All believers are entitled to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit and should, therefore, expect and earnestly seek the promise of the Father, as commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ. In older texts, the term “ghost” corresponds to what we now understand as “spirit.” Regarding “the Holy Ghost and Fire,” this imagery is commonly associated with the Holy Spirit, symbolizing purification, zeal, and the ongoing work of spiritual growth that begins at salvation.
The baptism in the Holy Spirit was the standard experience for all believers in the early Christian church. This experience provides empowerment for effective and victorious Christian living, equipping believers with specific spiritual gifts for more impactful ministry.
Acts 1:4 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;
Luke 24:49 “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
Acts 1:8 “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.”
Corinthians 12:1-31
The baptism in the Holy Spirit is separate from salvation and follows the new birth experience.
Acts 8:12-17
| 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. 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. 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. |
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,
Acts 11:14-16 ‘who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.’ “And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them, as upon us at the beginning. “Then I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said, ‘John indeed baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’
Acts 15:7-9 And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. “So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, “and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
With this baptism comes experiences such as an overflowing fullness of the Spirit, a deepened reverence for God, an intensified commitment to His work, and a more active love for Christ, His Word, and those who have not yet accepted Him.
John 7:37-39 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Acts 2:43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.
Mark 16:20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.
Three Points: The Holy Spirit Baptizes us in Christ Jesus, the Disciple baptizes us in water, Jesus baptizes us in the Holy Spirit
Turn to two passages of scripture:
1 Cor. 12:13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body––whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free––and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
Matt 3:11: “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
The Holy Spirit Baptizes us in Christ Jesus
The word baptize in Greek is _baptizo_, it means to immerse, to put fully, to get completely wet. The HS baptizes us in Jesus.
Cor. 12:13: For by one Spirit, we were all baptized into one body
When you get saved, the HS baptizes you into the body of Christ.
The disciple baptizes us in water
Mathew 28:19: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing (immersing) them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
When we get baptized in water, it doesn’t necessarily require a pastor; any disciple can perform the baptism. Many fathers have baptized their children.
As a side note: Great Commission, Disciple, and Discipleship
Matthew 28:19–20 contains what has come to be called the Great Commission. Jesus gave this command to the apostles shortly before He ascended into heaven, and it essentially outlines what Jesus expected the apostles and those who followed them to do in His absence.
It is interesting that, in the original Greek, the only direct command in Matthew 28:19–20 is “make disciples.” The Great Commission instructs us to make disciples while we are going throughout the world. The instructions to “go,” “baptize,” and “teach” are indirect commands—participles in the original. How are we to make disciples? By baptizing them and teaching them all that Jesus commanded. “Make disciples” is the primary command of the Great Commission. “Going,” “baptizing,” and “teaching” are how we fulfill the command to “make disciples.”
A disciple is someone who receives instruction from another; in Christianity, a disciple is a baptized follower of Christ who believes in His teachings. A disciple of Christ imitates Jesus’ example, clings to His sacrifice, believes in His resurrection, is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and lives to carry out His work. The command in the Great Commission to “make disciples” entails teaching or training others to follow and obey Christ.
Discipleship refers to the process of following Jesus Christ, learning from Him, and committing to His teachings.
Jesus also emphasized that discipleship involves sacrifice and cost. He speaks about taking up one’s cross (Matthew 16:24) and the necessity of being willing to give up everything for Him (Luke 14:26-33).
Discipleship, therefore, is a lifelong journey of faith, learning, obedience, transformation, mission, and community, all centered around the person and teachings of Jesus Christ.
In/with Jesus baptizes us in the Holy Spirit
Receiving the HS or what the Bible calls the baptism in the HS.
It is very important to understand the difference between this first baptism and the third baptism.
The Bible talks specifically about a baptism in or with the HS. This is John the Baptist speaking Mathew 3:11: “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. (referring to Jesus, obviously) He (Jesus) will baptize you with Holy Spirit and Fire.”
Notice very carefully, He (Jesus) will baptize you, with the Spirit. Now, I want you to just remember in your mind 1 Cor. 12:13 where we started, it said “by the Spirit” we are baptized into the body, into Jesus. Back in #1, we are baptized in Jesus, but notice very carefully, in Matt 3:11 He (Jesus) will baptize with or in the HS.
Theologically, these cannot be the same, not even grammatically, because you have two different subjects; there is no way any theologian could tell me that #1 and #3 are the same because they are not.
#1 is the HS baptizes you into the body of Christ, but #3 is very clear that Jesus baptizes you with the HS. Jesus wants to immerse us, surround us, get us filled with, and overflow the HS.
