Sons and Daughters of the Living God
Title: Holy Spirit Baptism FAQ
Subject Matter: In this teaching, I answer some frequently asked questions on the Baptism with the Holy Spirit, and provide an opportunity for people to receive this Baptism
Speaker: Neal Leazer
Recorded May 7, 2014 at Spirit Filled Living – a local church in Apex, NC
You can download the audio by right-clicking on the following link: The Holy Spirit Baptism FAQ
Title: Principles of the Spirit Realm
Subject Matter: In this class we discuss some of the different ways the Holy Spirit interacts with us, and some of the ways that we can choose to cooperate with Him.
Speaker: Neal Leazer
Recorded April 23, 2014 at Spirit Filled Living – a local church in Apex, NC
You can download the audio by right-clicking on the following link: Principles of the Spirit Realm
The purpose of this post is to show that getting “baptized with the Holy Spirit” is not the same thing as “getting saved and having the Holy Spirit come to live inside of you.”
I get a lot of questions about this when I talk to people about it. For a long time it was one of my biggest areas of confusion. But once I received the Holy Spirit baptism, that confusion was gone. I had already been a Christian for around 30 years when I finally received it, so I knew immediately that it was a separate experience.
However, I would never ask anyone to base their doctrine on my own personal experience. So, I will not use my experience as part of this teaching. Instead, I will rely on the Bible. It just so happens that the Bible matches my experience.
Let’s begin with this fact: there are a lot of different things that the Holy Spirit does with us. There are a lot of different roles He plays in our lives. For example:
That is just a short list, but in this short list there is such great variety. And even though many of these are related to each other, there is a different purpose for each one.
There is a purpose for believing in Jesus, getting saved, and having the Holy Spirit live inside of you. There is a different purpose for receiving the Baptism with the Holy Spirit. The Baptism with the Holy Spirit is a separate and distinct work of the Holy Spirit, with its own distinct purpose and effects.
When a non-believer hears the message of the gospel and chooses to believe in Jesus and receive salvation, the Holy Spirit comes to live inside of that person at that very instant. The theological term for this is “the indwelling.” It means the Holy Spirit dwells inside of you. This truth is found in many places in the Bible (Romans 8:8-11 for example).
Once a person has the Holy Spirit living inside of him (indwelling), he is now eligible for some other experiences that the Holy Spirit brings, the greatest of which is known as “The Baptism with the Holy Spirit.”
When a Christian receives the Baptism with the Holy Spirit, then he/she receives power (Acts 1:8) to represent Jesus in a way that he/she was not able to previously. This power is available for every Christian to receive, but unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, there are a lot of Christians that never receive it.
These are two separate experiences, and two separate works of the Holy Spirit. The “indwelling” is when He comes to live inside of you. The “Baptism with the Holy Spirit” is when He equips you with power. These are both important, but they are not the same thing. They produce different effects and are given for different purposes.
To illustrate this point, we will look at two examples in the Bible.
Acts 8:4-16
4 Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. 5 Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. 6 And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 7 For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. 8 And there was great joy in that city.
9 But there was a certain man called Simon, who previously practiced sorcery in the city and astonished the people of Samaria, claiming that he was someone great, 10 to whom they all gave heed, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the great power of God.” 11 And they heeded him because he had astonished them with his sorceries for a long time. 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized. 13 Then Simon himself also believed; and when he was baptized he continued with Philip, and was amazed, seeing the miracles and signs which were done.
14 Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, 15 who, when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. 16 For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
In this passage, Philip is preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ to people in Samaria, and demonstrating the power of God. In verse 12, people believe his message and get baptized with water.
Acts 8:12 – But when they believed Philip as he preached the things concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized.
According to Jesus, this means these people have been saved (Mark 16:16). They have received salvation. They are born again. They are Christians now. They have Holy Spirit living inside of them.
Then, word gets back to the apostles in Jerusalem (approximately 40 miles away) that these people in Samaria have believed the gospel and received salvation. So they send Peter and John to them so that they can be baptized with the Holy Spirit and receive the power that comes with it.
