1. What was Paul’s question to the followers of Jesus in Ephesus? Acts 19:2.

Fill in: “Have ye the since ye ?”

Paul knew that something was missing in their spiritual lives, and in the work of their little "church." They needed the power of the Holy Spirit!

2. What was their answer? (same verse).

Fill in: "We have not so much as whether there be any ."

These were people who had believed in Jesus through the preaching of John the Baptist and a man by the name of Apollos (see chapter 18:24-26). But they had not received the filling of the Holy Spirit! This shows us that it is possible to be a believer in Jesus, and still not be filled with the Holy Spirit!

3. After Paul explained to them more fully about Jesus and the plan of salvation, and the work of the Holy Spirit, what did he then do? Verse 6.

Fill in: “When Paul had his upon them, the Holy Ghost descended on them; and they spake with , and prophesied.”

Paul laid his hands upon them and prayed that they might receive the Holy Spirit. This is something that can be done for a person who feels that there is something missing from their Christian experience. The men mentioned in Acts 19 were disciples of John the Baptist and as yet, they had not heard about the Holy Sprit. In the book Acts of the Apostles, page 283, Ellen White wrote that it was after Paul explained the gospel unto them that they "received Him (Jesus) as their Redeemer."

Today the laying on of hands is being given a false light in many churches. There is no virtue imparted by the mere act of laying on of hands. It is the person being prayed for whose heart must be right to receive the Holy Spirit. The Bible also records instances where the Holy Spirit fell on men and women without the laying on of hands! See Acts 11:15.   It is the thoughts and desires of the heart that determines when a person is filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit’s power is available -- we must want it!

To us today, as verily as to the first disciples, the promise of the Spirit belongs. God will today endow men and women with power from above, as He endowed those who on the day of Pentecost heard the word of salvation. At this very hour His Spirit and His grace are for all who need them and will take Him at His word.

4. What did Jesus promise His apostles they would receive when the Holy Spirit came upon them? Acts 1:8.

Answer: .

5. What happened on the day of Pentecost? Acts 2:1-4.

Answer: The disciples were all with the and began to speak with other as the gave them utterance.

They were supernaturally given the ability to speak other languages! They used this ability to preach the good news about Jesus and salvation to all those who were at Jerusalem for the Passover. See verses 5-11.   Notice that they did not jump up and down, or play with poisonous snakes, or leap over pews, rather, they preached the Word of God with POWER! It was the Holy Spirit who empowered them, and this power caused three thousand to be baptized in one day! See verse 41.

Also notice that in verse 33, Peter says that after Jesus had ascended and been exalted in heaven, He received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, and He "shed forth" the Holy Spirit to the church on earth. This was what Jesus meant in John 14:16-19.

6. We read in Acts 2:4 that the disciples were "filled with the Holy Ghost" on the day of Pentecost. Did they need to be filled with the Spirit AGAIN on other occasions? Acts 13:52.

Answer: .

The “baptism of the Holy Spirit” is not a one time event as is falsely taught by many today. It is something which we need daily. We are to pray for the Holy Spirit to fill us EACH DAY!

7. When did Peter say most believers would receive the “gift” of the Holy Spirit? Acts 2:38.

Answer: At their .

If a person is truly converted at the time of his or her baptism, they will receive the "gift of the Holy Spirit." He said the “gift” (singular) of the Holy Spirit. He was talking about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This was what Peter received on the day of Pentecost, and what the Gentiles received at Caesarea. For proof, see Acts 10:44-47.

But there are other times when a person is not truly converted at the time of their baptism, and they need to receive the Holy Spirit.

Turn to Acts 8:15-17. Notice in verse 16 that they ONLY were baptized in water. Baptism with water alone means little without the inward baptism of the Holy Spirit! Both are necessary. See John 3:5. Even if we truly believe that we are “converted” or “born again,” we are still to pray for a greater infilling of the Holy Spirit daily! We need His power in our lives! For the daily baptism of the Spirit, every worker should offer his petition to God.

The real Spirit-led believer will have a high regard for the word and law of God. He or she will not boast of their spirituality or talk of God or of Christ or heavenly things in a flippant or overly familiar manner.

For example, one famous television evangelist boasts that Jesus comes into his bathroom every day when he is shaving! He says, “Hi Jesus. What have you got in store for me today?” How different this reaction is from the reactions of the prophets and apostles when they saw the risen Christ! John, Daniel, Paul, etc. were awe-struck when in the presence of the risen Lord! But this “spirit-filled” modern day television evangelist goes on shaving! One has to wonder what “Jesus” he sees every day!

Many of the popular revivals of today are too often carried by appeals to the imagination, by exciting the emotions, by gratifying the love for what is new and startling. Converts thus gained have little desire to listen to Bible truth. The power of godliness has well neigh departed from many of the churches. Picnics, church theatricals, church fairs, fine houses and personal display, have banished thoughts of God.

