In our study last week, we examined how God actually wants us to have power, and how Jesus has given us power, both through His redemptive work on the cross and through the sending of His Spirit (one act facilitating the other). These concepts are often not even touched in many Christian circles, often seen as fringe. Indeed many people are afraid to take an honest look at the topic of the Holy Spirit in connection with the power given to us because they have been jaded by past experience or the horror stories that people tell about what happened in some charismatic group previously.
Yet these things are spoken of in scripture and so they should not and can not be ignored. And so today we will continue with Part 2 of our study on living in the power of the Spirit, by taking a look at the baptism of the Spirit – specifically what Jesus said about it, because His opinion is the only one that carries any weight, and as we see the truth from scripture, we will be moved from a place of weakness, to a place of great strength in the power of the Spirit through Christ Jesus.
Disclaimer: If you have not yet read Part 1 of this study, you should read that first as it lays the foundation for what we will be looking at today in this study.
As we begin today we must address the issue of the distinction between receiving the Spirit the moment you are born-again, and being baptized in the Spirit – and understanding that these things are not the same, but they are in-fact separate things. I know that you may not have heard that before, because as mentioned, most pastors and teachers are not willing to even come near this subject, but it is in your Bible so we should not be afraid to examine it. Take a look at Acts 8:14-17:
“Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John:
Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit:
(For as yet he was fallen on none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)
Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.”
If you go up a few verses from here and read verses 5 through twelve you will see that Phillip (operating in power as we learned about in Part 1) preached Jesus to the city of Samaria and many miracles were done, demons cast out, etc. And the people believed and were baptized into the name of Jesus Christ. This fact is vital to our understanding because these people already believed, and were baptized with water in Christ Jesus. They had received the word of God as mentioned in verse 14. Yet the apostles in Jerusalem, upon hearing that the people of Samaria had received the Gospel, decide that something is so important that they make no fuss about traveling to Samaria to lay hands on them and pray that they receive the Holy Spirit.
But wait! They were already believing and were even baptized! This goes to our first point. There is a distinction between receiving Holy Spirit regeneration when you are born again, and baptism of the Holy Spirit which gives power.
Regeneration happens when you are born-again, that is when you receive Jesus, you are saved. Your spirit, which was cut-off from God and dead because of sin, becomes alive again… that’s Ephesians 2:1-5.
However that is very different than being baptized in the Holy Spirit – being said here as well as in other places in scripture as “the Spirit falling on people” which gives dunamis power. The sad reality is, that because of the complete vacuum of teaching regarding this truth, most believers remain in an apparent defeated and helpless state their entire lives because they are simply ignorant regarding this.
Look at verse 17, When Peter and John laid their hands on the people… they received the Holy Spirit.
Seems simple enough. Now if we go on, we read about Simon the sorcerer, who takes notice that the Holy Spirit came from the laying on of hands and he offered Peter and John money to get that same power and they rebuked him. The point here is that how did he notice the Holy Spirit came? The Bible really doesn’t say, and they only manifestation mentioned repeatedly in the Bible for when the Holy Spirit comes is Tongues (Acts 2:4, 10:46, 19:6).
I mention this because I have spoken with a lot of people who have had bad experiences in charismatic circles from certain groups that over-emphasize and place undue stress on Tongues. They have been for lack of a better term “weirded-out” by all kinds of strange things and experiences and that has made them afraid of the Holy Spirit and His genuine power. So let me just say that the gift of Tongues is mentioned repeatedly in your Bible, it exists and it is real. Not everything that certain Christian circles demonstrate is genuine Holy Spirit manifestation… but don’t throw the champagne out with the cork.
Now we need to answer another question because if the requirement to be baptized in the Spirit is to have one of the original apostles pray for you and lay hands on you, then we might be in trouble! So take a look at what Jesus said in John 7:37-39, and this will answer some questions for us and make things even more clear:
“In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come to me, and drink.
He that believes on me, as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
(But this spoke he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Spirit was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)”
This is the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). Of all the Feasts of Israel, this is the most Celebratory and Joyful Feast The Last Day of the Feast is the Hoshanah Rabbah which occurs on the seventh day. It is the most joyful day of the entire celebration. And what would happen is the priests would go to the pool of Siloam (the same pool that Jesus told the blind man to wash in) and the priests would collect some water from the pool and they would bring the water back to the temple mount area.
