Sunday
Morning Bible Study
June 27, 2004
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit
We understand the need for power …
I’m not sure what we’d do without electricity. Do you remember the rolling blackouts of a
few years ago? Do you remember what it
was like to go for a couple of hours without electricity?
When we moved, we didn’t have an internet connection for a couple of weeks
and that was tough!
For some of us, one of the first things we check when we sit behind the
wheel of our car is the gas gauge – do we have enough gas to get us where we’re
going?
Illustration
Two nuns were driving down a country road when they ran out of gas. They
walked to a farmhouse and a farmer gave them some gasoline; but the only
container he had was an old bedpan. The nuns were happy to take whatever they
were offered and returned to their car.
As they were pouring the gasoline from the bedpan into the tank of their
car, a man drove by. He stopped, rolled down his window and said, “Excuse me,
sisters. I’m not of your religion, but I couldn’t help admiring your faith!
I’m sorry, but if it isn’t real gas, your car isn’t going to run, no matter
how much faith you have.
Illustration
Six-year-old Thomas McAlley recently visited Calgary's
fire department headquarters. While
there he was given a chance to dress up in a fireman's uniform and ride on a
fire truck. A photographer snapped him
as he sat on his perch on a boot rack at the fire station.
That is a thrilling experience, we are sure, for a boy, but if there was a
fire, none of us would wish someone who was merely playing games to be in
charge of putting the flames out. We
would want the experienced, adult firemen.
Many Christian workers are merely playing at putting the fires of sin and
lawlessness out. They have the uniform,
but they do not have the ability to help bring a burning world under control.
Illustration
When Thomas Aquinas visited Rome,
and was shown the gorgeousness of the papal palace, the pope, it is said,
remarked to him, “Well, Thomas, the church in our day can not say, Silver and
gold have I none. “
“No,” replied Aquinas, “neither can she say, In the name
of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”
I’m afraid that for those of us living in America
it’s easy for us to get caught up in the quest for silver and gold and we find
that as Christians we lack spiritual power.
Defining Terms
I think it’s important to identify what terms in the Bible are used to
describe this “upon” relationship with the Holy Spirit.
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit
John the Baptist is the first one to use this term:
(Mat 3:11
KJV) I indeed baptize you with water
unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I
am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
Jesus also used this phrase, talking about it just a few days before it
would occur:
(Acts
1:5 KJV) For John truly baptized
with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
Jesus is going to compare the baptism
of the Holy Spirit with the baptism of John.
To understand one, you have to understand the other.
How did John the Baptist baptize
people?
The word used both places is baptizo - to dip
repeatedly, to immerse, to submerge (of vessels sunk); to overwhelm
John the Baptist baptized people by
immersing them in the Jordan
River.
I don’t think he “sprinkled” them.
First, because that
isn’t the meaning of baptizo,
but secondly, if he only sprinkled them, why do it in a river, why not carry
around a bucket of water?
Just as John immersed people in water,
the disciples would be immersed with the Holy Ghost, in fact, it might be more
proper to translate this as “baptized in
the Holy Ghost”.
“Upon”
Jesus used three different prepositions to describe the relationship of the
Holy Spirit to the believer. We see two of
them being used by Jesus in:
(John
14:16-17 KJV) And I will pray the
Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for
ever; {17} Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world
cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him;
for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
Before we are believers, the Holy Spirit is “with” us to encourage us,
comfort us, to convict us, and point us to Jesus.
When we receive Jesus in our heart, the Holy Spirit comes to live “in” us.
I believe that for the apostles, the Holy Spirit came “in” to their lives
after the resurrection, when Jesus appeared to them in the upper room:
(John 20:22 KJV)
And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them,
Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
A third word is used by Jesus in:
(Acts 1:8 KJV) But ye shall receive power, after that the
Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye
shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the
uttermost part of the earth.
Upon – This is the power
of God working in your life.
Illustration
One way of thinking of about the difference between the Holy Spirit being
“in” you and “upon” you is by thinking about glasses and water.
