“Baptism of the Holy Spirit”
Just a short note:
I had given my life to Jesus March 6, 1983, approximately 4 1/2 years prior to receiving the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
These were TWO SEPARATE EVENTS. I write this because many believe that when you receive Jesus you also receive the Baptism. While this can take place, it is not the Norm.
So many miss this Promise of the Father as described by Jesus.
Luke 24:49 Jesus is speaking, “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you, but tarry (wait) in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”
Acts chapters 1:4
Jesus had commanded His followers (believers) not to depart for Jerusalem but to wait for the promise of the Father.
And in next verse 5, “for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” In Acts chapter 2, that beautiful promise of the Father came in the form of the Holy Spirit to endue men with the power (anointing) from on high.
It was Christmas morning 1987 and it was not a joyful morning. My spouse at that time and I owned and operated a business which meant long demanding hours and often confrontations. It seemed as though no matter what we attempted to do positively for our marriage, we were encountering tremendous opposition.
Just a few days prior to Christmas, John and Marie, good friends had visited our shop.
These sweet Saints of the Lord laid hands on my wife, one of my believing employees and myself and prayed that we might receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
I had been seeking the “Baptism” for some time and simply wanted more of Him. The gospels Luke and John and especially Acts, all began to open up to me and gave me a greater desire to seek all that He had purposed for my life.
But this Christmas morning, I was so discouraged that I went into our bedroom and knelt down beside the bed and in my heart said the following to the Lord:
“Lord, I do not need you yesterday, I do not need you tomorrow, I need you right now!”
Please understand, I was not saying that I did not need Him for my tomorrows but rather I was saying that I was a desperate man. Mt 11:12B The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force. When you are truly desperate for God, you will find Him!
When I began to pray that morning, I felt something deep within my stomach even deeper still, began to make Himself known to me. I began to weep before Him and began speaking in what seemed like an oriental tongue. It would begin softly and become more and more intense until it came to a place of quietness and then we started over in the same fashion.
This most incredible experience went on for well over an hour and the peace that passes all understanding was overwhelming. I felt as though I had been immersed in His love and surrounded by His Glory!
At a latter date, the prayer language changed to more of a Hebrew sound. The beauty of having a prayer language is that the Bible describes times in our lives that the situation is so grave that we do not know how to pray in the natural but the Spirit, His Spirit within us intercedes for us.
Many, who have not experienced this glorious third person of the Trinity, are truly missing out on the Fathers Promise.
The Holy Spirit is not an “It” or some cloud but is a distinct person.
Not by might nor by power but by My Spirit says the Lord of hosts. Zech 4:6
There are those who continually speak against the Baptism of the Holy Spirit saying,
“Those Charismatics or Pentecostals are always seeking an experience.”
What we seek is His fullness for our lives!
Is not life a series of experiences and our decisions to address them?