Holy Spirit Empowering: Three Terms, One Reality

March 5

Bob Hoekstra

You shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now . . . you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you . . . And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.  (Act_1:5, Act_1:8; and Act_2:4)
When the book of Acts addresses Holy Spirit empowerment for ministry, three different terms are used to describe the same reality. When Jesus promised this power, He used the term "baptized with." "You shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." When He indicated that this power would result in a worldwide witness, the term "come upon you" was used." You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you." Then, when these promises of the Spirit were fulfilled, the term employed was "filled with." "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit."
It is clear that these three sets of terms in Acts 1 and 2 are all referring to the same spiritual phenomenon, the Holy Spirit empowering Jesus' followers for witness. Each terminology may carry its own descriptive implications. To be "baptized with" the Spirit is like being inundated by Him. To have the Spirit "come upon you" is like being "impacted from above" by Him.  To be "filled with" the Spirit is like overflowing with Him. Nevertheless, although the words each bring their own picture, they all are describing the same reality. All three terms are biblically accurate, although "filled with the Holy Spirit" is used most frequently throughout Acts.
These promises of Holy Spirit's empowering cannot be monopolized by any denominational group or theological heritage. Nor can they be ignored by any individual or segment within the body of Christ. These truths are for all of God's children. Every disciple of the Lord Jesus must continue to learn and to grow in this essential spiritual empowerment.
Perhaps a word of clarification is in order. These promises are not about the Spirit indwelling the people of God. The Holy Spirit definitely lives within every born again believer in Jesus Christ. "Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" (1Co_3:16). The Spirit already lived within the apostles when they were given these promises. "And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit'" (Joh_20:22). These promises are about the indwelling Spirit flooding and overflowing our lives with the empowering reality of His presence.
Dear Lord Jesus, You came to give us life abundant. Please fill my life to overflowing with the empowering work of Your Spirit. Lord, I am not seeking personal benefits. I am asking to become a more effective witness. I need the Holy Spirit's power that I might reflect the reality of the risen Christ, in Your mighty name, Amen.