There’s something very unusual and specific about this: the baptism in the Holy Spirit is mentioned in every Gospel, one of the few elements common to all of them.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke are referred to as the Synoptic Gospels due to their similar content and structure. John, however, is not a Synoptic Gospel because Matthew, Mark, and Luke start with Jesus’ birth and then proceed directly to the period following John the Baptist’s beheading, which marks the third year of Jesus’ ministry, covering only that year. In contrast, around 70 AD, the Apostle John, the last surviving disciple, wrote the Gospel of John to document the earlier years of Jesus’ ministry. This explains why John includes events not found in the other three Gospels:
The wedding at Cana in John 2
The conversation with Nicodemus in John 3, where Jesus teaches, “You must be born again”
The Samaritan woman at the well in John 4
The incident with the woman caught in adultery in John 8
The healing of the blind man in John 9
The raising of Lazarus from the dead
The Last Supper discourse in John 14-16
None of these events are recorded in Matthew, Mark, or Luke. The reason for this trip through John is what is recorded in all 4 gospels:
The Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Christ (which is the Gospel according to 1 Cor. 15)
The baptism in the HS, in all four gospels
Mark 1:8 (John the Baptist): “I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
Luke 3:16 (John the Baptist): John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water, but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the HS and fire.”
Notice the similarity again in Matt-Mark-Luke.
It reads a little different in John 1:33 (JTB Speaking again): “I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’”
The one upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining, this is important because the HS had never descended and remained upon a person. He descended on people in the OT, but He would not remain. He descended on King Saul and then when King Saul offered the sacrifice without Samuel being there, the HS left him. He descended upon David and then David committed adultery with Bathsheba and then in his prayer of repentance in Ps. 51, David says this: “Take not thy Spirit from me.” “Restore to me the joy of my salvation.” He repented, and the HS came back. The Father says to John, upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining, this is He who baptizes with the HS.
Now, when did John the Baptist see the Spirit descending and remaining on Jesus? It was when he water baptized Him. If you remember, when Jesus was water baptized, it says that the heavens opened and the HS, like a dove, descended on Jesus and came on Jesus.
Like a dove is a simile or a symbol, the HS is the subject here. The HS – like a dove – descended on Jesus. It doesn’t read “a dove, like the Spirit,” like it usually shows in movies and such. It wasn’t a dove; it was the HS that came on Jesus. Jesus was baptized with the HS.
If Jesus needed to receive the HS, if He needed the HS to come upon Him when He was on this earth, baptized/anointed with, don’t we need to also?
The first baptism happens at salvation, when we get saved, the HS baptizes us into the body of Christ, in Christ. That is a whole separate message of what it means to be (in Christ).
The second is water baptism, the leaving of the old man in the water. That is what happens at water baptism. This act of baptism symbolically declares to everyone that the old sinful nature and lifestyle of the baptized believer died with Christ at salvation and a new spiritual being has been raised with Christ through His resurrection to live a new life.
Then we get baptized in the Spirit.
Jesus is our example. So, did Jesus have these three things in His life?
Jesus didn’t need to be saved because He, Himself saves. The Bible refers to salvation as being born again.
Jesus didn’t need to be born again because He was born right the first time. However, we were born sinners and are born again as perfect children of God, not by works but by grace. We are now perfect in our position before God, not perfect in our performance, but perfect in our position because we stand in Christ before God. We are born again as children of God. When Jesus was born, He was born a child of God. He was water-baptized and then baptized in the Spirit. Therefore, we need these three things.
As we explore several scriptures on the baptism in the Holy Spirit, notice the three baptisms we’ve discussed within the verses we’re about to examine. These are Jesus’ final words before His ascension into heaven:
Acts 1:4-5: “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.'”
He must ascend to the Father before He can pour out the Holy Spirit. Wait for the promise, and you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Remember in Acts 2 how the Holy Spirit came when the day of Pentecost had fully come. Peter stands up and preaches a message, saying this is what was foretold by the prophets.
Acts 2:16: “But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel.”
Look at what he says down in Acts 2:37: “Now when they heard this, they were acutely distressed and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘What should we do, brothers? “
Watching for the three different baptisms:
Acts 2:38: “Peter said to them, repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'”
- Repentance here is Salvation
- Be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ is water baptism
- Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit is to be baptized in the Holy Spirit
The gift of the Holy Spirit is not just one specific gift; rather, the gift of the Holy Spirit is the Spirit Himself, encompassing all the gifts that come with Him. For example, speaking in tongues is one of the gifts of the Spirit, but the primary gift is the Spirit Himself, and with Him comes all the other gifts.
Repentance is a decision that results in a change of mind, which in turn leads to a change of purpose and action. The first call of the Kingdom is to repentance. The implications of biblical repentance are threefold:
1. Renunciation and reversal
2. Submission and teachability
3. Continual shape-ability
There is no birth into the Kingdom without hearing the call to salvation, renouncing one’s sin, and turning from sin towards Christ the Savior.
