What is Baptism in the Holy Spirit?
Baptism is immersion
The word "baptism" (in Greek "βάπτισμα") literally means "immersion." For example, water baptism is a short immersion in water performed in the name of Jesus Christ. Baptism in the Holy Spirit is immersion in the Holy Spirit, in His special presence. This immersion in the Holy Spirit is followed by the immediate filling of a person with the Holy Spirit, that is, the acceptance of the gift of the Holy Spirit. The filling with the Holy Spirit is immediately followed by the fact that a person begins to speak in other languages (tongues), as the Holy Spirit gives him utterance. This speaking in other tongues is a testimony that a person has received the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is now in him, not only with him. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is also called in the Scriptures receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Peter taught about it this way:
Acts 2:38-39 "Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself."
Jesus also taught about this receiving of the gift of the Holy Spirit and called it baptism in the Holy Spirit:
Acts 1:5 "For John indeed baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now."
Acts 11:16 "I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, 'John indeed baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit."
Let's take a closer look at the four stages in which the baptism in the Holy Spirit occurs. For the main text, we will take the description of what happened to the disciples of Jesus Christ on the day of Pentecost. This is recorded in the book of the Acts of the Apostles, in the second chapter:
1) Jesus pours out Holy Spirit on the believers
Acts.2:1-8 "Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all with one accord in one place. Suddenly there came from the sky a sound like the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. Tongues like fire appeared and were distributed to them, and one sat on each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak.
Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under the sky. When this sound was heard, the multitude came together, and were bewildered, because everyone heard them speaking in his own language. They were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, "Behold, aren't all these who speak Galileans? How do we hear, everyone in our own native language?"
How did the Apostle Peter explain what had happened to the assembled people? Let's read part of his sermon:
Acts 2:32-33 "This Jesus God raised up, to which we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted by the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this, which you now see and hear."
Therefore, what happened on the day of Pentecost was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the disciples. The baptism with the Holy Spirit begins with the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on a believer or a group of believers, as in this example.
2) Believers are immersed in the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit poured out from above from Jesus Christ fills the place where a believer or a group of believers is. Thus, the believer is immersed in the Holy Spirit. But he does not submerge in Him in the same way as in water. A person does not need to go down and be immersed. It is more like a person standing under a large waterfall, and the water pouring out from above completely covered him around. He will also be submerged in water, but this water moves from above and completely covers him. The baptism with the Holy Spirit can be likened to this. The special presence of the Holy Spirit descends on a person from above from Jesus Christ, completely covering him. A person finds himself inside the Holy Spirit, who descended on him from above. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit filled the house where Jesus' disciples were gathered. They were completely immersed in His presence.
3) Believers are filled with the Holy Spirit
After the Holy Spirit descends on a person, a person must receive Him into himself, be filled with Him. This acceptance is by faith. We'll talk about this in more detail below. After the Holy Spirit filled the house where the disciples were gathered, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. This is what the second chapter of Acts tells us, in the 2nd verse.
4) Believers start to speak with other languages
Being filled with the Holy Spirit, the disciples began to speak in languages that they did not know naturally, and have never learned. But the people who heard them knew and understood these languages. They heard them talk about the great works of God in different languages (Acts 2:11). Seeing the bewilderment of the people, Peter explained to them what had happened. The disciples were baptized in the Holy Spirit, received the promise and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Likewise, the baptism in the Holy Spirit continues to take place to this day.
Why do We Need Baptism in the Holy Spirit?
1. Jesus commanded it.
Why do we need the baptism in the Holy Spirit? First, because it is God's will for us. Jesus told his disciples to go all over the world and preach the gospel. But he also commanded them not to go anywhere and to remain in Jerusalem until they were clothed with power from on high, having received the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
The apostles were to teach believers what Jesus commanded them to observe (Matt. 28: 19-20). And He commanded His Apostles to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit before preaching the Gospel to others:
Luke 24:49 "Behold, I send forth the promise of my Father on you. But wait in the city of Jerusalem until you are clothed with power from on high."
Acts 1:4-8 "Being assembled together with them, he commanded them, "Don't depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which you heard from me. For John indeed baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now."
Therefore, when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, are you now restoring the kingdom to Israel?"
He said to them, "It isn't for you to know times or seasons which the Father has set within his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth."
2. Apostles taught about it.
The apostles taught the people the same things that Jesus taught them. They taught the importance of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. On the day of Pentecost, the Apostle Peter told the assembled people that they must repent, be baptized in water in the name of Jesus Christ, and after that they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The apostles prayed for people who believed and received water baptism, so that they would also receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The apostles prayed about this with the laying on of hands, and the Holy Spirit descended on the believers:
Acts 8:14-17 "Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit; for as yet he had fallen on none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of Christ Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit."
Acts 19:1-6 "It happened that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul, having passed through the upper country, came to Ephesus, and found certain disciples. He said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They said to him, "No, we haven't even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." He said, "Into what then were you baptized?" They said, "Into John's baptism." Paul said, "John indeed baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe in the one who would come after him, that is, in Jesus."
When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke with other languages and prophesied."
3. It is God's promise to all believers.
The gift of the Holy Spirit is God's promise to all believers, who are called by God. The Apostle Peter spoke of it this way:
Acts 2:16-18 "But this is what has been spoken through the prophet Joel: 'It will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams. Yes, and on my servants and on my handmaidens in those days, I will pour out my Spirit, and they will prophesy'."
Acts 2:39 "For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself."
4. Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
We need the baptism in the Holy Spirit in order to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit living in a believer who gives him one or more supernatural gifts for serving the church and edifying other believers. This is stated in First Epistle to the Corinthians:
1Cor.12:4-11 "Now there are various kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are various kinds of service, and the same Lord. There are various kinds of workings, but the same God, who works all things in all. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the profit of all.
For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, and to another the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit; to another faith, by the same Spirit; and to another gifts of healings, by the same Spirit; and to another workings of miracles; and to another prophecy; and to another discerning of spirits; to another different kinds of languages; and to another the interpretation of languages. But the one and the same Spirit works all of these, distributing to each one separately as he desires."
