To answer this question, lets analyze what Jesus said to his disciples just before He ascended into heaven. Most of what we need to answer the question can be found in the following verse.
Acts 1:5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. ... 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
Who baptized the disciples?
The writings of Matthew and John make it clear that Jesus was the baptizer of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: (See also John 1:33; John 14:16; John 14:26; John 15:26; John 16:7)
Why was the Holy Spirit to come?
Jesus provides the answer. It was so that the disciples could receive power to be witnesses of, and be able to testify with signs that Jesus was the Christ and Israel's Messiah. The Holy Spirit would empower them to speak in tongues, to prophecy, to bring things to remembrance (John 14:26 He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.) and provide "signs" or miracles to validate their message during the Acts period. Remember that for Jews to believe a prophet or an apostle, they required signs to validate the message. The purpose for all the miracles Jesus did was for this very point, John 4:48; 1 Cor.1:22. For more details, see this post.
How would the Holy Spirit come?
Jesus clearly said that the Holy Spirit would come upon them. This is a significant statement! The Spirit came UPON the disciples in the same way it came upon kings and anointed men in the Old Testament (to empower them for a purpose or position). There are many verses that illustrate this in the Old Testament and Gospels,
Judges 6:34; 1 Samuel 10:10; 1 Samuel 16:13; 2 Kings 2:9; 2 Chronicles 24:20; Ezekiel 11:5; Mark 1:10; Luke 4:18
There is no doubt that the presence of the Holy Spirit upon them provided the power to convince many in Jerusalem of the gospel truth. Peter and the other apostles did mighty miracles to validate their message and the Jewish public responded to it in great numbers, Acts 2:40-42; Acts 2:43.
Does all of this apply to us today?
Today, we are not under the Kingdom program. God is not working through the nation of Israel in order to save the Gentiles. Since Israel did not receive their Messiah, God has temporarily closed the Kingdom program, Rom.11:25, and is now working in this dispensation of grace to save the Gentiles through the message of the cross of Christ, 1 Cor.15:1-4.
So, it is interesting to note according to the scriptures that in this dispensation, it is not Jesus that baptizes us with the Holy Spirit. Instead, we are baptized BY the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ, 1 Corinthians 12:13. Our only baptism is waterless! It is a spiritual baptism as the Holy spirit immerses us into the Body of Christ at the very instant we are regenerated (saved) through the gospel of grace.
In this grace dispensation, we do not need to witness the gospel with signs and miracles. Today we have the completed word of God, the bible. Our faith is to rest in the fully revealed word of God, and not in signs and wonders, 2 Corinthians 5:7. Paul writes,
1 Cor.13:9 ... but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect is come, [the completed word of God], then that which is in part shall be done away [signs and visible proofs].
Although God can choose to perform miracles today, it is not the focus of this program. We do not need to be endued with power from on high in order to validate our message and be effective witnesses. The gospel is received in faith and simple trust in the cross-work of Christ. There is no need to prove it with signs through the Holy Spirit.
In regards to the third point, we must note that the Holy Spirit does not come upon us today. There is no baptism in, or of, the Holy Spirit, as falsely promoted in the Pentecostal and Charismatic denominations. If you study the bible carefully, and rightly divided, you will notice that the very moment we are regenerated (saved), when we receive and believe the gospel of grace, we are baptized BY the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ and the Holy Spirit takes up residence WITHIN us, 1 Corinthians 3:16; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Timothy 1:14; Romans 8:11; Galatians 4:6.
With the indwelling Spirit we are caused to walk in His ways; led by a sense of peace, compelled by love, 2 Corinthians 5:14. Through grace we learn to walk in the Spirit by FAITH and are called to "study" the word of truth (2 Timothy 2:15), offer ourselves as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:2), and "learn [the ways of] Christ" (Ephesians 4:20). We learn to live faithfully by His grace and to grow in [the way of] sanctification by the deposit of the indwelling "Spirit of life in Christ" within us and who is ever-present and willing to guide, teach and empower us in righteous living, as we co-operate in knowledge and by faith.
In conclusion, consider the words that were used in this article above. UPON, WITHIN, WITH and BY.
It is to Israel that we use WITH and UPON. They were baptize with the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit came upon them to empower them as witnesses.
It is to the Body of Christ that we use BY and WITHIN. We are baptized by the Holy Spirit at salvation, as we are immersed into the body of Christ, and the Holy Spirit remains within us as a seal of our eternal redemption, 2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13; Ephesians 4:30.
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