Acts 3:19: “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.”
There is no growth in the Kingdom without obedience to Jesus’ commandments and childlike responsiveness as a disciple of Jesus, yielding to the teachings of God’s Word.
Read James 1:21-25
Remember, Jesus instructed to “wait for the promise” (Acts 1:4). Some argue that this outpouring was only meant for the 120 believers present on the day of Pentecost. However, Jesus referred to it as “the promise,” explicitly saying, “wait for the promise,” which clearly indicates the baptism in the Holy Spirit. This promise is not limited to that specific moment or group but is indeed for all believers.
Acts 2:39: “For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
This promise is talking about us! We get to receive the gift too. Notice the three baptisms:
– Repent (be saved)
– Be baptized (water baptism)
– Receive the Holy Spirit
Philip went to Samaria, preached Christ to them, and they got saved, water baptized, and then received the Holy Spirit.
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.”
1. Believe Philip (salvation)
2. Then baptized (Water)
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.”
Many believers have been saved, and water baptized but have not received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. You received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you opened your heart to Him and said He could be the Lord of your life. At that time, the Holy Spirit came to live inside you, but Jesus wants to baptize you with the Holy Spirit and anoint you with the Holy Spirit.
Acts 10: The Gentiles received the Holy Spirit as well.
Acts 19:1-6: “And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples, 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.’
Paul, who authored over one-third of the New Testament and is often considered the greatest apostle to have ever lived, posed a significant question: “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” If they had indeed received the Holy Spirit upon belief, why would Paul, the greatest apostle, feel compelled to ask such a straightforward question? This implies he was checking whether anyone had explained the Holy Spirit to them or prayed for them to receive this gift.
Acts 19:2: The disciples confessed they had never even heard of the Holy Spirit. This revelation led Paul to further investigate their spiritual status.
Acts 19:3: He asked, “Into what then were you baptized?” They replied, “Into John’s baptism.”
Acts 19:4: Paul explained, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.”
Acts 19:5: Upon hearing this, the disciples were then baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, signifying they received water baptism after their conversion.
Acts 19:6: After Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
We must recognize the pattern: people in the New Testament got saved, they got water baptized, and then they got baptized in the Holy Spirit. This is all throughout the Book of Acts (Acts 1, 8, and 19).
1 John 5:7: “For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one.”
What do they bear witness to? They bear witness to the supernatural, affirming the existence of God. Here, the text refers to:
– The Father (the first person of the Trinity)
– The Word (referring to Jesus, as in John 1:1 and Revelation 19:13)
– The Holy Spirit (the third person of the Trinity)
These three bear witness in heaven to the divine unity and nature of God. This scriptural reference is significant when discussing the three baptisms on earth, which manifest in our lives.
Salvation is sometimes symbolized by “blood” because, according to Hebrews 9:22, “without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins.” Jesus shed His blood, which cleanses us from all sin. We are saved by this blood, underscoring the transformative power of His sacrifice.
1 John 5:8: “And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.”
On earth, the Spirit, the Water, and the Blood of Jesus (salvation) bear witness to the supernatural, affirming that there is a God in heaven who changes people’s lives. When we get saved, we become a new person. When we get baptized in water, the old person is cut off. When we get baptized in the Spirit, we get the power to walk in the new. It is a complete work!
To go to heaven, one must be saved. The example of the thief on the cross illustrates this point clearly. He turned to Jesus, saying, (Luke 23:42-43 “Remember me when you come into your kingdom,” and Jesus responded, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise”). This thief believed in Jesus and, thereby, was saved. However, he did not undergo water baptism or receive the Holy Spirit baptism.
A lot of believers get saved but they don’t get water baptized or Spirit baptized, so they have no power.
We know that the Old Testament serves as an example for us. This is explicitly stated in 1 Corinthians 10:6 and 11, where it says that everything written in the Old Testament was for our instruction as an example.
Corinthians 10:1: “Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea.”
Let’s reflect on this: Moses was a type of deliverer for the Israelites, symbolizing Christ, who delivers us from bondage. Just as Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, Christ leads us out of sin’s bondage. Moses is not Christ, but he prefigures Him in this role.
The point here is that we need to be baptized into Jesus, our deliverer, through water and the Spirit. The Bible sometimes uses figurative language:
The Holy Spirit is symbolized by oil, as in being anointed with oil, which signifies being anointed with the Holy Spirit.
It’s also likened to the cloud and fire that guided the Israelites in the wilderness, as described in Exodus. They were led by the cloud by day and by fire at night, which represents the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Jesus promised to baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire (Matthew 3:11).
