The Fulfillment of the Holy Spirit’s Outpouring: Acts 19:1-7

Another example that gives further evidence in support of the conclusion that the gift of the Holy Spirit was the miraculous gift promised by Joel is in Acts 19:1-7.   Here, Paul meets twelve disciples and asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit when they believed.   Just as in the example of the Samaritans, it was not automatically given after accepting the truth or Paul would not have asked if they had received Him.   They may have been like the Samaritans or the Ethiopian who was taught by one who could not impart this gift and had not yet been in the proximity of an apostle of Jesus Christ.   However, Paul was an apostle with this power (cf. Romans 1:9) and was offering his services, if needed.    If they had been baptized into Jesus Christ, we would expect them to know about the Holy Spirit and how he is promised to the believer.   Under these circumstances, we would also expect an apostle to ask a similar question wherever they found disciples.  They were imparting the gift of the Holy Spirit wherever they found disciples of Christ.   Paul writes to the Romans and speaks of his longing to see them so that he may impart the gift (Rom. 1:9).   A common question that the twelve would ask is, “Have you received the Holy Spirit?”  They were in the business of laying their hands on disciples to receive Him.  When he asked the question, these disciples asked,  “No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”  That was a give-away.   It proved that they were not baptized into Jesus Christ because that baptism came with the promise of the Holy Spirit.   Paul asks, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into John’s baptism.”  Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.  When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.  And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying.”   Unlike Philip and the Samaritans or Philip and the Ethiopian, Paul laid his hands on them immediately following their baptism into Christ.   Some did not have that opportunity, as we will see in the next example.