NO MORE HYPOCRISY

People who were filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost spoke out publicly because their hearts had been filled full.

Holy Spirit baptism fits us up for highly effective service. The immediate result of the baptism is speech that can be understood by others. There’s a change in our choice of words, tone, and inflection. This baptism makes us effective soul winners because we’re not hypocrites anymore – we are what people expect us to be. People hear well when they see well.

Holy Spirit baptism is a gift, not a fruit. The baptism is gifted to anyone who asks for it (Luke 11:13). A gift is received instantly, but fruit emerges over time. Fruit is the automatic result of the gift (Galatians 5:22-23). 

Holy Spirit baptism spontaneously activates sanctification. Effort is not needed because God works in us, to will and to do. Handing over our will to the Holy Spirit is all that's required, but for many people that's harder to do than slavishly following a bunch of rules.

EXPLOSIVE POWER

The last recorded words of Jesus: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8). The Greek word translated power is ‘dounamin’ from which comes the word dynamite.

The power Jesus offers us is explosive power. It has to be like that because Jesus' birth, life, death and resurrection are all supernatural. The gospel is a supernatural message, and needs supernatural power to communicate it. The supernatural is the only realm in which the gospel can be effectively proclaimed (Hebrews 2:3-4). It is reasonable that the unbelieving world expects that.

That's why the final explosive gospel proclamation before Jesus returns is described as an angel coming down with great POWER. (Revelation 18:1)