5. Prayer in the Holy Spirit.
The baptism in the Holy Spirit is necessary in order to be able to pray in the Spirit. The Apostles Paul and Jude encouraged believers to such constant prayer in the Spirit, which is also called prayer in the Holy Spirit:
Eph.6:18 "With all prayer and requests, praying at all times in the Spirit, and being watchful to this end in all perseverance and requests for all the saints."
Jude 1:20-21 "But you, beloved, keep building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life."
But what does it mean to pray in the Spirit or to pray in the Holy Spirit? What spirit prays with such a prayer, my spirit, or the Holy Spirit in me? Scripture reveals to us that prayer in the spirit is prayer in another language. With such a prayer, my spirit prays, but the words for prayer are received from the Holy Spirit. My spirit prays in union with the Holy Spirit. Only a person who has the gift of the Holy Spirit can pray such a prayer. We have seen from the examples of the Holy Scriptures that the ability to pray in another language a believer receives, when he is baptized in the Holy Spirit.
1Cor.14:14-15 "For if I pray in another language, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also. I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also."
So, my spirit prays when I pray in an unknown language. But, as we have said, this prayer is performed with the help of the Holy Spirit. We need this kind of prayer because we do not know what to pray for and how to pray in many situations. But the Holy Spirit knows, and He can give us the right prayer. This is another reason why the baptism of the Holy Spirit is so important in the life of every Christian:
Rom.8:26-27 "In the same way, the Spirit also helps our weaknesses, for we don't know how to pray as we ought. But the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings which can't be uttered. He who searches the hearts knows what is on the Spirit's mind, because he makes intercession for the saints according to God."
Does a Person Receive Baptism in the Holy Spirit at Time of Believing or Baptism in Water?
I. Believing and the Holy Spirit.
One of the objections that people sometimes put forward against the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the sign of other languages is that supposedly a person already receives the Gift of the Holy Spirit when he believes, and he does not need anything else. But this statement is wrong. Scripture does not say anywhere that a person receives the gift of the Holy Spirit or the baptism in the Holy Spirit automatically when he believes.
Undoubtedly, the Holy Spirit takes part in the regeneration of a person, but this is not the same thing as the baptism in the Holy Spirit. In all the Scriptures describing the baptism in the Holy Spirit, it took place after believing. Usually a person first repented and believed in Jesus Christ, then he was baptized in water, then the Apostles prayed for him, and he received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The evidence of this baptism was speaking in other tongues. Let's look at some examples from Scripture that support this:
1. The apostles believed in Jesus Christ and were baptized in water, but they did not have the gift of the Holy Spirit until the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4).
2. People in Samaria believed in Jesus Christ and were baptized in water, in the name of Jesus Christ, but they did not receive the gift of the Holy Spirit at the same time. The Apostles Peter and John came to them, prayed for them, laid hands on them, and only then they received the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:12-17).
3. Saul of Tarsus believed in Jesus Christ, but did not receive the gift of the Holy Spirit immediately. He received it later, when he came to Damascus, and Ananias prayed for him, laying his hands on him (Acts 9:17).
4. People in Ephesus believed in Jesus Christ, were baptized in water in the name of Jesus Christ, but did not receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. They received it when Paul prayed for them with the laying on of hands (Acts 19:1-6).
Some might argue that in the house of Cornelius, people received the gift of the Holy Spirit at the time of believing (Acts 10:42-48). But we must view this incident in the light of what we have seen from many other Scriptures. We cannot, with one Scripture, cross out a whole group of other Scriptures. And we cannot say that one Scripture contradicts all others.
We see that Scripture clearly teaches us that believing and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit are two different events. Even if they happen very quickly one after the other, as in the house of Cornelius, they are not one event. It should also be added that Cornelius and the people who were in his house received the baptism with the Holy Spirit with the sign of other languages. But usually people who claim that a person receives the gift of the Holy Spirit automatically when he believes, and who cite the story of Cornelius as an argument, do not recognize the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the sign of other languages! Such selective use of Biblical text is wrong.
II. Baptism in water and the Holy Spirit.
There is another argument that opponents of the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the sign of other languages sometimes put forward. They say that a person receives the baptism in the Holy Spirit automatically, not by believing, but by water baptism. But let's remember those examples that we already spoke about in the previous paragraph, only now in relation to water baptism, and the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Neither the Apostles, nor the believers in Samaria, nor Saul of Tarsus, nor the believers in Ephesus received the gift of the Holy Spirit by water baptism. None of them were automatically baptized in the Holy Spirit at water baptism. For all of them, water baptism and the baptism in the Holy Spirit were separate events.
In fact, there is not a single case, and not a single text in Scripture that says that a person receives the gift of the Holy Spirit automatically during water baptism. Perhaps someone will argue that Jesus received the gift of the Holy Spirit at water baptism, and this should be a sufficient example for us. But let's take a closer look at the baptism of Jesus:
Luke 3:21-22 "Now it happened, when all the people were baptized, Jesus also had been baptized, and was praying. The sky was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form as a dove on him; and a voice came out of the sky, saying "You are my beloved Son. In you I am well pleased."
It turns out that the Holy Spirit did not descend on Jesus Christ during water baptism! The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus after Jesus was baptized! After being baptized, Jesus prayed, and then the Holy Spirit came on Him. Moreover, when the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus, it was visible and audible, just as on the day of Pentecost. Peter addressed the assembled people on that day of Pentecost with these words:
Acts 2:32-33 "This Jesus God raised up, to which we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted by the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this, which you now see and hear."
In all the cases describing the baptism in the Holy Spirit in the New Testament, it was something that the people around them could see and hear. It did not happen quietly and unnoticed. Again, people who claim that a believer receives the baptism in the Holy Spirit at water baptism say that this happens quietly and unnoticed. But, firstly, all the baptisms in the Holy Spirit described in the Bible never happened quietly and unnoticed.
Secondly, nowhere does Scripture tell us that the baptism in the Holy Spirit occurs automatically at water baptism. The Bible does not teach this and does not give a single example of it, or even a hint of it. According to the Bible, the baptism in the Holy Spirit and water baptism are two separate events. This, of course, does not exclude the possibility that Jesus can baptize someone in the Holy Spirit at water baptism. But even if that happens, the two baptisms will remain separate events. And the baptism in the Holy Spirit always happens in such a way that it is visible and audible. People who have received the gift of the Holy Spirit begin to pray and praise God in other languages that they have not learned before. Others can see and hear this.
