⁵ “John baptized you with water,”^[a] he reminded them, “but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit in just a few days.”

2 Seven weeks had gone by since Jesus’ death and resurrection, and the Day of Pentecost had now arrived.^[a] As the believers met together that day, ² suddenly there was a sound like the roaring of a mighty windstorm in the skies above them and it filled the house where they were meeting. ³ Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on their heads. ⁴ And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in languages they didn’t know,^[b] for the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.

¹⁷ ‘In the last days,’ God said, ‘I will pour out my Holy Spirit upon all mankind, and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men dream dreams.

³⁸ And Peter replied, “Each one of you must turn from sin, return to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; then you also shall receive this gift, the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ For Christ promised him to each one of you who has been called by the Lord our God, and to your children and even to those in distant lands!”

¹⁴ When the apostles back in Jerusalem heard that the people of Samaria had accepted God’s message, they sent down Peter and John. ¹⁵ As soon as they arrived, they began praying for these new Christians to receive the Holy Spirit, ¹⁶ for as yet he had not come upon any of them. For they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ¹⁷ Then Peter and John laid their hands upon these believers, and they received the Holy Spirit.

³⁸ And you no doubt know that Jesus of Nazareth was anointed by God with the Holy Spirit and with power, and he went around doing good and healing all who were possessed by demons, for God was with him.

⁴⁴ Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those listening! ⁴⁵ The Jews who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit would be given to Gentiles too! ^46-47 But there could be no doubt about it,^[a] for they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.

Peter asked, “Can anyone object to my baptizing them, now that they have received the Holy Spirit just as we did?”

¹⁵ “Well, I began telling them the Good News, but just as I was getting started with my sermon, the Holy Spirit fell on them, just as he fell on us at the beginning! ¹⁶ Then I thought of the Lord’s words when he said, ‘Yes, John baptized with^[a] water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ ¹⁷ And since it was God who gave these Gentiles the same gift he gave us when we believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to argue?”

19 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through Turkey and arrived in Ephesus, where he found several disciples. ² “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” he asked them.

“No,” they replied, “we don’t know what you mean. What is the Holy Spirit?”

³ “Then what beliefs did you acknowledge at your baptism?” he asked.

And they replied, “What John the Baptist taught.”

⁴ Then Paul pointed out to them that John’s baptism was to demonstrate a desire to turn from sin to God and that those receiving his baptism must then go on to believe in Jesus, the one John said would come later.

⁵ As soon as they heard this, they were baptized in^[a] the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ Then, when Paul laid his hands upon their heads, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in other languages and prophesied.