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 upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
It took some time for the news of the Samaritan’s situation to travel from Samaria to Jerusalem. Then it also took some time for Peter and John to travel to Samaria, find the people, and lay hands on them to get baptized with the Holy Spirit. Based on the geographical facts alone, we can assume that there was at least a day or two in between the time that the Samaritans got saved and got baptized with the Holy Spirit.
If “getting saved” and “getting baptized with the Holy Spirit” are the same event, then this passage makes no sense at all.
But they are not the same event. They are different. It is absolutely clear beyond any possible argument. There is no way around this fact. “Getting saved” and “getting baptized with the Holy Spirit” are two separate events.
But, just to establish this truth from another story, let’s look at another passage in Acts where the difference is made plain again.
Acts 19:1-7
1 And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples 2 he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”
So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.”
3 And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?”
So they said, “Into John’s baptism.”
4 Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.”
5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. 7 Now the men were about twelve in all.
In this passage, Paul meets some people whom he (incorrectly) believes are Christians. He asks them this question: “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”
(Before we go any further, the simple fact that Paul would ask a question like this is proof that he believed that these were two separate experiences. His question shows that he believed a person could be “saved” but not baptized with the Holy Spirit).
When he says “when you first believed,” he is making an assumption that they believe in Jesus. He is thinking that they are Christians…followers of Jesus. They answer him, and they have a short conversation. Paul finds out that they were not Christians after all….they were actually disciples of John the Baptist.
So he immediately tells them about Jesus. They believe and get baptized in water…which (again) according to Jesus means that they are saved at this point (Mark 16:16). After this takes place, Paul places his hands on them and they get baptized with the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues.
First, they hear about Jesus, then they believe and get baptized in water. This is “getting saved.”
After they get saved and get baptized in water, Paul ministers the baptism with the Holy Spirit to them and they receive it and speak in tongues.
These are two different events, even though they events are only separated by a few minutes or more.
This is what Paul was asking them about in verse 2 when he asked if they “received the Holy Spirit when they believed.” He was assuming they were Christians, and he wanted to make sure that they had been baptized with the Holy Spirit also.
If “getting saved” and “getting baptized with the Holy Spirit” are the same thing, then again this passage makes no sense at all. Why would Paul even ask such a question if he didn’t believe there was a difference?
Now, to summarize, I want to make some statements that I hope will bring some additional clarity to you as you read them.
That brings us to the end of this post. Use the links below to continue, or to go back the series homepage.
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One of my favorite things tha
t I get to do in life is to teach people about the Baptism with the Holy Spirit, and to lead them to receive it. I have had many opportunities to share about it in a lot of different settings, and I get to see people receive it on a regular basis. I love it!
When I talk to Christians about the Baptism with the Holy Spirit, I get a lot of different reactions. Some people will be afraid, or offended, or just apathetic. Others will be more positive, ranging from curious to excited. Somewhere in the middle there are people who either think they might have received it (but they really haven’t), or they have been wanting it for a long time but they don’t know what to do about it.
I believe that nearly all of these mindsets are caused by some form of confusion. There is a LOT of confusion about this topic. And although the fruit of that confusion is displayed in different ways, the root is confusion. I also believe that there is an enemy (Eph 6:12, Mark 4:14-15) that has been actively sowing this confusion among the believers for a long time.
I am writing this series of posts about the Baptism with the Holy Spirit to combat some of this confusion. I will be sharing scriptures that address some of the main areas of confusion, and I hope that it will help you if you are looking for answers. The Bible is my source, and I have proven what I will be presenting through experience.
To kick things off, here is bullet list of items that will be explained in more detail later. These are the short answers to some of the questions I get asked most often:
The Baptism with the Holy Spirit…
I also want to give a definition, because that helps me when I am learning about a new topic:
The Baptism with the Holy Spirit is a definite experience, subsequent to salvation, where the believer is given supernatural power to represent Jesus more effectively. For everyone that receives it, it includes the ability to speak in tongues. It also includes a variety of other forms of empowerment that may vary from person to person.
