How to be Baptized in the Holy Spirit (Part 5)

And He would have given you (John 4:10)

I grew up in a town where the baptism in the Holy Spirit was a controversial topic. Because of the excesses of some in our community, many of the traditional churches saw the baptism in the Holy Spirit as something not from God. There were even those who felt that tongues were actually demon tongues. However, as a young Christian, as I read the book of Acts, I realized that the disciples in the early church had received something that I had not received. I read verses like the following.

“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues , as the Spirit was giving them utterance.” (Acts 2:4)

“While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God.” (Acts 10:44-46)

“And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying.” (Acts 19:6)

And it wasn’t just what happened the moment they were baptized in the Holy Spirit, but their lives were dramatically changed as a result of their baptism. They lived out what the prophet Joel spoke of those who would be baptized in the Holy Spirit. “It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.” (Joel 2:28-29)

While I was surrounded by those who doubted the baptism in the Holy Spirit, I realized that, say what you may, the believers in the early church had received something from God that I had not yet received. They had received something from God and I was convinced that that same God, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, wanted me to have too. This lead me to pray and ask for the baptism in the Holy Spirit, and I prayed until I received what my brethren in the early church also received.

Here is the point, setting aside all your own theology on the baptism in the Holy Spirit, have you received what they received in the book of Acts? You can call it what you want, but have you received it? If not, then simply ask. This gift, this baptism, is for all who believe, for “you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” (Acts 2:39) Go ahead and ask, for in asking, you too will receive.

David Robison

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How to be Baptized in the Holy Spirit (Part 4)

You would have asked Him (John 4:10)

I think that, in many ways, we have often made receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit more complicated than it really is. Some have taught that we must tarry for long periods, waiting to receive the Holy Spirit. Some preach that you must take a class, often costing hundreds of dollars, to learn to receive the Holy Spirit. Others have come up with many gimmicks, like saying “see my bow tie, tie my bow tie” three times really fast to release the gift of tongues that is often associated with the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The truth that Jesus taught us, however, is that all we have to do is but ask. Jesus simply told the woman at the well that, if she would ask, then she would receive.

“Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” (Luke 11:11-13)

It is really not any more complicated that that; simply asking. We don’t have to beg, plead, or find some anointed person to pray for us, we simply need to ask Him. And if we ask Him, He is not going to give us something harmful or something counterfeit; if we ask Him, He will give us His Holy Spirit. So why wait, if you have not yet been baptized in the Holy Spirit, there is no better time then the present. Ask! And you will receive.

More to come… David Robison

How to be Baptized in the Holy Spirit (Part 3)

If you knew who it is who speaks to you (John 4:10)

Before we can receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, there are two things we need to know about Jesus. First, we need to know Him as the messiah. “The woman said to Him, ‘I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I who speak to you am He.’” (John 4:25-26) Jesus declares to the woman that He is the Messiah. To know Jesus as Messiah is to know Him as our savior. We cannot receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit until we receive Jesus, His forgiveness of sins, and His reconciliation back to the Father. There is no receiving the Holy Spirit with out first receiving Jesus. The promise of the Father was that, “I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind.” (Joel 2:28) Yet this out pouring is limited to those who chose to believe in Him and to receive Him and His salvation. “But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive.” (John 7:39) This is consistent with the message Peter preached on the day of Pentecost. “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38) Notice that repentance and forgiveness precedes the receiving of the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Secondly, we need to know Jesus as the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit. Contrasting himself and Jesus, John said, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Luke 3:16) John makes it clear that Jesus is the one who is the baptizer in the Holy Spirit. Many people today are seeking entrance into the things of the spirit. Some have turned with renewed interest in to angels, spiritual beings, and inner “spirit guides”. Some people seek experiences, hoping that they will “initiate” then into the realm of the spirit. Others believe that the things of the Holy Spirit can be confirmed through a long chain of supposed apostolic authority. However, none of these ways can provide us with an immersion (baptism) into God’s Holy Spirit. If we want to receive the Holy Spirit, then we need to go to the source; we need to go to Jesus, who alone can baptize in the Holy Spirit. There are no short cuts, there is no plan “B”, there is only Jesus. If we want to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit, then we need to go to Jesus.

More to come… David Robison

How to be Baptized in the Holy Spirit (Part 2)

If you knew the gift of God (John 4:10)

The first prerequisite to receiving the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is to know that such a baptism exists. Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well that there was a gift from God and it was available to her. So what is the gift of God that Jesus spoke of?

