Matthew 26:36-56  (NKJV)

The Prayer in the Garden

36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.”

Gethsemane means olive press. It is at the foot of the Mount of Olives on the east side of Jerusalem. Jesus and the Disciples had probably been here together many times.. After sharing the Lord’s Supper, they had left the Upper Room and skirting the city wall, they walked the Kedron Valley to this secluded place. Judas knew where to bring the crowd of thugs. Jesus asked the disciples to watch for their  approach.

37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.

Jesus, the Son of God, was lonely. He needed human support as He faced imminent death. During the last three years, Jesus seemed to spend more time with these three disciples. Some have called Peter, James and John His “inner circle.” He had introduced them to Moses and Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration.

Jesus was in agony. His intense struggle was to submit His will to the will of God. Just as He was tempted in the wilderness at the beginning of His ministry, the devil was here again.

Could Jesus have backed out?

Tertullian, an early Church theologian, told of a saying atttributed to Jesus (not in the Gospels) which was passed down: “No one who has not been tempted can enter the kingdom of Heaven.” Then each one of us has his own private Gethsemane. Every man must come to say, “Thy will be done.”

We must see the trust of Jesus.  Mark 14: 36 tells us that Jesus began His prayer “Abba Father.”  “Jesus spoke to His heavenly Father in as childlike, trustful and intimate way as a little child to his father.”  (Barclay)  We can follow Jesus and come boldly to the throne of God with our life struggles.

38 Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”

39 He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.”

This is why Jesus came to earth: To go all the way to the cross:  He knew that He was about to face not only excruciating physical pain but the utter rejection of His holy Father. He could have called it off. “He could have called ten thousand angels to destroy the world and set Him free,” but He went all of the way.

40 Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour?

They may have been drowsy after that big evening meal.

41 Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

42 Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless[a] I drink it, Your will be done.”

Luke writes that an angel came to strengthen Him, and that His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

43 And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.

44 So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.

45 Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.

46 Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.”

Betrayal and Arrest in Gethsemane

47 And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, with a great multitude with swords and clubs, came from the chief priests and elders of the people.

48 Now His betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him.”

49 Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.

50 But Jesus said to him, “Friend, why have you come?”

Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took Him.

51 And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear.

Luke writes that before they left the Upper Room, Jesus had advised the disciples that their lives were about to change, and that along with other acruitenments, they should buy swords.

They found two swords in the room and carried themwith them.  John 18: 10 tells us that it was Peter who struck the servant of the high priest. Jesus Immediately restored his severed ear and ended the resistance.

52 But Jesus said to him, “Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish[b] by the sword.

53 Or do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?

54 How then could the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen thus?”

55 In that hour Jesus said to the multitudes, “Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me? I sat daily with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not seize Me.

56 But all this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.”

Then all the disciples forsook Him and fled.

We know that John, the beloved disciple, followed to support his Lord, and that Peter followed at a distance.

Mark 14 adds a detail:  51 Now a certain young man followed Him, having a linen cloth thrown around his naked body. And the young men laid hold of him, 52 and he left the linen cloth and fled from them naked.

Why might Mark have included this information in his gospel?

Most importantly,  will I stand with Jesus this week?

The Sanhedrin was the supreme court of the Jews.  

Why did they meet in the middle of the night?   Finish soaking up Matthew Chapter 26

Matthew 26:1-19  (NKJV)

The Plot to Kill Jesus

26 Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples,

2 “You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”

Passover celebrates the release of God’s chosen people from slavery in Egypt where the death angel killed the first-born in every Egyptian household but passed over the homes of the Hebrews, who had the lamb’s blood on their doors.

Jesus continued to tell the disciples of His pending death.

3 Then the chief priests, the scribes,[a] and the elders of the people assembled at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas,

4 and plotted to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him.

5 But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”

Jesus was a threat to the power of the temple rulers, but Caiaphas would lose his position if there was a riot.  There may have been two million people in Jerusalem for Passover.

The Anointing at Bethany

6 And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper,

Jesus must have healed him.

