WHY it matters//
The coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost was the birth of the New Testament Church. As the first believers receive the promised gift of God, they received power and boldness to proclaim the gospel. When we become a follower of Jesus we receive his Spirit as a guarantee and a seal that we are the sons and daughters of God (2 Cor 1:22, Eph 1:14). The act of repentance where we receive salvation is a distinct experience from receiving the baptism, or immersion in his Spirit. The Bible teaches us that this experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit is to equip us with the power and abilities that we need to accomplish our calling, along with the boldness to preach the truth about Jesus to the world.
WHAT it's talking about//
Acts is considered “part 2” to the book of Luke in the opinion of most scholars. Written by Luke around 64 AD, this book begins with the ascension of Jesus into heaven and then chronicles the life of the early church as the gospel begins to spread throughout the Earth. After Jesus ascended into heaven the believers were told to wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit. As the church continues to grow and the Apostles travel to new villages Paul encounters some men who have placed their faith in Jesus but have never received the Holy Spirit.
Acts 19:1-7 NLT
1 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions until he reached Ephesus, on the coast, where he found several believers.
2 “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” he asked them. “No,” they replied, “we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
3 “Then what baptism did you experience?” he asked. And they replied, “The baptism of John.”
4 Paul said, “John’s baptism called for repentance from sin. But John himself told the people to believe in the one who would come later, meaning Jesus.”
5 As soon as they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6 Then when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in other tongues and prophesied.
7 There were about twelve men in all.