Daily Bread 9/13/2023

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Daily Bread – September 13, 2023 (The Fourth Day – Genesis 1:14-19) Acts 9:17 – And Ananias went and entered into the house and laid his hands upon him saying, “Brother Saul, the Lord sent me, Jesus Whom you saw on the road as you were coming, so that you may recover your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Paul Filled With The Holy Spirit The meaning of the expression ‘eplesthesan (pletho) pantes pneumatos agiou’, translated “filled with the Holy Spirit” was established in Acts 2:4. It is used again here with respect to the experience Paul was given by the Holy Spirit. Being filled with the Holy Spirit is the same as being Baptized in the Holy Spirit. This fact was established in Acts 1:5 and 2:4. In Acts 1:5, the promise was made that those in the upper room would be baptized in the Holy Spirit. When they were baptized in the Holy Spirit, the statement is then made that they were, “filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:4). Although, there was no mention of tongues here in this verse even as there was no mention of tongues when the Samaritans received the Holy Spirit, we can be certain such a manifestation took place. Should the Apostle who had been chosen by the Lord Jesus for such a great and monumental task receive any less than the full endowment of power from on High as was described in Acts 2? We know Paul boasted of speaking in the language of the Spirit more than all those at Corinth (1 Corinthians 14:18). We also know one of the primary emphasis of Paul’s ministry was the communication and impartation of the gift of the Holy Spirit to others as exemplified by his ministry to the disciples at Ephesus (Acts 19:2,6). Therefore, there is no reason to believe the manifestation of tongues did not accompany Paul’s Baptism in the Spirit. The event of receiving the Holy Spirit with the manifestation of the language of the Spirit (tongues) was established as an essential doctrine of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Baptism in the Holy Spirit was the ministry John ascribed to Jesus (Matthew 3:11). The last command Jesus gave to his disciples before he ascended into Heaven was to wait for the Baptism of the Holy (Acts 1:4-5). As a result, we see by Paul’s interaction with the disciples at Ephesus how Baptism in the Holy Spirit was to Him as central to the Gospel as believing Jesus is the Christ Blessings, Pastor Mark Spitsbergen