7 a woman came to Him having an alabaster flask of very costly fragrant oil, and she poured it on His head as He sat at the table.

John 12 tells us that the woman was Jesus’ close friend, Mary, sister of Martha, who helped serve the meal and brother of Lazarus, whom Jesus had recently raised from the dead.

8 But when His disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste?

9 For this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor.”

John  tells us that it was Judas Iscariot who objected, and added that the perfume  was worth a year’s wages. 6 This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.  John 12: 6

10 But when Jesus was aware of it, He said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a good work for Me.

11 For you have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always.

12 For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial.

13 Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”

Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus

14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests

15 and said, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver Him to you?” And they counted out to him thirty pieces of silver.

16 So from that time he sought opportunity to betray Him.

Why did Judas betray Jesus?

Was it for the money?

He believed that Jesus would lead armies to defeat the Romans and restore Israel.

Did his disappointment turn to hatred toward his hero?

He tried to make Jesus what he wanted Him to be.

Jesus Celebrates Passover with His Disciples

17 Now on the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?”

18 And He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.”’”

Luke  tells that the disciples were John and Peter.  Why did Jesus ask them to meet a man carrying a jar of water?  Men didn’t often perform this chore.

Follow him into the house which he enters. 11 Then you shall say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?”’ 12 Then he will show you a large, furnished upper room; there make ready.”  Luke  22

Why does this room seem familiar?

19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.

What did John and Peter have to do?

Elements of Passover:

     Unleavened Bread is  Matzah

     Bitter Herbs such as horse raddish

     Parsley and saltwater

     Roasted Lamb   ten people

     Wine

    

Broken and Spilled Out

Footnotes:

1. Matthew 26:3 NU-Text omits the scribes.

Who Is Melchizedek?

“For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning
from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him…abideth a priest continually” Hebrews 7: 2-3
The book of Hebrews is about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Why does the writer repeatedly
invoke the name of a city preacher who made a country visit two thousand years before? Why
didn’t the visitee receive a local pastor? How much “was the tenth of the spoils?” But most
importantly: How well will we know Jesus from studying this figure’s brief appearance ? We
start with his only appearance in Genesis 14. Eleven hundred years later in Psalm 110 God
inspired David to honor his name. Chapters describing Melchizedek in Hebrews in the New
Testament will give us a unique perspective of the Son of God. He came to give us access to our
Holy Father in heaven.


Priest of the Most High God

Abram was a worshiper of many Gods when he lived in Ur of the Chaldees.(Joshua 24: 2) God
called him to be the father of His chosen people: the Hebrews. He told him to move his family
and business, but he didn’t tell him where. Abram obeyed. He asked him to toil in a land that
his descendants would one day own. In the end Canaan became his final resting place.


Abram and his nephew, Lot, had acquired so many livestock that they had to divide central
Canaan between them to insure adequate pasture for both. Lot chose to move to the fertile
land near the city of Sodom. Abraham pitched his tent on the plain of Mamre “in Hebron and
built there an altar unto the Lord.” (Genesis 13: 18 KJV) Their neighbors were warring kings.
Sodom was among the losers in the battle. At that point the victors made a big mistake. They
captured Lot. Abram armed 318 of his employees, caught up with the offending kings, and
soundly defeated them. This reminds us of Gideon’s 300 and their victory in Judges.
The spoils of war were great, but all Abram wanted was his nephew and family safe and sound.
Melchizedek’s arrival must have been very welcome. The hundreds of men and women were
probably hungry and thirsty, and this King of Salem (possibly Jerusalem)[1] brought bread and
wine. There is no mention of sacrifice of animals on an altar here. This first priest in the Bible
was a type of Christ when he introduced the elements of Holy Communion to the ancestor of
Christ.[2] Picture Jesus turning the water into wine, in part, to save the wedding in Cana.
Remember His compassion when He fed the thousands the bread and fish for nourishment.
The visiting priest recognized “the possessor of heaven and earth.” (Verse 19) He thanked the
most high God for delivering Abram from the enemy. Abram gave Melchizedek ten per cent of
all the goods that they had brought back from their raid in the north as an offering. This
probably included herds of livestock.



