What Does the Bible Say About...the Baptism in the Holy Spirit?
"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"(Matthew 3:11).
"And John bare record,saying,I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a
dove,and it abode upon him.And I knew him not:but he that sent me to baptize
with water,the same said unto me,Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit
descending,and remaining on him,the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy
Ghost.And I saw,and bare record that this is the Son of God"(John 1:32-34).
The baptism in the Holy Ghost is a experience just as our initial
conversion experience was.
We cannot be gradually baptized in the Holy Spirit,just as we cannot be
gradually baptized in water.
Many believe they need not ask for this experience because they think they
receive the Holy Spirit at conversion.
While this is true in the sense that the Holy Spirit comes upon us,and in us,to
plant the seed of life in Christ,it is not true that we are completely filled
with His Spirit unless we ask for it."...
How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask
him?"(Luke 11:13).
[John 3:34]For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God:for God giveth
not the Spirit by measure unto him.
Many people have been "born again"and have the Holy Spirit working in
their
lives,but have never received the baptism in the Holy Ghost which equips them
for service and gives them the power needed to overcome in Christ.
"For John truly baptized with water;but ye shall be baptized with the Holy
Ghost not many
days hence...But ye shall receive power,after that the Holy Ghost is come upon
you:and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem,and in all Judea,and
in Samaria,and unto the uttermost part of the earth"(Acts 1:5 and 8).
If you,as a Christian,have not known the power of God in being able to overcome
sin,
to witness and to know God in His fullness,then you need to ask God for the
baptism in the Holy Ghost.
There were also Christians in Paul's day who did not know about the power that
was available to them.We find this recorded in Acts 19:2-6:
"He 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.And
he said unto them,Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said,Unto John's
baptism.Then 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.When they heard this,they were baptized in the
name of the Lord Jesus.And when Paul had laid his hands upon them,the Holy
Ghost came on them;and they spake with tongues,and prophesied."
This Scripture clearly shows us there is more than one baptism.
These Christians had received water baptism,but not the Holy Ghost baptism
until Paul laid his hands on them and prayed.
We also see that the gifts of the Holy Spirit accompany this baptism,as
they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
Another account of this taking place is found in Acts 8:14-20:"Now when the
apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of
God,they sent unto them Peter and John:Who,when they were come down,prayed
for them,that they might receive the Holy Ghost:(For as yet he was fallen upon
none of them:only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)Then laid
they their hands on them,and they received the Holy Ghost.And when Simon saw
that through laying on of the apostles'hands the Holy Ghost was given,he
offered them money,Saying,Give me also this power,that on whomsoever I lay
hands,he may receive the Holy Ghost.But Peter said unto him,Thy money perish
with thee,because thou hast thought that the gift of God may be purchased with
money."
HOLY SPIRIT IS A GIFT
Still again we find an account of the gift of the Holy Spirit being given in
Acts 11:14-17:
"Who shall tell thee words,whereby thou and all thy house shall be
saved.And
as I began to speak,the Holy Ghost fell on them,as on us at the beginning.
Then remembered I the word of the Lord,how that he said,John indeed baptized
with water;but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.For as much then as
God gave them the like gift as he did unto us,who believed on the Lord Jesus
Christ;what was I,that I could withstand God?"
God's gift of the Holy Ghost is promised to us today and not just for the saints
back then as we find Peter saying,"...Repent,and be baptized every one of
you
in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins,and ye shall receive the
gift of the Holy Ghost.For the promise is unto you,and to your children,and
to all that are afar off,even as many as the Lord our God shall call"(Acts
2:38-39).
The Holy Ghost is God's gift to us.As we are baptized in His Spirit
we will find that we will experience the gift of speaking in tongues,plus all
the other gifts of the Spirit when needed,if we continue to follow Him
(I Corinthians 12,13 and 14).These are God's gifts of power to enable us to
accomplish the task to which we have been commissioned.
Although the gift has been abused by many,we should not take lightly the Lord's
words to us in John 7:37b-39,
"...Jesus stood and cried,saying,If any man thirst,let him come unto me,and
drink.He that believeth on me,as the scripture hath said,out of his belly
shall flow rivers of living water.(But this spake he of the Spirit,which they
that believe on him should receive:for the Holy Ghost was not yet given;
because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)"
Acts 2:2-4 says,"And when the day of Pentecost was fully come,they were all
with one accord in one place.And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of
a rushing mighty wind,and it filled all the house where they were sitting.And
there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire,and it sat upon each of
them.And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost,and began to speak with
other tongues,as the Spirit gave them
If the disciples of the Lord needed to be Baptized with the Holy Ghost then,how
much more do we need to be Baptised in our day?
We should not allow what other men think or say about the Baptizm in the
Holy Ghost to prevent us from seeking this wonderful blessing.
We should seek the Lord with an humble heart for the truth
of what is written in the Bible and ask Him to baptize us in the Holy Spirit.
We can trust Him to show us the truth if we come to Him with an open heart and
mind
with a willingness to obey Him.
"Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said,We ought to obey God
rather than men.The God of our fathers raised up Jesus,whom ye slew and hanged
on a tree.Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a
Saviour,for to give repentance to Israel,and forgiveness of sins.And we are
his witnesses of these things;and so is also the Holy Ghost,whom God hath
given to them that obey him(Acts 5:28-32)."
If you have been saved and have accepted Jesus as your Lord,but think
that there is more to come...you are right.
At the time of salvation the Holy Spirit baptises you into the Body of Christ.
In water baptism you are baptised into the death,burial,and ressurection of
Jesus Christ.
The next step is when Jesus baptises you into the Holy Spirit.
If you want the fullness of the Holy Spirit,read on.