This analogy illustrates that just as the Israelites were led by the Holy Spirit in the form of cloud and fire, we too need to be led by the Holy Spirit in our spiritual journey, symbolizing our need for both water baptism and Spirit baptism in our Christian life.
1-Cor. 10:2 all was baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea
Notice baptized, they were baptized into Moses, their type of Christ, they were baptized in the cloud, (the Spirit) and the sea (water). Notice it uses very specifically the word baptism. We can see very clearly the three baptisms.
Unique Signs of Pentecost
One of the things we must do when reading Acts is distinguish between unique events not intended to be patterns for the church and events that are. On the Day of Pentecost, both kinds of events happened. In the wrapping up of this teaching, we will learn which signs of the Holy Spirit’s presence are meant to be part of the Christian experience today.
A Rushing, Mighty Wind: The sound of wind typifies the work of the Spirit. God created Adam by breathing into him the breath (wind) of life (Genesis 2:7). He remade mankind spiritually by breathing life into them (Ezekiel 37:5,14). The sound like the blowing of a violent wind that filled the room represented the life-giving presence of the Holy Spirit being felt by the 120 (Acts 2:2). Perhaps it represented the missionary work that would soon spread the gospel to the ends of the earth.
What the Holy Spirit is saying through this presence of wind is that He is going to move through His people in an unseen way. He is going to push them powerfully into the world. It will take the wind of the Holy Spirit to scatter the disciples into the world. Already they were hearing the sound of the rushing wind. The rushing and violent wind suggests that God was about to do something powerful and explosive in their lives.
In later passages in the Book of Acts where people receive the Holy Spirit, there are no further references to this wind. This was a unique event. Through the symbol of the sound of wind, the Holy Spirit was saying to the church that there was going to be an invasion of the Spirit.
Tongues of Fire: (Acts 2:3) “They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them”. Unfortunately, some people always try to explain away the supernatural. They try to explain the tongues of fire as a natural event. Some thought this must be only the sun streaming through the windows. But that takes God’s power out of the equation. The tongues of fire are not seen again in Acts when people are filled with the Holy Spirit. Instead, the tongues of fire is a sign that the Holy Spirit comes as a purifying fire.
The mighty wind and tongues of fire came before the baptism in the Spirit. They were never repeated in Acts. Therefore, Christians should not expect to see these signs repeated today when believers are baptized in the Spirit.
Signs of Spirit Baptism – The Initial Physical Evidence
Acts 2:4 beautifully sums up the effect of Pentecost on believers: “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” The 120 were ready to receive. They had been obedient to Christ’s command to wait. They had spent the waiting time praying and studying the Word of God. When the Spirit came, they were open to receive what was poured out on them. They were filled with the Spirit.
Luke is careful in later passages to show that this was not a one-time event. As the disciples grew in their walk with the Lord, they realized their human vessels were expandable, and God’s gift was boundless. They could be continually filled with more of God’s fullness.
Speaking with other tongues is the only supernatural sign described in Acts 2:1-4 that happens again. It is said to have happened after “all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit.” It required the involvement of the believers. The sound of wind and fire happened to and around them. Speaking in tongues occurred in and came out from them.
The Day of Pentecost has similarities to the Exodus. Both began with unique signs and wonders. Yet all through the history of Israel and the church, God continues to work supernaturally. The age of miracles is past only for the church that has no faith.
The initial Day of Pentecost is somewhat unique, yet the baptism in the Holy Spirit is not given once and for all. The text of Acts shows the baptism in the Spirit to be available to all believers. Look over these verses: (Acts 2:17 “In the last days . . . I will pour out my Spirit on all people”). (Acts 2:38-39). “You will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off”
| Five reports in Acts where believers were first filled with the Holy Spirit | |||
| # | Acts | Setting | Outward Evidence of the Inner Filling |
| 1. | 2:1-4 | The Day of Pentecost | All 120 spoke in new languages as soon as they were filled with the Holy Spirit. |
| 2. | 8:14-19 | Believers at Samaria | Something happened that caused Simon to offer money. |
| 3. | 9:17-19 | The conversion and filling of Saul | We know that Paul often spoke privately in unknown languages (1 Corinthians 14:18). |
| 4. | 10:44-46 | The home of Cornelius | They spoke in new languages. |
| 5. | 19:1-7 | Believers at Ephesus | They spoke in new languages and prophesied. |
Acts 2:1-4
On the Day of Pentecost, 120 believers prayed in an upper room. They were waiting to be baptized in the Holy Spirit when they heard a sound like a great wind. At the same time, they saw what appeared to be tongues of fire (Acts 2:1-4). Both wind and fire were symbols of God’s presence. In Job 38:1, God spoke out of a great swirling wind. In 1 Kings 19:11, a great wind came before the presence of God. God spoke to Moses from a flaming bush (Exodus 3:2). The Lord came down as a fire on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:18). Thus, the sound of wind and the sight of fire alerted the believers that God was near. These two signs came before the baptism in the Spirit, but they were never repeated in Acts.
