By Sidharth Mohandas

Repentance

The first requirement to receive the Spirit is repentance. As said earlier in the foundational series, the call to repentance is simply a call to a changed mentality (Acts 2:38). To those of you who are seeking Abba for the baptism in the Holy Spirit, this is God’s first instruction to you: change your mindset from one of legalism to one of grace. You cannot receive the Holy Spirit by your own merits. The Holy Spirit is exactly what He is called, a gift from Abba, and not a loan (Acts 2:38). Your access to this promise is simply because of what Jesus did for you on the Cross, period. The faster you adopt this mindset, the easier you can receive Him.  

Thirst
 

Jesus stood and cried out in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whosoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, rivers of living water shall 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.” (John 7:37-39)

It moves my heart to see how Jesus “cried in a loud voice“; it shows us how important what He was saying really is. This promise is to those of you who believe in Jesus. However, the condition Jesus has put forth is not “if anyone believes…” (even though faith is a prerequisite to receiving the Spirit), it is “if anyone is thirsty…”. 

Sadly, there are many Christians today who believe, but are not thirsty. Beloved, the only thing that can bring us closer to God is thirst. Being satisfied in the Spirit is one of the most dangerous things for a Christian. The Bible teaches that we are to be covetous in the realm of the Spirit–not settling for anything less than the best (1 Cor 12:31).

Believe and Ask

God often brings this thirst in us by drawing our attention to how Jesus and His disciples ministered while they were on the earth. They healed the sick, they raised the dead, they cleansed the lepers, and they cast out demons…. A person who is confronted with their actions can respond in three different ways: One, believe that the works of the Spirit do not take place like they did in Biblical times, and reach no one. Two, believe that the works of the Spirit still continue like in Biblical times, but exclude him or herself from it. Or three, believe that the works of the Spirit still continue today, and want to see it working in their personal life. They are willing to give anything to see God’s power reach the multitudes through them. If you are in the last category, you are truly thirsty.

Just like children, we should ask for milk when we are thirsty. Jesus said, “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for bread will give him a stone; or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him scorpions? 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?” (Luke 11:11-13)

It would be contrary to Christ’s teaching to think that one must not ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit, and that one automatically receives this gift when they believe. From the above passage, we realize that belief or faith is a prerequisite to asking. I have had people ask me how I knew what I had experienced was of God. My answer to them is simple, “I asked my Abba, and I have faith He will not give me a snake or scorpion”. A child asks his father for food, having faith in his dad that he would not give him something that would harm him. Therefore, ask Abba in all faith. Be open to Him and receive.

You may ask, “Haven’t people received the Spirit without asking?” Yes, they have. I know a lot of people who have. God by His free and sovereign grace has given His Spirit even to those who did not ask. However, it would be wrong to take on an attitude that says, “If God wants to baptize me in the Spirit, let Him do it”.

Scripture assures us: This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of Him. (1 John 5:14-15) Have you asked? Has He heard? If He has, then you have what you asked of Him. Your response? Give thanks!

With this I end this series on the baptism in the Spirit. If you have any doubt (make sure you ask me these doubts after you read what I have shared up to now), feel free to ask me using the comment section.

By Sidharth Mohandas

Many people today believe that the baptism in the Spirit is a separate experience from salvation. While we tend to agree on that fact, there is a lot of disagreement as to what the evidence for the Spirit baptism actually is. What exactly are the indicators of a person baptized in the Spirit? I personally believe that if a person is ready to receive the Spirit in whatever manner He chooses to manifest Himself, the discussion on the indicators of the Spirit baptism then becomes irrelevant. It would be akin to arguing the fact that an indication of being baptized in water is getting wet. I encourage you to read along with an open heart and an open mind.

So the first question we need to ask ourselves…Is there direct evidence of the Holy Spirit baptism?

That can be answered in the form of a few questions:

Why did those at Samaria wait for Peter and John to come and lay hands on them? How did they know that the Holy Spirit hadn’t come upon them if there was not any outward evidence? What did Simon see when the apostles laid hands on them to receive the Holy Spirit? (Acts 8:12-18)

Why did Paul have to lay hands on those at Ephesus to receive the Holy Spirit even after they believed and were baptized in water? (Acts 19:4-6)

These passages show us clearly that there is definite physical evidence that accompanies the baptism in the Spirit.

