Acts 4:6 And Annas the high priest, and Caiaphas, and John, and Alexander, and as many as were of the kindred of the high priest, were gathered together at Jerusalem. 7 And when they had set them in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name, have ye done this? 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, 9 If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; 10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. 11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. 12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. 13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus. 14 And beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it. 15 But when they had commanded them to go aside out of the council, they conferred among themselves, 16 Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it. 17 But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. 18 And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. 20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.
This week someone ask me about the church and it’s recent growth. I explained that over the last few months it seemed thee was new interest and revival fires were burning. They asked to what I attributed this growth to. I explained that we had back earlier proclaimed this tri-state area for the Lord with prayer meetings and planting of stakes. I added that these are wonderful people who have a love for God. But I could not give him a specific answer to why sudden church growth. He asked if it was my leadership ability. I quickly said, No but I think what has occurred is that we just got contagious and our excitement has just spread to reach hungry, open hearts that are searching for truth. Yes I believe that’s it. We are just contagious.
It all began with the infectious smile, attitude, teachings, and lifestyle of one man. He gained notoriety from the time he was thrust upon the scene of human event until his untimely death 3 and ½ years later. Many followed him but only few were close enough to catch his vision. By the time he died only 12 men had bought into his mission. Shortly after (50 days) the crowd had grown to 120. In one days time 3000 more were added. Then within days 5000 more caught this fevered contagion that roared through Jerusalem. It was upon this occasion that the leaders got together and tried to find some way to stop the spreading of the newly dubbed HGB (Holy Ghost Baptism) virus. But to no avail it kept spreading from the peasant’s home to the ruler’s palace. Nothing it seemed could stop the raging inferno of Holy Ghost power that had been unleashed upon the world. Then people began to learn how to dispel its power, but could never stop it completely.
I watched with wonder as the first case of anthrax was found in Florida over a month ago. One man had died and now one of his associates had tested positive to the anthrax threat. They took that person and it seemed there were different tubs of chemicals where they dipped and washed this person until finally they dressed him up in a protective suit and rushed him to isolation for further tests. I listened to local officers explain how they had handles the few suspicious letters they had received with care and concern.
Much like AIDS, HIV, TB, Hepatitis, and even the common flu. This religion of Pentecost spread like wildfire through out the then known world. The things that prevent the diseases of the world will also prevent the spreading of the Gospel. To prevent numerous contagious diseases one must keep clean, wash hands, handle carefully the sick and infirm. If the devil can keep us away from sick folks and keep us from dirtying our hands and soiling our clothes then he can prevent the spread of HGB (Holy Ghost Baptism). Isolation is another way to prevent the spread of disease. TB and leper colonies used to be the norm. The idea keep the disease isolated so it could not be affective. Children with chicken pox can’t play with well children without someone spreading the disease. We have set ourselves up on pedestals of our own righteousness, away from the diseased world and traditional religions. We have isolated ourselves from the very people who need to be infected with this disease of HGB (Holy Ghost Baptism). The Holy Ghost will insulate us not isolate us from the world. Another way to prevent spreading of diseases is vaccination and immunization. Actually with this procedure you are given a mild case of the disease in order to fight off a full blown case. Some folks have gotten just enough to be immunized from the REAL thing. A taste of HG (Holy Ghost) power to avoid the excitement of full blown HGB (Holy Ghost Baptism). This is spreading and it is highly contagious.
When children have the chicken pox we are told the most contagious time is while the infected person is running fever. The fevered passion of Pentecost will affect and infect everyone who comes in contact with its power. We need to keep the fire burning. Keep the passion bright. Keep the love of Jesus Christ afire and alive to be able to reach the lost. This began in a fire, with aflame of passion, a pitched fever of unprecedented proportion. How can we today try to stop the spreading of this revival known as HGB (Holy Ghost Baptism). According to some there are as many as ½ a billion Pentecostals in the world today. As many as 50 million are Jesus name water baptized folks. How did this spread so quickly and with such fever? People were exposed to contagious Pentecostals who showed the world that living a Christian lifestyle is the best thing in the world. To catch any disease there must first be exposure to that disease. It is time we exposed Jesus Christ and this glorious gospel to the world. “Let your light so shine before men”.
