Beloved radio, friends, we greet you in the ever-precious and the worthy name of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. We rejoice in the privilege of coming to you with the Word of God and ministering the precious truths relating to the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. This is your Bible teacher of the air speaking, J.W. Bramhall, giving you a hearty welcome to the ministry of God's holy and precious words. We have been studying this great doctrine of the Holy Spirit, what we have already covered in relation to his personality, and particularly in relation to his work. We have covered some particular facts which we name briefly. First of all we considered his work of convicting the world of sin. Then we entered into the study of his ministry regenerating, imparting divine life to all who believe on the Lord Jesus. Then we also found from the Word of God that He has a work of indwelling, meaning that He takes up His abode and abides in the heart and soul of every believer. We learned too that He has a ministry of sealing, for upon believing, the believer is sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, the assurance of his and her salvation that the Spirit will bring such a believer to the glory when our Lord Jesus Christ comes for his own. In our recent meditations we touched upon the ministry of his baptizing, the baptism of the Spirit. May we once again repeat, at Pentecost that work of baptism was done once and for all in relation to the formation of the body of Christ. Pentecost was the birthday of the church. And we found the definition of that baptism of the Holy Spirit in I Corinthians chapter twelve and verse thirteen. For by one spirit were we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jew, or Greek, whether we be bond or free, we have been all made to drink into that one Spirit. May I repeat that every believer, every convert of the Savior, upon believing, immediately shares in that work of baptism. For the baptism of the Holy Spirit places the believer in the body of Christ. Now I know, as we shall see today, that accompanying the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, there was the filling of the Spirit when the believers then spoke with other tongues. But every believer upon receiving Christ as his and her Savior shares in the baptism of the Holy Spirit. For may I state, my beloved Christian, you and I would not be in the body of Christ. apart from sharing in this baptism which is the body of Christ formed by the Holy Spirit and upon believing you and I were joined to that one South Saint spirit and made members of the body of Christ we now we would now we would consider the ministry of the Holy Spirit in filling For the filling of the Holy Spirit is indeed one of the phases of his work. There are many other truths we know relating to the Spirit, some of which we have covered during the church age. And now we would look at the filling of the Spirit. And that filling of the Spirit is only for a believer. First of all we read in the second book of Acts, second chapter rather of the book of Acts, verse four. The first occasion when the early disciples experienced the filling of the Spirit. We read these words in Acts two four, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now we have previously referred to this scripture on the subject of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but we also stated there were five specific things that happened on that day of Pentecost to the disciples. One of the things that took place is what is before us in this text, the filling of the Spirit. And the filling of the Spirit it was that enabled and then empower the disciples to speak in other languages to the men who were gathered together in Jerusalem from many different countries on that day. Let me re-emphasize that it was the filling of the Holy Spirit that enabled the disciples and empowered the disciples to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now I grant that associated with the first baptism of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost was the speaking in tongues. But I believe faithfully the direct speaking of the tongues is associated with the filling of the Holy Spirit in the believers of that day. For it was upon being filled with the Holy Spirit, they began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now may I particularly follow this truth through, to remind our hearts that the filling of the Holy Spirit is not a once and for all experience. May I turn to the book of Acts in chapter four. And in verse eight of that chapter, we have a second reference to the filling of the Holy Spirit. And we read of it in connection with Peter. And these are the words. Then Peter, fill with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel. On this occasion, Before the inquiring rulers and elders of Israel, as Peter spoke in his, as well as his fellow companion John, in their defense, and addressed the elders, we read that Peter was once again filled with the Holy Ghost. It was another filling, definitely separate from that one which they experienced upon the day of Pentecost. and it was given to them on this occasion for the special emergency at that particular time. So we have a second reference to the filling of the Holy Spirit. May we also go on in the fourth chapter of the book of Acts and read in verses thirty-one, whereafter Peter and John were let loose by the elders, and returned to their fellow believers following their trial and reported to the fellow believers what had taken place. We read that the whole company of believers prayed that God would give to them boldness to speak His word when the appearance of first opposition came against the disciples in their testimony. We read in verse thirty-one of Acts four, when they had prayed, the place was shaken, where they were assembled together, and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. Now these were the same believers who on the day of Pentecost experienced the filling of the Holy Spirit. And for power, in service, they once again received the filling of the Holy Spirit, as the context declares that God gave them boldness to speak the word of God fearlessly to those around them. It was a definite filling of the Holy Spirit to empower them for the service that was involved. We also would mention the scripture in the sixth chapter of the book of the Acts, where in verses three through five, we have recorded the appointment of seven men who were to serve as deacons, as far as we know, the first deacons in the early church. And here you find the expression concerning them, they were to be men full of the Holy Ghost. That expression is repeated two times. They were to be men full of the Holy Ghost. It is repeated in verse three and also in verse five. Though it is evident that their ministry in their service may have been chiefly of a material character, yet they were required to be men who were filled with the Spirit of God. and this very example should speak to the hearts and to the consciences of all believers in the church who have any measure of responsibility in serving the Lord, that the filling of the Holy Spirit is necessary for effective and fruitful service for our beloved and blessed Lord. Now let me particularly recapitulate thus far as we have covered the filling of the Holy Spirit. It is not a once and for all experience. On three, four occasions in fact, in Acts two, once, in Acts four, twice, in Acts chapter six, once, we have the reference to the filling of the Holy Spirit. Now let us realize it is for special service that God requires the filling of the Holy Spirit. It is blessedly true. This should be, and we shall see later, it should be our responsibility to be getting filled with the Holy Spirit day by day to be used of the Lord to his glory. But it was the filling of the Holy Spirit, as we read in Acts two, that gave the believers of the early church in that day the power, the ability, to speak in other languages. The filling of the Holy Spirit was one aspect of the Spirit's work when they were baptized by the Holy Spirit into the one body. May you and I clearly see the distinction of this for our blessing and our prophet. Father, we pray thy blessing upon thy word, enlighten our hearts, and guide us in thy truth for thy glory. Amen.