Whether this makes you curious, or offended, or excited, I hope you continue reading the rest of the series. This subject is worth the time you spend on it. The Baptism with the Holy Spirit will change your life!
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>>Next in Series: The Purpose of the Baptism with the Holy Spirit
In this post, I am going to attempt to answer the following question: “What is the purpose of the Baptism with the Holy Spirit?”
There are a lot of ways to answer that question, and there are a lot of angles to approach this from, but the short answer is this: It is a power tool* that helps you be more effective on your mission to represent Jesus.
(*Please note that I am not saying the Holy Spirit is a power tool. He is God almighty, the third Person of the Trinity. Rather, I am referring to the effect this Baptism experience has on a believer.)
For a more detailed explanation, we will examine what Jesus said about it when He was prepping His followers who were about to receive it.
In Acts chapter 1, we get to see some of the very last words that Jesus ever spoke to His followers before He ascended to heaven. The Baptism with the Holy Spirit was the topic. Here is the full quote:
Acts 1:4-8
And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
According to Jesus, the Baptism with the Holy Spirit brings power to the believers. The result is that the believers will be equipped to represent Jesus better than before.
I want to take a moment to elaborate on the word “power.” It is translated from the Greek word “dunamis” which means miraculous strength, power and ability. In the New Testament, this word is used to describe supernatural signs, wonders, and displays of power. It means “miracle power” or “supernatural ability.”
So the Lord is telling these disciples that they were going to receive power….power that would enable them to go beyond their natural abilities. He was saying that miracle power would soon be given to them by the Holy Spirit. They were about to be empowered supernaturally.
It is worth pausing here to meditate on this fact. Jesus says that His followers would receive miraculous power and ability when they are baptized with the Holy Spirit. He wanted His representatives to be equipped for the mission He was sending them on. This is still true today. He still wants His followers to be equipped in the same way…but we will deal with that in another post.
The audience in this passage is a group of people that had been with Jesus for up to three years. They were taught and trained by Him in person, and they had already experienced going out to represent Him (Luke 9:1-6).
Then, after His death, burial and resurrection…just before He ascended to heaven…He gave them what we call “the great commission.” It included instructions for going out into all the world as His representatives.
However, Jesus told them not begin until they had been baptized with the Holy Spirit. The people who had been trained by Jesus in person still needed some extra equipment. They needed more than training, and more than experience. There was something else He wanted them to have. There was something else that they needed.
(Side note: If these people needed extra equipment, then I feel very safe in saying that any believers that have not been trained in person by Jesus will need this extra equipment all the more).
What they needed was to be baptized with the Holy Spirit. For what purpose? They would be empowered to represent Jesus in a new way. They would receive something that would enable them to be more effective at their mission. They had previously been given an assignment (go into all the world…), and now they are about to be given equipment to help them do it.
This is like giving power tools to a carpenter, or like giving a calculator to an accountant. It is a “tool” that gives you the ability to fulfill your calling more effectively. Sure, the carpenter can build a house with hand tools. But that same carpenter can be much more effective when he has a power saw, a drill, and a nail gun.
That leads us to the answer to our question: What is the purpose of the Baptism with the Holy Spirit?
The purpose is to give supernatural power and ability to a believer that will enable him to fulfill his calling more effectively. It is a power tool that helps you be more effective on your mission to represent Jesus.
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One of the most helpful keys in understanding the gifts of the Holy Spirit is found in the phrase “manifestation of the Spirit.” Paul uses this phrase in 1 Corinthians 12:7. Here is the quote, along with some surrounding verses to provide context:
1 Corinthians 12:4-11
4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.
6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,
10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
The Greek word translated “manifestation” in v7 is the word phanerosis. It means “expression” or “manifestation.” It means that something invisible has become visible. It means something undetectable to our senses has become detectable. A manifestation of the Spirit is when the invisible Holy Spirit makes Himself detectible to our senses. It is a way that He expresses Himself to you and through you.