When Peter went to Cornelius house, as he was explaining the Gospel to them, those listening were suddenly baptized in the Holy Spirit. This surprised Peter and those who accompanied him. “All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.” (Acts 10:45) Later, after returning to Jerusalem, Peter was called into account to explain why he went to the gentiles and offered them salvation in Jesus Christ. Peter explained that it wasn’t his fault but God’s. “And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God's way?” (Acts 11:15-17) In these scriptures, and others in the book of Acts, Peter clearly equates the Baptism in the Holy Spirit with the Gift of God.

One of the main reason many Christians today have not received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is because they do not know that it exists and that it is the “promise of the Father.” (Acts 1:4 NKJV) This was the case for the believers at Ephesus. The believers at Ephesus had been disciple by Apollos, but when Paul passed through, he noticed that something was missing in their experience with the Lord. “Paul said to them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ And they said to him, ‘No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.’ And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying.” (Acts 19:2, 6) They had not received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit because they did not even know that there was a Holy Spirit. Many Christians today are living an incomplete Christian life because of a simple lack of knowledge and understanding.

Knowing about something, however, is not the same as believing in something. Many Christians today know about the Holy Spirit but, because of fear, misunderstanding, or even bad teaching, they believe that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is not for them. Many people have been taught that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit was for a time past and not for today, but is this really the case? When Peter stood up on the day of Pentecost to address the gathered crowd, he said this about the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. “Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.’” (Acts 2:38-39) Peter said that the Baptism in the Holy Spirit was for everyone whom the Lord would call to Himself, and this includes both you and me. Peter also quoted the book of Joel, “It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.” (Joel 2:28-29) The clear implication is that the Holy Spirit would be poured out on all believers, not just a select few in the first century. By the testimony of the scriptures we can believe that God wants to give us what He promised, He wants to baptize even us in His Holy Spirit.

More to come… David Robison

How to be baptized in the Holy Spirit (Part 1)

“Jesus answered and said to her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, “Give Me a drink,” you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.’ She said to Him, ‘Sir, You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep; where then do You get that living water?’ Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.’” (John 4:10-11, 13-14)

I’m sure when this Samaritan woman woke up that morning, she had no idea what was in store for her that day. A routine trip to the well to fetch some water was about to turn into the most important encounter of her life. As she was drawing water, a Jewish traveler spoke to her and engaged her in conversation; an encounter and conversation that should have never happened in their culture, given the hostility between the Samaritans and Jews. The Jewish traveler, Jesus, offered her something beyond her wildest imagination. He offered her living water; water that, once you drank from it, you would never thirst again. As the story goes on, she accepted His offer and that day she became a child of God.

So what was the “living water” Jesus spoke of? Jesus reveals the answer later on in the book of John. “Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, “From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water,” but this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (John 7:37-39) The living water that Jesus spoke of was the Holy Spirit that was to be poured out upon all mankind after His death and resurrection. Fifty days after His death, the Holy Spirit was poured out upon those waiting in the upper room. The out pouring of the Holy Spirit was accompanied with such signs that people from all of Jerusalem gathered to see what was happening. Peter stood up to explain what the people were witnessing. “This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear.” (Acts 2:32-33)

This event is what is commonly referred to as the “Baptism in the Holy Spirit.” After Jesus’ resurrection, He gave this command to His followers. “Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, ‘Which,’ He said, ‘you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’” (Acts 1:4-5) The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is many things, but its result is a dynamic out flowing of the Holy Spirit through the lives of ordinary every day people. There is an interesting reference to “living water” in the book of Genesis. “And Isaac's servants dig in the valley, and find there a well of living water.” (Genesis 26:19 YLT) The water was “living” because it was bubbleing, flowing, and springing forth. The water was not just stagnant or placid, but it was alive, moving, and active. So it is with us when we experience the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit that is resident in us bursts forth and begins to flow in ways that gives witness to God, His word, and His will. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit opens up for us new dynamics in God, both in our relationship with Him and in His ministry through us. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is like when the children of Israel stood around and sang to a dry well. “From there they continued to Beer, that is the well where the Lord said to Moses, ‘Assemble the people, that I may give them water.’ Then Israel sang this song: ‘Spring up, O well! Sing to it! The well, which the leaders sank, which the nobles of the people dug, with the scepter and with their staffs.’” (Numbers 21:16-18) When we are baptized in the Holy Spirit, our wells spring forth, watering both us and those around us.

I believe that this scripture in the book of John gives us the keys to receiving the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Over the next few posts we will be looking at these keys.

More to come… David Robison