You have been involved with the Holy Spirit since you first heard the good news that Jesus took your place and bore the penalty for your sins. It was the Holy Spirit, through the Word, Who made the truth that Jesus was raised from the dead a reality in your heart.

"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that god hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" (Rom. 10:9). First Corinthians 12:3 states that no man says Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Ghost.

Jesus came to make it possible for man to receive the nature of God—eternal life (John 10:10). Jesus could not get a man born again while He was on the earth. He had the power to forgive sins, but there could be no new creatures until Jesus paid the sin price at Calvary and became the firstborn from the dead.

It was the miraculous work of the Holy Spirit that made you a new creature. When you made Jesus Lord over your life, the Holy Spirit came upon you and overshadowed you, just as He did Mary when there was conceived in her a "holy thing."

Spiritual death was eradicated from your spirit. You were born again in a new life, a new spirit. You were literally born of God. "Beloved, NOW are we the sons of God" (1 John 3:2). "Whatsoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God" (1 John 5:1). God became your Father by spiritual birth.

The miracle of the new birth should never become commonplace to you. This new birth is not a theological idea, but an actual fact. The Holy Spirit personally carries out this miracle when you make Jesus Christ your Lord.

He takes a sin-ridden, selfish man and recreates a spirit in God's image. This change in a man's nature is a great, miraculous and supernatural event in the realm of the spirit. That is why all of heaven rejoices (Luke 15:7,10).

The Spirit Within
The ministry of the Holy Spirit is not only to impart the nature of God to the spirit of man, but also to live in the new creature and to reveal to him the exact knowledge of God. The Spirit within enables the new creature to walk in newness of life. One writer said, "The Spirit that gives us life must also sustain that life."

Ezekiel says, "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them" (Ezek. 36:26-27).

After you make Jesus Lord, the Holy Spirit comes to live in you. Jesus told the disciples: "If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you."
(John 14:15-17)

The Holy Spirit has been working with the disciples. They had been preaching, healing the sick and casting out devils. He had been with them and working with them, but Jesus said when the Holy Spirit came to abide forever, He would live on the inside of them.

"Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost" (John 20:21-22).

After Jesus had been raised from the dead, He appeared to them and they were born again as Jesus breathed the life of God into them, saying "Receive the Holy Spirit," (compare with Genesis 2:7). Eternal life came into them. They could not have been born again until after Jesus paid the price for sin. As they received the Life of God, the Spirit Who gave that life began to dwell in them.

The Spirit Upon
From that moment they were changed. They were no longer troubled, afraid or sad. Luke's account lets us know of the change: "And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen" (Luke 24:51-53).

Where there had been sadness, now there was great joy—a fruit of the Spirit. Where there was fear and confusion, now there was continual praise and blessing of God. And they were obedient. They went to Jerusalem and waited for the manifestation of power from on high expecting to receive the promise of the Father.

There was yet another wonderful event to come. Just before Jesus blessed the disciples and was carried into heaven He gave these instructions: "And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high" (Luke 24:49).

Acts' account of this says: "And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence?Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:4-5,8).

He said they were to be baptized with the Holy Ghost and receive power! They had already received the Holy Spirit within. Now Jesus was instructing them what to do to receive the power of God upon them. Acts 10:38 says Jesus was anointed with the Holy Ghost and power! The disciples were to receive that same power of the Holy Spirit.

He said in our everyday talk, "Don't leave town without it!" This endowment of power was necessary in order to carry out the work Jesus set before them. (See Mark 16:15-20; Matt. 28:18-20).

Nothing has changed. The Body of Christ today is still under the same mandate.

We are to continue to do the same works that Jesus Himself did and it will take the same power and anointing of the Holy Spirit that was upon Jesus Himself (See Acts 10:38; Matt. 3:16-17; John 14:10; Luke 4:18-21; Acts 5:12-16).

The same power that was upon Jesus came upon the Church on the Day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit is still assigned to the Church to help us fulfill our commission. Didn't Jesus say He would abide with us forever!

Excerpt permission granted by
Eagle Mountain International Church, Inc.
aka:  Kenneth Copeland Ministries