And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.
—Acts 4:31 (NKJV)
Sometimes I’ll hear people say, “We need another Pentecost.” No, the original Pentecost was more than sufficient. However, can what happened to them still happen to us today? The answer is yes and no. Nowhere else in the Bible do we read of a mighty rushing wind, and the Spirit coming upon people like flames. But in Acts we do frequently read of the Holy Spirit empowering, speaking to, and using the believers.
The power given by the Holy Spirit to the first-century church at Pentecost is available to the twenty-first century church today. The power that was given to them then is available to us now.
The Holy Spirit filled the first-century believers again and again and again. We read of Peter at the Beautiful Gate being led by the Spirit to pull a crippled man to his feet. Then we read of how the Lord filled him with the Spirit, and he stated that Jesus was the Messiah.
This same power came upon the apostle Paul when he was trying to preach the gospel to the governor, and a sorcerer was opposing him. And the Bible tells us in Acts 13 that Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, turned to this man and rebuked him. It took a boldness from God.
When the believers were preaching the gospel and were told to stop, they prayed for even more boldness to do so. And in Acts 4:31, after this prayer, the building where they were meeting shook, and they all were filled with the Holy Spirit and preached God’s message with boldness.
If you have ever been afraid to speak up for your faith, if you have ever been opposed or mocked as a Christian, then you are a candidate for being filled with the Holy Spirit.
In Jesus,
Cap'n Kenny
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV® Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Devotion by Greg Laurie © 2017 Harvest Christian Fellowship; all rights reserved.
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