Filled with God's Love
Through the Atoning Sacrifice of Jesus the sin barrier, which separates man from God’s love is broken down. As we put our faith in this fact, the Holy Spirit pours God’s love into our hearts and we receive the Spirit of adoption and sonship. We actually experience the love of God coming into our hearts. "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. … Now hope does not disappoint because God’s love is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Rom 5: 1-2, & 5))

THE SECOND GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
After His followers had received this New Life from Jesus, He remained with them for forty days. (Mark 16:19) Finally, the day came for Jesus to return to heaven. The time had now come for the disciples to go into every corner of the earth to proclaim the reconciliation that God had accomplished through Jesus, and to invite all men to receive for themselves the 'new engine' of the Holy Spirit (the Resurrection Life of Jesus). To perform this task would not only take courage, boldness, and great love but the powerful presence of God Himself.

Jesus had promised to equip them for this mission by sending the Holy Spirit to them in a new way - to come UPON them to guide and empower them. His presence with them would confirm their message with healings, signs and wonders. As Jesus was departing, He said to them: "And behold, I send the promise of the Father upon you: but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high." (lo. 24:29) "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria and to the end of the earth."(Acts 1:8)

Jesus told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit would come upon them. On the day of Jesus’ resurrection, they had already received the Holy Spirit to come within them (Jn. 20:21-22). Now the Holy Spirit was to come upon them to empower them, to do the works that Jesus had called them to do, and to fulfill the GREAT COMMISSION of bringing the whole gospel to the whole world. "And he said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation."'(Mark 16:15)

On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit did come upon them in a spectacular way and from that moment, they were empowered to proclaim the gospel in love and strength. They were launched on a life to be lived out in the pattern of Jesus and a ministry, accompanied by signs, wonders and miracles, that would change the world.

Just as Jesus Himself was filled with the Holy Spirit for thirty years before the Holy Spirit came upon Him, the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit for more than forty days before the Holy Spirit came upon them to anoint them for their mission.

Today all believers receive the Holy Spirit when they put their faith in Jesus, and ask Him to live in their hearts. However, many neglect to ask Jesus to anoint them with the power of the Holy Spirit to equip them for their calling and to continue His works on earth.

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