If I pour water from a pitcher and fill the glass in front of you, the
water is “in” the glass.
If I pour water into the glass, but let it keep flowing from the pitcher,
overflowing the glass and soaking everything around it, that’s the “upon” kind
of relationship.
Illustration
Another picture might be that of
inviting someone over to your house.
When they are standing outside and ringing the doorbell, they are “with”
your house. When you invite them inside
and show them to their room, they are “in” your house. But when you give them complete control over
how your house is run, your checkbook, your calendar, your telephone, your
thermostat, your television, etc., then they are “upon” your house.
Filled with the Holy Spirit
On the day of Pentecost, the “promise”
came to pass …
(Acts
2:1-4 KJV) And when the day of
Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. {2} And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing
mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. {3} And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire,
and it sat upon each of them. {4} And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began
to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
This is the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise of the “baptism”, yet when it happens, the disciples are described as being “filled”.
Some people would like to make a distinction between the baptism of the
Holy Spirit and being filled with the Holy Spirit, yet in the Bible they are
the same event.
Paul also uses this term as well.
(Eph 5:18-19 KJV) And be not drunk with wine, wherein is
excess; but be filled with the Spirit; {19} Speaking to yourselves in psalms
and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the
Lord;
When a person is drunk with wine, they
are controlled by the alcohol. So a
person who is filled with the Spirit is being controlled by the Holy Spirit.
Other terms
There are other terms used as well
through the book of Acts:
The “promise of the Father” (Acts 1:4; 2:33); “pouring out of the Spirit” (Acts 2:17); the “gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38; 10:45); the Holy Spirit “fell” on them (Acts 10:44)
When does the baptism of the Holy Spirit take place?
For some it takes place when they
are saved.
The first Gentiles to get saved were the ones at Cornelius’ house.
(Acts 10:44-47 KJV) While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy
Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. {45} And
they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with
Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy
Ghost. {46} For they heard them speak with tongues,
and magnify God. Then answered Peter, {47} Can any man
forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy
Ghost as well as we?
They apparently believed and were
baptized in the Holy Spirit all at once.
They hadn’t even been baptized in water yet.
Some folks will say that every Christian is “baptized” in the
Holy Spirit when they first become a Christian.
The verse they will use is:
(1 Cor 12:13 KJV) For by one
Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles,
whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
But pay attention here. Paul says that the Spirit does this
baptizing, not Jesus. Paul says that the
thing the believer is baptized into is the body of Christ, not the Holy Spirit. This is not the same “baptism”.
For others, it takes place after
salvation.
The disciples – they received the baptism of the Spirit after they believed (Acts 2)
The Samaritans – Philip had been used to preach to the Samaritans, and a
lot of people believed and were water baptized (Acts 8:12)… but …
(Acts 8:14-17 KJV) Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem
heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and
John: {15} Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might
receive the Holy Ghost: {16} (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only
they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) {17} Then
laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.
Both Paul (Acts 9:3-9; 17-19) and the disciples in Ephesus
(Acts 19:1-6) believed in Jesus, then later were baptized in the Holy Spirit.
Can it happen more than once?
Yes.
Peter and the other apostles are filled with the Holy Spirit in Acts
2:4; 4:8; and again in 4:31.
I think that sometimes it doesn’t hurt
to think of us as broken, cracked vessels.
We leak. We need to be “re-filled”.
In reality, it’s just that we still
have our sin-nature. We tend to want to
take back the reigns of our lives.
When Paul tells us:
(Eph 5:18 KJV)
…be filled with the
Spirit;
The Greek command is literally, “be
continually being filled with the Spirit”
What are the results of being
baptized in the Spirit
Power
(Acts
1:8 KJV) But ye shall receive power,
after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you …
Some folks will try and make a case for
saying that the evidence of being baptized in the Holy Spirit is speaking in
tongues. But Jesus said that the result
of the Holy Spirit coming “upon” the disciples would be “power”, and
specifically the power to be witnesses around the world.