8. According to the following quote, can everyone be filled with the Holy Spirit?

Answer: .

The lapse of time has wrought NO CHANGE in Christ’s parting promise to send the Holy Spirit as His Representative. It is NOT because of any restriction on the part of God that the riches of His grace do not flow earthward to men. If the fulfillment of the promise is not seen as it might be, it is because the promise is not appreciated as it should be. If all were willing, ALL WOULD BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT. Wherever the need of the Holy Spirit is a matter little thought of, there is seen spiritual drought, spiritual darkness, declension and death. Whenever minor matters occupy the attention, the divine power which is necessary for the growth and prosperity of the church, and which would bring ALL OTHER BLESSINGS in its train, is lacking, though offered in INFINITE PLENITUDE.

9. What are the “gifts” of the Holy Spirit? 1 Corinthians 12:4-10.

Fill In: Verse 8: “For to one is given by the Spirit the of ; to another the of by the same Spirit,”

Verse 9: “To another by the same Spirit to another the gifts of by the same Spirit,”

Verse 10: “To another the working of ; to another ; to another of ; to another divers (different) kinds of ; to another the of ."

See also verse 28 for the added gifts of "helps, governments (administration) and apostleship." Some comments need to be inserted here regarding the gift of tongues which we hear so much about today. Notice that the gift of tongues is mentioned LAST by Paul. How different this is from much of modern Pentecostalism which makes prominent the so-called modern gift of tongues!

10. Who determines what gift we are given? 1 Corinthians 12:11.

Answer: The .

We are never instructed to tell the Holy Spirit what gift He must give us! Yet today many teach that we must all have the gift of tongues as evidence that we are filled with the Holy Spirit! Be AFRAID of this teaching for it is unscriptural!

11. Do all receive the same gifts? Do all receive the gift of tongues (the ability to speak foreign languages)? 1 Corinthians 12:28-31.

Answer: .

All do not receive the same gifts! Yet today many in the so-called “Pentecostal” churches claim that all MUST speak in tongues in order to truly be Spirit filled. This idea is totally unscriptural!

12. What are the gifts of the Holy Spirit given for? Ephesians 4:11-12.

Fill in: “For the of the saints, for the work of the , for the of the body of Christ.”

Never are the gifts of the Holy Spirit given to edify ourselves. The gifts are also not given so that we might have an emotional high! They are given to advance the gospel and to edify the church! The gifts are for the "work of the ministry." The devil is a master at counterfeits, and just because something is done in the name of Jesus does not mean that it must be of God! See Matthew 7:21-23. 

Voodoo witch doctors work themselves into such a state that they begin to speak in tongues also! Recordings of their glossalalia were compared with recordings of the ecstatic tongues being spoken in many churches of Christendom today, and they perfectly matched! The cadence and sounds were the same!  Researchers have recorded this so-called gift of tongues and played the tapes to those who claimed to have the gift of "interpretation." Every interpreter had a different interpretation for what was supposedly said! Much of the so-called manifestations of the “gift of tongues” being heard in many churches today matches no known language on earth! The true gift of tongues or languages (which is what the word means) found in Acts 2 was given so that the gospel would go to many nations. See Acts 2:8-11. I’m afraid that the unmeaning gibberish which many call the “unknown tongue” is unknown may not only by man but by the Lord and all of heaven! Sometimes these “gifts” are manufactured by men aided by the great deceiver. Fanaticism, false excitement, false talking in tongues, and noisy exercises have been considered gifts which God has placed in the church. Some have been deceived here.  Some are not satisfied with a meeting unless they have a powerful and happy time. They work for this and get up an excitement of feeling.  When the happy flight of feeling is gone, they sink lower than before the meeting because their happiness did not come from the right source. Impressions and feelings are no sure evidence that a person is being led by the Lord. Satan will, if he is unsuspected, give feelings and impressions.

It is very dangerous to judge truth by how one feels! Feelings are very deceptive. Even pagans can be aroused to such a frenzy of emotions that they can walk on burning coals, red hot, without having their feet burnt! There are many documented cases of pagans and even devil worshipers speaking in unknown tongues.

Some make a point that in the King James Version of the Bible, in 1 Corinthians 14:2, the term “unknown tongue” is used. They therefore contend that there are two different gift of tongues. One is the ability to speak with different languages to spread the gospel, the other is the “unknown” tongue that one receives when they are baptized by the Holy Spirit. But if you look at 1 Corinthians 14, verses 2, 13 and 19 in the King James Version of the Bible, you will notice that the word “unknown” is in italics. This is to indicate that this word is a word that was supplied by the interpreters and is NOT FOUND in the original Greek Scriptures!

The devil can deceive people into thinking that the noise and excitement of a meeting is the Holy Spirit at work. THIS MAY NOT BE THE CASE! Truth must be judged by the Word of God and NOT by feelings! Study and pray for truth!

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