Did you also notice that it wasn’t only those who received the Spirit who knew that they had received Him, but also the onlookers? (Acts 2:1-12; Acts 8:18; Acts 10:45-46; Acts 19:6)

Many people believe the evidence of the Spirit baptism is the fruit of the Spirit, while others believe it is power. But let me ask you, in how many of the five experiences did the apostles wait to observe if the fruit of the Spirit had manifested itself in the lives of the recipients, or if they started operating in the power and authority of God? From a sola scriptura standpoint, the apostles did not wait to determine if those who had received the Spirit were operating in the fruit of the Spirit, or in power.

Before we go any further, it should be noted that although power as explained in Acts 1:8 is the result of the Spirit baptism, it is not evidence for the Spirit baptism. For example, when rain falls on the ground where seed is sown for harvest, the evidence for rainfall is a wet field. The result of rainfall is that the seed grows into a plant. Likewise, power is the outcome of being baptized in the Spirit, but not the evidence. What then is the evidence? Let’s look into the passages where this experience is recorded once again:

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. [Acts 2:4]

Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money and said, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” [Acts 8:17-19]

The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. [Acts 10:45-46]

When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. [Acts 19:6]

In all 4 passages quoted above where the experience of the Holy Spirit baptism is narrated, in only 3 of them is the evidence mentioned. In those 3 passages, being filled with the Spirit has been made evident in one common way: supernatural utterance. Never did the apostles wait for any other evidence. They saw the evidence of speaking in tongues and immediately declared that the Holy Spirit had come upon the recipients. Therefore, the evidence for the Spirit baptism is supernatural utterance.

A Vision

At this juncture, I would like to share with you a vision Abba showed me concerning this while He was teaching me on the subject of the Spirit baptism. In the vision He showed me a cup and a bucket of water. The cup was being dipped into the bucket of water and He asked me, ‘What do you see?”. I said, “A cup dipped in a bucket of water”. He said, “You have seen correctly. This is the baptism in the Spirit”.

Then He went onto tell me something that really got my attention–”The first thing noticed when the cup is immersed is that its mouth starts to overflow.” But He didn’t stop there. I saw Him dip the cup deeper into the bucket to the bottom, and He said, “Many Christians stop with the overflowing of the mouth, but the purpose of the Spirit baptism is to take you down to the bottom, to the ground of humility so that I can do My work through you without any hindrance.”

There is much revelation contained in this vision. But with respect to the evidence, you must realize that this occurs in accordance to a principle you can find in Matthew 12:34 where it says “For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks” When the heart of a man is filled to overflowing, it gushes out through his speech. Therefore, when the Holy Spirit fills a person’s heart to overflowing, the direct result of that overflow takes place via that person’s speech. As the infilling is supernatural, the overflowing is supernatural as well. The person will speak in a language he or she has never learned as is shown as the norm in Scripture. 

Do all speak in tongues?

This brings us to a question that is asked very often. Do all speak in tongues? (1 Corinthians 12:30). The answer to that question is an absolute ‘no’. What many don’t realize is that the gift of tongues is not the same as the evidence of tongues that we see accompany the baptism in the Spirit.

One is a sign, the other is a gift to profit others.

Jesus said, “And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues…” (Mark 16:17). If you look into the narratives, all who received the Holy Spirit spoke in new tongues.

(1)   ALL of the 120 spoke in tongues as they were filled with the Holy Spirit

(2)  Cornelius and ALL his household spoke in tongues and glorified God when the Holy Spirit came upon them

(3)   ALL the 12 at Ephesus spoke in tongues when the Holy Spirit came upon them.

In fact, Hebrews 2:4 mentions signs and the gifts of the Holy Spirit separately.

You see, I can have faith and still not have the Gift of faith which is something totally supernatural. I can share the Gospel with someone and see them saved, and still not have the gift of evangelism. The spiritual gifts entail ministry.

When I received the Holy Spirit, I spoke in a clear language I had never learned before. However, I was unable to speak in tongues after this first experience. The reason being, I had not received the gift of diverse tongues–it was a direct result of having just been baptized in the Spirit. However, about a year later, I received the gift of tongues when a minister of God laid hands on me, and I’ve been able to operate in the gift of tongues ever since.

