The Baptism of the Holy Ghost: THIS IS THAT

Trevor S. Ferguson

April 30, 2011

Acts 10:44-48 (KJV)
⁴⁴ While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
⁴⁵ And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
⁴⁶ For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter,
⁴⁷ Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?
⁴⁸ And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.

INTRODUCTION

The baptism of the Holy Ghost is one of the least understood aspects of the Pentecostalism.  We teach, as the bible teaches, that the baptism of the Holy Ghost is a vital part of the salvation process and that the Holy Ghost is required if one is to be saved. We further teach that speaking in tongues is the initial evidence that one has received the Holy Ghost and that this also is taught by the scriptures. Many today have not understood this message and therefore have had some difficulty accepting that they need the Holy Ghost or believing that they too can receive the Holy Ghost. Today however, I want to declare that the baptism of the Holy Ghost is available to all those who desire to receive it and is freely given to persons who ask for it. I also declare that THIS Holy Ghost that we have received and is available to all today is the same as THAT which was received by the apostles and other believer on the day of Pentecost. THIS IS THAT!!

The scripture text today contains a number of key statements that will help us understand what the Bible teaches concerning the baptism of the Holy Ghost.

EXPOSITION

The story in Acts 10 concerns a certain man named Cornelius. He was not a Jew, but he believed in God. He was a good man, gave generously to the poor and more than all, he prayed often. We note however, that despite all his good attributes, he was not saved. Salvation requires more that good character and attitudes; it requires a relationship with Jesus Christ. 

The bible tells us that one day while he prayed he had a vision from God, who instructed him to send men to Joppa to find Peter, who would tell him about the way of salvation. We note again that if one is truly desirous of seeking God, God will reveal Himself to such persons. Contrary to what some believe God desires to reveal himself to all humanity. If you desire him, he will show up. He wants you to be saved!

At the same time that God was instructing Cornelius to send for Peter, he was talking to Peter as well. Peter as a Jew had great reservations about mixing with Gentiles, but God had to show Peter that He (God) was no respecter of persons but sought to save people in every nation. Similarly, we must remember that we can’t be choosy or prejudiced in evangelism. God desires to save all humanity. Regardless of a person’s social status or our personal view of them, we must reach out to all men!

When Peter came to Cornelius’ house he explained to him how that God has sent Jesus Christ to the nation of Israel, that Jesus went about doing good – healing the sick and delivering those who were oppressed by the devil. He explained how Jesus was taken by the Jews, crucified and hung on a tree, but that God had raised him up after three days and that he (Peter) along with other disciples were witnesses of the resurrection.

The scriptures tell us however that while Peter spoke the Holy Ghost began to fall on the persons in Cornelius’ house. The record of the outpouring of the Holy Ghost in Cornelius’s house provides a number of important facts that will help us better understand the outpouring of the Holy Ghost. The following points are illustrative:

1. One can receive the Holy Ghost at any time or any place – one does not have to wait for an altar service in order to receive the Holy Ghost. You can receive the Holy Ghost at home, at work, at school, in a car, on the street. Whenever you are ready, God is ready.
2. Peter and those with him knew that Cornelius’s household had received the Holy Ghost because they heard them speak with tongues – This is the initial evidence of the baptism of the Holy Ghost. There is no stillbirth! Galatians 4:6 – God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son in your hearts crying Abba Father. Several other passages in Acts illustrate this: In particular Acts 2:4 and Acts 19:6
3. Despite the fact that Cornelius and his house had received the Holy Ghost they still needed to be baptized. The new birth experience requires both water baptism and Spirit baptism as Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3.
4. The experience of Cornelius and his house was the same as that which the Apostles received at Pentecost. In verse 47 of Acts 10 Peter says; Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the holy Ghost as well as we? (NKJV & NIV says “just as we have”!). This indicates that the experience that Cornelius and his household received was the same as that which Peter and the Apostles had received on the day of Pentecost.  They knew this because they heard them speak with tongues.
5. The experience we receive today is the same as that which the Apostles received. THIS IS THAT! Peter used this phrase on the day of Pentecost to explain to the people that the experience they had received was that which was prophesied by the prophet Joel. We use this today to in indicate that THIS which we have received is the same as THAT which was poured out on the day of Pentecost. This is the real thing. The GENUINE HOLY GHOST. The baptism of the Holy Ghost and Fire which Jesus had promised. THIS IS THAT!!