THE Lord Said Unto My Lord

“THE Lord said unto My Lord, ‘Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy
footstool.” In Psalm 110: 1 (KJV) David recognized Messiah as “MY Lord” (Adonai) and God as
THE Lord (Jehovah).[3] Because He had never sinned, Jesus could enter God’s presence boldly as
our high priest. “When the Son ascended and appeared in the sanctuary on high, God saluted
Him or addressed Him as a High Priest after the order of Melchizedek…This was His reward for
His suffering and obedience.[4] This was the answer to His anguished prayers. He went to make
atonement for our sins. Unlike the temple priests who entered the Holy of Holies once a year,
Christ presented His own sinless blood once, for all, forever. This duty completed, He sat down
at God’s right hand. (Hebrews 1: 3) It is interesting that He stood up to welcome Stephen into
heaven (Acts 7: 55).
.
Jesus is seated at the right hand of God to make intercession for us. When Satan accuses us
to the Father, Jesus Christ defends us and wins every case. It’s not that we didn’t do the crime;
It’s His righteousness that covers our sin, and God forgives us, and He forgets (Romans 8: 1-4).

“Then cometh the end, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father…
For He must reign, till He hath put all enemies under His feet’ or footstool (1 Corinthians 15: 24-
25 KJV). Verse 28 continues “And when all things shall be subject unto Him, then shall the Son
also be subject unto Him that put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.”


David wrote that his Lord, the Messiah to come, was “a priest after the order of Melchizedek.”
Melchizedek was a priest of God before there were any Jews. This means that Jesus was not
a Jewish priest. He was a priest as Melchizedek was, and He reigns forever. “The Lord hath sworn and
will not repent ” (Psalm 110: 4 KJV). God himself took an oath to appoint Jesus as our high priest.
The only reason for a man to take an oath is because someone might not believe him. William Barclay
pointed out that a statement that God confirms by an oath must be “so utterly unchangeable that it is
woven into the very fibre of the universe and must remain forever. [5]














Without Father, Without Mother

God kept His promise. Hebrews 6: 20 confirms. “...even Jesus made an high priest for ever after the
Order of Melchizedek.” Barclay believed that this letter was from a scholar writing to a small group of
scholars. Possibly they were separated, and he believed that they were drifting away from their Faith.[6]
They must have asked how a descendent of the Tribe of Judah could be our great high priest.

The writer goes to some length in Chapter 7 to show them and us who Jesus Christ is. Who is “without
father, without mother”? J. Barmby wrote that these are “omissions from the narrative ...arranged by
Holy Spirit.”[7] Melchizedek did not need a priestly pedigree as did a priest of the Order of Aaron. God
appointed him His first priest, and his order is to last forever. His name means king (Melchi..) of
righteousness (Zedek). His title was King of Salem (king of peace). His ultimate successor is Jesus Christ,
who is our priest and king.
God ordained the descendants of Levi to be the priests of His chosen people. In order for a man to
become a priest, he had to prove his linage all the way back to this son of Jacob (Israel). The Levitical
priests sacrificed the animal offerings for the sins of the people, but they could not give the people a
“perfectly adequate” access to God.[8] Only Jesus Christ can do that. “The whole Paraphernalia of the
sacrificial and ceremonial law is wiped out in the priesthood of Jesus.”[9] When the Levitical priests
passed on, the younger men took their places. Jesus does not need a successor; He lives forever.


The author of Hebrews cites another evidence of the superiority of the Order of Melchizedek over that
of Levi. Abram, the Friend of God and patriarch of the nation, presented tithes to Melchizedek and
received a blessing from him. Only the lesser can receive the blessing from the greater.[10] Further more,
Levi, even though he was not born until hundreds of years later, was deemed to have paid tithes to
Melchizedek because his ancestor paid them on his behalf.

Better or Unique?