Each of the 120 believers was filled with the Holy Spirit. As soon as they were filled, they all began to speak in tongues (Harris 1991, 39). The purpose of the baptism in the Spirit was to enable them to witness. Therefore, it is not surprising that the fullness of the Spirit affected their speech.
Today, there are over 520,000,000 Pentecostals and Charismatics (Barrett 2000, 25). These people are bold witnesses for Jesus. They believe in speaking in new languages, just as believers did at Pentecost and throughout Acts.
Acts 8:14-19
When Philip preached Christ to the people at Samaria, many men and women believed. Even Simon, who practiced evil magic, believed. After these received Jesus as their Savior, Philip baptized them in water (Acts 8:14-19).
The Samaritans, as all believers, received the Holy Spirit when they believed in Jesus. The Holy Spirit is the One who makes the presence of Christ real in each believer. All who belong to Jesus have the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9).
When we first come to Christ, we are thinking about our sins. Soon after, new believers begin thinking about telling others the good news. The Samaritans had been born again. But they had not yet received the fullness of the Spirit. They needed Him to fill their lives, giving them power to witness.
Do not stumble over the different ways Luke describes our relationship to the Spirit. From one point of view, Luke describes the Spirit as a gift Father promised. From a second point of view, Luke describes this wonderful relationship as a baptism. From a third point of view, he calls it a filling from within. Here in Acts 8 he says the Spirit came upon them (Acts 8:16). Each of Luke’s descriptions helps us understand our relationship to the Spirit.
What happened when the Samaritan believers were filled with the Spirit? We cannot know for sure, but it seems that Simon, the former magician, saw and heard something that got his attention. Many Bible teachers think the Samaritans spoke in tongues. Some non-Pentecostals believe Simon heard the Samaritan believers speaking in new languages (Haenchen 1971, 304). On the Day of Pentecost, tongues attracted the attention of the crowd. In Samaria, it probably attracted the attention of Simon. He had already seen Philip do miracles. He did not offer money for this power. What caused him to offer money to the apostles was that he probably heard people he knew speaking in languages they did not know! (Horton 1994, 106).
Acts 9:17-19
The third time in Acts when believers were first filled with the Holy Spirit is the case of Saul who became Paul. Saul had been struck down by a great light and had heard the voice of Jesus as he was on his way to Damascus. His plan was to persecute the Christians in that city. God had other plans. After Saul’s miraculous meeting with Jesus, he was blind and had to be led to Damascus where God was preparing someone to help him (Acts 9:17-19).
God commanded a disciple named Ananias to help Saul. From Acts 9:17, we see that the Lord Jesus sent Ananias to Paul for two reasons. Ananias prayed for Paul to see again and also to be filled with the Spirit. The fact that Ananias said, “Brother Saul,” shows that he knew Saul had already believed in his heart.
Luke does not repeat everything that happened. He does not tell us that Paul was filled with the Spirit or that he spoke in tongues. The biblical writers often skip over what was obvious to them. If it were not for a problem at Corinth, there would be no record in the Bible that Paul spoke in tongues. However, because of 1 Corinthians 14:18, we know that Paul spoke in tongues more than others did. When did he start speaking in tongues? It is logical to believe Paul spoke in tongues when he was first filled like the other apostles (Horton 1994, 119).
Acts 10:44-46
The fourth instance occurs at the house of Cornelius in Caesarea. Luke tells us that the Holy Spirit “came on” all who heard the message. This is the way he described what happened to the believers at Samaria when Peter and John went there (Acts 8:16). Peter and the other Jews know the Gentiles had been filled with the Spirit because they heard them speaking in tongues (Acts 10:45-46). Peter tells the account later in Jerusalem. There he emphasizes he was sure the Gentiles were baptized in the Holy Spirit. He knew they had received the same baptism and the same gift. How could Peter be sure? Because the Spirit came on them just as He came on the apostles at Pentecost (Acts 11:15-16). Likewise, we can be sure today that we have been baptized in the Holy Spirit if we speak in a language we have not learned (Acts 10:44-46).
Acts 19:1-7
The last example we will consider in this section happened in Ephesus, about twenty-three years after Pentecost (Holdcroft 1971, 112). Here is another clear example that the baptism in the Spirit is a different experience than being born-again. The twelve men had believed, and Paul baptized them in water. Who can deny that they were Christians at that point? But something was missing in their lives. They needed to be filled with the Spirit that was already with them. So Paul placed his hands on them, and they were filled with the Spirit. The evidence was that they spoke in tongues and prophesied (Acts 19:1-7).