The nine gifts of the Spirit listed in the passage above are nine different “expressions of the Holy Spirit.” These are nine different ways that the Holy Spirit makes Himself detectible to our senses. In v11, we see that these expressions take place at the time of the Spirit’s choosing. In that same verse we also see that these expressions will take place in or through whichever person He chooses at the time.
Here is a way to describe this, using and example of one of the many ways this could happen. Let’s say that there is a group of people praying together, and the Holy Spirit decides that He wants to do something in the group. He chooses someone from the group and gives them the means to express what He wants to happen. It may be a prophetic message of comfort, or a nugget of divine wisdom, or any number of other things. The “expression” is presented to the person the Holy Spirit selected, and if they choose by faith to cooperate, then the gift is exercised and the people are blessed.
Another way to describe this is through an analogy. Each gift of the Spirit is like a firecracker. You are handed a firecracker, and you set it on the ground, light it, and then it explodes. Then you no longer have it because you have already used it. (However, there is an unlimited supply of firecrackers that will be handed to you when they are needed.)
Each “spiritual gift” takes place when the Holy Spirit desires to express Himself. That means there is no pressure on you to make something happen. It also means that you don’t need to take a test to see what your spiritual gifts are…at least the ones in the list above. If you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you, then you have all nine of the “manifestation gifts” available to you at any time He wants to express Himself in one of these ways. That is very exciting, to say the least.
God wants you to “pursue love and desire spiritual gifts…” (1 Cor 14:1). In the same way that He wants us to pursue love, He also wants us to desire spiritual gifts.
It is important to have this perspective, and to remember that this whole thing was His idea. It is not something you are trying to earn, and it is not something that you need to try to talk Him into doing. He already wants to do this with you. It seems like Holy Spirit enjoys expressing Himself to us and through us. It also seems like He is willing to take action more than we realize. He likes “handing us firecrackers.”
If you want to grow in the gifts of the Spirit, you should talk to Him about it. You should get to know Him better and spend time in relationship with Him. It has been my experience that the more I get to know Him, the more often I seem to recognize when He is about to do something. As I learn to discern His voice better, I am able to participate in whatever He is doing more often. That is not a prerequisite, but it is very helpful.
You can ask Him to train you to recognize His voice, and you can deepen your relationship with Him by intentionally including Him in your daily activities. Talk to Him. Tell Him what you are thinking about. Ask Him for advice about whatever issues you are facing, or whatever decisions you are making. Develop a habit of being mindful that He is always with you to help you. One of His names is ‘The Helper.”
It also seems that there are certain situations where He becomes particularly passionate about making Himself tangible to us. He will bring out the gifts when there is a need that can be met by Him. For my wife and I, we operate in the gifts most often when we are ministering to someone that is is need of divine rescue, or when we are helping to equip other believers.
Start taking steps of faith, and go out to meet the needs of others. This is pursuing love and desiring spiritual gifts. This puts you in a position where you can join in with whatever Holy Spirit is doing.
“Thank you Holy Spirit that you want to express Yourself through me. Teach me how to recognize Your voice and join in with whatever You are doing. Amen!”
When God inaugurated the church on the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2, speaking in tongues was part of the kickoff celebration. Every believer that was there was speaking in tongues. It was given as a free gift to every follower of Jesus. And this gift is still available to every follower of Jesus.
Speaking in tongues is a way to communicate with God that goes beyond the limits of the human intellect. Without supernatural revelation from the Holy Spirit, we don’t normally know the exact content of what we are saying when we speak in tongues. However, we can see from Scripture that it will usually fall into one of three general categories. Those are categories are: praise, prayer, and proclamation/declaration.
Acts 10:44-46
While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then Peter answered…
1 Corinthians 14:15-17
What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding. Otherwise, if you bless with the spirit, how will he who occupies the place of the uninformed say “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not understand what you say? For you indeed give thanks well, but the other is not edified.