"And it shall come to pass afterward,that I will pour out my spirit on all
flesh;your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,your old men shall dream
dreams,and your young men shall see visions.Even upon the menservants
and maidservants in those days,I will pour out my spirit."Joel 2:28-29
This is the same experience that Peter spoke of in Acts when he was
preaching in the upper room on the day of Pentecost.
This experience is repeatedly spoken of in Acts and 1st and 2nd Corinthians.
It is refered to throughout the new testament from Acts on.
Is this still for today? Has this passed away with the founding of the
church? Don't be deceived!
For the promise(of the gift of the Holy Spirit)is to you and to your
children and to all that are far off,every one whom the Lord our God calls
to him.Acts 2:39
What about that? It didn't die away like you thought! Read on..............
As Christians(Christ's followers)it is incumbent upon us to follow in the
steps of our Lord.We should imitate Him at every opportunity.Lets see
what happened to Jesus our Lord...
And when Jesus was baptised,he went up immediately from the water,and
behold,the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like
a dove,and alighting on him...Matthew 3:16
This scene of Jesus receivingthe Baptism with the Holy Spirit is again
repeated in Mark 1:10,Luke 3:21-22,and John 1:32-33.
What did John the Baptist have to say about Jesus and the Baptism With the
Holy Spirit? He was very plain on this subject.....
"I baptize you with water for repentance,but he who is coming after me is
mightier than I,whose sandals I am not worthy to carry;he will baptize you
with the Holy Spirit and with fire."Matthew 3:11
Once again this statementis made in Mark 1:7-8,Luke 3:16,and Acts 1:5.
I know.You want proof.You want me to show you examples of this happening
in the Bible.Okay lets look at a couple of them..........................
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other
tongues,as the Spirit gave them utterance.Acts 2:4
Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word
of God,they sent to them Peter and John,who came down and prayed for
them,but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.Then
they laid their hands on them and they recieved the Holy Spirit.Acts 8:14-16
This shows you that water baptism and salvation are not the same thing as the
Baptism with the Holy Spirit.It was a separate experience.
..."Brother Saul,the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which
you
came,has sent me that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy
Spirit."Acts 9:17
While Peter was still saying this,the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the
word.And the believers from among the circumcised who came with Peter were
amazed,because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the
Gentiles.For they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God.
Acts 10:44-46
Notice how they knew that these folks had received the Baptism with the Holy
Spirit.
This kind of scene is repeated in Acts 11:15-16 and Acts 19:2-6.It is
apparent that this is something God wants for us or He wouldn't have wasted
so much space.
Is this safe? Can I trust the Bible? Can I trust God? Read on...........
"Ask,and it will be given you;seek and you will find;knock,and it will be
opened to you.For every one who asks receives,and he who seeks finds,and
to him who knocks it will be opened.Or what man of you,if his son asks him
for bread,will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish,will give him a
serpent? If you then,who are evil,know how to give good gifts to your
children,how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to
those who ask him!"Matthew 7:7-11
The question is,"Do you believe and trust God?".Well?
Why should I have this? What is in it for me? Good questions..............
And behold,I send the promise of my Father upon you;but stay in the city,
until you are clothed with power from on high.Luke 24:49
...for John baptized with water,but before many days you shall be baptized
with the Holy Spirit.Acts 1:5
But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you...Acts
1:8
Be imitators of me,as I am of Christ.1 Corinthians 11:1
I think you should be getting the idea by now.
This is real!
This is what we are told to receive!
Why hasn't this happened before? Huh?
"You stiff-necked people,uncircumcised in heart and ears,you always resist
the Holy Spirit."Acts 7:51
And he said to them,"Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you
believed?"[notice they were already believers]And
they said,"No,we have never even heard that here is a Holy Spirit."
Acts 19:2-3
And when Paul had laid his hands upon them,the Holy Spirit came on them;and
they spoke with tongues and prophesied.Acts 19:6
What about this tongue business? Must I submit to this? Is it for real?
Here are a few verses about that subject.......
For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men,but to God.1 Corinthian
14:2
He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself....1 Corinthians 14:4
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness;for we do not know how to pray
as we ought,but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for
words.Romans 8:26
For if I pray in a tongue my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful.What am
I to do? I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the mind also;I
will sing with the spirit and I will sing with the mind also.................
1 Corinthians 14:14-15
In the law it is written,"By men of strange tongues and by the lips of
foreigners will I speak to this people.......1 Corinthians 14:21
Thus,tongues are a sign for unbelievers,while prophecy is not for
unbelievers......1 Corinthians 14:22
Paul goes on and on about this.
You can't take parts of the Bible out at will.
Where will you stop?
Last of all Paul puts it plainly.......
...and do not forbid speaking in tongues.1 Corinthians 14:39
After Jesus has given you the gift of the Holy Spirit,then the Holy Spirit
will bestow upon you gifts also.
Read 1 Corinthians 12 thoroughly.
This is for you!
Praise God!
What are the signs of those having been given the gift of the Holy Spirit?
And these signs will follow those who believe:in
my name they will cast out demons;they will speak in new tongues;they will
pick up serpents,and if they drink any deadly thing,it will not hurt them;
they will lay their hands on the sick,and they will recover.Mark 16:16-18
But the fruit of the Spirit is love,joy,peace,patience,kindness,goodness,
faithfulness,gentleness,self-control;against such there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23
What you receive from God is strictly up to you.[Listen:I want every blessing
HE has for me]
Why not have it all?
Why not have the annointing of the Holy Spirit?
Why not preach the gospel with the power of the Holy Spirit?
Why not have the gifts of the Holy Spirit?
And last of all,couldn't you use the fruits of the Holy Spirit?
This is all up to you.
I leave this up to you and Jesus.
HOMEPAGE