How to Receive Baptism in the Holy Spirit?
1) Repent, believe in Jesus and be baptized in water.
What does it take to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit? Let's see how the Apostle Peter spoke about this:
Acts 2:38 "Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
What the Apostle Peter spoke about is the initial requirement for a person who wants to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Such a person must repent, believe in Jesus Christ and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
Although this text speaks only about repentance and baptism, and does not say anything about faith in Jesus Christ, faith is implied in it. After all, a person cannot be truly baptized in water in the name of Jesus Christ without faith in Jesus Christ.
Moreover, other Scriptures speak of faith in Jesus as a condition for receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Peter, giving an account to the other Apostles for visiting the house of Cornelius, said that God gave the gift of the Holy Spirit to those who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ:
Acts 11:15-17 "As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them, even as on us at the beginning. I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, 'John indeed baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit.' If then God gave to them the same gift as us, when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I, that I could withstand God?"
From these, and also other Scriptures, we can see that the initial requirements for receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit are: repentance, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and water baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It should also be noted here that sometimes God can give a person the gift of the Holy Spirit even before water baptism. This happened in the house of Cornelius. But in apostolic times, this was the exception rather than the rule, and people who received the baptism of the Holy Spirit prior to water baptism were still required to receive water baptism.
2) Ask the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ taught that you need to ask God for the Holy Spirit. That is, you need to pray for the gift of the Holy Spirit. He also said that if we ask, we will receive, if, of course, we fulfill all other conditions for receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit:
Luke 11:13 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?"
3) Thirst the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ also taught that the Holy Spirit is given not only to those who ask, but also to those who thirst for Him. After all, sometimes you can ask without thirst. What is thirst? Thirst is a very strong desire. God said that He would give His Holy Spirit to those who were thirsty, that is, to people who were eager to receive Him. They will not be satisfied with anything until they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit:
Is.44:3 "For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and streams on the dry ground. I will pour my Spirit on your seed, and my blessing on your offspring."
John 7:37-39 "Now on the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink! He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, from within him will flow rivers of living water." But he said this about the Spirit, which those believing in him were to receive. For the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus wasn't yet glorified."
4) Come to Jesus and drink. Accept the Holy Spirit by faith.
From the previous text, we see that Jesus invited those who were thirsty to come to Him and drink. He said this about the Holy Spirit. So, in order to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, you need to come to Jesus, fulfilling all the previous conditions. How can we come to Jesus? In our prayer:
Ps.65:2 "You who hear prayer, to you all men will come."
So we must come to Jesus in prayer and drink. Drinking is a voluntary, active process of accepting something. You can't drink with your mouth closed, so God tells us to open our mouths so He can fill them. "To drink" the Holy Spirit means to receive Him into oneself by faith with open lips. We can “drink” the Holy Spirit, that is, receive Him into ourselves by faith when we are immersed, that is, baptized into Him by Jesus Christ.
If we repented, believed in Jesus Christ, received water baptism, we can boldly come to Jesus in prayer and ask Him to immerse us in the Holy Spirit. When we come to Jesus in prayer with thirst, having fulfilled all the conditions, we can be sure that He will do it for us at that moment. But it is our responsibility to open our mouths and receive into ourselves by faith the Holy Spirit, in which we are immersed by Jesus Christ.
Sometimes people who pray for the baptism in the Holy Spirit feel a special touch of God. They are immersed in the Holy Spirit descending on them from Jesus Christ, but because of unbelief, fear, ignorance or other reasons, they do not open their mouths, do not receive the Holy Spirit in themselves by faith, are not filled with Him, although they are immersed in Him. The prayer ends, the special presence of the Holy Spirit leaves, and people remain without the gift of the Holy Spirit, but only with pleasant memories of His presence. This is because they did not open their mouths, and did not drink, that is, they did not use their faith to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit:
Ps.81:10 "I am the LORD, your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it."
Gal.3:14 "That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Christ Jesus; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."
5) Submit the members of your body and your tongue to God.
The next step in the baptism in the Holy Spirit is the submission and surrender to the Holy Spirit of all members of your body, and especially your tongue. We provide God with the members of our body for His glory, as instruments of righteousness, for doing His will through us. By the decision of our will, we give the Holy Spirit complete control over us and our lips and tongue. This is necessary in order to start speaking in other languages, glorifying God. Speaking in other languages is, according to Scripture, evidence of receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Rom.6:13 "Neither present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God, as alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God."
Rom.6:19 "I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh, for as you presented your members as servants to uncleanness and to wickedness upon wickedness, even so now present your members as servants to righteousness for sanctification."
6) Start to speak in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gives utterance.
When we look again at what happened on the day of Pentecost, we can see that the final step in the baptism in the Holy Spirit was speaking in other languages:
Acts 2:4 "They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak."
Pay attention to the fact, that the disciples spoke in other languages, not the Holy Spirit. They began to speak, and the Holy Spirit only gave them utterance, He gave them the ability to speak and the words that they spoke. When we are baptized in the Holy Spirit, we must leave our tongue and our lips to the Holy Spirit, but nevertheless He will not force us to speak unless we voluntarily do so. He will give us words in a different language, but we ourselves must provide the sound and start speaking. Likewise, we can decide when to pray with the spirit and when to pray with the understanding (the mind):
1Cor.14:14-15 "For if I pray in another language, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also. I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also."
Prayer About Baptism in the Holy Spirit with Laying on of Hands
From the many passages in the book of Acts that we mentioned earlier, or quoted, we can draw one conclusion. In apostolic times, most people were baptized in the Holy Spirit and received the gift of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands by the Apostles, or other spiritually strong believers, and their prayer. For example, in Samaria, people received the gift of the Holy Spirit through prayer and the laying on of hands by the Apostles John and Peter. Saul, who later became the Apostle Paul, received the gift of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands by a disciple named Ananias. Those who believed in Ephesus received the gift of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands by the Apostle Paul.