Ephesians 5:18-19
And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord…
Speaking in tongues is a wonderful way to praise and glorify the Lord. It allows your spirit (the part of you that was born again) to give glory and honor to God in ways that you are not capable of when you are limited by your human brain. This is likely a part of what Jesus was talking about in John 4, when He told the woman at the well “the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.”
Personally, this is one of my favorite ways to worship Jesus. It gives me a way to express things to Him with my spirit that go beyond mental abilities. Sometimes, I just run out of words in my natural mind, so I go into the spirit and give Him glory supernaturally.
1 Corinthians 14:15
What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.
Ephesians 6:18
…praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints–
Romans 8:26-27
Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.
Speaking in tongues gives you a way to pray when you need to go beyond your rational intellect. When you don’t know how to pray, or even what to pray for, then pray in the spirit. That is one of the reasons God gives us this ability. He knows that we need it, and He wants us to use it.
I use this very often, and often I get to see tangible results. Through praying in tongues, I can receive insight and wisdom for different situations. It is tool that God has given me to use when these situations arise. Sometimes I see things in a new light, sometimes I get revelation on things I didn’t even know I was asking about, which is extremely exciting and awe-inspiring.. This is because I am praying with my spirit, and not with my natural mind. There are things that are revealed to us in our spirit that our natural minds do not comprehend without some supernatural assistance (see 1 Corinthians 2:14).
We should take Paul’s advice. We should pray in tongues, and we should pray in English (or whatever your natural language is). It is good to do both. It is biblical to do both. It is effective to do both.
Acts 2:4,11b
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance….
…”we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.”
1 Corinthians 14:2
For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries (Greek musterion: the hidden wisdom of God).
There will be times when you are speaking in tongues that you are announcing how awesome our God is. You may also be declaring His wisdom into a situation. You are making declarations that our God is mighty, and you are speaking His will out into the earth.
Sometimes, even though you can’t understand it, you can tell when you are doing this because of what is going on inside of you, and because of the way your speech changes tone. You will notice that you are not speaking in a way that sounds like you are asking for help. Instead, you are speaking with authority and you sense that something powerful is happening. It can sometimes be accompanied by strong emotion and forcefulness, almost like the way a police office would deal with a criminal who is resisting arrest. This can difficult to describe to someone who has never experienced it, but if you have done this before you will know exactly what I am talking about.
These are three general descriptions of things you might be doing when you are speaking in tongues: praise, prayer, and proclamation. Praying in the spirit is not limited to these three, but these cover a large part of what is going on while you do it. The more you pray in the spirit, the more you will experience each of these. All of them are great, and all of them are for us to use in our life.
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Have you ever wondered if the Baptism with the Holy Spirit (and the ability to speak in tongues that comes with it) is available to all believers?
Are you wondering if it is available to you?
If you have believed in Jesus and received salvation, then the answer is yes! It is available to you. It is available to every believer.
We are going to look at a few places in the book of Acts where this fact is illustrated for us.
In Acts chapter 1, we see Jesus spending time with His followers after He rose from the grave, but before He ascended to heaven. He spent 40 days with them, teaching them various things. We do not have very many details about what He said, but the details we do have are very powerful.
Some of His last words before His ascension are recorded for us here:
Acts 1:5 – “for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
Jesus tells His followers that they will be baptized with the Holy Spirit in a few days. After He spoke this to them, He ascended into heaven.
There were about 120 people included in the group that were there. The members of this group included:
As the story continues in the next chapter, we see the whole group receiving the Holy Spirit baptism ten days later on the day of Pentecost.
Acts 2:1-4 – When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Notice in verse four is says that they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. All of them. Not just the apostles…not just the leaders or other “special” people. It came to each one of them. They all received it.
There were no exceptions.
Nobody was left out.
It was available to everyone present.
This is the start of the Christian church, and we can plainly see that 100 percent of the members received the Baptism with the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues. This means that Mary spoke in tongues. It also means that all of the writers of the New Testament spoke in tongues, and were around other believers that spoke in tongues.
In the previous story, we were looking at people who had been followers of Jesus for some time. In this story, we are going to look at some people that had never even heard of Jesus.