APPLICATION & CONCLUSION

This baptism of the Holy Spirit is freely available today to all who will believe! The Holy Spirit is God’s gift for all believers. If you have not yet received the Holy Ghost, right now is a good time. Repent of all your sins. Believe God with all your heart. Expecting a blessing. God is ready and willing to pour out His Spirit in you!!

The Crucified King

Trevor S. Ferguson

April 23, 2011

Matthew 27:33-38 (KJV)
³³ And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,
³⁴ They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.
³⁵ And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.
³⁶ And sitting down they watched him there;
³⁷ And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
³⁸ Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.

Introduction

Yesterday we celebrated Good Friday, the day traditionally used to reflect on the crucifixion of Christ. As part of our reflection we often read through the biblical account of the trial of Jesus. As we read, it is to escape the recurring theme of “JESUS as KING”.  

When we begin to think of Jesus Christ as a King it forces us to question: Why would a king be crucified?  Why would one who possessed such awesome power allow himself to suffer such basal, cruel and demeaning punishment? 

We note also that the two other persons crucified were thieves! This serves to emphasize the paradox: A king is not normally subjected to such dehumanizing death.

Today we will take some time to reflect on this paradox as we seek to appreciate the magnitude of God’s love and extent to which he debased His Son as a sacrifice for our sins. We will first look at the evidence for the kingship of Jesus and then outline the purpose of Jesus’ death in saving lost humanity.

The Kingship of Jesus: What is the evidence?

The points below summarize some of the facts supporting Jesus’ kingship: 

1. A number of prophesies referred to the Messiah as the son of David; David was symbolic of kingship in Israel; Isaiah referred to him as the “root of Jesse” (Isaiah 11:10). Matthew also emphasized his kingship and as heir to the throne in Israel by tracing his genealogy back to David.
2. In Isaiah 9:6, Isaiah prophesied that the government would be on his shoulder and that he would be Prince of Peace
3. At his birth he was declared to be king. In Matthew 2:2, the wise men came to Herod asking: Where is he that is born King of the Jews?
4. During his ministry Jesus spoke repeatedly of his kingdom
5. During the trial he was frequently referred to as the King of the Jews
6. Paul in 1^st Timothy 6:15 describes Jesus as King of Kings and Lord of Lords
7. In Revelation 19:16, John saw the victorious Christ coming in his glory; he had a name written on his vesture and on his thigh - King of Kings and Lord of Lords

Why was this KING crucified?

We could suggest a number of possibilities:

Was it because the Jews did not like him? Did it represent a failed uprising against the Roman government? 
Was it because Pilate did not have the moral strength to oppose the Jews? 

We can confidently say that it was not for any of the reasons given above! Jesus himself said: I have power to lay down my life! As the Son of God no one was able to kill Jesus! He willingly laid down his life!

The question then is: Why would Jesus lay down his life? What good could come out of such tragedy?

The answer is based upon one simple fact: MAN WAS IN NEED OF A SAVIOUR!

In Adam all died! The death sentence was pronounced upon all men. We were all doomed to death! Without hope! Without God! In order to provide pardon for sin there needed to be a substitutionary death. Someone had to die!

God’s solution to the sin problem

There was no one found worthy of this task of substitutionary death.  In order to fulfill this redemptive role one had to be without sin and had to be a near kinsman of the one he intends to redeem.God therefore robed himself in flesh, took on the form of a man so that he could redeem man. 

Romans 5:7-8 tells us: “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us”.

CONCLUSION

We conclude therefore that this king was crucified so that we can have the hope of eternal life! It was not a mistake! It was not a travesty of justice! It was a deliberate self-sacrificing act of a loving Saviour and God. 

If he did this for you, you can be assured that he will not hold back anything that is for your good! Have you put you trust in Him today?

Don’t let good blood go to waste! His blood was shed for YOU! You can apply the shed blood to your life by repenting of your sins; accepting water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ and seek for the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. 

This will be the best decision you can ever make! 

Thanks to the King, who allowed himself to be crucified!

