Pentecost. God gave the gift of the Holy Ghost once on the Day of Pentecost, and He never
took back that gift. Now it is just a matter of folks receiving Him.
I can't find in the Acts of the Apostles where the disciples ever asked anyone, "Has God given
you the Holy Ghost?" But I do read where Paul asked, "Have you received the Holy Ghost?"
(Acts 19:2) . In other words, the emphasis is not on God's giving because He has already done
that. The emphasis is on man's receiving.
In the life of Jesus, we see an example of man receiving what God has already provided — the
Holy Spirit: "Therefore [Jesus Christ) being by the right hand of God exalted, and having
RECEIVED of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost..." (Acts 2:33).
Jesus received of the Father ". . . the promise of the Holy Ghost. ..." And after Jesus received
the promise of the Holy Ghost, the Bible says He "... hath shed forth this, which ye now see
and hear" (Acts 2:33).
The Ephesian Disciples
We see another example of man receiving what
The Holy Spirit and His Gifts
God has already provided — the Holy Spirit — in Acts 19
ACTS 19:1,2
1 ... Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain
disciples,
2 He said unto them, Have ye RECEIVED the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they
said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
When Paul came to Ephesus, he didn't ask the question, "Has God given you the Holy Ghost?"
He asked, ". . . Have ye RECEIVED the Holy Ghost since ye believed?. . ." (Acts 19:2).
The Samaritan Christians
We see in the account in Acts chapter 8 that after the Samaritans were born again, it was only
a matter of their receiving the Holy Spirit.
ACTS 8:14,15
14 Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the
word of God[ concerning salvation ], they sent unto them Peter and John:
15 Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might RECEIVE the
Holy Ghost.
Notice that it says ". . . that they might receive the Holy Ghost" (v. 15). Peter and John didn't
pray that God would pour out the Holy Ghost on them. They prayed that the Samaritans might
receive the Holy Ghost. Acts 8:17 says, "Then laid they their hands on them, and they received
the Holy Ghost."
Saul of Tarsus
Saul was born again on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:4-8). God sent Ananias to lay hands on
Saul that Saul might receive his sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.