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The Baptism in the Holy Spirit  “And being
assembled together with them, He (Jesus) commanded them not
to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He
said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly
baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the
Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Acts 1:4-5 Find out what was the ‘Promise of the Father’ and how to receive the Baptism in the Holy
Spirit |
It
was on the day of Pentecost that the first Christians received the Holy Spirit.
The Bible says, “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak
in other tongues as the Spirit gave the utterance.” Today, we too can be filled
with the Spirit as were those early believers on the Day of Pentecost. All
across the world millions of Christians have already received the Holy Spirit
just like those early disciples. And many more are daily receiving this
wonderful gift. When a person receives the Holy Spirit, he or she is filled
with God’s presence and power. Jesus promised, “You will receive power when the
Holy Spirit comes upon you” (Acts 1:8). The Bible calls this experience the
baptism in the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:16; Acts 1:5; 11:16).
What
is the purpose of the baptism in the Holy Spirit?
The
baptism in the Holy Spirit is a powerful, life changing experience from God
(Luke 24:49; Acts 2:2). It is a promise for all believers (Acts 2:17-18;
2:38-39). Many wonderful blessings come to a person when he or she is baptized
in the Holy Spirit. These blessings include overflowing joy (Acts 13:52; Rom.
14:17; Gal. 5:22; 1 Thess. 1:6), an overwhelming sense of God’s nearness (Matt.28:20) and a greater
awareness of God’s presence and power
within.
Other benefits include increased power in
prayer (Rom. 8:26-27) and a greater love for God’s word, God’s people, and lost
humanity (Rom. 5:5). Spirit baptism also brings power to do the works of Christ
(John 14:14-17), including the full manifestation of spiritual gifts according
to the will of the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:7-11). The primary purpose of the baptism
in the Holy Spirit is power for witness. Jesus said, “You will receive power
when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses.” Those early
Christians who received the Holy Spirit were filled with the power of God to
witness. Paul asked the Ephesian believers whether they had received the Holy
Spirit (Acts 19:2) because he intended to use these men to reach all of Asia
Minor with the gospel (v. 10), but they first needed to be empowered by the
Spirit. (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5).
Who
can receive the Holy Spirit? Every
true Christian can receive the Holy Spirit and be filled with God’s presence
and power. The Bible says that the promise of the Spirit is for all Christians
of every generation (Acts 2:38-39). Anyone who has been truly born again,
sincerely desires a closer walk with Christ, and wants to become an effective
witness for Him can receive this marvelous gift. Across the globe God is giving
this wonderful gift to Christians of all ages, of all walks of life, and from
many different denominations. He is only looking for hungry hearts.
What
must one do to receive the Holy Spirit?
The gift of the Holy Spirit is received by faith, just as are all other gifts
from God (John 7:37; Gal. 3:2). You can receive the Holy Spirit today by taking
these three simple “faith steps”:
Ask
in faith. Jesus said that the
Heavenly Father gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask for it (Luke 11:13).
Your asking must be in faith. This means that, when you ask God to fill you
with the Holy Spirit, you should consciously believe that He is hearing and
answering your prayer.
Receive by faith. God has promised to
give the Holy Spirit to everyone who asks (Luke 11:9-13). He said, “Whatever
you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours”
(Mark 11:24). The moment you truly believe, the Holy Spirit will enter and fill
your entire being.
Speak in faith. When the disciples
received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, they “began to speak in other
tongues as the Spirit enabled them” (Acts 2:4).
When you ask, and by faith receive, He will come and fill you. Once you
sense His overflowing presence within, begin to speak out in faith. You will
begin to speak in a language you have never learned. It is God’s sign that He
has empowered you to be His witness!
THE PROMISE OF THE FATHER
“Behold,
I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city [of Jerusalem
until you are endued with power from on high.”
Luke 24:49
Below is the
question that the apostle Paul asked the believers in Ephesus……
“ Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”
Acts 19:2
The Baptism of the Spirit is
a second work of grace in the life of a believer. If the Baptism is a second
work, when was the first? When did the Disciples receive Jesus as savior and
Lord?
The
Disciples were born again in John 22:17 when the resurrected Jesus appeared to the Disciples…
“So Jesus said to
them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send
you.” And
when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to
them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
John 20: 21-22
Jesus
breathed into them- ‘spiritual life, resurrected life’ and they all were born
again
NEW
TESTAMENT EXAMPLES OF RECEIVING THE BAPTISM
1. The birth
of the first century church on the day of Pentecost
“And
they were all filled with the Holy Spirit…” Acts
2:4
2. In Samaria “Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. Acts 8:17
3. By Paul (spoken by Ananias)
“That you may
receive your sight and be filled with
the Holy Spirit.” Acts 9:17
4. By the Gentiles
“For
they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.” Acts 10:46
5. By the Ephesians
“And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the
Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues, and prophesied.”
Acts 19:6
The above are all the
New Testament accounts of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. In each of
these examples, there is a common experience either stated or implied: when
Christians received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit they spoke in heavenly languages (tongues).
Gary W. Pfeiffer
Kingdomfoundations@ Blogspot.com