In three of these examples from Acts, we are sure believers spoke in tongues when they were baptized in the Spirit. These three times included Jerusalem, Caesarea, and Ephesus (Acts 2, 10, 19). In the other two cases, some evidence implies that they spoke in tongues (Acts 8, 9). In all five cases, believers did not seek to speak in tongues. The main purpose of the baptism in the Spirit is not to enable believers to speak in tongues but to give them the power to witness for Jesus. However, speaking in tongues is the biblical sign. It shows believers are filled with the Holy Spirit they seek.
More important than the signs of the Spirit’s presence is the Spirit himself. John’s prophecy in Mark 1:8 and Luke 3:16-17 was being fulfilled. Our Lord had promised His followers He would pray to the Father to give them the Spirit (John 14:16). At Pentecost, that prayer was answered.
Although one woman’s husband, a preacher, strongly opposed speaking in tongues, she decided to see what the Bible said about it. She carefully and prayerfully read the second chapter of Acts. While she read, the Holy Spirit came upon her in power. She was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke in other tongues. Hurrying to church, she saw a man who had recently come from France. She had helped lead him to the Lord. As she continued speaking in tongues, he got a strange look on his face. “When did you learn to speak French?” he later asked her. Just as surprised as the man, she replied, “I’ve never learned French. What did I say?”
The man answered, “You said, ‘Get ready! Get ready! Jesus is coming soon!’”.
Those who come to God’s Word with an open mind and open heart will soon be convinced: baptism in the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues is still available to believers today.
Four Purposes of Speaking in Tongues
Must the baptism in the Holy Spirit go along with speaking in other tongues? In Acts 2:4, the text says, “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues.” The Bible is our standard of faith and practice. We study it to know God and how to walk with Him. Some people argue that the Bible does not say expressly that because the early believers spoke in tongues that everyone will or must. After all, they say, even Paul indicated that some have the gift of tongues while others have different gifts. People often use Paul’s question in 1 Corinthians 12:30 to argue against speaking in tongues. But Paul addresses two different aspects of speaking in tongues. In 1 Corinthians 12, he is teaching about spiritual gifts when the Body is meeting. In the church setting, each Christian should allow God to use him or her through spiritual gifts to benefit the whole church. In Acts 2:4, the Christians were praying individually yet gathered together as they sought God.
What is the difference between speaking in tongues in 1 Corinthians 12 and in Acts 2:4?
Perhaps they were all praying in their own languages, Aramaic or Hebrew. Then all of a sudden, they found themselves speaking in languages that they did not know. Acts 2:8-11 lists fifteen specific language groups that the disciples were speaking. The whole town gathered to hear these Galilean people speaking the languages of the world. They were all speaking in tongues. It was not that some were speaking in tongues while some prophesied. Others were not doing works of healing, works of mercy, or miracles. They all spoke in tongues.
In Acts 2:4; 10:44-47; and 19:1-7, tongues served as the initial physical evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Because of these repeated biblical examples as well as the experience of countless believers right up to the present, we believe that speaking in tongues is the initial physical evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
The Bible teaches us that not only the apostles but also many other Christians spoke in tongues. On the Day of Pentecost, all 120 believers spoke in tongues (Acts 1:15; 2:4). At the home of Cornelius the Spirit came on all who heard the message, and they spoke in tongues (Acts 10:44-46). At Ephesus, the twelve believers spoke in tongues (Acts 19:6-7). Paul thanked God that he spoke in tongues more than all of the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 14:18).
Speaking in tongues is not something we do on our own. It takes a cooperative, submissive relationship with God. Most miracles have two parts— one for God and one for us. God’s part is the big part, but He gives us a small part. In some miracles, the person was to fill a jar with water (John 2) or wash in a pool (John 9). In the baptism in the Holy Spirit, God enables a believer to speak a new language. The believer’s part is to speak. God chose a part for us that anyone can do.
To do our part, we must be totally submissive to God’s will. The word baptize means “to take completely under.” To be baptized in water, all of a person must go under the water. To be baptized in the Spirit, all of a person must come under the Spirit’s influence. But the tongue is the most unruly part of a person (James 3:8). No human can tame the tongue! Speaking in tongues shows that a believer has submitted the mind and even the tongue to the Holy Spirit. Thus that person has been baptized—placed completely under the Spirit’s control. The remaining challenge is to stay under the Spirit’s control!
To be baptized in the Holy Spirit, we must also demonstrate humility. The human mind is proud, but submitting to the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues requires us to set aside that pride and replace it with humility. Speaking in tongues links humility and faith because it requires us to depend on God, not on our own abilities. After all, our relationship with God is more spiritual than mental.
