Baptism with the Holy Spirit – Overview
This is a sermon I gave years ago at a church that was coming into a season of focusing on the Holy Spirit.
In the sermon I give an overview of some of the main important points about the Baptism with the Holy Spirit, and I also try to clear up some of the common misunderstandings.
Hey Neal I have been praying for a baptism with the Holy Spirit for a few weeks now. My question is does it depend on my effort, heart posture, desperation, or does God just do it when he decides to regardless of my actions? I have not been sharing the Gospel with strangers because I feel underpowered so to speak but is that the reason why I’m not receiving it? I’m not being obedient? I got saved last year (2025) when I put my faith in Jesus Christ and have been focusing on him since. Thanks
Hi Luke! Thank you for your question. It is a good question.
God has already decided to give this to all his children, so it is not a question of waiting on Him. There is only one time in scripture where anyone was told to wait for God for the Holy Spirit Baptism. Before the day of Pentecost, Jesus told the disciples to wait because it was coming “not many days from now” (Acts 1:5). The day of Pentecost is when Jesus made the Holy Spirit baptism available to all believers. After that occurred, no one is ever told in the Bible to wait for it.
I encourage you that after you pray, trust that God heard you, and then take your step of faith to receive it. If you like, you can follow along yourself as I lead a congregation to receive it for themselves. Here is a link to point in the church service where this takes place:
Holy Spirit Baptism Exercise