THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE GIFTS ~ A CLOSER LOOK AT THE BIBLE BASIS OF THE BAPTISM

There are three stages of the work of the Holy Spirit

1. The Holy Spirit “with” you

John 14:17 …the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

 Before you are Born Again

 To bring you to the foot of the Cross and salvation

➢ Convicting you of sin, righteousness and judgment

 To stay with you until you receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour.

➢ He is “with” every person ever born into the world for God wills that all men be saved.

2. The Holy Spirit “in” you

John 14:17 …the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

• This happened for the disciples when Jesus appeared to them in the Upper Room

• John 20:22 And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.”

• This happens to all people when they receive Jesus as personal Lord and Saviour

• The Holy Spirit (not Jesus) comes to live in your heart and life

•  Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father (Ephesians 1:20)

•  There to make intercession for us to the Father (Hebrews 7:25)

•  There until the restoration of all things (Acts 3:21)

3. The Holy Spirit “upon” you

Jesus continues to speak to His Born Again disciples and tells them that there is more for them to experience

Luke 24:49 “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high."

This was a third encounter with the Holy Spirit when He would come upon them and “cover them” with power.

Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

This happened for the early disciples in Acts 2

Acts 2: 1-5 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit [Baptized in the Holy Spirit] and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven.

We too can experience this same “Baptism in the Holy Spirit”

❑ Baptism = saturated with

Peter quotes Joel and states it is for all people of all times

Acts 2: 17-18 "'In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.”

So, the Holy Spirit is: A> With B> In C> Upon

TO NOTE:

1> Other way to explain it:

Salvation - Well of water

John 4: 13-14 Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

Baptism in the Holy Spirit - Rivers of water

John 7: 37-39 On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

2> A second experience

Acts 8:12, 14-17 But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

THE PRACTICAL GUIDE to Your Private Prayer Language

1. You have the Holy Spirit, you received Him when you accepted Christ as your Saviour (Acts 2:38-39; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 6:19). He is simply going to now come UPON YOU in power.

2. You are going to pray that God will now baptize you with the Holy Spirit, and when you have prayed, begin to worship God, not in your native language, but worship God in tongues.

3. Since you have the Holy Spirit, the manifestation blessing--tongues--is coming from within, up and out of you; rather than coming from heaven down into you. “Out of your belly (heart) shall flow rivers of living water. But this He spoke of the Spirit...” (John 7:37-39).

4. Open your mouth and make a start (i.e., give voice, make a sound, make an utterance). God will lead you right into your own prayer language. You can quickly and easily receive the manifestation of speaking with tongues. Remember, whatever you say is the manifestation of the Spirit. Accept it as such.

5. You have the Holy Spirit UPON YOU in power simply because you asked.

Luke 11: 9-13 "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

❑ If your private prayer language is not released right away it

does not mean that you have not been Baptized in the Holy Spirit

 Prophecy is also a “sign” gift as are any of the other nine gifts (see below)

The Charismatic Gifts:

If we take a look at the book of 1 Corinthians – chapters 11 to 14 – we see Paul the apostle giving direction and correction into the life of a local assembly (church) regarding worship, the gifts, and their corporate life together.

Within this context we read about the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit given by the Spirit of God to all those who are truly born again and baptized in the Holy Spirit (as taught earlier in this seminar)...

The Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:4-12 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. And there are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healings by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting (working) of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing (discerning) of spirits, to another various (diverse) kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each other individually just as He wills. For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. [NASV]

Some things to consider:

❑ Everyone has one or more of these gifts IF you are baptized in the Holy Spirit

❑ You can flow in them as the Holy Spirit allows but one or more of them can become “resident” gifts for you to use when needed

❑ Gifts so free ... by grace not brownie points

❑ To profit everyone / not to profit any one person (money, fame, position)

❑ Under direction and oversight of the Holy Spirit

❑ Need to be planted in a local church – Faithful, Available, Teachable

❑ Very inwardly controllable  "spirit of the prophets subject to the prophets"

❑ Used under the authority of the local elders in the church

Nine Gifts  Broken into 3 categories:

❑ Power gifts - DO

⧫ Gifts of Healings ⧫ Working of Miracles ⧫ Special Faith

❑ Inspiration gifts - SPEAK ⧫ Tongues ⧫ Interpretation of tongues ⧫ Prophecy

❑ Revelation gifts - KNOW ⧫ Word of Wisdom ⧫ Word of knowledge ⧫ Discerning of spirits – Not the gift of discernment as no such gift in the Bible

If you function in one gift in a category then you can usually be taught to flow in all three.