In a nutshell, there is a man named Cornelius that is seeking God, but has never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. Peter is sent there to share the gospel with Cornelius and his household. While Peter is sharing the good news, we see the following event take place:
Acts 10:44-48 – While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God.Then Peter answered, “Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.
This group of people believed the gospel and received salvation. And then almost immediately afterwards, they all receive the Baptism with the Holy Spirit and the accompanying sign of speaking in tongues. Notice that the Holy Spirit fell on all of them. Everyone that wanted it got it. 100 percent of the believers received the Baptism with the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues.
They all received it.
There were no exceptions.
Nobody was left out.
Read Acts 19:1-7. In this story, Paul comes across some men that had been disciples of John the Baptist. John the Baptist preached about repentance, and he talked about the coming messiah. Since these men were disciples of his, we can assume that this is probably the state of mind of these men. They have repented, and they are looking forward to the messiah who is coming soon.
Paul has a short conversation with them, and tells them about Jesus..the Messiah has come! They believe and get baptized in water. After that, Paul laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit baptism and they all speak in tongues.
In this story, it says there are about 12 men present. So, 12 out of 12 receive the Baptism with the Holy Spirit. 12 out of 12 speak in tongues. 100 percent of the believers receive the Holy Spirit baptism and speak in tongues.
There were no exceptions.
Nobody was left out.
It was available to everyone present.
Whenever we see the Baptism with the Holy Spirit taking place in the book of Acts, and the details of the event are provided, we always see the same result. Every Christian that wants it receives it. This is true no matter if they are apostles that followed Jesus for three years, or if they just heard about Jesus for the first time.
We have no examples where some people received the baptism, but some did not. We have no examples where someone wanted to receive it, but God said no.
The Baptism with the Holy Spirit (including the ability to speak in tongues) is available to every believer, and it is available right now with no waiting.
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>>Next in Series: The Power to Speak in Tongues is Included
I believe that the material you are about to read contains information about our Lord Jesus that will completely transform the way you look at our Creator. These truths are among the most precious and sacred treasures I have ever come across. I hope this blesses you.
Acts 10:38 – God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
This passage of Scripture is Peter’s summary of the life of Jesus. He tells us what Jesus did, and how He did it.
It is just one sentence, but I believe it is one of the most important sentences that a human being can ever spend time thinking about. I want to divide it into two parts, and examine each part individually.
Jesus is God. He was God throughout eternity past, He is God right now, and He is God throughout eternity in the future. Whatever it means to be God, that’s what Jesus is.
He is…
Those are three words we use to try describe some of God’s “attributes.” They all apply to Jesus, because Jesus is God.
However, 2000 years ago Jesus “came to earth” on a mission. Contrary to popular belief, it was not a finger-pointing mission, but rather a rescue mission (John 3:17). Part of the rescue mission involves Him subjecting Himself to the limitations of a mere human being. He became a man. Or, another way of saying it…He came to earth as a man in a physical body with self-imposed limits on His abilities. Here are some scriptures that bring out this point:
Philippians 2:5-8 – Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
Hebrews 2:17-18 – Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.
Jesus chose to become a man, and to subject himself to the same limits you and I have. For example, while He was on the earth in a human body…
So, even though He is God, He put himself in our shoes and made Himself subject to our limitations. He was born as a human infant with a human brain and body, and grew up having to learn how to talk and how to walk like any other human.
We don’t really know much of the first 30 years of His life, other than the fact that He worked as a carpenter, and He had a remarkable grasp of the Scriptures. But that is about it. He was not performing any miracles or healings or anything very far out of the ordinary.
Then, something happened. He came to be baptized by John in the Jordan river. When He came up out of the water, the Holy Spirit descended on Him (Luke 3:21-22). At this point in His life, things changed dramatically. He began to do things that ordinary people can’t do.
