Verse"Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" he asked them.
"No," they replied, "we haven't even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." ... As soon as they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in other tongues and prophesied.
— Acts 19:2-6 nlt
ThoughtFaith and baptism in the New Testament, and especially in the book of Acts, are tied to the gift of the Holy Spirit. As we saw yesterday (Romans 8:9), the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the defining mark of a follower of Jesus. The promise of God's forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit are foundational blessings of our salvation to be received at our conversion (Acts 2:38-39). Let's not forget to emphasize both the forgiveness of past sins and the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome temptation and sin when we talk about the blessings of salvation and the grace of God. Conversion to Jesus means being reborn by the power of the Holy Spirit (John 3:3-7; Titus 3:3-7).
PrayerHoly God, your grace toward me is amazing! That you forgave all of my past sin when I came to Jesus is such a wonderful gift — to know that you pardoned my past and made me a new creation, pure and holy! Forgive me, dear Father, for the times I have remembered this grace and forgotten the ongoing gift of grace — the Holy Spirit — that Jesus sent to live in me. I look to the Spirit's holy presence to strengthen me and lead me in the way of Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen.
Devotional provided by Heartlight®
© 1996-2016. All rights reserved.
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"No," they replied, "we haven't even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." ... As soon as they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in other tongues and prophesied.
— Acts 19:2-6 nlt
ThoughtFaith and baptism in the New Testament, and especially in the book of Acts, are tied to the gift of the Holy Spirit. As we saw yesterday (Romans 8:9), the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the defining mark of a follower of Jesus. The promise of God's forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit are foundational blessings of our salvation to be received at our conversion (Acts 2:38-39). Let's not forget to emphasize both the forgiveness of past sins and the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome temptation and sin when we talk about the blessings of salvation and the grace of God. Conversion to Jesus means being reborn by the power of the Holy Spirit (John 3:3-7; Titus 3:3-7).
PrayerHoly God, your grace toward me is amazing! That you forgave all of my past sin when I came to Jesus is such a wonderful gift — to know that you pardoned my past and made me a new creation, pure and holy! Forgive me, dear Father, for the times I have remembered this grace and forgotten the ongoing gift of grace — the Holy Spirit — that Jesus sent to live in me. I look to the Spirit's holy presence to strengthen me and lead me in the way of Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen.
Devotional provided by Heartlight®
© 1996-2016. All rights reserved.
