The Holy Spirit can come ‘upon’ us, manifesting the power of God.
The Holy Spirit Falling ‘On’ People
“While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word,” (Acts 10:44).
These people experienced the Holy Spirit falling ‘on’ them. Many who receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit also feel the Holy Spirit coming ‘upon’ them. After the initial experience of being ‘filled’ with the Holy Spirit, they feel the presence of the Holy Spirit within them. Many times, they feel filled with the Holy Spirit while praying or preaching.
“Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them… “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved,” (Acts 4:8,12).
Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, spoke these words. At that moment, when he needed to speak, Peter experienced being filled with the Holy Spirit. This experience empowers the words spoken, and often, words of wisdom flow out of the lips, words that have never been uttered. After speaking, the filling experience wanes, but the Holy Spirit does not leave; He remains within. This is a ‘ministerial anointing’. This anointing manifests to ‘minister’ to others. As one humbles himself and walks with the Spirit of God, this experience happens again and again as the Spirit uses him for the kingdom of God.
In the Acts of the Apostles, St. Paul encounters the magician, Elymas.
“But Saul, also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy…,” (Acts 13:9-10).
Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, spoke to the false prophet who opposed the light of the Gospel. Being filled with the Holy Spirit, he spoke a judgment against this man. This ‘infilling’ occurred to manifest God’s judgment. This kind of infilling is a ‘ministerial anointing’ for expanding the kingdom of God. After the ministry ends, the infilling experience wanes, but the indwelling Holy Spirit remains to lead and guide us. As we continue to walk with the Holy Spirit, this kind of experience continues.
“So he set out from there, and found Elisha son of Shaphat, who was plowing. There were twelve yoke of oxen ahead of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle over him,” (1 Kings 19:19).
The Mantle of Power
Another kind of ministerial anointing occurs while ministering to others, praying for others, motivating others, leading prayer meetings or Eucharistic Adoration, preaching, prophesying, casting out demons, praying in ministerial tongues, etc. The power of God comes ‘upon’ us, like a mantle. It remains as the Holy Spirit wills, maybe for a few minutes, or a few hours. After the ministerial time ends, the ‘upon us’ experience ends, but the Holy Spirit dwelling within remains. This is a powerful ‘ministerial anointing’. As we continue to walk with the Lord, the Holy Spirit comes upon us to minister to others.
Examples from Scripture
In the Old Testament, these experiences occur repeatedly in prophetic ministry.
“Then the spirit of the LORD came upon Jahaziel son of Zechariah, in the middle of the assembly. He said, ‘This battle is not for you to fight; take your position, stand still, and see the victory of the LORD on your behalf, …,'” (2 Chron. 20:14-17).
Jahaziel received the power of God to speak God’s wonder. After the utterance, the anointing lifted. This is a ‘ministerial anointing.’
“The spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Oded. He went out to meet Asa and said to him, ‘Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The LORD is with you, while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you abandon him, he will abandon you,” (2 Chronicles 15:1-2).
Continuation in the New Testament
This experience was not limited to the Old Testament but continues in the acts of the Holy Spirit in every generation.
When Jesus said, “The Holy Spirit is upon me” (Isaiah 61:1), He meant the Holy Spirit is ‘upon’ Him. He experienced the ‘upon us’ experience.
- He comes ‘upon’ us to preach in power.
- He comes ‘upon’ us to manifest the ‘ministerial anointing’.
- He comes ‘upon’ us to convict others of their sins.
Difference in Preaching with the Holy Spirit ‘Within’ Us and ‘Upon’ Us
There is a difference in preaching the Word with the Holy Spirit ‘within’ us and ‘upon’ us. ‘Upon us’ is a hundred times more powerful. It is something that you cannot create. The ‘coming upon’ experience lasts only a few minutes or a short period, as the Lord wills. The mantle comes ‘upon’ a person for the ministry the Holy Spirit has for that moment. It’s like a cloak coming on a person.
Personal Experience
Here is an example of the power of the Holy Spirit falling like a mantle on a lady who was ministering in a retreat for volunteers in a retreat center.
“I was told to get on the stage and speak in tongues and to interpret as the Holy Spirit leads. When I started to walk towards the stage, the power of God came upon me. Then I felt like I was standing inside of a bubble. As soon as I got on the stage, I started to pray in tongues. The ‘bubble of power’ in which I was standing started moving, and I moved with it and prayed in tongues, interpretation came out of my lips. After 15 minutes, the mantle that was upon me started lifting off slowly. And I understood I had to stop. During dinner recess, many ladies came to me and testified how they were delivered and healed while I was praying led by the Spirit.”
The Mantle in Prayer
This mantle of power can also come when we pray alone or with a group, to pray powerfully or to see into the spiritual world.
When the Word is preached with the Holy Spirit ‘upon’ us, there will be a massive outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the listeners. It is like someone putting a mantle or a shawl on us; after the purpose of God is over, the anointing lifts. But the abiding presence remains within us.
As we prepare ourselves, through study and prayer, these kinds of experiences can come to us again and again.
