Have You Received the Holy Ghost Since You Believed?
- Bishop Keith Butler
- Jul 18
- 2 min read
And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. (Acts 19:1-6)
When you were born again, the Holy Spirit came to live in your spirit. He brought with Him the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23) The fruit of the Spirit is in every Christian; it’s up to them to allow that fruit to develop so they represent God’s character through their lives. The gifts of the Spirit are different. They come when a Christian receives the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Some say everyone gets everything there is to get at salvation, but please notice Paul’s question of the men in Ephesus. They were already Christians, but they hadn’t received the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
Like so many believers today, they didn’t even know there was such a person (the Holy Ghost) or thing (the baptism). Prophecy is one of nine spiritual gifts that a believer can use to bless others after they’ve received the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Anyone can prophesy, which is sharing a message that edifies, exhorts, or comforts the church, but that does not make that person a prophet. Tongues plus interpretation are the same as prophecy: they reveal something of God’s mind that is meant to build up the body of Christ.
Practical Application
Stir up the gift of God that is within you by praying in tongues.