Peace in Troubled Times

Trevor S. Ferguson

April 11, 2011

John 13:33-38 (KJV)
³³ Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you.
³⁴ A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
³⁵ By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
³⁶ Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards.
³⁷ Peter said unto him, Lord, why cannot I follow thee now? I will lay down my life for thy sake.
³⁸ Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice.

John 14:1-3 (KJV)
¹ Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
² In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

John 14:16-18 (KJV)
¹⁶ And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
¹⁷ Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
¹⁸ I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

INTRODUCTION

We are living in troubled times. The world is facing a financial crisis. The United States and many other industrialized countries are in just recovering from the worst recession since the great depression of the 1930s. People are worried over the possibility of food shortage; the price of oil skyrocketed in light of the disturbance in the Middle East. No one knows for sure where it will end up or when this disturbance will end.  Here in Jamaica we are still grappling with a very high crime rate. School compounds are no longer safe; stabbings, murders and shoot-outs are now common place. People are losing jobs; most of us have had a wage freeze for over two years even as we struggle to make ends meet. People in the church have had to contend with our own share of tragedies as persons have died in motor vehicle accidents while relatives have suffered at the hands of criminals. It would therefore not be surprising to find that some people are worried and would seek to question God about the prospects for their future.

The text today highlights a similar situation in the life of the disciples as they pondered on Jesus’ statements about His impending departure. The words of Jesus however provide reassurance which will help us to find peace in times of trouble.

EXPOSITION

The discourse begins in St John 13. The scene is set immediately after the Passover meal with Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. After washing the disciples feet Jesus commented that they were clean, but not all; he later declared plainly “…one of you shall betray me”. Shortly afterwards Judas leaves the group with Jesus saying to him: "What thou doest do quickly". 

In verse 33 Jesus now speaking to the eleven declares “… yet a little while I am with you … where I am going you cannot come”.   Peter then questions Jesus: Where are you going? Jesus responds: where I am going you cannot come now, but you can follow later. Peter then boldly declares “I will lay down my life for your sake”. Jesus’ next response was shocking! Before the cock crow you will deny me three times. The whole discourse left the disciples troubled, confused and bewildered. St. John 14 then begins with Jesus’ response to their unspoken questions: Let not your heart be troubled!

What is the basis of this reassurance? Look at what Jesus says:

o You have faith in God, Trust me! Where I am going there is adequate space (many mansions). If it were not so, I would have told you.

o Trust me – I would not promise something I cannot fulfill

o I go to prepare a place for you

o I will come back for you

In addition to the promise of his return Jesus makes another important commitment. In verse 16, He promises that He will send us another Comforter. This was referring to the Holy Ghost (the Spirit of truth) which indwells us as believers in this church age. The promise is reiterated in verse 18: “I will not leave you as orphans (fatherless); I will come to you.”

The Great reassurance

These promises of Jesus echoes previous promises the Lord made to us through the psalms. In times of trouble God will not abandon us!

o Psalm 27:5 – In the time of trouble he will hide me in his pavilion, in the secret of his tabernacle he shall hide me

o Psalm 46 – God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble … The Lord of host is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge … Be still and know that I am God

The words of the following song also express this great reassurance:

So let the storm clouds rage high, The dark clouds rise,

They don't bother me; For I'm sheltered in the arms of God

He walks with me, And naught of earth shall harm me,

For I'm sheltered in the arms of God 

So today we have a great assurance – despite the troubles that we face, the uncertainties were endure we can rest with confidence in our Saviour who has promised never to leave us or forsake us. We can rest even in the midst of the storms

How do we apply this assurance?  Here are a few key principles:

o Love One Another – This command is given in John 13:34 and repeated in chapter 15:12 & 17. Nine other references to this phase occurs in the epistles. Unless we love one another we cannot have peace!

o Trust in God – Chap 14:1 Trust in God, Trust also in me. Psalm 91:2-4 I will say of the Lord he is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in him will I trust; Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler and from the noisome pestilence; he shall cover thee with his feathers and under his wings shalt thou trust

o Wait on His Intervention – Chap 14:3 - I will come again; vs. 18 I will come to you; He has promised to return. He promised to intervene. If we trust him we must wait on him. Psalm 27:14 – Wait in the Lord; be of good courage and he shall strengthen thine heart; wait I say upon the Lord.