The Book of Hebrews seems to say that because the Order of Melchizedek is superior to the Order of
Aaron, Jesus Christ is a better priest than they are. This is a great understatement. Our Savior and Lord,
Jesus Christ, is unique. There are no adverbs or adjectives to accompany unique. We have access to
God through Him alone. Jesus appeared to John that day on the Island of Patmos dressed as
our high priest. The Seven Lamp Stands that He was standing among are the Seven Churches. As Aaron
lighted the lamps in the Tabernacle, Christ now does this with His present lights, the local churches.[11]







Bibliography

Aquinas, Thomas, Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews South Bend: St. Augustine’s Press 2006
Barmly, J., “Hebrews” The Pulpit Commentary, William B. Erdman’s Publishing, Grand Rapids, 1950
Barclay, William, The Letter to The Hebrews, Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1957
Cotton, J. Harry, “The Epistle to The Hebrews” The Interpreter’s Bible, New York: Abington Press, 1955
Heen, Erik, Editor, Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, Intervarsity Press, Downer’s Grove 2005
Hobbs, Herschel, Studies in Hebrews , Nashville: Southern Baptist Convention 1954
Kelly, Jack, GraceThruFaith.com
Thompson, James, Hebrews Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008
Wilmington, Harold, Great truths From God’s Word, 2003
[1] Harold Wilmington, Great Truths from God’s Word, 1975, 285
[2] Erik Heen, Ancient Christian Commentaries on Scripture, Inter Varsity Press, Downers Grove Illinois 2005 96
[3] Woodrow Kroll, “Psalms” Liberty Bible Commentary, The Old time gospel Hour, Lynchburg, 1982, 1135

[4] J. Harry Cotton, “The Epistle to The Hebrews” The Interpreter’s Bible, Volume XI Abington Press, New York, 646
[5] William Barclay, The Letter to the Hebrews, The Westminster Press, Philadelphia, 1957, 85
[6] Barclay XX
[7] J. Barmly, “Hebrews” The Pulpit Commentary, William B. Erdmans Publishing, Grand Rapids, 1950 , 188
[8] Herschel Hobbs, Studies in Hebrews, Southern Baptist Convention, Nashville, 1954, 61
[9] Barclay, 84
[10] Hobbs, 61
[11] Wilmington, 381