One spiritual gift is mentioned in the Bible called the gift of helps (1Cor.12:28). It is a special ability, given by the Holy Spirit, to strengthen and support someone by prayer. It is the ability to effectively intercede for someone weaker spiritually in prayer for the baptism in the Holy Spirit, or in prayer for other important needs. Not all believers have the gift of helps, and not all can lay hands on others to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
Does this mean that if there is no one nearby who has the gift of helps, then it is impossible to receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit? Not at all. The book of Acts describes to us that in some cases people received the gift of the Holy Spirit without the laying on of hands. After all, it is not a mere man who baptizes with the Holy Spirit, but Jesus Christ. People who have the gift of helps can only help by prayer, but they cannot baptize anyone with the Holy Spirit. Only the Lord Jesus does this, and He can do it without the help of people. This, for example, happened in the house of Cornelius, and it continues to happen to this day.
How Should We Relate to the Holy Spirit?
Holy Spirit – "Treasure in clay vessels"
The next important question that we need to consider is how we should relate to the Holy Spirit that we received when we were baptized in the Holy Spirit. Let's consider how the Apostle Paul understood this question:
2Cor.4:5-7 "For we don't preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake; seeing it is God who said, "Light will shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in clay vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves."
The apostle Paul spoke in this text in figurative language. By clay vessels he meant, of course, our bodies, created by God from the dust of the earth. But what did he mean by the word "treasure"? It has something to do with the abundant power of God at work in the Apostles. But Who was the source of this power in them? Jesus spoke these words to his disciples:
Acts 1:8 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth."
So the source of the abundant power at work in the Apostles was the Holy Spirit. It was He who was the treasure that the Apostles carried in “clay vessels,” in themselves. If the Holy Spirit is a treasure, a tremendous value that we carry in ourselves, it is very important to know how to relate to Him in the right way.
The Holy Spirit must not be grieved.
Scripture teaches us that the Holy Spirit must not be grieved:
Eph.4:29-32 "Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but such as is good for building up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear. Don't grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, and slander, be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you."
The Holy Spirit is offended by all the wrong behavior described above: bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, slander, malice, lack of kindness and compassion, unforgiveness. We have no right to show this to anyone. If we do not want to lose the treasure that God gave us, we need to remove from ourselves all the negative things that are listed here.
The Holy Spirit is also offended by the sin of a person, and God can take His Holy Spirit away from a person if the person does not repent. David understood this, so he prayed with these words after he had sinned before God:
Ps.51:10-12 "Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me. Don't throw me from your presence, and don't take your holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation. Uphold me with a willing spirit."
This Psalm is David's prayer of repentance. It can serve as an example for us how to pray and repent when we have sinned.
The Holy Spirit must not be quenched.
Also, Scripture teaches us that the Holy Spirit cannot be quenched. To understand what this means, you need to read this statement from the Epistle of the Apostle Paul in context:
1Thess.5:16-21 "Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you. Don't quench the Spirit. Don't despise prophesies. Test all things, and hold firmly that which is good."
The phrases “Don't quench the Spirit” and “Don't despise prophecies” go side by side. The second phrase is an explanation of the first. The Holy Spirit is quenched by believers when they despise prophecies or other manifestations of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul wrote the following words to the Corinthians about the correct attitude towards prophecy and other languages:
1Cor.14:39 "Therefore, brothers, desire earnestly to prophesy, and don't forbid speaking with other languages."
In order not to quench the Holy Spirit, we must be zealous for spiritual gifts, and stir up those gifts that we have already received. This happens when we use them and serve them to build up the church:
1Cor.14:1 "Follow after love, and earnestly desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy."
1Cor.14:12-13 "So also you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, seek that you may abound to the building up of the assembly. Therefore let him who speaks in another language pray that he may interpret."
2Tim.1:6 "For this cause, I remind you that you should stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands."
We Should be Filled with the Holy Spirit
1) Sing praises to God.
Another command regarding the Holy Spirit is given to us in Ephesians. It says that believers are to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Immediately after these words, the Apostle Paul explains how we can be filled with the Holy Spirit:
Eph.5:18-21 "Don't be drunken with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; singing, and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always concerning all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to God, even the Father; subjecting yourselves one to another in the fear of Christ."
To be filled with the Holy Spirit, you need, first, to edify one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. That is, you need to glorify and praise God, and this is usually done through a psalm or song. To praise God means to proclaim His attributes, to proclaim who He is. We can see many examples of this in the Psalms:
Ps.95:1-5 "Oh come, let's sing to the LORD. Let's shout aloud to the rock of our salvation! Let's come before his presence with thanksgiving. Let's extol him with songs! For the LORD is a great God, a great King above all gods. In his hand are the deep places of the earth. The heights of the mountains are also his. The sea is his, and he made it. His hands formed the dry land."
2) Always thank God for everything.
The next prerequisite for being filled with the Holy Spirit is thanksgiving to God. There is a difference between praising God and thanking God. We praise God for who He is. We thank or bless God for what He has done and is doing for us. Also, it should be noted that often in the Biblical language, the words "thank" and "bless" mean the same thing:
Ps.102:1-5 "Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's." (KJV)
3) Obey each other in the fear of the Lord.
The third prerequisite for being filled with the Holy Spirit is obedience to those whom the Lord has placed over us. Through obedience to those above us we show our obedience to the Lord. But we must also remember that such obedience must take place "in the Lord." If someone who has power over us requires us to violate God's will, we must listen to the Lord, not the person in such cases (Acts 4:19, 5:29).
Eph.5:22 "Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord."
Eph.6:1 "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right."
1Pet.5:5 "Likewise, you younger ones, be subject to the elder. Yes, all of you clothe yourselves with humility, to subject yourselves to one another; for "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
The last of the texts, we quoted above, explains to us why obedience is necessary for being filled with the Holy Spirit. Obedience and submission is a sign of humility. God gives grace to the humble, and the Holy Spirit is called in Scripture the Spirit of grace:
Heb.10:29 "How much worse punishment, do you think, will he be judged worthy of, who has trodden under foot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant with which he was sanctified an unholy thing, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?"
God's grace is given to us through the Holy Spirit. A proud, rebellious person cannot receive God's grace and cannot be filled with the Holy Spirit, Who is the Spirit of grace.
God gives us His precious gift of the Holy Spirit, when we meet God's requirements for receiving it, and having received the gift of the Holy Spirit we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit as the Scripture teaches us.