Let's define each one:

❑ Power gifts - "do"

⧫ Gifts of Healings  emotional, physical, spiritual, mental, financial, relational

Definition: The supernatural ability, given by the Holy Spirit, TO RELEASE AND FOCUS GOD’S HEALING POWER TO A PERSON IN NEED OF A HEALING TOUCH

 Plural “gifts” and “healings”  Specialized  Can connect with the healing anointing (“virtue”)  Often manifests as a “hot hand” or a flow of electricity down a person’s arm and out a person’s hand

 These manifestations should not be “counted on” to remain as a permanent sign

⧫ Working of Miracles

Definition: The supernatural ability, given by the Holy Spirit, TO INTERRUPT THE RGULAR FLOW OF NATURE AS GOD DETERMINES AND WILLS IT

 The parting of The Red Sea  The parting of The Jordan River  Water into wine  Sundial turning back (Hezekiah) and sun stopping in the sky (Joshua) until the battle was won

⧫ Special Faith

Definition: The supernatural ability, given by the Holy Spirit, TO BELIEVE FOR SOMETHING FAR GREATER THAN THE NORM AND GREATER THAN WHAT IS SEEN AS “NORMAL” IN THE EVERY DAY SUPERNATURAL WALK OF THE AVERAGE BELIEVER

❑ Revelation gifts - "know"

⧫ Word of Wisdom

Definition: The supernatural ability, given by the Holy Spirit, TO KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT A SITUATION OR A PERSON THAT YOU COULD NOT HAVE KNOWN EXCEPT THAT GOD REVEALED IT TO YOU.  ALWAYS DEALS WITH THE FUTURE

⧫ Word of knowledge

Definition: The supernatural ability, given by the Holy Spirit, TO KNOW SOMETHING ABOUT A SITUATION OR A PERSON THAT YOU COULD NOT HAVE KNOWN EXCEPT THAT GOD REVEALED IT TO YOU.  ALWAYS DEALS WITH THE PAST AND/OR PRESENT

⧫ Discerning of spirits

Definition: The supernatural ability, given by the Holy Spirit, TO SEE (PERCEIVE, SENSE, KNOW, FEEL) INTO THE SPIRIT REALM  DEMONS AND ANGELS, DARKNESS AND LIGHT, THOUGHTS AND INTENTIONS OF THE HEART, ANOINTINGS, CALLINGS, GIFTS, SINS…

❑ Inspiration gifts - "speak"

⧫ Tongues (Public tongues)

Definition: The supernatural ability, given by the Holy Spirit, TO SPEAK IN A LANGUAGE (EARTHLY OR HEAVENLY) THAT YOU HAVE NEVER LEARNED  SPEAKING TO/FROM GOD WHO IS SPIRIT (JOHN 4) A MESSAGE/WORDS REVEALED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT IN YOUR SPIRIT

A> Proclamation / Preaching  Given to some who preach / evangelize overseas

 Simply speaking in a tongue you don’t know

 Speaking your language and they hear their language

B> “Public tongues” with interpretation  This is the “Charismatic Gifts” tongue

C> “Private” prayer language  Every has this who is Baptized in the Spirit

 To communicate from your spirit with the help of the Holy Spirit to God who is Spirit.

⧫ Interpretation of tongues

Definition: The supernatural ability, given by the Holy Spirit, TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS BEING SPOKEN/SUNG IN TONGUES (PUBLIC) AND TO THEN “INTERPRET” THE TONGUES MESSAGE FOR OTHERS TO HEAR AND UNDERSTAND IN THEIR OWN LANGUAGE

 It is interpretation not translation

 Difference between painting a picture and explaining a picture

 All public tongues in a service must be interpreted.

⧫ Prophecy

Definition: The supernatural ability, given by the Holy Spirit, TO SPEAK FORTH THE HEART OF GOD TO HIS PEOPLE (CORPORATE)  THIS IS DONE TO EDIFY, ENCOURAGE, COMFORT (BUILD UP, STIR UP, CHEER UP)

JESUS AND THE GIFTS…

Jesus said to us:

John 14:12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father…”

How did Jesus do His ministry?

Mark 1:9-10 “In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’”

He was baptized in the Holy Spirit

Luke 4:18-19 ““The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives

and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour.”

Acts 10:38 “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him…”

Jesus said that we are to do what He did. He came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10) and we are called to “go into al the world and make disciples (Matthew 28:19) which is the same as seeking and saving the lost. Jesus said, “The things that I do you shall do also, and greater things than these will you do because I go to My Father (John 14:12). The context if that He will then send the Holy Spirit who will empower them to do what Jesus had been doing - healing the sick, casting out demons, preaching and teaching, and raising the dead. The blind will see, the deaf will hear, the dumb will speak, the lame will walk. These are the things we are called to do.

How did Jesus do what He did? He was functioning fully as a human being, like us but without sin according to the Book of Hebrews. He didn’t do any ministry until He was thirty years old and until He went to meet His cousin at the Jordon River. There He was baptized in the river and when He came out of the water the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit defended upon Him. This was His baptism in the Holy Spirit where He was empowered for ministry receiving and beginning to flow in the supernatural gifts of the Spirit (see: Mark 1:9-10 and 1 Corinthians 12:4-11).

Jesus stood and announced that He had been anointed and empowered in one of His first public teachings after this experience (Luke 4:18-19). Luke, the author of the Book of Acts states that Jesus was “anointed with the Holy Spirit and with Power” (Acts 10:38) and that this was how He accomplished His ministry. Jesus had the Holy Spirit come upon Him, empowering and enabling Him to then minister supernaturally. Later He tells His disciples to wait for this same empowering, the promise of the Father (Luke 24:49). They do. Again, in His last time speaking to His disciples hHe tells them to wait. He goes on the say that when the Holy Spirit comes upon them they will be empowered to be witnesses for Him in all the world (Acts 1:8). In other words, they will now be equipped to do what He did (John 14:12).

