Baptism of the Holy Spirit

“Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?” He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.””
‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭1:4-8‬ ‭NLT‬‬
The beginning of the above scripture is a reference to Luke Chapter 24. There we read of the resurrection of Jesus and His encounter with two disciples as they walked on the road to Emmaus. Although they didn’t recognize Him at first their eyes were opened when Jesus sat down to eat with them. He broke the bread and suddenly they knew who He was. Jesus instructed them to stay in Jerusalem until they were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit!
“And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from heaven.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭24:49‬ ‭NLT‬‬
We read the fulfillment of this in Acts Chapter 2. The promise of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit  had come. The very person of God now lived inside the believers. The power to live their lives as disciples of Jesus Christ was now inside them. The very person and presence of God had now returned to the place He once dwelt. Before the fall of Adam in Genesis 3:1-7 the Spirit of God lived inside man and walked with him in the garden of Eden. Genesis 2:7 tells us that God breathed life into the man and he became a living soul.
“Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2:7‬ ‭NLT‬‬
True life comes from God. Without His abiding presence in our lives we are simply existing. When Adam and Eve sinned they died immediately. Now let’s define death. The primary form of death is separation from God due to sin. (spiritual). The secondary, and corresponding, form of death is the cessation of human life (physical). Spiritual death is the source of all death. When we are alive, spiritually, through the Lord Jesus Christ we are made eternally alive. This is why a Jesus said this:
“Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die. Do you believe this, Martha?”
‭‭John‬ ‭11:25-26‬ ‭NLT‬‬
Physical death is terrible but spiritual death is the epitome of eternal horror. Jesus came to this sin cursed world and donned the robe of human flesh to live the perfect life, give Himself as the atonement of our sins, and triumph over physical death by rising from the dead. By doing this He made it possible for us to cross the great divide, between God and man, that sin had created. The cross became the bridge!!!
When we repent of our sins and receive Jesus as Lord we become regenerated (born again). This supernatural occurrence happens by the work of the Holy Spirit. He breathes life back into our dead existence.
“Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:1‬ ‭NLT‬‬
“You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins. He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭2:13-15‬ ‭NLT‬‬
Now that we are redeemed and restored to right relationship with God we are, once again, the temple of the Holy Spirit!
“Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭6:19-20‬ ‭NLT‬‬
The Holy Spirit now resides in the body of every born again believer because they are bought by the precious blood of Jesus!
“For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭1:18-19‬ ‭NLT‬‬
His residence makes us alive again! We are spiritually alive and have passed from death unto life.
“I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.”
‭‭John‬ ‭5:24‬ ‭NLT‬‬
Although we are going to physically die, unless Christ returns before, we will never see eternal death (separation from God). We are promised a resurrected body and restoration of all things!
“While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5:4‬ ‭NLT‬‬
“and he has identified us as his own by placing the Holy Spirit in our hearts as the first installment that guarantees everything he has promised us.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭1:22‬ ‭NLT‬‬
“And we believers also groan, even though we have the Holy Spirit within us as a foretaste of future glory, for we long for our bodies to be released from sin and suffering. We, too, wait with eager hope for the day when God will give us our full rights as his adopted children, including the new bodies he has promised us.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:23‬ ‭NLT‬‬
Without the breath of the Holy Spirit within our lives we are eternally dead. With the breath of the Holy Spirit in our lives we are eternally alive!
Let us ask God to blow upon us in our personal lives and in His church! We need the baptism of His Spirit to live fully as He intends. Yes, His Spirit saves the believer! The question isn’t if you have His Spirit. The question is if His Spirit has you? 
Just being religious and attending functions at a church doesn’t mean we are living life under the Spirits control. We must yield ourselves to Him!
Let’s pray that He will engulf our lives with His Spirit and cause us to walk in His perfect will!
“So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.”
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:16‬ ‭NLT
“Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭6:13‬ ‭NLT‬‬
Prayer: Baptize me Holy Spirit with Your presence! I yield myself to You and invite You to lead and guide my life! Take precedence, not just residence in my life. In Jesus name!!! Amen!