Bible verse for memorization:
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth." (Acts 1:8)
Baptism is immersion
The word "baptism" (in Greek "βάπτισμα") literally means "immersion." For example, water baptism is a short immersion in water performed in the name of Jesus Christ. Baptism in the Holy Spirit is immersion in the Holy Spirit, in His special presence. This immersion in the Holy Spirit is followed by the immediate filling of a person with the Holy Spirit, that is, the acceptance of the gift of the Holy Spirit. The filling with the Holy Spirit is immediately followed by the fact that a person begins to speak in other languages (tongues), as the Holy Spirit gives him utterance. This speaking in other tongues is a testimony that a person has received the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is now in him, not only with him. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is also called in the Scriptures receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Peter taught about it this way:
Acts 2:38-39 "Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself."
Jesus also taught about this receiving of the gift of the Holy Spirit and called it baptism in the Holy Spirit:
Acts 1:5 "For John indeed baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now."
Acts 11:16 "I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, 'John indeed baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit."
Let's take a closer look at the four stages in which the baptism in the Holy Spirit occurs. For the main text, we will take the description of what happened to the disciples of Jesus Christ on the day of Pentecost. This is recorded in the book of the Acts of the Apostles, in the second chapter:
1) Jesus pours out Holy Spirit on the believers
Acts.2:1-8 "Now when the day of Pentecost had come, they were all with one accord in one place. Suddenly there came from the sky a sound like the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. Tongues like fire appeared and were distributed to them, and one sat on each of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak.
Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under the sky. When this sound was heard, the multitude came together, and were bewildered, because everyone heard them speaking in his own language. They were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, "Behold, aren't all these who speak Galileans? How do we hear, everyone in our own native language?"
How did the Apostle Peter explain what had happened to the assembled people? Let's read part of his sermon:
Acts 2:32-33 "This Jesus God raised up, to which we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted by the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this, which you now see and hear."
Therefore, what happened on the day of Pentecost was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the disciples. The baptism with the Holy Spirit begins with the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on a believer or a group of believers, as in this example.
2) Believers are immersed in the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit poured out from above from Jesus Christ fills the place where a believer or a group of believers is. Thus, the believer is immersed in the Holy Spirit. But he does not submerge in Him in the same way as in water. A person does not need to go down and be immersed. It is more like a person standing under a large waterfall, and the water pouring out from above completely covered him around. He will also be submerged in water, but this water moves from above and completely covers him. The baptism with the Holy Spirit can be likened to this. The special presence of the Holy Spirit descends on a person from above from Jesus Christ, completely covering him. A person finds himself inside the Holy Spirit, who descended on him from above. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit filled the house where Jesus' disciples were gathered. They were completely immersed in His presence.
3) Believers are filled with the Holy Spirit
After the Holy Spirit descends on a person, a person must receive Him into himself, be filled with Him. This acceptance is by faith. We'll talk about this in more detail below. After the Holy Spirit filled the house where the disciples were gathered, they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. This is what the second chapter of Acts tells us, in the 2nd verse.
4) Believers start to speak with other languages
Being filled with the Holy Spirit, the disciples began to speak in languages that they did not know naturally, and have never learned. But the people who heard them knew and understood these languages. They heard them talk about the great works of God in different languages (Acts 2:11). Seeing the bewilderment of the people, Peter explained to them what had happened. The disciples were baptized in the Holy Spirit, received the promise and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Likewise, the baptism in the Holy Spirit continues to take place to this day.
Why do We Need Baptism in the Holy Spirit?
1. Jesus commanded it.
Why do we need the baptism in the Holy Spirit? First, because it is God's will for us. Jesus told his disciples to go all over the world and preach the gospel. But he also commanded them not to go anywhere and to remain in Jerusalem until they were clothed with power from on high, having received the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
The apostles were to teach believers what Jesus commanded them to observe (Matt. 28: 19-20). And He commanded His Apostles to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit before preaching the Gospel to others:
Luke 24:49 "Behold, I send forth the promise of my Father on you. But wait in the city of Jerusalem until you are clothed with power from on high."
Acts 1:4-8 "Being assembled together with them, he commanded them, "Don't depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which you heard from me. For John indeed baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now."
Therefore, when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, are you now restoring the kingdom to Israel?"
He said to them, "It isn't for you to know times or seasons which the Father has set within his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth."
2. Apostles taught about it.
The apostles taught the people the same things that Jesus taught them. They taught the importance of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. On the day of Pentecost, the Apostle Peter told the assembled people that they must repent, be baptized in water in the name of Jesus Christ, and after that they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The apostles prayed for people who believed and received water baptism, so that they would also receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The apostles prayed about this with the laying on of hands, and the Holy Spirit descended on the believers:
Acts 8:14-17 "Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit; for as yet he had fallen on none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of Christ Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit."
Acts 19:1-6 "It happened that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul, having passed through the upper country, came to Ephesus, and found certain disciples. He said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" They said to him, "No, we haven't even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." He said, "Into what then were you baptized?" They said, "Into John's baptism." Paul said, "John indeed baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe in the one who would come after him, that is, in Jesus."
When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke with other languages and prophesied."
3. It is God's promise to all believers.
The gift of the Holy Spirit is God's promise to all believers, who are called by God. The Apostle Peter spoke of it this way:
Acts 2:16-18 "But this is what has been spoken through the prophet Joel: 'It will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams. Yes, and on my servants and on my handmaidens in those days, I will pour out my Spirit, and they will prophesy'."
Acts 2:39 "For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself."
4. Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
We need the baptism in the Holy Spirit in order to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit living in a believer who gives him one or more supernatural gifts for serving the church and edifying other believers. This is stated in First Epistle to the Corinthians:
1Cor.12:4-11 "Now there are various kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are various kinds of service, and the same Lord. There are various kinds of workings, but the same God, who works all things in all. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the profit of all.
For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, and to another the word of knowledge, according to the same Spirit; to another faith, by the same Spirit; and to another gifts of healings, by the same Spirit; and to another workings of miracles; and to another prophecy; and to another discerning of spirits; to another different kinds of languages; and to another the interpretation of languages. But the one and the same Spirit works all of these, distributing to each one separately as he desires."
5. Prayer in the Holy Spirit.
The baptism in the Holy Spirit is necessary in order to be able to pray in the Spirit. The Apostles Paul and Jude encouraged believers to such constant prayer in the Spirit, which is also called prayer in the Holy Spirit:
Eph.6:18 "With all prayer and requests, praying at all times in the Spirit, and being watchful to this end in all perseverance and requests for all the saints."
