And 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 (Acts 4:31, KJV)

When the Apostles gathered together after being  threatened and prayed to the Lord, the scriptures record that there was a shaking in the place where they had gathered together. Think about that! Luke then adds the words “they were filled with the Holy Ghost” and were emboldened to speak the Word. The issue is this: these apostles were already filled with the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:4. Correct? What then is the meaning of “being filled with the Holy Ghost” here?

I have already discussed the issues of “Spirit” and “spirit” when I was teaching on the “Understanding the Holy Spirit” during our prior live bible Studies. In the verse above, the KJV says “the Holy Spirit”, but there is no “the” in the Greek. It literally reads “they were filled with Holy Spirit.” I did mention to you the importance of the article “the” when used with the words “Holy Spirit” as suggested by Dr. E.W Bullinger, though it is not always clear-cut as he pointed out. The key is that the phrase “Holy Spirit” can refer to the Person of the Spirit or to His power. The Person is in the power and so it is not always clear cut.

Something happens to these Apostles during this prayer meeting. They were not filled with the Person of the Spirit who had already filled them on Pentecost. They were filled with His power, and this second infilling can be done repeatedly. If you are prayerful, and you certainly should be, you will know that there is something about prayer and power. There is an infusing, empowering, activating or impartation of power inside of us when we pray.  This is the same thing that happens when someone lays hands on you for impartation. It is not the Person of the Holy Ghost that gets transferred. It is the power of God that is transferred.

Your prayer closet is a chamber of impartation! I have said this before, and I should repeat it here. There are some of you reading this devotional who have said to themselves that they were not anointed or have no power. If you engage the impartations in continual prayer, you will not recognize yourself as the power of God begins to flow through you!

MEDITATE

How many times do you receive or be filled with the Person of the Holy Spirit as a believer? How many times can we be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit?

APPLY THE WORD

Something happens inside of you when you pray. There is a close-knit relationship between prayer and tangible power. It is one thing to have the Person of the Spirit living in you as a believer but a different thing to live in tangible power. Pray without ceasing!

APPLY THE WORD

Ask the Spirit of the Lord to help you grow in your prayer life. 

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