Four Purposes of Speaking in Tongues
Must the baptism in the Holy Spirit go along with speaking in other tongues? In Acts 2:4, the text says, “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues.” The Bible is our standard of faith and practice. We study it to know God and how to walk with Him. Some people argue that the Bible does not say expressly that because the early believers spoke in tongues that everyone will or must. After all, they say, even Paul indicated that some have the gift of tongues while others have different gifts. People often use Paul’s question in 1 Corinthians 12:30 to argue against speaking in tongues. But Paul addresses two different aspects of speaking in tongues. In 1 Corinthians 12, he is teaching about spiritual gifts when the Body is meeting. In the church setting, each Christian should allow God to use him or her through spiritual gifts to benefit the whole church. In Acts 2:4, the Christians were praying individually yet gathered together as they sought God.
What is the difference between speaking in tongues in 1 Corinthians 12 and in Acts 2:4?
Perhaps they were all praying in their own languages, Aramaic or Hebrew. Then all of a sudden, they found themselves speaking in languages that they did not know. Acts 2:8-11 lists fifteen specific language groups that the disciples were speaking. The whole town gathered to hear these Galilean people speaking the languages of the world. They were all speaking in tongues. It was not that some were speaking in tongues while some prophesied. Others were not doing works of healing, works of mercy, or miracles. They all spoke in tongues.
In Acts 2:4; 10:44-47; and 19:1-7, tongues served as the initial physical evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Because of these repeated biblical examples as well as the experience of countless believers right up to the present, we believe that speaking in tongues is the initial physical evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
The Bible teaches us that not only the apostles but also many other Christians spoke in tongues. On the Day of Pentecost, all 120 believers spoke in tongues (Acts 1:15; 2:4). At the home of Cornelius the Spirit came on all who heard the message, and they spoke in tongues (Acts 10:44-46). At Ephesus, the twelve believers spoke in tongues (Acts 19:6-7). Paul thanked God that he spoke in tongues more than all of the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 14:18).
Speaking in tongues is not something we do on our own. It takes a cooperative, submissive relationship with God. Most miracles have two parts— one for God and one for us. God’s part is the big part, but He gives us a small part. In some miracles, the person was to fill a jar with water (John 2) or wash in a pool (John 9). In the baptism in the Holy Spirit, God enables a believer to speak a new language. The believer’s part is to speak. God chose a part for us that anyone can do.
To do our part, we must be totally submissive to God’s will. The word baptize means “to take completely under.” To be baptized in water, all of a person must go under the water. To be baptized in the Spirit, all of a person must come under the Spirit’s influence. But the tongue is the most unruly part of a person (James 3:8). No human can tame the tongue! Speaking in tongues shows that a believer has submitted the mind and even the tongue to the Holy Spirit. Thus that person has been baptized—placed completely under the Spirit’s control. The remaining challenge is to stay under the Spirit’s control!
To be baptized in the Holy Spirit, we must also demonstrate humility. The human mind is proud, but submitting to the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues requires us to set aside that pride and replace it with humility. Speaking in tongues links humility and faith because it requires us to depend on God, not on our own abilities. After all, our relationship with God is more spiritual than mental.
One of Nine Gifts of the Spirit
In 1 Corinthians 12:10, 30, tongues is listed as one of the nine gifts of the Spirit expressly used in Christian worship. (Verse 30 indicates that messages in tongues need to be interpreted.) “Do all speak in tongues?” (1 Corinthians 12:30) refers to the gift of tongues in public worship. It does not apply to tongues associated with the baptism in the Spirit. That promise is to all (Acts 2:17,38-39).
When in the corporate worship service, the gift of tongues is to be used in an orderly manner. In an organized worship service, it is not helpful for five people to jump up at the same time and start speaking in a language no one knows. “If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret” (1 Corinthians 14:27). First Corinthians 14:33 gives the reason for this: “For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.”
Even this instruction leaves room for another kind of speaking in tongues. If no one is available to interpret tongues, those with a message should “keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and God” (1 Corinthians 14:28).
The baptism of the Holy Spirit was meant to cause us to walk in spiritual power that is beyond our native abilities. Today there is much talk about developing our spiritual gifts. Many times spiritual gifts are confused with natural talents. For example, if naturally someone is a speaker, he or she tends to exercise prophetic gifts. Someone who is nonverbal may more easily exercise gifts of service and mercy. But there must be a distinction between the natural and the supernatural. These 120 people were not qualified world changers. They were common, ordinary people who were not expected to change the world. The fact that these 120 turned the world upside down in thirty years is not a tribute to their natural ability. They did not have that ability naturally. They had a supernatural power that came upon them through the Holy Spirit.