Jude 1:20-21 "But you, beloved, keep building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life."
But what does it mean to pray in the Spirit or to pray in the Holy Spirit? What spirit prays with such a prayer, my spirit, or the Holy Spirit in me? Scripture reveals to us that prayer in the spirit is prayer in another language. With such a prayer, my spirit prays, but the words for prayer are received from the Holy Spirit. My spirit prays in union with the Holy Spirit. Only a person who has the gift of the Holy Spirit can pray such a prayer. We have seen from the examples of the Holy Scriptures that the ability to pray in another language a believer receives, when he is baptized in the Holy Spirit.
1Cor.14:14-15 "For if I pray in another language, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also. I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also."
So, my spirit prays when I pray in an unknown language. But, as we have said, this prayer is performed with the help of the Holy Spirit. We need this kind of prayer because we do not know what to pray for and how to pray in many situations. But the Holy Spirit knows, and He can give us the right prayer. This is another reason why the baptism of the Holy Spirit is so important in the life of every Christian:
Rom.8:26-27 "In the same way, the Spirit also helps our weaknesses, for we don't know how to pray as we ought. But the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings which can't be uttered. He who searches the hearts knows what is on the Spirit's mind, because he makes intercession for the saints according to God."
Does a Person Receive Baptism in the Holy Spirit at Time of Believing or Baptism in Water?
I. Believing and the Holy Spirit.
One of the objections that people sometimes put forward against the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the sign of other languages is that supposedly a person already receives the Gift of the Holy Spirit when he believes, and he does not need anything else. But this statement is wrong. Scripture does not say anywhere that a person receives the gift of the Holy Spirit or the baptism in the Holy Spirit automatically when he believes.
Undoubtedly, the Holy Spirit takes part in the regeneration of a person, but this is not the same thing as the baptism in the Holy Spirit. In all the Scriptures describing the baptism in the Holy Spirit, it took place after believing. Usually a person first repented and believed in Jesus Christ, then he was baptized in water, then the Apostles prayed for him, and he received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The evidence of this baptism was speaking in other tongues. Let's look at some examples from Scripture that support this:
1. The apostles believed in Jesus Christ and were baptized in water, but they did not have the gift of the Holy Spirit until the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4).
2. People in Samaria believed in Jesus Christ and were baptized in water, in the name of Jesus Christ, but they did not receive the gift of the Holy Spirit at the same time. The Apostles Peter and John came to them, prayed for them, laid hands on them, and only then they received the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:12-17).
3. Saul of Tarsus believed in Jesus Christ, but did not receive the gift of the Holy Spirit immediately. He received it later, when he came to Damascus, and Ananias prayed for him, laying his hands on him (Acts 9:17).
4. People in Ephesus believed in Jesus Christ, were baptized in water in the name of Jesus Christ, but did not receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. They received it when Paul prayed for them with the laying on of hands (Acts 19:1-6).
Some might argue that in the house of Cornelius, people received the gift of the Holy Spirit at the time of believing (Acts 10:42-48). But we must view this incident in the light of what we have seen from many other Scriptures. We cannot, with one Scripture, cross out a whole group of other Scriptures. And we cannot say that one Scripture contradicts all others.
We see that Scripture clearly teaches us that believing and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit are two different events. Even if they happen very quickly one after the other, as in the house of Cornelius, they are not one event. It should also be added that Cornelius and the people who were in his house received the baptism with the Holy Spirit with the sign of other languages. But usually people who claim that a person receives the gift of the Holy Spirit automatically when he believes, and who cite the story of Cornelius as an argument, do not recognize the baptism of the Holy Spirit with the sign of other languages! Such selective use of Biblical text is wrong.
II. Baptism in water and the Holy Spirit.
There is another argument that opponents of the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the sign of other languages sometimes put forward. They say that a person receives the baptism in the Holy Spirit automatically, not by believing, but by water baptism. But let's remember those examples that we already spoke about in the previous paragraph, only now in relation to water baptism, and the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Neither the Apostles, nor the believers in Samaria, nor Saul of Tarsus, nor the believers in Ephesus received the gift of the Holy Spirit by water baptism. None of them were automatically baptized in the Holy Spirit at water baptism. For all of them, water baptism and the baptism in the Holy Spirit were separate events.
In fact, there is not a single case, and not a single text in Scripture that says that a person receives the gift of the Holy Spirit automatically during water baptism. Perhaps someone will argue that Jesus received the gift of the Holy Spirit at water baptism, and this should be a sufficient example for us. But let's take a closer look at the baptism of Jesus:
Luke 3:21-22 "Now it happened, when all the people were baptized, Jesus also had been baptized, and was praying. The sky was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form as a dove on him; and a voice came out of the sky, saying "You are my beloved Son. In you I am well pleased."
It turns out that the Holy Spirit did not descend on Jesus Christ during water baptism! The Holy Spirit descended on Jesus after Jesus was baptized! After being baptized, Jesus prayed, and then the Holy Spirit came on Him. Moreover, when the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus, it was visible and audible, just as on the day of Pentecost. Peter addressed the assembled people on that day of Pentecost with these words:
Acts 2:32-33 "This Jesus God raised up, to which we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted by the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this, which you now see and hear."
In all the cases describing the baptism in the Holy Spirit in the New Testament, it was something that the people around them could see and hear. It did not happen quietly and unnoticed. Again, people who claim that a believer receives the baptism in the Holy Spirit at water baptism say that this happens quietly and unnoticed. But, firstly, all the baptisms in the Holy Spirit described in the Bible never happened quietly and unnoticed.
Secondly, nowhere does Scripture tell us that the baptism in the Holy Spirit occurs automatically at water baptism. The Bible does not teach this and does not give a single example of it, or even a hint of it. According to the Bible, the baptism in the Holy Spirit and water baptism are two separate events. This, of course, does not exclude the possibility that Jesus can baptize someone in the Holy Spirit at water baptism. But even if that happens, the two baptisms will remain separate events. And the baptism in the Holy Spirit always happens in such a way that it is visible and audible. People who have received the gift of the Holy Spirit begin to pray and praise God in other languages that they have not learned before. Others can see and hear this.
