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Baptism in the Holy Spirit
By Keith A. Paul
By Keith A. Paul
Luke 3:15 Now the people were filled with expectation, and all of them were wondering if John was perhaps the Christ.
Luke 3:16 John replied to all of them, 'I am baptizing you with water, but the one who is stronger than I am is coming, and I am not worthy to untie his sandal straps. It is he who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Luke 3:17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clean up his threshing floor. He will gather the grain into his barn, but he will burn the chaff with inextinguishable fire.'
Many Believer's today are longing for a greater measure of God in their lives. They are aware that the Holy Spirit is not active in an evident way in their lives. The Baptism with the Holy Spirit is the overflowing of the Holy Spirit into, upon and out of a Born Again Believer. It is the fulfillment of the promise the Father gave to all believers. It leads to a full, purposeful, meaningful and rewarding life in Jesus Christ. (Joel 2:28-29 and Acts 2:16-18)
Scriptures to read:
Act 1:5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.'
Act 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.'
Act 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Act 2:16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
Act 2:17 'And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;
Act 2:18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
Act 2:38 And Peter said to them, 'Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Act 2:39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.'
Luke 11:13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!'
The Promise is for you:
Repentance, which means turning away from known sins is an important step when seeking for more of God's Presence in your life. As applicable, renounce any involvement in the occult, fortune telling, horoscopes etc and forgive any who have wronged you.
Jesus is the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. When asking for the Holy Spirit, ask the Father as Jesus told us in Luke 11:13 By faith take Jesus as His word. Agree with Him that you are being baptized with the Holy Spirit now that you have asked.
Just as people have been doing since the day of Pentecost (Acts 2: 4), you are able to begin speaking in a language you have not learned, upon receiving the Holy Spirit. Through not everyone who is Spirit Baptized immediately speaks in another language, it is an accompanying evidence. It was the prime evidence experienced by the early Christians.
Affirm to the Lord that you are now opening your heart to receive the Holy Spirit.
Be receptive before the Lord and as you focus your attention on Him, give your heart and tongue to him in praise and adoration. Remember the Holy Spirit will give you the words or utterance. However, it is you who will cause the sounds to come forth. It is through your speech faculties (tongue, voice, breath etc) that the Spirit speaks.
God is faithful. If the evidence of Spirit- given language is not forthcoming at this moment, trust Him to give the evidence. Each of us are unique. Continue to “wait” before the Lord and keep coming back to Him with praise and expectation. Expect to speak a “sound, a syllable, a word, a phrase or more at any time. You should offer any sound not understood as praise to the Lord. Many have begun to sing in a Spirit given language. Basically, to speak is to communicate. Therefore, the Spirit given language may be a communication in some unlearned form.
The language may seem like babbling baby talk etc. Accept it as from the Spirit and give glory to God. Each person will be the final judge of whether a language or communication is of the Spirit. It is quite possible that you have asked before in your life and spoke in what you thought was “ made up gibberish”. This happened to me personally, but I was encouraged to continue expecting more from Him and did receive completeness from Him later. God is faithful and will not give something unintelligible to Himself, regardless of how it sounds to you. Continue to offer praise to God and pray in that language. Offer this praise to Him as a sacrifice of praise. Fluency with any language comes with usage.
Find Spirit filled Believers to fellowship with in your area. Thank the Lord Jesus for baptizing you in the Holy Spirit. Trust the Holy Spirit to begin to activate both His gifts (1 Cor 12) and to demonstrate His fruit (Galatians 5:22) in your life. The Holy Spirit is always a guest Who stays with you, so live your life in a way that always honors Him. He is your Teacher, Strength and Helper.
Additional Scriptures:
Acts 10: 44-46 : At salvation
Acts 19: 1-7: After salvation
1 Cor. 14:4: Tongues of edification
Isaiah 28:11,12: For rest in the Lord.
Luke 3:16 John replied to all of them, 'I am baptizing you with water, but the one who is stronger than I am is coming, and I am not worthy to untie his sandal straps. It is he who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
Luke 3:17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clean up his threshing floor. He will gather the grain into his barn, but he will burn the chaff with inextinguishable fire.'
Many Believer's today are longing for a greater measure of God in their lives. They are aware that the Holy Spirit is not active in an evident way in their lives. The Baptism with the Holy Spirit is the overflowing of the Holy Spirit into, upon and out of a Born Again Believer. It is the fulfillment of the promise the Father gave to all believers. It leads to a full, purposeful, meaningful and rewarding life in Jesus Christ. (Joel 2:28-29 and Acts 2:16-18)
Scriptures to read:
Act 1:5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.'
Act 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.'
Act 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Act 2:16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:
Act 2:17 'And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;
Act 2:18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.
Act 2:38 And Peter said to them, 'Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Act 2:39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.'
Luke 11:13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!'
The Promise is for you:
Repentance, which means turning away from known sins is an important step when seeking for more of God's Presence in your life. As applicable, renounce any involvement in the occult, fortune telling, horoscopes etc and forgive any who have wronged you.
Jesus is the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. When asking for the Holy Spirit, ask the Father as Jesus told us in Luke 11:13 By faith take Jesus as His word. Agree with Him that you are being baptized with the Holy Spirit now that you have asked.
Just as people have been doing since the day of Pentecost (Acts 2: 4), you are able to begin speaking in a language you have not learned, upon receiving the Holy Spirit. Through not everyone who is Spirit Baptized immediately speaks in another language, it is an accompanying evidence. It was the prime evidence experienced by the early Christians.
Affirm to the Lord that you are now opening your heart to receive the Holy Spirit.
Be receptive before the Lord and as you focus your attention on Him, give your heart and tongue to him in praise and adoration. Remember the Holy Spirit will give you the words or utterance. However, it is you who will cause the sounds to come forth. It is through your speech faculties (tongue, voice, breath etc) that the Spirit speaks.
God is faithful. If the evidence of Spirit- given language is not forthcoming at this moment, trust Him to give the evidence. Each of us are unique. Continue to “wait” before the Lord and keep coming back to Him with praise and expectation. Expect to speak a “sound, a syllable, a word, a phrase or more at any time. You should offer any sound not understood as praise to the Lord. Many have begun to sing in a Spirit given language. Basically, to speak is to communicate. Therefore, the Spirit given language may be a communication in some unlearned form.
The language may seem like babbling baby talk etc. Accept it as from the Spirit and give glory to God. Each person will be the final judge of whether a language or communication is of the Spirit. It is quite possible that you have asked before in your life and spoke in what you thought was “ made up gibberish”. This happened to me personally, but I was encouraged to continue expecting more from Him and did receive completeness from Him later. God is faithful and will not give something unintelligible to Himself, regardless of how it sounds to you. Continue to offer praise to God and pray in that language. Offer this praise to Him as a sacrifice of praise. Fluency with any language comes with usage.
Find Spirit filled Believers to fellowship with in your area. Thank the Lord Jesus for baptizing you in the Holy Spirit. Trust the Holy Spirit to begin to activate both His gifts (1 Cor 12) and to demonstrate His fruit (Galatians 5:22) in your life. The Holy Spirit is always a guest Who stays with you, so live your life in a way that always honors Him. He is your Teacher, Strength and Helper.
Additional Scriptures:
Acts 10: 44-46 : At salvation
Acts 19: 1-7: After salvation
1 Cor. 14:4: Tongues of edification
Isaiah 28:11,12: For rest in the Lord.
Blessings..Keith and LaQueta Paul