Baptism of The Holy Spirit

The phrase evokes the sights, sounds, motions, aromas, miracles and visitors that come from heaven. Baptism refers to an ordinance of the Church in which a pastor submerges a new Christian in water or pours water on his or her head. Holy Spirit is the one of the three persons of the holy Trinity. He is present everywhere at the same time, while God and Jesus remain in heaven. This brief study examines three aspects of the baptism of Holy Spirit. What He does, Who has it? and How long does it last? Readers of Acts will discover the significance of the baptism of the Holy Spirit for the early Church and for the world-wide Church of today.
What He does:
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” In Genesis 1: 2 “The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” John 1: 1 states that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Here, John introduced Jesus Christ. The result was the creation of the entire universe in six days. Father, Son and Holy Spirit: These are the persons of the Trinity.
In Verse 6 the Apostle introduced the last Old Testament prophet, John the Baptist. Even as he spoke to the people who came to hear him in the wilderness, Jesus arrived to fulfill thousands of years of prophecy. “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1: 29 KJV) All four Gospels relate the baptism of Jesus attended by both the voice of God and the “Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon Him.” The rural evangelist did not recognize his own cousin. “And I knew Him not, but He (God) that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, ‘Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining on Him, the same is He which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. “ (John 1: 32-33 KJV) John complied with Jesus’ request and received that triple confirmation.
The Old Testament includes many super natural occurrences. Those that came from God always had a purpose. “So God created man in His own image,…and God said unto them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth and subdue it.” (Genesis 1: 27-28) This is the first time that God spoke to Man in the Scriptures. God and people have communicated with each other from that day until now. Some of our conversation has been audible, and even loud.
After they had eaten of the forbidden tree, the couple” heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the Garden in the cool of the day.” Adam and Eve had hidden themselves from the One who knows all. When we sin we often try to avoid God, but He speaks a little louder to implore us to return. Enoch was one who continued to walk with God so closely that He didn’t have to die. Noah obeyed God’s command, and he viewed the first rainbow. God had spoken through nature in the world-wide flood. Then He came down and confused the languages of civilization at Babel. (Genesis 11: 7-8) God responded to this confusion two thousand years later with His miracle at Pentecost.
In Genesis 15 God told Abram in a vision that he would father a nation. In chapter 18 He made a bodily appearance. Abraham hailed three men and entertained them at his tent home. One of them promised “I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son.” Sarah was ninety years old at the time and had her doubts. Verse 13 identifies the speaker as the Lord.
The three men had another stop on their schedule. Abraham was escorting them when “the Lord said, (to Himself) Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do?” He was planning the destruction of Sodom where Abraham’s nephew, Lot, resided. “Abraham stood yet before the Lord” to plead for the city. Stephen Schrader termed this appearance a christophany meaning that Jesus Christ was the head of that trio.[1] Other scholars call it a theophany or a representation of God himself.
Holy Spirit visited men and women in the Old Testament. “The Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon” Sampson. It left him after he sinned repeatedly. When Samuel anointed David to be the future king of Israel, the “Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.” In Psalm 51: 11 he pleaded with God not to take it away from him as He had Sampson before him.
In the Old Testament not everyone depended on God’s Holy Spirit. He often made His presence known in certain situations and then seemed to fade into the background. The prophets had some exciting adventures when they called on God for help. Elijah was one. After watching the prophets of Baal beg for a miracle from dawn to noon, he prayed once and fire came down from heaven and zapped the bullock, “the wood, the stones, and the dust and licked up the water that was in the trench.” (Kings 18: 38-19: 16) That was a mountain top experience. When Queen Jezebel found out that Elijah had executed her prophets, she threatened his life. Elijah was so fearful that he ran and hid in a cave. The Lord was not in the wind, the earthquake or the fire that rocked his lonely habitat. The Lord was in the still small voice that then told him how to get relief.


