The Promise of the Holy Spirit

In the first book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and teach

until the day when he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.

for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

“Brothers and sisters, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus,

The Coming of the Holy Spirit

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.

‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.

Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.

Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you see and hear.

Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders,

it is you who said by the Holy Spirit through our ancestor David, your servant: ‘Why did the gentiles rage and the peoples imagine vain things?

When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness.

“Ananias,” Peter asked, “why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land?

Then Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”

A great number of people would also gather from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all cured.

And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”

Therefore, brothers and sisters, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task,

What they said pleased the whole community, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, together with Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch.

But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he spoke.

“You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you are forever opposing the Holy Spirit, just as your ancestors used to do.

But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.

While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

for unclean spirits, crying with loud shrieks, came out of many who were possessed, and many others who were paralyzed or lame were cured.

The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit

(for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus).

Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money,

saying, “Give me also this power so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.”

Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to this chariot and join it.”

When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more and went on his way rejoicing.

So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Meanwhile the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and was built up. Living in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.

While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Look, three men are searching for you.

how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

Gentiles Receive the Holy Spirit

While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word.

The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the gentiles,

“Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”

The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house.

And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning.

And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’

for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were brought to the Lord.

One of them named Agabus stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine over all the world, and this took place during the reign of Claudius.

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

The Apostles Preach in Cyprus

So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.

But Saul, also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him

And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

And God, who knows the human heart, testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us,

For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to impose on you no further burden than these essentials:

Paul’s Vision of the Man of Macedonia

They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.

When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them;

Paul and Silas in Prison

One day as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a female slave who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling.

She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.

Then Paul stood in front of the Areopagus and said, “Athenians, I see how extremely spiritual you are in every way.

He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” They replied, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied,

so that when the handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were brought to the sick, their diseases left them, and the evil spirits came out of them.

Then some itinerant Jewish exorcists tried to use the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.”

But the evil spirit said to them in reply, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?”

Then the man with the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered them all, and so overpowered them that they fled out of the house naked and wounded.

The Riot in Ephesus

Now after these things had been accomplished, Paul resolved in the Spirit to go through Macedonia and Achaia and then to go on to Jerusalem. He said, “After I have gone there, I must also see Rome.”

And now, as a captive to the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there,

except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and persecutions are waiting for me.

Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock, of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son.

We looked up the disciples and stayed there for seven days. Through the Spirit they told Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.

He came to us and took Paul’s belt, bound his own feet and hands with it, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is the way the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and will hand him over to the gentiles.’ ”

(The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection or angel or spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge all three.)

Then a great clamor arose, and certain scribes of the Pharisees’ group stood up and contended, “We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”

So they disagreed with each other, and as they were leaving Paul made one further statement: “The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah,