The Baptism of the Holy Spirit

Missing person: The Holy Spirit
Many people may have had an experience like
that of the little girl who heard the Holy Ghost
(as the Holy Spirit is sometimes called)
mentioned in church from time to time, but so
vaguely and infrequently she could only guess
what sort of ghost this might be. So one day, when she venture down
into the dark furnace room in the church's cellar, she decided with a
child's firm logic that this spooky place must be where the Holy Ghost
lurked.
The fact is, adult believers often act as if the Holy Spirit really was
hiding in the church cellar. They may know something about the Holy
Spirit, but they don't know Him personally or realize that He is God in
the same way the Son and the Father are God. When they read the
Bible, many people are surprised to find that the Holy Spirit was at the
very dawn of time: "The Spirit of God was moving over the surface of
the waters" ( Genesis1:2 ), and many are amazed to find out there are
approximately 100 references to the Holy Spirit throughout the Old and
New Testaments.
Nevertheless, the Spirit's role is fundamental both to creation and the
life of the believer. When a person comes to Jesus Christ, he receives
Christ into his heart. The Spirit of God comes and joins with the spirit
of the believer. This "indwelling Spirit" reproduces the life of Jesus in
the believer's life.
What, Then, Is The Baptism In The Holy Spirit?
The baptism in the Holy Spirit is an empowering for service that takes
place in the life of the Christian ( Acts 1:5,8 ). In it we are immersed in
the Spirit's life and power.
To illustrate, if we drank water from a glass, then the water would be
inside us. However, if we went to the beach and stepped into the ocean,
then we would be in the water. We receive, as it were, a drink of the
Holy Spirit when we are saved, but when we are baptized in the Spirit, it
is as if that initial drink becomes an ocean that completely surrounds
us.
Just as the indwelling Spirit that Christians receive when they are
saved reproduces the life of Jesus, so the outpoured, or baptizing,
Spirit reproduces the ministry of Jesus, including miracles and
healings.
Why Do We Need The Baptism In The Holy Spirit?
We need a power beyond ourselves for service and ministry in Christ's
Kingdom.
When Jesus gave the Great Commission ( Matthew 28:19-20 ), He knew
that His disciples could not fulfill it in their own power. Therefore, He
had a special gift in store for them: It was His plan to give them the
same power that He had -- the power of the Spirit of God. So,
immediately after giving them the Great Commission, Jesus commanded
his disciples not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father
promised, "which," He said, "you heard of from Me; for John baptized
with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days
from now" (Acts 1:4-5 ). He further promised: "You shall receive power
when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses
both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the
remotest part of the earth" ( Acts 1:8 ).
The disciples waited in Jerusalem as Jesus had commanded, and one
day when they were all together, "suddenly there came from heaven a
noise like a violent, rushing winds, and it filled the whole house where
they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire
distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And
they were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other
tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance" ( Acts 2:3,4 ). Then
Peter explained to the crowd that gathered that they were seeing the
working of God's Spirit and told them about Jesus. The Christian church
began that day with the disciples and the three thousand people who
joined them as a result of the day's events.
We can undertake making disciples of all nations with some degree of
success without the baptism in the Holy Spirit, but when we do, we are
undertaking a supernatural task with limited power.
It is God's will -- it is His commandment -- that we be baptized, or
filled with the Holy Spirit: "Be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18).
The knowledge and reality of the empowering Spirit enables us to
reproduce the works of Jesus.
When May I Receive The Baptism In The Holy Spirit?
It can take place at the moment you confess faith in Christ, as in the
case of the first Gentile convert, Cornelius ( Acts 10:44-46 ; 11:15, 16);
but often it occurs some time after the salvation experience
(Acts 8:12-17 ).
Is There Anything To Fear?
Some people fear that if they ask for the baptism in the Holy Spirit,
what they experience won't be the authentic working of the Spirit. But
once they do ask for it, they are always glad they did. God doesn't
cause us to do anything we don't want to, and all His gifts are good
and perfect (James 1:17). Jesus said, "Now suppose one of you fathers
is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a
fish, will be? Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a
scorpion, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to
your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy
Spirit to those who ask Him?" (Luke 11:11-13 ). The baptism in the Holy
Spirit is an even better gift than any material gift you could receive,
and God wants you to have it because He loves you and wants the very
best for you.
What Should I Do Before Asking?