Who Has it?
Forty days after Jesus rose from the dead, He told the Eleven disciples to wait in Jerusalem “for the promise of the Father…For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.” (Acts 1: 4-5 KJV) He led them as far as Bethany before He ascended into heaven. They returned to the city and alternated between the temple and “an upper room” with the other disciples for the next ten days. Approximately 120 disciples included Mary, the mother of Jesus, and his half brothers. The others were the men and women who had traveled with or ministered with Jesus during the previous three years. Peter asked them to nominate two candidates to fill the office Judas Iscariot had vacated. Matthias “was added to the Eleven apostles. And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. (Acts 1: 26 – 2: 1 NASBU) The next three verses refer to the Twelve Apostles.
“And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.” (Acts 2: 2 NASBU) There was a loud sound but no wind.
“And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them.” (Verse 3 NASBU) The tongues were like fires. Each Apostle had a tongue resting on him.[2]
“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.“ These Galileans were telling “of the mighty deeds of God” to devout Jews “from every nation under heaven. “ The Twelve Apostles may have been the only ones who spoke in tongues other than their own. These tongues were not the ecstatic prayer language that Paul described in 1 Corinthians 14. In Acts 2: 4 Luke used a rare Greek expression that means “to speak with gravity” that KJV translates “as the Spirit gave them utterance.”The words language and tongue in verses 6 and 8 Luke translates a word that means dialect.[3] This was Holy Spirit’s way to resolve the confusion that began at the tower of Babel when the people wanted to build their own way to heaven. This was the birth of the Church. Jesus ascended to the Father so that His followers would have a comforter and guide all over the world forever.
Then the crowd wanted an explanation. Peter stood and responded. The real miracle occurred when three thousand people accepted Christ. It may have taken more than twelve men to baptize them, but there were enough pools in Jerusalem. [4] Burial with Him beneath the water and rising to new life” was not just a symbol for them. They had received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Luke did not record additional sounds or sights from heaven here.
Jesus told His disciples to “be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria…” (Acts 1: 8). Philip, one of the “seven men of honest report,” preached Christ to the people of Samaria. With one accord they believed and were baptized. When the apostles at Jerusalem heard about it, Peter and John traveled to Samaria. Luke wrote that they prayed and laid their hands on the people, and only then did they receive Holy Spirit. (Acts 8: 5-8; 14-17) Howard Marshall believed that “God withheld the Spirit until the coming of Peter and John in order that the Samaritans might be seen to be fully incorporated into the community of Jerusalem Christians who had received the Spirit at Pentecost. [5]
Another red letter date in the life of Peter occurred on his missionary travels. In a vision God answered the prayers of a Roman centurion named Cornelius. He told him to send for Peter in Joppa. At the same time Peter had a vision of a sheet full of dead animals including those that Jewish people did not eat. God told him not to call what He had cleansed unholy. When three Gentiles came looking for him, Holy Spirit told him to invite them in and accompany them to the home of Cornelius in Caesarea. When Cornelius and his friends and relatives heard Peter say that those who believe Jesus Christ receive forgiveness of their sins, they began to speak in tongues exalting God. At that moment they received the baptism of Holy Spirit. Immediately Peter asked his associates to baptize Cornelius, his family and friends. Holy Spirit had the new Christians speak in tongues just as the apostles did at Pentecost. Peter and the men from Joppa could begin to understand that there are no second class Christians. [6] Convincing the rest of the Church may take a little longer.
In 1st Corinthians 12: 13 Paul taught that “by one Spirit are ye all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”
How long Does It Last?
The moment a believer gives his life to Jesus Christ the Holy Spirit baptizes him. There may be heavenly sounds or sights before or after, but the lack there of does not discount the validity of one’s salvation. Jesus paid for it all. Holy Spirit comes to every believer immediately. He stays with the Christian forever. In John 10: 28 The Great Shepherd spoke about His followers: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. “
Harold Wilmington writes that the ministry of Holy Spirit is perfecting. “That is to say, His new ministry would now be to make all repenting sinners grow in grace and be like Jesus. “[7] Paul wrote to the Philippians (3: 14) that he was pressing on “toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
Conclusion:
Baptism of the Holy Spirit is the beginning of the life of the follower of Jesus Christ. He draws the man or woman. He or she gives his life to Jesus Christ. At that instant Holy Spirit enters that person’s life forever. There may be dramatic signs from heaven, or there may not be. When the follower of Jesus prays and obeys Holy Spirit, he grows spiritually and glorifies God. There is joy in times of tribulation as well as in happy times.










Bibliography

Barrett ,C. K. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles, (ICC. New York, NY: T&T Clark, 1994)
Bock, Darrell L. Acts: Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Baker Academic, 2007)
Marshall, I. Howard, The Acts of the Apostles (Grand Rapids. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1980) 1
McGee, J. Vernon, Acts Volume I (Pasadena, Thru the Bible Books , 1976)
John B. Polhill, The New American Commentary Volume 26, (Nashville, Broadman Press, 1992
Schrader, Stephen, “Genesis” in Liberty Bible Commentary Volume I, ed. Jerry Falwell, Lynchburg: The Old Time Gospel Hour, 1982)















FOOTNOTES

1. Stephen Schrader, “Genesis” in Liberty Bible Commentary Volume I, ed. Jerry Falwell, Lynchburg: The Old Time Gospel Hour 1986) 53-54
2. C. K. Barrett, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles, (ICC. New York, NY: T&T Clark, 1994) 54
3. John B. Polhilll, The New American Commentary Volume 26, (Nashville, Broadman Press, 1992) 98-99
4. Darrell L. Bock, Acts: Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Baker Academic, 2007) 146
5. Howard Marshall, The Acts of the Apostles (Grand Rapids. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 156-157
6. Vernon McGee, Acts Volume I (Pasadena, Thru the Bible Books , 1976) 126
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