A great man of God by the name Smith Wigglesworth experienced the same thing. He had received a glorious baptism and spoke in tongues, but when he got back home; his son asked him if he could speak in tongues. And this is what Smith relates:

“But I could not. Why? I had received the Baptism in the Spirit with the speaking in tongues as the Bible evidence according to Acts 2:4, and had not received the Gift of tongues according to 1 Corinthians 12. I had received the Giver of all gifts. At some time later when I was helping some souls to seek and receive the Baptism of the Spirit, God gave me the Gift of tongues so that I could speak at any time.” (From Ever Increasing Faith, Chapter 12)

We will revisit the topic of speaking in tongues later on in the series.

In the coming article, I will be giving you practical instructions as to how to receive the Holy Spirit baptism. Stay tuned. 

By Sidharth Mohandas

Before we move any further, let me re-emphasize that much of what is passed down by tradition is not in line with Scripture. As we move on in the series, please make the solemn decision to go exclusively by God’s Word, rather than what has been passed down to you by tradition.

Aren’t we baptized in the Spirit the very moment we believe in Jesus? Let’s look into what Scripture has to say. We have 5 instances where this experience is recorded in the Bible and 3 instances where it is described. Studying these experiences will make clear to us the answer to the above question.

On the Day of Pentecost

After Jesus’ resurrection, He appeared to His disciples, breathed on them, and then said “Receive ye the Holy Spirit (John 20:22). We know that the disciples received the Holy Spirit at that moment, because the Greek word “lambano” that is used for “receive” is in its present tense. However, around 40 days later we find Jesus asking the same disciples not to leave Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, that is the baptism in the Spirit (Acts 1:4-5; Luke 24:49).

Out of obedience, the disciples went to Jerusalem and waited for the baptism in the Spirit. Around 10 days later, that is on the day of Pentecost, the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance (Acts 2:4).

But how do we distinguish these incidents that took place in John 20:22 and Acts 2:4? The difference is in the work performed by the Holy Spirit in the passages. In John 20:22, God breathes His Spirit on His disciples just like He breathed on Adam in the book of Genesis. Just as Adam was made alive, the disciples were made alive in their spirits. They were born-again into Abba’s kingdom. However, through the baptism in the Spirit in Acts 2:4, they were being offered power so that they’d be living witnesses to the ascension of Jesus. We recall that Jesus had told the disciples that He would send the Holy Spirit once He went back to the Father (John 15:26; John 16:7; Acts 2:32-33).

In Samaria  

Around 8 years after the occurrences in Acts 2, Philip goes to preach the Gospel in Samaria, and the people of Samaria believe the Gospel and are baptized in water (Acts 8:12). Were those people saved? Yes, absolutely! The apostles in Jerusalem hear that Samaria had accepted the word of God, and they send Peter and John to them (Acts 8:14). What did Peter and John do when they came to those who accepted the word at Samaria? Scripture says, “When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT”. Why? Because the HOLY SPIRIT HAD NO YET COME UPON ANY OF THEM; they had simply been baptized in the name of Jesus. (Acts 8:15-16). Then Peter and John laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:17). We can conclude that baptism in the Spirit is therefore a different experience apart from salvation.  

In Ephesus

Twenty-five years after what took place on the day of Pentecost, Paul meets with a group of disciples, which at first he mistakes for Jesus’ disciples. But seeing the lack of power in their lives, he asks them, “Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed? (Acts 19:2).  He asks this question because Jesus said in Acts 1:8 “Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you…” So in response to Paul’s question they say, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit”. Paul immediately asks them with what baptism they were baptized in, for if they were baptized in the Christian water baptism, they would surely have heard the name “Holy Spirit“, as the Christian water baptism is ministered in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). To this they reply and say, “John’s baptism”. Now Paul realizes these were just John’s disciples and not Jesus’ disciples, so he preaches the Gospel to them and encourages them to believe in the One who came after John, in Jesus. Upon hearing this, they believe and are baptized in water (Acts 19:5). Then when Paul lays his hands on them, all of them receive the Holy Spirit and speak in other tongues and prophesy.

Why did Paul have to lay hands on them if they had already been baptized in the Holy Spirit at the time they believed?  

Paul when he writes to the same group of believers says, “You also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 1:13). This is another Scripture used by  Christians who believe that they receive the Holy Spirit at the time they believe in Jesus. However, when comparing this verse with the actual event, we realize that these disciples believed in Jesus when Paul preached to them the word of truth, but they received the promised Holy Spirit only after Paul laid hands on them. Notice the Scripture says, “Having believed…“

I encourage those of you who haven’t received the Spirit, to to seek Abba for the empowerment that He is offering you through the Spirit baptism.