The Greek word for “power” is dunamis. Though some will focus on how we get the work
“dynamite” from this word, we also get the word “dynamic” and “dynamo”. The root of the word simply means “to be
able”, and the Greek word is often translated in the New Testament with the
phrase “to be able”.
The Holy Spirit gives us the “ability”
to live like Jesus wants us to.
Witness
(John 15:26-27 KJV) But when
the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the
Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he
shall testify of me: {27} And ye also shall bear witness,
because ye have been with me from the beginning.
(Acts 1:8 KJV) But ye shall
receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be
witnesses unto me …
The second most important evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit is
that of being a witness of Jesus. It’s
not just power to live a holy life, it’s more
specifically the power to tell the world about Jesus.
Too often Christians get all caught up in the things of the Holy Spirit for
the sake of speaking in tongues, receiving a word of knowledge or prophecy, or
seeing someone healed.
Those are WONDERFUL things, but we’ve missed the point if that’s what we’re
coming for. I’m totally blessed if God
gives a word of knowledge to you, but what I want to know is what kind of a
witness are you?
Did this happen in the early church?
Just a few days earlier Peter had been hiding and denying Jesus, yet on the
day of Pentecost Peter got up and preached to thousands. He told them about Jesus.
(Acts 2:37 KJV)
Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said
unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
Later, after Peter had been arrested and then released, the church had a
prayer meeting.
(Acts 4:31 KJV)
And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled
together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word
of God with boldness.
Worship
Paul wrote,
(Eph 5:18-20 KJV) And be not
drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; {19}
Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and
making melody in your heart to the Lord; {20} Giving thanks always for all
things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Jesus said,
(John 16:14 KJV)
He shall glorify me
On the day of Pentecost, the people who heard the disciples speak in
tongues heard something specific …
(Acts 2:11 KJV) …we do hear them speak in our tongues
the wonderful works of God.
The same happened at Cornelius’ house:
(Acts 10:46 KJV)
For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God.
Fruit
(Gal 5:22-23 NLT) But when
the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us:
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, {23} gentleness,
and self-control…
We talked about this last week.
Gifts
Though not always, the gifts of the Holy Spirit are often around when
people are filled with the Holy Spirit.
And no, tongues are not the sign of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
We will talk more about the Gifts of the Holy Spirit over the next couple
of weeks.
How to be filled with the Holy Spirit
(John
7:37-39 KJV) In the last day, that
great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If
any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. {38} He that believeth on me,
as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
{39} (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should
receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet
glorified.)
1. Thirst
dipsao - suffer
from thirst; those who painfully feel their lack of
This is the condition (subjunctive).
If you are not thirsty, it won’t happen.
I think this may be why sometimes it takes hard times for people to finally
come to Jesus. It’s in the hard times that we realize just how badly we need
Jesus.
There must be a strong sense of need in our life. You must be desperate.
I think you need to be desperate for the things the baptism of the Holy
Spirit will produce in you.
2. Come to Jesus
Jesus is the One who baptizes.
You have to realize that to be filled with the Holy Spirit, you’re going to
have to come to Jesus. You don’t have to
come to a special person to pray for you.
You have to ask Jesus.
Only He has paid the price for your sins, enabling you to come into a
personal relationship with God.
This is the first of two commands.
This is something you must do.
You MUST come to Jesus.
3. Drink
To drink a glass of water, you first have to open up your mouth.
Imagine drinking a glass of water with your mouth closed. You would
certainly have a “drinking problem”!
To receive the filling of the Holy Spirit, you don’t open your mouth, you open
your heart.
This is the second of two commands.
You must not only come to Jesus, but you MUST drink. You must yield. You must open
yourself up to the Holy Spirit.
4. Believe
Jesus didn’t say, “He who feels this tingle down his back will have rivers
of living water ...”.
He said, “He that believeth ...”
Being filled with the Holy Spirit is based on trust, not on feelings.
This is not a command (it’s a present participle). It would seem that this is what is assumed
that you are already doing.
You won’t know that you’re baptized in the Spirit by the feelings you feel
but by whether or not you believe that Jesus has baptized you.