Receiving The Baptism In The Holy Spirit
Acts 1:4-9
Children of God, The Baptism in The Holy Spirit is a Gift God wants us to have, Jesus said that this Gift is a promise from God The Father ( Joel 2:28-29; Luke 24:49)
Acts 1:4-5, 8
There us no specific, lengthy formula to guarantee being baptized in the Holy Spirit; but there are some helpful patterns you can follow as you pray and prepare to receive this powerful gift.
1 Relax…
Receiving the baptism in The Holy Spirit is not always an immediate experience in the books of acts, the believers in the upper room waited ten days. Do not get discouraged.
2 Worship God…
The baptism is The Holy Spirit is a means of honoring God it I not about what you get from him, it is about what he gives to you. Turn your complete attention toward christ. Create a atmosphere of worship and thanksgiving by expressing love and appreciation out loud, not just in your mind.
3 Seek The Giver, not The Gift..
Focus should not be on tongues or a spiritual experience; it should be on getting more of Jesus and his power in your life, The Holy Spirit desire and purpose is to draw attention to Christ ( In 16:13-14)
4 Leave your native language so you can speak a new language.
As you worship and wait, you may sense strange unknown words or syllables coming to your mind. You cannot speak two languages at once, so at some point you must stop speaking in your won language and start praising in the spiritual language. The Holy Spirit will bring words to your mind, but you must do the will bring word to your, but you must do the speaking. ( If your lips and tongue starts stammering or trembling, The Holy Spirit is likely trying to get you to speak. You may not hear the words in your mind, but when you surrender to the Spirit and step out in Faith, he will honor Your faith and help you speak )
5 Speak even if it does not sound like a language.
Many languages and distracts may not sound like anything to you only because you do not understand them. Being filled with the spirit is not based on your understanding, but on speaking in obedience to the spirits leading.
6 Speak even if it is only a few syllables.
Do not worry if your Spiritual language seems limited at first. More will come, do not go back to your native language after you start speaking in tongues, whether there are many words or just a few. Cooperate with the spirit. Do not be afraid to move your tongue and lips to form the words ( keep in mind, however that another person cannot begin your experience by instructing you in what to say or by giving you incoherent syllabes to begin with. Only the Holy Spirit can give you the words.)
7 Trust that you are getting what you ask for.
God promises to give the good gift of the Holy Spirit to those who desire him with all their heart ( Luke 11:9-13). often, when people begin to sense the spirit prompting them to speak, they, they are afraid it might just be their own words or simple meaningless talk. But if your focus is truly on Christ and you are willing to take a bold step and use the gift, you can be confident that you are getting exactly what he had promised. In summery Jesus told his followers to expect the gift of baptism in the Holy Spirit and to be continually filled with The Spirit ( EPH 5:18) He knew the spiritual power and sensitivity it would bring to their lives, from Acts to Revelation, we read about what Jesus followers did through the power of The Holy Spirit to this day, the baptism in The Holy Spirit continues to fill christians with the desire and urgency to carry out Christs commission to take his message throughout the world (Act 1:8; 2:42-47). Baptism in The Holy Spirit is as relevant now as it was in the early church because christians today need the same power and guidance to live for christ and accomplish his purposes in Jesus name.
Be Blessed in Jesus name
The Evangelist
Chris Okoh
LCSVM