Holy Spirit Infilling — Week 3
By Peggy Land, wife of Dr. Steven J. Land, President of the Church of God Theological Seminary

“And when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.  And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.  And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them.  And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance” (Acts 2:1-4, NASB).

Pentecost was a Jewish feast.  The day of Pentecost was the fiftieth day after the resurrection of Christ.  The disciples tarried in prayer and fellowship for ten days.  While earnestly praying in one mind and one accord, they expected this blessing from God.  Being filled with the Holy Spirit, they spoke with other tongues (Paul Beacham, Questions and Answers On the Scriptures, 233).

People heard the Word of God in their own languages.  They asked, “What does this mean?” (Acts 2:12, NASB).

Peter explained.  No one was drunk on wine, rather they were experiencing the promise given in the Old Testament from the prophet Joel:  “It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.  Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days” (Joel 2:28-29, NASB).

This promise remains true today.  The infilling of the Holy Spirit is for us, our children, our children’s children (unto all generations).  Are we hungry to see the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in greater measure?  Are we seeking for ourselves, our children, our teenagers, our young adults, our older adults?  Let us humble ourselves, pray, turn from every wicked way and ask the Lord to heal our families, our church, and our nation (2 Chronicles 7:14, NASB).

One of the great encouragements in my daily walk with Christ is hearing again and again the testimonies of those hungry to be filled with the Holy Spirit.  Be blessed today with this testimony.

About sixty years ago, kneeling at an altar in a small Baptist church, a teenager repented of her sins and accepted Christ into her heart.  A few months later, she was invited to a prayer meeting where Christians from various denominations were seeking to be filled with the Holy Spirit.  I might add that she knew nothing about the Holy Spirit.  They instructed her to pray to be sanctified (to be holy) so her vessel could be filled.  She knelt as the believers prayed with her.

After kneeling and tarrying for some time, she decided to stand, thinking she would not be filled at this time.  The next thing she remembered, she was speaking in an unknown tongue, lying flat on that concrete slab floor.  No one touched her; she said it was like being laid down on a cushion.  No bruises, no pain!  When she stood up to testify, she spoke in tongues.  When she tried to use English to describe the blessing to her family, she spoke in tongues.  My mother was gloriously filled with the Holy Spirit.

Today, may we be filled and refilled with His Spirit as we tarry and pray.  May this verse be our prayer: 

Oh Holy Ghost,
Revival comes from Thee;
Send a revival,
Start the work in me.
Thy Word declares
Thou wilt supply our need;
For blessing now,
O Lord, I humbly plead.
(“Cleanse Me,” Edwin Orr and John McNeill)

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