While speaking in tongues as part of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is distinct from the gift of tongues, it does serve as a step toward the gifts of the Spirit. It is expected that those who are baptized in the Holy Spirit will seek also to be used in the gifts of the Spirit.
A Regular Means of Personal Prayer
In 1 Corinthians 14:13-19, we see that speaking in tongues is a regular means of personal prayer. Paul called it praying with the (human) spirit. He said he used tongues in personal prayer more than even the Corinthians. But why is praying in tongues better than praying in our own language? From the Bible we find at least two reasons; they are identified and described below:
1. Praying in tongues praises God and builds up the person who prays.
Speaking in other tongues is a means of prayer and praise to God. Inspired by the Spirit, such prayer edifies or builds up the believer who prays. The following verses illustrate the purpose of tongues in prayer and praise. In Acts 2:11, we see that those who spoke in tongues declared the wonders (mighty works) of God. This is what praise is. In 1 Corinthians 14:2, Paul said that the person who speaks in tongues speaks to God, not to people. The person who prays in tongues edifies himself (1 Corinthians 14:4).
The Christian needs to be edified in this manner. Rather than being self-serving, such a practice makes one strong enough to help others and to resist temptation.
Praying in tongues releases the human spirit to fully express itself to God.
How does praying in tongues benefit the individual?
In 1 Corinthians 14:4, Paul inferred that praying in tongues activates the human spirit in prayer. In distinguishing the spirit from the mind, Paul no doubt means the spirit is the inner collection of thoughts, needs, and feelings that cannot be expressed adequately through formal language. There are times when we may not know how to pray in a situation, or when we are prompted by the Spirit to pray for someone without knowing why. At these times, praying in tongues allows us to bypass our human minds and pray as directed by the Holy Spirit. In Romans 8:26-27, Paul says: “The Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.”
Since we cannot hug God, how do we communicate with Him in a way that is from the core of our being? When a person speaks to God in tongues, he or she communicates with God on a deeper level. The transmission of love is powerful and real. For a time, the mental faculty is parked and resting. At a deeper level, our inner core might be resting and communing with God also. That is the heart of the security and profound relationship with God through the Holy Spirit.
Fourth: A Sign to Unbelievers
A fourth purpose of tongues is seen in 1 Corinthians 14:21-25. Speaking in tongues is a sign to unbelievers. In this case, the unbeliever likely understands the language spoken without needing an interpreter. This is what happened on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2:5-13. It can be a powerful sign. Tongues were also a sign to believers. It was because Cornelius and his family spoke in tongues that Peter knew they had received the Holy Spirit. As the initial physical evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues is a sign to the individual believer and to those around him or her that the individual has received the Baptism.
In a tiny town in Yugoslavia, an uneducated peasant woman started a church with just a few people. In the service, one Sunday was a priest. This man was highly educated and fluent in Hebrew. Yet he was walking away from God. He had an intellectual knowledge of the Bible but did not have a personal experience with God.
When the call was given to move to the altar to pray, this priest followed the others. He found himself beside a peasant woman deep in prayer. He was startled to realize she was speaking in clear, perfect Hebrew. He knew this woman could not have studied Hebrew. Nothing but God’s Spirit could explain how this woman was giving praise and adoration to God in Hebrew so powerfully. The priest left that meeting a believer.
Speaking in tongues removes barriers between people. In a move of the Holy Spirit, God makes no difference between church leaders and other believers. On the Day of Pentecost, the apostles were filled with the Spirit and spoke in new languages. Common men and women also spoke in tongues on that day. Every believer can experience the baptism in the Holy Spirit, regardless of his or her position in the church, gender, or economic status.
During the height of the Azusa Street Mission revival, the Pentecostal believers were scorned and attacked by many people. One man, a missionary to the Philippines, decided he would expose speaking in tongues as a fraud. But the believers prayed powerfully that God would convince him.
One woman spoke to the man in a tongue she did not know. But the missionary knew it. The woman spoke the language of the unfriendly Philippine tribe where he had ministered. As he prayed in fear and repentance, another woman spoke in a different Philippine dialect. She quoted Acts 2:16: “This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel,” (King James Version) she assured him. The missionary believed and was baptized in the Spirit, speaking in tongues himself.
Speaking in tongues is adoring God. It is the closest we can get to the deepest kind of love toward God. It is the closest we can get, if you will, to hugging God until we see Him face to face. God gave this experience to the early church to give it a strong core of psychological, emotional, and spiritual power from the start. God’s people can always do great works for Him when their inner core is strong. Only when this core has grown weak do the great works cease. If we as individuals and as a church want to see God do mighty works in our present age, we must present the core of our lives to Him and ask Him to fill us anew with His Spirit.
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