How to Receive Baptism in the Holy Spirit?
1) Repent, believe in Jesus and be baptized in water.
What does it take to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit? Let's see how the Apostle Peter spoke about this:
Acts 2:38 "Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
What the Apostle Peter spoke about is the initial requirement for a person who wants to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Such a person must repent, believe in Jesus Christ and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.
Although this text speaks only about repentance and baptism, and does not say anything about faith in Jesus Christ, faith is implied in it. After all, a person cannot be truly baptized in water in the name of Jesus Christ without faith in Jesus Christ.
Moreover, other Scriptures speak of faith in Jesus as a condition for receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Peter, giving an account to the other Apostles for visiting the house of Cornelius, said that God gave the gift of the Holy Spirit to those who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ:
Acts 11:15-17 "As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them, even as on us at the beginning. I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, 'John indeed baptized in water, but you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit.' If then God gave to them the same gift as us, when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I, that I could withstand God?"
From these, and also other Scriptures, we can see that the initial requirements for receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit are: repentance, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and water baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It should also be noted here that sometimes God can give a person the gift of the Holy Spirit even before water baptism. This happened in the house of Cornelius. But in apostolic times, this was the exception rather than the rule, and people who received the baptism of the Holy Spirit prior to water baptism were still required to receive water baptism.
2) Ask the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ taught that you need to ask God for the Holy Spirit. That is, you need to pray for the gift of the Holy Spirit. He also said that if we ask, we will receive, if, of course, we fulfill all other conditions for receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit:
Luke 11:13 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?"
3) Thirst the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ also taught that the Holy Spirit is given not only to those who ask, but also to those who thirst for Him. After all, sometimes you can ask without thirst. What is thirst? Thirst is a very strong desire. God said that He would give His Holy Spirit to those who were thirsty, that is, to people who were eager to receive Him. They will not be satisfied with anything until they receive the gift of the Holy Spirit:
Is.44:3 "For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and streams on the dry ground. I will pour my Spirit on your seed, and my blessing on your offspring."
John 7:37-39 "Now on the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink! He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, from within him will flow rivers of living water." But he said this about the Spirit, which those believing in him were to receive. For the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus wasn't yet glorified."
4) Come to Jesus and drink. Accept the Holy Spirit by faith.
From the previous text, we see that Jesus invited those who were thirsty to come to Him and drink. He said this about the Holy Spirit. So, in order to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, you need to come to Jesus, fulfilling all the previous conditions. How can we come to Jesus? In our prayer:
Ps.65:2 "You who hear prayer, to you all men will come."
So we must come to Jesus in prayer and drink. Drinking is a voluntary, active process of accepting something. You can't drink with your mouth closed, so God tells us to open our mouths so He can fill them. "To drink" the Holy Spirit means to receive Him into oneself by faith with open lips. We can “drink” the Holy Spirit, that is, receive Him into ourselves by faith when we are immersed, that is, baptized into Him by Jesus Christ.
If we repented, believed in Jesus Christ, received water baptism, we can boldly come to Jesus in prayer and ask Him to immerse us in the Holy Spirit. When we come to Jesus in prayer with thirst, having fulfilled all the conditions, we can be sure that He will do it for us at that moment. But it is our responsibility to open our mouths and receive into ourselves by faith the Holy Spirit, in which we are immersed by Jesus Christ.
Sometimes people who pray for the baptism in the Holy Spirit feel a special touch of God. They are immersed in the Holy Spirit descending on them from Jesus Christ, but because of unbelief, fear, ignorance or other reasons, they do not open their mouths, do not receive the Holy Spirit in themselves by faith, are not filled with Him, although they are immersed in Him. The prayer ends, the special presence of the Holy Spirit leaves, and people remain without the gift of the Holy Spirit, but only with pleasant memories of His presence. This is because they did not open their mouths, and did not drink, that is, they did not use their faith to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit:
Ps.81:10 "I am the LORD, your God, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it."
Gal.3:14 "That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Christ Jesus; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."
5) Submit the members of your body and your tongue to God.
The next step in the baptism in the Holy Spirit is the submission and surrender to the Holy Spirit of all members of your body, and especially your tongue. We provide God with the members of our body for His glory, as instruments of righteousness, for doing His will through us. By the decision of our will, we give the Holy Spirit complete control over us and our lips and tongue. This is necessary in order to start speaking in other languages, glorifying God. Speaking in other languages is, according to Scripture, evidence of receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Rom.6:13 "Neither present your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God, as alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God."
Rom.6:19 "I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh, for as you presented your members as servants to uncleanness and to wickedness upon wickedness, even so now present your members as servants to righteousness for sanctification."
6) Start to speak in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gives utterance.
When we look again at what happened on the day of Pentecost, we can see that the final step in the baptism in the Holy Spirit was speaking in other languages:
Acts 2:4 "They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak."
Pay attention to the fact, that the disciples spoke in other languages, not the Holy Spirit. They began to speak, and the Holy Spirit only gave them utterance, He gave them the ability to speak and the words that they spoke. When we are baptized in the Holy Spirit, we must leave our tongue and our lips to the Holy Spirit, but nevertheless He will not force us to speak unless we voluntarily do so. He will give us words in a different language, but we ourselves must provide the sound and start speaking. Likewise, we can decide when to pray with the spirit and when to pray with the understanding (the mind):
1Cor.14:14-15 "For if I pray in another language, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also. I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also."
Prayer About Baptism in the Holy Spirit with Laying on of Hands
From the many passages in the book of Acts that we mentioned earlier, or quoted, we can draw one conclusion. In apostolic times, most people were baptized in the Holy Spirit and received the gift of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands by the Apostles, or other spiritually strong believers, and their prayer. For example, in Samaria, people received the gift of the Holy Spirit through prayer and the laying on of hands by the Apostles John and Peter. Saul, who later became the Apostle Paul, received the gift of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands by a disciple named Ananias. Those who believed in Ephesus received the gift of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands by the Apostle Paul.
