19. Baptism in the Holy Spirit

-

Baptism in the Holy Spirit

Prior to being 'Born again' you operated as body and soul, but your spirit was dormant, separated from the spirit of God. 

When you received Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, that the middle wall of separation was broken down and your spirit came alive. 

The Bible says the Holy Spirit now dwells with you and in you. In John:14  Jesus also called Him another helper, a comforter and the Spirit of truth and said He would now abide in you forever.
In Corinthians 3.16 the Apostle Paul also confirms that you are now the temple of God and the Spirit of God lives in you.

However, after His resurrection Jesus instructed the disciples and said there was more to come (Acts 1:4). He declared "John truly baptized you with water, but you shall baptized with The Holy Spirit and receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.

Like baptism involved immersion in water, there would come a total immersion in The Holy Spirit. The Spirit would not just abide, but would fill them and overflow out of them in power.

That is exactly what happened on 'The Day of Pentecost' in the upper room (Acts:2) They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with 'new tongues' (more on tongues later).

In the whole book of Acts we see that the believers were now impowered to boldly share the Gospel, share testimonies,  spiritually warfare and exhibit signs and wonders (supernatural healings for example).

It is clear that as Christians we need the power of the Holy Spirit to serve God effectively. It is available to all who are 'born again', have been water baptized and have the urgent desire to receive.

Baptism in the Holy Spirit can take place anywhere. Can be by a Christian alone, calling out to God to receive, but is more commonly done surrounded by other believers. 
In this environment they can be encouraging and agreeing with you in prayer to receive and also 'laying hands on you' to receive.

The main requirement is the hunger in your spirit to receive and to ask in faith, believing that when you ask, you will receive.

Some people may feel a physical effect from the in filling of The Spirit and may even fall to the ground under the power of the Holy Spirit. 
Others may feel very little - maybe a gentle stirring of their spirit or even no change initially. That's okay because The Holy Spirit is a person not a manifestation and we have to trust in our faith, not our feelings.

Some people automatically receive the gift of tongues described in Acts 2 while for others it may take time for this prayer language to develop. 
If your motive for receiving is right God will not withhold from you what He has given to another. So if 'tongues' does not come at first, continue to believe that it will and feel free to get instruction and encouragement from other 'spirit filled" believers.





Popular posts from this blog

1. Prelude - A Pilgrims Progress

-
Image
Prelude Why did I start this blog? Most of you who know us , would also know that for the past 40 years Lyn and I have been Christian believers.  Through that time God has truly blessed us as a family, in our business and kept us in good health. We have tried not to load our beliefs on our friends and family excessively, because we didn't want to spoil the relationships. But as we are getting older the years seem to fly past more quickly and we can see that finish line ahead, so there is a sense of urgency in relating our beliefs, whatever the cost. Ezekiel was an old testament prophet in The Bible and God spoke to him (Ezekiel Chapt 33) and said he is to warn the people of the destruction that is coming. If he doesn't warn them, their blood is on his head, but if he does warn them, their blood is on their own. So I decided it is time to share what The Bible says to be true.  I may lose some friends, but may help save some too. So hopefully I can encourage you to look at the p...
Read more

3. The Ultimate Life Changer

-
Image
  The Ultimate Life Changer reveals Himself I mentioned how the plant world had become a life changing experience. What I didn’t know was that about the same time I was about to have an encounter which was about to change my life forever in a far more dramatic way than horticulture. I was about to get to know the Creator that made all the wonder of nature possible. Some friends that my wife had met through her work environment had decided to move to Sydney. They invited us to a going away barbecue in the Noosa National Park and suggested we could go in the morning to the small Christian church they attended and then go to the lunch after.   That day ended up being the ultimate life changer. We went to church that morning – and then the next Sunday and the next…….
Read more

2. A Life Changing experience

-
Image
A Life Changing experience About 40 years ago, I had a life changing experience – I discovered the world of horticulture. This discovery came from a route of educational and career choices that ultimately led to the occupation of landscaper and finally to the opening of a plant nursery.   I found there was something almost magical in the process of planting a seed that had been sitting dormant and seeing it burst into life. Or cutting a piece off an existing plant, placing it into a potting media and seeing new roots develop and ultimately cloning a new plant. And there was the intricacy and beauty of leaves and flowers. Intricate patterns of leaf veins and their amazing colour palette. Colours that I personally would describe as undesirable in for example an item of clothing or a car, would by contrast look stunning to me in the garden.   You might well ask – what has this got to do with a blog entitled The True Life Giver Read on and I will tell you!!  
Read more