CONCLUSION

Despite the fact that we are living in troubled times we can find peace through Jesus Christ. The disciples were worried about Jesus’ impending departure and possible personal failings on their part but Jesus encouraged them “Let not your heart be troubled”. Many persons today may be troubled, but God wants to reassure you that he has things in control. He will not cause you to face challenges that you are unable to handle.

Let not your heart be troubled! Let not your heart be troubled! You can have peace even in trouble times.

Have You Received the Holy Ghost?

Trevor S. Ferguson

April 4, 2011

Acts 19:1-6 (KJV)
¹ And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,
² He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
³ And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.
⁴ Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
⁵ When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
⁶ And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

INTRODUCTION

It has been reported that there are over 38,000 Christian denominations, all affirming belief in Jesus Christ but having differing views on the way of salvation, the doctrine of God and aspects of Christian living. The diversity of Christian doctrine has caused many to become bewildered and confused as to which church is the right church and what is the right way of salvation. Added to this, even within denominations there are many differences in standards and church policy and even within assemblies some policies seem to change over time.

A fundamental, though uncomfortable question is: Are all persons who affirm Christianity saved? The bible would suggest that this is not so. In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus himself said  ^“Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”  The second question therefore is: How then can we identify the true church and the true way of salvation? The passage today provides us with a question which should be posed to every professing believer and provides an outline of the basic message of salvation which we all must follow.

                                                                                                                                             

EXPOSITION

The passage in Acts 19 relates an encounter between Paul and persons in Ephesus who were reported to be believers in Jesus Christ. Paul did not question their faith but asked a question to assess whether their experience with Christ was complete: “Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?” This question has a number of implications as outlined below:

·         Paul clearly expected that all believers should receive the Holy Ghost

·         Paul would not accept their salvation as complete if they had not received the Holy Ghost

·         Paul expected that the Holy Ghost baptism was a clearly defined experience which could be answered with a definite yes or no

The answer the Ephesians gave was clearly not satisfactory to Paul. They responded:  “We have not heard whether there is any Holy Ghost? “ Paul’s next question was therefore: Unto what then were you baptized? They responded that they had been baptized according to John’s baptism. Paul then explained to them that John baptized with the baptism of repentance pointing his disciples to believe on Jesus Christ. After hearing Paul’s explanation they were then baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Verse 6 then tells us that after Paul had laid hand s on them they received the Holy Ghost, spoke with tongues and prophesied.   

Note that these believers were willing to accept revealed truth rather than holding on to what they had heard before. We see a similar situation seen with Apollos in Acts 18.  Apollos was described as being mighty in scriptures, but knew only the baptism of John. Apollos was willing to receive and accept further instruction on the way of salvation from Aquila and Priscilla.

What lessons can we learn from this encounter? 

·         All believers in Jesus Christ should receive the Holy Ghost. Acts 2:39 states “For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord your God shall call.”

·         When persons receive the Holy Ghost they will speak with tongues as the spirit give utterance. Speaking tongues (glossolalia) involves speaking a language that the believer has never learnt. This is not gibberish or incoherent syllables. It is an actual language which may be a known or unknown. Several passages make specific reference to speaking in tongues when people receive the Holy Ghost, these include: Acts 2:4; Acts 10:44-46; Acts 19:6 

·         The correct formula for baptism involves calling on the name of Jesus Christ. This is seen in the following scriptures: Acts 2:38; Acts 8:12; Acts 10:48; Acts 19:5; Acts 22:16

·         If one had previously been baptized but did not use the correct baptismal formula they should re-baptized as was done for these disciples at Ephesus (Acts 19:5)

What does one need to do to receive the Holy Ghost? 

There are only two requirements: repentance and faith. God will not come to dwell in a vessel marred by sin therefore we must repent, that is, we must acknowledge and turn from or sin before we can receive the Holy Ghost. The second requirement is faith. If we come to God we must believe that He is, as expounded in Hebrews 11:6. Note that baptism is a part of the new birth but may occur before or after receiving the Holy Ghost.

APPLICATION

God wants to pour out His Spirit on all believers. If you have not yet received the Holy Ghost, God wants to give you this precious gift today. Look at what Jesus said in Luke 11:13, “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” Ask Him for this gift today! You will be glad you did!!