I believe, therefore, that this experience of the Holy Spirit coming “upon” God’s people to empower them and enable them to fulfill the mandate and calling upon Jesus’ life to seek and save the lost - that this anointing and empowering is 100% essential for all true disciples to receive. Without this empowering (the Baptism in the Holy Spirit) and the nine supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit a disciple cannot obey and fulfill His commands. And, Jesus states that one of the ways that we will know that we love Him is to obey Him. Without the empowering and the supernatural you cannot obey a number of His strongly spoken and very important commands.

It is imperative that the Church in every nation of the world hear about the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, receive this empowering, learn about the supernatural gifts, and then move forward, once equipped, to seek and save the lost. It was an essential part of the life of the early Church and must, once again, become a vital and essential part of the Church today. Without this experience and empowering we are simply another religion offering no more real hope than the Mormons, the Jehovah Witnesses, and the Muslims. Our Founder, Jesus, died just like the leaders and founders of these other religions. However, because He was without sin hell was unable to hold Him and He rose again on the third day and is alive today touching hearts and lives through His people, the Church. The only way we can prove to the world that Jesus is alive and that our way is the only way to Heaven is to do what Jesus did. Then, through miracles, signs, and wonders we will show that He is alive and moving through His people today. And we will have fully preached the Gospel - in words and with deeds (see Romans 15:18-19).

We are called to do what Jesus did (John 14:12) and complete His mandate to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). The Church is His body and we are to fulfill His ministry of expanding the Kingdom until He returns to claim His Bride. Jesus accomplished His earthly ministry of three years through the anointing and empowering of the Holy Spirit - this today is called the Baptism in the Holy Spirit - a second encounter with God when His Spirit comes upon us and empowers us to walk and work supernaturally and join with Him completing His ministry.

Jesus received the baptism in the Holy Spirit as recorded in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 1, verses 9 and 10. When baptized in the Holy Spirit the Spirit of God imparts the nine supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit as listed in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11. Let’s review this passage…

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.”

There are nine gifts and Scripture records for us the fact that Jesus flowed in and ministered through seven of the nine gifts. Let’s review where He did this…

Jesus spoke to a woman at the well in John, Chapter 4 and during the conversation He asked her to go and fetch her husband and bring him back to meet Him. She said that she did not have a husband. Jesus praised her for speaking the truth and stated that she had previously had 6 husbands and that the man she was living with was not her husband. This is a Word of Knowledge - one of the revelation gifts of the Spirit. Through this gift God reveals something about a person’s past or present that we could not know in the natural. This revelation let’s the person know that you can hear the voice of God, that Jesus is alive, and that He cares.

After His resurrection Jesus appears to Peter, the apostle and in John 21:18 tells us that He declared the way Peter would glorify God in his death. A Word of Wisdom. The supernatural ability to know something about a person’s future that you could not know in the natural - God revealing it to you.

In Matthew 24:2 Jesus is in Jerusalem and prophesies over the city and the temple stating that not one stone would remain upon another. In A.D. 70 Titus, the Roman general, levelled the city. So, Jesus was moving prophetically as He spoke a Word from God over the nation of Israel.

Jesus, of course, flowed in the Gifts of Healings as the Bible states in many places that Jesus healed people. Jesus Himself declares that He was sent to heal in Luke 4:18-19 and that this ministry was a result of being anointed with the Holy Spirit (Baptized in the Spirit). And Luke, writing in Acts 10:38, speaks about the baptism mentioning that Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power and went about healing those oppressed of the devil.

The supernatural gift of the Working of Miracles was seen a number of times in Jesus’s ministry. Changing water into wine (John 2:6-8), feeding a crowd of 5,000 with one little boy’s lunch, walking on water, and the list goes on. This gift interrupts the normal flow of nature - like parting the Red Sea and the sun standing still for 24 hours in Joshua’s day as a battle was fought in the valley.

The Bible states that Jesus knew the thoughts and the intentions of people’s hearts (Matthew 9:4, 12:25). This is the supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit called the Discerning of Spirits which is the ability of being able to see into the spirit realm and see what God sees.

And, of course, He had faith in His heavenly Father and believed the Word of God deeply. He shows us this in many situations but one that stands out is His time of temptation in the wilderness when He tells the devil “It is written….” (Matthew 4:4). This is the power gift called the Gift of (Special) Faith believing for more than what is usually believed for by the average Christian.

Jesus moved in 7 of the 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit listed in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11. There is no record of Him Speaking in Tongues (public tongues) or flowing in and ministering through the gift of the Interpretation of Tongues. However, His total ministry was accomplished under the empowering of the Holy Spirit received when He was baptized in the Holy Spirit. This is why it is essential, as disciples of Jesus, that we receive and walk in this experience because then we can see the fulfilment of “the things that I do you will do…” (John 14:12).