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Song: The Gospel Is For All
Scripture: Acts 19:1-10
Four times in the book of Acts we read of believers upon whom the Spirit descended and miraculous signs were manifested.
In Acts 2, the Spirit descended upon the Jewish believers who then spoke in tongues. The Apostles were empowered and Peter, speaking for them, explained that the Spirit’s outpouring was the sign of Jesus’ heavenly reign and of His offer of pardon and fellowship to the penitent believer.
In Acts 8, Peter and John laid their hands upon the first non-Jewish believers, the Samaritans, so that the Spirit fell upon them and they spoke in tongues. Here was heaven’s confirmation that salvation was for the Samaritan as well as the Jew.
In Acts 10, lest any question the prerogative of uncircumcised believers to be heirs of salvation, the Spirit fell upon the Gentiles of Cornelius’ house even as it had upon the Jews on Pentecost.
Finally, in Acts 19, twelve isolated believers of Asia who were only informed of John’s baptism were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Paul laid his hands on them so that they too received the Spirit. Like the eleventh hour laborers (Matthew 20:1-16) they were given the same sign that John himself had prophesied would accompany Jesus’ reign.
Four times heaven bore witness by the Spirit’s descent to the reign of Christ indicating His promise of salvation for believers in all nations for all ages.
Jason Moore