One spiritual gift is mentioned in the Bible called the gift of helps (1Cor.12:28). It is a special ability, given by the Holy Spirit, to strengthen and support someone by prayer. It is the ability to effectively intercede for someone weaker spiritually in prayer for the baptism in the Holy Spirit, or in prayer for other important needs. Not all believers have the gift of helps, and not all can lay hands on others to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
Does this mean that if there is no one nearby who has the gift of helps, then it is impossible to receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit? Not at all. The book of Acts describes to us that in some cases people received the gift of the Holy Spirit without the laying on of hands. After all, it is not a mere man who baptizes with the Holy Spirit, but Jesus Christ. People who have the gift of helps can only help by prayer, but they cannot baptize anyone with the Holy Spirit. Only the Lord Jesus does this, and He can do it without the help of people. This, for example, happened in the house of Cornelius, and it continues to happen to this day.
How Should We Relate to the Holy Spirit?
Holy Spirit – "Treasure in clay vessels"
The next important question that we need to consider is how we should relate to the Holy Spirit that we received when we were baptized in the Holy Spirit. Let's consider how the Apostle Paul understood this question:
2Cor.4:5-7 "For we don't preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake; seeing it is God who said, "Light will shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in clay vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves."
The apostle Paul spoke in this text in figurative language. By clay vessels he meant, of course, our bodies, created by God from the dust of the earth. But what did he mean by the word "treasure"? It has something to do with the abundant power of God at work in the Apostles. But Who was the source of this power in them? Jesus spoke these words to his disciples:
Acts 1:8 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth."
So the source of the abundant power at work in the Apostles was the Holy Spirit. It was He who was the treasure that the Apostles carried in “clay vessels,” in themselves. If the Holy Spirit is a treasure, a tremendous value that we carry in ourselves, it is very important to know how to relate to Him in the right way.
The Holy Spirit must not be grieved.
Scripture teaches us that the Holy Spirit must not be grieved:
Eph.4:29-32 "Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but such as is good for building up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear. Don't grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, and slander, be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you."
The Holy Spirit is offended by all the wrong behavior described above: bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, slander, malice, lack of kindness and compassion, unforgiveness. We have no right to show this to anyone. If we do not want to lose the treasure that God gave us, we need to remove from ourselves all the negative things that are listed here.
The Holy Spirit is also offended by the sin of a person, and God can take His Holy Spirit away from a person if the person does not repent. David understood this, so he prayed with these words after he had sinned before God:
Ps.51:10-12 "Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a right spirit within me. Don't throw me from your presence, and don't take your holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation. Uphold me with a willing spirit."
This Psalm is David's prayer of repentance. It can serve as an example for us how to pray and repent when we have sinned.
The Holy Spirit must not be quenched.
Also, Scripture teaches us that the Holy Spirit cannot be quenched. To understand what this means, you need to read this statement from the Epistle of the Apostle Paul in context:
1Thess.5:16-21 "Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you. Don't quench the Spirit. Don't despise prophesies. Test all things, and hold firmly that which is good."
The phrases “Don't quench the Spirit” and “Don't despise prophecies” go side by side. The second phrase is an explanation of the first. The Holy Spirit is quenched by believers when they despise prophecies or other manifestations of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul wrote the following words to the Corinthians about the correct attitude towards prophecy and other languages:
1Cor.14:39 "Therefore, brothers, desire earnestly to prophesy, and don't forbid speaking with other languages."
In order not to quench the Holy Spirit, we must be zealous for spiritual gifts, and stir up those gifts that we have already received. This happens when we use them and serve them to build up the church:
1Cor.14:1 "Follow after love, and earnestly desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy."
1Cor.14:12-13 "So also you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, seek that you may abound to the building up of the assembly. Therefore let him who speaks in another language pray that he may interpret."
2Tim.1:6 "For this cause, I remind you that you should stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands."
We Should be Filled with the Holy Spirit
1) Sing praises to God.
Another command regarding the Holy Spirit is given to us in Ephesians. It says that believers are to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Immediately after these words, the Apostle Paul explains how we can be filled with the Holy Spirit:
Eph.5:18-21 "Don't be drunken with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; singing, and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always concerning all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to God, even the Father; subjecting yourselves one to another in the fear of Christ."
To be filled with the Holy Spirit, you need, first, to edify one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. That is, you need to glorify and praise God, and this is usually done through a psalm or song. To praise God means to proclaim His attributes, to proclaim who He is. We can see many examples of this in the Psalms:
Ps.95:1-5 "Oh come, let's sing to the LORD. Let's shout aloud to the rock of our salvation! Let's come before his presence with thanksgiving. Let's extol him with songs! For the LORD is a great God, a great King above all gods. In his hand are the deep places of the earth. The heights of the mountains are also his. The sea is his, and he made it. His hands formed the dry land."
2) Always thank God for everything.
The next prerequisite for being filled with the Holy Spirit is thanksgiving to God. There is a difference between praising God and thanking God. We praise God for who He is. We thank or bless God for what He has done and is doing for us. Also, it should be noted that often in the Biblical language, the words "thank" and "bless" mean the same thing:
Ps.102:1-5 "Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's." (KJV)
3) Obey each other in the fear of the Lord.
The third prerequisite for being filled with the Holy Spirit is obedience to those whom the Lord has placed over us. Through obedience to those above us we show our obedience to the Lord. But we must also remember that such obedience must take place "in the Lord." If someone who has power over us requires us to violate God's will, we must listen to the Lord, not the person in such cases (Acts 4:19, 5:29).
Eph.5:22 "Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord."
Eph.6:1 "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right."
1Pet.5:5 "Likewise, you younger ones, be subject to the elder. Yes, all of you clothe yourselves with humility, to subject yourselves to one another; for "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
The last of the texts, we quoted above, explains to us why obedience is necessary for being filled with the Holy Spirit. Obedience and submission is a sign of humility. God gives grace to the humble, and the Holy Spirit is called in Scripture the Spirit of grace:
Heb.10:29 "How much worse punishment, do you think, will he be judged worthy of, who has trodden under foot the Son of God, and has counted the blood of the covenant with which he was sanctified an unholy thing, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?"
God's grace is given to us through the Holy Spirit. A proud, rebellious person cannot receive God's grace and cannot be filled with the Holy Spirit, Who is the Spirit of grace.
God gives us His precious gift of the Holy Spirit, when we meet God's requirements for receiving it, and having received the gift of the Holy Spirit we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit as the Scripture teaches us.
Bible verse for memorization:
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth." (Acts 1:8)