The Bible says that a wise man counts the cost before he begins to build
a tower ( Luke 14:28 ). This beautiful experience of the baptism in the
Holy Spirit is a free gift, but you must be willing to submit fully to God
to receive it.
Jesus will respond to a totally yielded vessel. He never asks anything of
you that you are incapable of giving, nor does He ever fail to give you
something greater in return when you do give your all. The joy He gives
through total obedience to Him far outweighs anything you could
possibly give up.
There is one more important consideration: In Acts 8, a man named
Simon, deeply involved in the occult, wanted to buy the gift of the Holy
Spirit. Peter sharply rebuked Simon, commanding him to repent.
Therefore, if you ever at any time had anything to do with the occult
(Ouija boards, fortune tellers, seances, horoscopes, ESP,
transcendental mediation, hypnotism, or other such practices), you
must renounce and turn away from all such sinful participation, and
you must ask for God's forgiveness and cleansing.
How Do I Receive The Baptism In The Holy Spirit?
You only have to do two things.
First, once you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and
Savior you just have to ask God to baptize you in the Holy Spirit. The
Bible says, "Ask, and it shall be given to you" (Luke 11:9 ).
Second, believe you have in fact received this gift from God. The
apostle Paul, writing to the Galatians, said, "Did you receive the Spirit
by the works of the law, or by hearing with faith?"
(Galatians 3:2 ). The answer, obviously, is faith. You have to believe that
if you ask, you will receive.
Pray this prayer if you sincerely desire to receive the baptism in God's
Holy Spirit:
"Heavenly Father, at this moment I come to You. I thank You that
Jesus saved me. I pray that the Holy Spirit might come upon me. Lord
Jesus, baptize me now in the Holy Spirit. I receive the baptism in the
Holy Spirit right now by faith in Your Word. May the anointing, the
glory, and the power of God come upon me and into my life right now.
May I be empowered for service from this day forward. Thank You,
Lord Jesus, for baptizing me in Your Holy Spirit. Amen."
Now, having asked and received, begin to practice the power of the
Spirit. An ideal place to begin is where the first apostles did, praising
God in a new language. To do this, begin praising God out loud in
whatever words come to you. Tell Him how much you love Him. Thank
Him, worship Him, and yield your voice to Him. Now let Him give you new
words of praise you never heard before. Praise Him with those words,
too. You'll find that thiscan be a very rewarding experience of
communication with God that will build up your faith. Continue to pray
to God each day in the language that the Holy Spirit has given you.
But this "prayer language" is just one of the gifts that God wants to
give you through the baptism in His Spirit.
The Gifts and Fruit of the Holy Spirit
The apostle Paul told the Corinthians that the Holy Spirit would
manifest Himself among them in special gifts, of which speaking in
tongues was only one: "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do
not want you to be unaware....To one is give the word of wisdom through
the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same
Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of
healing by the one Spirit, and to another the distinguishing of spirit, to
another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of
tongues" (I Corinthians 12:1,8-10).
Paul also wrote that the Holy Spirit produces "fruit" in the lives of
believers. These are virtues that demonstrate Jesus' righteousness in
the lives of His disciples: "The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-
control" ( Galatians 5:22 ).
So, in asking for the baptism in the Holy Spirit you are availing yourself
of these gifts for advancing God's Kingdom and allowing the Holy Spirit
to further cultivate in your life the fruit of righteousness -- two great
helps in living a life God can use mightily for His glory.
That's the way it is with God. God is offering the baptism in the Holy
Spirit to people who need only to reach out and receive it in order to be
on fire to fully serve Him.
Walking in the Spirit
By now you can see that the Holy Spirit is so much more than a shadowy
figure to pay lip-service to on Sunday morning. He can be with you and
in your to bring new life to your Christian walk. Likewise, the baptism in
the Holy Spirit is more than a single experience. It is a continual
dependence on the Spirit for guidance and strength in all
circumstances. "If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the
Spirit" ( Galatians 5:25 ).
The baptism in the Holy Spirit cannot be earned. You cannot become
"good enough" to receive it. It is a gift from God. It is not a "cure-
all" for your problems. But the same wonderful power that enabled
Jesus to open blind eyes, to command the elements of nature, and to
live a life pleasing to the Father during His ministry on earth is also
available to you. Ask, and it shall be given to you.
Receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit
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