“While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied.
4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues[b] and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.”
When I was growing up in Midland, we went to a church called Cornerstone Christian Fellowship. The pastor was Dick Spencer. A mighty man of God full of grace and the Holy Spirit. I remember him preaching on the topic of the Holy Spirit. He used to say that becoming a Christian is like going to Dallas. You can use your thumb and get there eventually, but being baptized in the Holy Spirit is like getting on a Learjet; you get there much faster.
I became a Christian somewhere down the road, going to that church. I don’t really remember the day I said “Yes” to Jesus, but I do remember the day I was twelve, when I was baptized in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. Pastor Spencer prayed over my brother and me, and we were baptized in the Holy Spirit. All I can say is that after that, God’s word became real and alive to me. It jumped off the pages, and truth was written on my heart. Sin was no longer fun anymore, the Holy Spirit was the nagger in chief, and I cannot tell you how much sin I avoided because of the influence of the Holy Spirit in my life. Today, the same voice compels my thoughts and actions and guides me in all things.
Is there a difference in your Christian walk without receiving the Holy Spirit like the people in chapter 19 did? The answer is yes, a very big difference. Without receiving the Holy Spirit, these followers of the way did not speak in tongues or prophecy, among other things. The Bible says that God’s word is the same today, yesterday, and forever, so why do we refuse to believe that the same Holy Spirit in Acts 19 is not the same Holy Spirit of today? The answer is that Satan would like nothing more than to keep Christians in a thumbing it to Dallas kind of walk. Jesus rose from the dead and defeated Satan, and death has no sting, so Jesus wins, period. If it is in the book, I believe it, and that settles it! I can say that because the Holy Spirit has revealed the power behind God’s word and has shown me that He is working even though I don’t see it or feel it.
If you are professing to be a Christian just because your parents went to church or that your group of friends seems to hang out at church, you are missing God. These followers of Jesus in Ephesus needed something, and Paul was there to give them that something, the Holy Spirit! Your walk with the Lord may need a jump start today. You may have been walking without knowing about the Holy Spirit. “When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.” Your jump start could be a prayer away; you need to climb on the jet of the Holy Spirit and watch God’s word become a living word and not just great stories. The Holy Spirit is the “power” in the punch of following Christ. Do you have the power?
If you want to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit like the people in chapter 19 did, then say this prayer.
Prayer: Father, I want to be baptized in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. I accept all you have for me, Father, and I receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit today in Jesus’ name, amen.
You got it, now watch the Lord work in your life like never before.
Let It Go 
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