holy Spirit within you just as you have JESUS in your heart, He is somewhat dormant within you until you get the Baptism of The Holy Ghost that Jesus spoke about.  

 

Nowadays, you will hear lots of folks who have the “HOLY SPIRIT” asking new Christians if they have been Filled with the Spirit which is the same thing as receiving the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. 

I prefer to say that a person has received the Manifestation of the Holy Ghost.  I use that term because when you have the Holy Ghost, people notice. You begin to change in good ways. 

This is what God said to me:  The manifestation of the Holy Spirit is the “SPIRIT in ACTION in your life!”  That means that the Spirit is diligently working in your life.

Now, I will tell you that all of these terms are the same, but I did notice when I was studying that the Jesus said that they would be “Baptized in the Holy Ghost.”   

So, no matter what name you call HIM or how you get HIM, just make sure that you get the HOLY GHOST!!!   


So, how do I get the Holy Ghost? 

You receive the Holy Ghost through FAITH.  You have to make up your mind that YOU ARE GOING TO GET THE HOLY GHOST!!!  You have to believe that you receive!!!   

You can just ask God to give you the Holy Ghost.  Or if your preacher has the Holy Ghost then you can ask him to lay hands on you like Paul laid hands on the new believers. 


Whatever way you choose, you must believe!!!  Mark 11:24 (KJV)  Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

John 14:13-14 King James Version (KJV)  ¹³And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  ¹⁴If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.


You know, I read where Jesus told the disciples that they were to wait to receive the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, and power.   Then they were to go out and preach the gospel to all the world. 

I don’t hear folks being taught that before you go out and try to minister to others, you need the Holy Ghost, and power, but that is what Jesus told his disciples.  

 

Acts 1:8 (CEV) ⁸But the Holy Spirit will come upon you and give you power. Then you will tell everyone about me in Jerusalem, in all Judea, in Samaria, and everywhere in the world. 

Mark 16:14-18 (KJV) ¹⁴Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.   

 

¹⁵And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.  ¹⁶He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.

¹⁷And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;  ¹⁸They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.


So, is my life really going to change once I get the HOLY GHOST? 

If you are going to live for Jesus and let the Spirit lead and guide you into ALL TRUTH, then yes, your life is going to change.  But it will only get better!  And yes, people are going to notice, but that just gives you a chance to tell them about YOUR JESUS!!! 

Just look what happened when a tax collector, and some fishermen, a Pharisee, and whole bunch of other folks met Jesus.  They went out and preached the gospel all over the world. They lived for Jesus and they wrote The Bible that we have today.

And to say the least, their lives were never the same, but I can guarantee you that they were never bored!!!   

1 Corinthians 2:9-12 King James Version (KJV) ⁹But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

¹⁰But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

¹¹For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

¹²Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.