Before this day in His life, He had done zero miracles. In the three years that followed this day, He did so many miracles that one eyewitness made this statement:
John 21:25 – And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen
Something changed when the Holy Spirit descended upon Him, and it was noticeable immediately to people around him. Look at the way the people in His hometown reacted:
Mark 6:1-3 – Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed. “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles! Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph,Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.
Their reaction shows that something was VERY different now. They were not used to Him teaching like this and doing miracles.
We are told in Luke 4:14 and Luke 4:18 that Jesus is now walking in the power of the Holy Spirit. That is the reason for the sudden change. When the Holy Spirit descended upon Him, Jesus went from living within the limits of a “regular person” (and I say that reverently) to living as a “regular person” who has the Spirit of God working through Him to demonstrate miraculous power.
The miracles and healings were a result of a human being (Jesus) cooperating with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit provided the power and the ability for Jesus to do miracles, heal people, cast out demons, calm storms, raise the dead, multiply food, teach with authority, walk on water, know people’s thoughts, and so on.
This is exciting news for us, because the same Holy Spirit that enabled Jesus to do miracles is the same Holy Spirit that lives in every single believer. Jesus explicitly tells us in John 14:12 that anyone that believes in Him will do the same things (and even greater things) that He was doing. More on this later….
Jesus went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil (and that’s what He wants us to do too). Healing is good. It is good to heal people. Oppression and sickness are bad. That should be obvious to anyone that has any kind of ability to read and comprehend simple statements.
Jesus didn’t go around telling the sick people that God made them sick to teach them patience or to deepen their piety. That is not considered “doing good.” He didn’t tell them that their diseases were part of some mysterious plan, and that they needed to remain sick because it wasn’t God’s will to heal them right now. Jesus didn’t do that, and He doesn’t want us doing that either. That is the opposite of “doing good and healing all who were oppressed of the devil.”
Jesus demonstrated the power of God with authority. He commanded sickness to leave. He commanded people’s bodies to be healed. He commanded demons to go. That is good.
Jesus healed sick people, and he cast demons out of people that were under demonic influence. This is called “healing all who were oppressed by the devil.” Again, that is called “doing good.”
Notice that sickness is not from God. Sickness is oppression from the devil. In the beginning, God made earth and mankind without sickness. There was no disease in the Garden of Eden. Sickness became a part of our life on earth when Adam sinned and gave his dominion away to the devil. Sickness is not part of God’s plan for your life. It is a part of the devil’s plan for your life. God’s plan is that we imitate Jesus and do what He would do…drive out sickness by the power of the same Holy Spirit that worked in Him….the same Holy Spirit that lives in each of us who believe.
Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil, and He gave us the authority to do the same. He said that we would do the same works that he did, and even greater works because He was returning to His Father (John 14:12). When Jesus returned to heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father, He poured out the Holy Spirit on the church (Acts 2:33), and then they starting doing the same things Jesus had been doing.
The great commission includes instructions to heal the sick and cast out demons (Mark 16). It also includes instructions to make disciples and teach them to do what Jesus taught the original disciples to do: heal the sick, cast out demons, and preach the gospel.
Somewhere through history, it seems like a lot of the church has forgotten about this. In the days of the early church, the news about Jesus spread because His followers were doing miracles, healing sick people, and and setting people free from demonic oppression. They were not relying on clever marketing gimmicks, good music, or attempts to be culturally relevant. They were demonstrating the Kingdom of God by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is the same Holy Spirit that lives in every Christian, and He is no less powerful today than He was 2000 years ago.
Do you want to represent Jesus through miracles and healing the sick? Study the life of Jesus, take a leap of faith, and begin to imitate Him. Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you. Do not be afraid to make mistakes. Learn as you go. Do not be afraid to look stupid or be embarrassed. The Holy Spirit is not only your teacher, but He is also your comforter, your counselor, and your friend. He will help you.
Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil. He did this through the power of the Holy Spirit.
That same Holy Spirit (and that same power) lives inside of every Christian. And every Christian has been commissioned to do good and heal the sick. We have been given the same mission that Jesus demonstrated, and we have been given the same supernatural equipment to accomplish the mission.