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The experience that occurred on the day of Pentecost, recorded in the book of The Acts of the Apostles, was a serious game-changer for the apostles. Why would God do something on the scale that He did on that day unless there was a divine mandate on the church that made it necessary to do so?
During his public ministry, John the Baptist spoke of this divine experience. He said , “I baptize you with water for repentance, but He… will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11, NASB). Jesus referred to the baptism with the Holy Spirit as the promise of the Father. God had promised this experience by the mouth of the Old Testament prophet Joel. He promised to pour out His Spirit upon all flesh (Joel 2:28).
But what was the purpose of the baptism with the Holy Spirit? “Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me…,” Jesus said (Acts 1:8, KJV). Based upon these words of Jesus, the apostles did not receive power until after the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This divine experience radically changed their lives after Jesus returned to the Father. It is available to do the same for believers today.
