Neville Goddard on Acts 19:2-7 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Acts 19 in context

Scripture Focus

2He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

3And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.

4Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.

5When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

6And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.

7And all the men were about twelve.

Acts 19:2-7

Biblical Context

The disciples believed in John's baptism but had not heard of the Holy Ghost; after Paul's teaching they are baptized in the name of Jesus and receive the Holy Spirit, who enables them to speak in tongues and prophesy.

Neville's Inner Vision

In this scene the disciples symbolize a state of consciousness clinging to external forms. The question Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed reveals a mind conditioned by belief in separation and ritual. Paul steps in as your inner Christ, telling you to shift from the old baptism of repentance to faith in Christ Jesus within. When hearing this inner instruction, their old identity is baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus—a turning and acknowledgment that God is within and I am that God. Then the Holy Ghost comes as the living I AM awakening in you, and the tongue and prophecy that follow are the natural expressions of a mind that knows itself as God in action. The event is not a distant power granted to others but the inner realization that you are always the Spirit you seek. Your present sense of limitation dissolves as you claim the Spirit as your own consciousness, expanding through every thought, word, and deed, until your life itself speaks in the language of divine reality.

Practice This Now

Assume right now that the Holy Ghost has come upon you and that you are the Lord Jesus speaking through you. Silently declare I AM within me now and rest in the felt expansion of awareness.