PENTECOSTAL POWER - by Jim Tharp

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:4-10)

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)


In the first Scripture above, the apostle Paul is emphatic in declaring God’s gracious mercy in taking the initiative to prepare for our salvation by grace. We know that God sacrificed His Son to pay the sin debt of anyone who would believe in His Son Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

In Acts chapter 1, the apostle Luke reports that after Jesus had risen from the dead, he remained 40 days among His disciples before He ascended back to Heaven. In his teachings and instructions, He reminded them that He and the Father were going to pour out the Holy Spirit on them to empower them to live the Christian life in holiness, evangelize the world, and build His church with true believers. Jesus promised the apostles “. . . you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me . . .”—a command and a promise. The command was “not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father . . .: (Acts 1:4). This promise was fulfilled at Pentecost.

Being born again by repentance and faith in Christ brings the beginning of the Christian life. The believer is forgiven of sin, adopted into God’s redeemed family, and his or her name is recorded in heaven’s book of life. Newly converted believers have only begun the journey of living the Christian life, and this requires spiritual power for which Jesus promised a divine Helper, the Holy Spirit. In the transforming experience of the new birth, believers were born, not of the flesh (as they were when born of their parents), but now they have been born of the Holy Spirit. Through prayer and surrender of their hearts and lives to Christ and then asking for the fullness of the Holy Spirit, they would be filled and empowered for living a holy life.

Many people who have heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ have believed and repented of their sins and have experienced being born again. But all too many of them have never gone on to be filled with the Spirit! No matter how intelligent, strong willed, or determined new believers might be, they will need more than knowledge, will power, and human assistance to live the Christian life. Apart from the cleansing and empowerment of the Spirit, they will be tempted to give in to the flesh (the old selfish nature), be unable to resist temptation, and fall short in pleasing the Lord. Our enemy—the devil (Satan) and his trained demons—will tempt us to fall into sin and thus destroy our faith.

The Holy Spirit is called the Helper. Jesus said, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.” (John 14:26)

We need to understand some facts about the Holy Spirit: He is the very Spirit of God the Father and God the Son. They are three separate Beings, who share the same divine attributes—eternal, omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. They are THREE-IN-ONE and ONE-IN-THREE, Our Holy Divine Tribunal Godhead!

The Holy Spirit is the Tribunal Godhead’s agent poured out on earth to convict everyone of “sin, and of righteousness and of the judgment.” (John 16:8) He is available to fill believers with His power for living the Christian life. Born-again Christians have been conditioned by the Holy Spirit for becoming a Christian—convicted of sin with a holy fear of God and made to realize they are not righteous except as they trust in Christ. The Spirit also warns them of a judgment to come—meaning, they are lost if at the judgment they are found to not have believed in Jesus as their Savior. Once they have believed, the Holy Spirit indwells them and brings a sense of peace with God. Yes, the Holy Spirit is a given in the new birth. But, as the new believer realizes weaknesses in living the Christian life, he is commanded to pray for a filling of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).

The Holy Spirit is our Helper. He helps us develop a meaningful daily life of prayer. He helps us worship. He helps us understand the Scriptures. He helps us resist temptation and live in victory over sin. He helps us grow in grace and in our knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. He helps us find our place in the church. He helps us find our place in the world. The Holy Spirit will help us become a blessing to our family and to the church where we worship and help us be ready for heaven.

My prayer for all of our readers today is that each of you may not only trust Christ for your salvation and receive the Holy Spirit at the time of your new birth, but that you will also go on to pray for the fullness of the Holy Spirit. This commitment will enable you to live the life God wants you to live and then enjoy the glory of heaven—the eternal blessings awarded you for your powerful and faithful life in the Spirit of laying up treasures in heaven for your faith and good works!

Note: All Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version of the Holy Bible.