Introduction to the Bible Study:
In Acts 19, we find the apostle Paul in Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." His question was not whether they believed in the person of the Holy Spirit. Rather, he was asking them whether they had received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. The evidence for this is quite clear in the next verse when he responds by asking them "then what baptism did you receive?" After finding out that these men were not even baptized in the name of the LORD Jesus, Paul had to start from square one and lead these disciples to the point where they could receive.
These disciples were about to experience one of the most awesome miracles a Christian could ever experience after salvation. They were about to be baptized, not by human hands but by the hand of the LORD Himself and not in water but in the Holy Spirit. Paul's question is still valid today for all believers-"did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?"
This study is meant to provoke a God-ordained stirring in the heart of those that participate. It is further meant to provide a deeper understanding of this blessed experience-one that it is not an isolated event but whose themes run throughout Scripture-an experience that is very much alive today. Most importantly this study is intended to glorify the LORD Jesus Christ and to encourage the seeker to not seek so much after the experience but to seek the face of He who baptizes. For it is at this point that a believer, much like the disciples of Paul's time, can indeed receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Handout: Hungry? Spiritual Food for Today's Student"
Verse for the week:
"My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek." (Psalm 27:8)
Outline:
STUDY 1
Elemental Charisma: Understanding the significance of ceremonial washings, baptisms, anointings, sprinklings, the prophetic tongue, and human emotion throughout Scripture.
"Taking the weirdness out of the Baptism"
STUDY 2
The Promised Baptism: Following the prophetic finger pointing specifically to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
"It was not meant to be a footnote in Christian History"
STUDY 3
Tongues of Fire: Focusing on the promised fulfilled and how it transformed the church. How the power of the Holy Spirit continues to be fulfilled and how it continues to transform.
"Once you get it, you will never be the same"
STUDY 4
The Manifest Gifts of the Holy Spirit: Understanding the gifts of the Holy Spirit apart from the initial Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
"You mean to tell me there's more?"
STUDY 5
Seeking the Giver, Knowing His voice: Dedicating to the LORD a time for seeking His face, following His leading, and knowing His voice.
"Ok God, your turn now"
About the Study: We launched the above study in January 2004 in our home in Monterey, California. Within a couple weeks, we moved the study to Monterey Assembly of God. After the study's end, we posted the above articles on our Light the Fire ministry site sometime in mid-March. There they have remained until now. On Sunday, May 07, 2006, we launched this Pneuma Blog to combine all of our Biblical studies and research into one site and into a single project - Jesus the Baptist :: The Covenant Act of Pentecost. We hope this study lights a fire in the hearts of people everywhere. We hope that it also sheds new light on a subject so important yet unfortunately so controversial. We further believe that the views presented throughout the overall project do not take away from other established and traditional Pentecostal teachings about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. On the contrary, we believe they provide further insight to what Pentecostals all over the world already believe and experience.
Light the Fire Ministries ©2004