As the priests pour out this water before the LORD, which is the water libation ceremony, or Simchat Beit Hashoeivah (Celebration of the house of Water-Drawing), Jesus stood up and cried, saying: “If any man thirsts, let him come unto Me and drink. He that Believes on me, as the scriptures say, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”
And we see from verse 39, that This He spake of the Spirit which they that believe on Him should receive, for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Now I want you to notice somethings here… first, for Jesus to stand up and cry-aloud right in the middle of this ceremony, it must be a special thing and it must be important. Try to visualize what was happening here. Jesus was at a great feast. Everyone around Him was eating and drinking and being merry. But Jesus looked into their spirits, and what He saw was that their spirits were malnourished, starved and dead. And when He saw the sad state of their spirits, when He saw that they were weak, He wanted so desperately to feed them, that He stood-up right there, and cried, and shouted. For people to come to Him to receive the nourishment for their spirits that they so desperately need. Do you think Jesus is still crying like that today? Are believers still weak? Are they still thirsty? Let’s make it personal… how about you?
Notice what Jesus says: If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me, and drink. Is that an open invitation? Is that only for a specific person, or people? If you’re thirsty, you come to Jesus and drink. He then goes on to say, He who believes on me, as the scriptures have said… don’t miss that point because right here we are beyond your thoughts, your feelings, your emotions, man’s opinions and abstract theology, now the rubber meets the road, do you believe on Jesus as the scriptures say? Because if so, then out of your belly, will flow rivers (more than one) of living water. This is referring to the gifts and power (the dunamis) of the Spirit, as mentioned in verse 39.
In Matthew 16:13-15, Jesus asks Peter a question: “Who do men say that I am?”
Then He follows up with: “But who do you say that I am?”
You see the key in what Jesus cried at the feast, is believing on Him as the scriptures say… the moment you buy into a lie that Jesus is less than what the scriptures say, you let some of that water drain out. The moment you say that God doesn’t heal, or that He won’t provide for any of your needs, the water drains out. But whoever believes on Him as the scriptures have said, out of his belly flows rivers of living water. And He spoke this about the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Spirit was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.
Friend, I have talked to countless people who in one way or another, begin to diminish the finish work of Christ in an area, and they lessen the power and gifts of His Spirit, and little-by-little, the rivers that are supposed to flow, suddenly becomes smaller and smaller until it’s eventually just a trickle. And people are dying every day, both physically and spiritually as well.
Yet again look at what the scriptures say: Jesus asks Peter, who do men say that I am? And they say that Jesus is all kinds of “lesser” things, such as the Old Covenant prophets, or just a good man or teacher. All of those take away from the fullness of Jesus in some way.
Then Jesus says, but who do you say that I am?
At the end of the day, what matters is who you see Jesus to be. Is He your Healer? Is He your Protector? Is He your Provider, and your very Life? If so, recall again what Jesus said at the celebration:
If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He that believes on me, as the scriptures say, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
Now, let me ask you a few questions:
Today is Jesus glorified? Yes.
Has the Holy Spirit been given? Yes.
Have you received?
If not, and you would like to know how, turn to Luke 11:13:
“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”
This verse here, just as with John 7:37, makes it clear… if you want it, simply come to Jesus and drink. If you really want the Holy Spirit in a powerful way, ask! Matthew 7:7, ask and it will be given. So if you ask, is anything else required? If you ask, do you believe God will hear and answer in the affirmative? Because He has promised to do exactly that in multiple places in scripture.
So if you ask, and God sends you the Holy Spirit, how do you receive? The exact same way that you receive everything from God, including salvation… faith!
Could it really be that simple? Yes! Turn to Galatians 3:13-14:
“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree:
That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”
The amazing thing is that we all have read these scriptures hundreds even thousands of times. The answers have been there all along. So believe and receive. Receive the power of the Holy Spirit. Ask, and it will be given. There is no guesswork, no maybe, no dice-roll. It is a promise! You do not need to live weak and powerless any longer. This is the gift of Jesus to you. He redeemed you so that you can receive His life, His nature and His Spirit, complete with power. You live through Him. Live in the Power of the Spirit.
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