(1.) _In Luke xxiv. 49. Jesus bade the apostles to tarry in Jerusalem until they were “endued with power from on high.”_ These men had been appointed to be witnesses of the life, death and resurrection of Christ. (Luke xxiv. 45‒48. Acts; i. 22; x. 39‒41.) They had received what would seem to be a splendid and sufficient training for this work. For more than three years they had been to school to the best of teachers, Jesus Himself. They had been eye witnesses of his miracles, death, burial, resurrection and ascension. But there was still one thing needed. And this need was of such vital importance that Jesus would not permit them to enter upon their appointed work until that need had been met. That need was the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. If the apostles with their unparalleled fitting for service, were not permitted to enter that service until all their other training had been supplemented by the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, what daring presumption it is for any of us with our inferior training to dare to do it. But this is not all, _even Jesus Himself did not enter upon his ministry until specially anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power_. (Acts x. 38, comp. Luke iii. 22 and iv. 1, 14). _This baptism is an absolutely essential preparation for Christian work._ It is either ignorance of the plain requirements of God’s word or the most daring presumption on our part when we try to do work for Christ until we know we have been Baptized with the Holy Spirit.
(2.) _It is the privilege of every believer to be baptized with the Holy Spirit._ This appears from Acts ii. 39, R. V. “To you is the promise and to your children and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call unto him.” The context, the use of the word “promise” in this and the preceding chapter (ch. i. 4; ii. 16, 33.) and the use of the expression “gift of the Holy Spirit” throughout the book, all prove conclusively that “the promise” of this verse means the promise of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit; and the verse tells us that this promise is for all in all ages of the church’s history whom God shall call unto him, _i. e._ for every believer. If we have not this baptism it is our own fault. It is for us and we are responsible before God for all the work we might have done, and all the souls we might have won if we were so baptized, and we are guilty to the extent that the work is not done and the souls not won.