Basic Elements of Christianity
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit 18(10/30)
Basic Elements of Christianity
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit 18(10/30)
 Worship in the old chapel of Northeast Bible Institute. Many who had received the baptism of the Holy Spirit freely worshiped. |
Another usage of water, that of baptism, was developed prior to the birth of the Messiah. Baptism in water was a facet of John the Baptist's ministry, which Christ Himself participated in.
However, John stated there would be another type of baptism:
"There cometh after me One mightier than I, the strap of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. I indeed have baptized you with water, but He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit." (Mark 1:7-8, KJ21).
Prior to His ascension, Christ told His disciples to go to Jerusalem and wait for the promise of the Father, which "ye have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days hence." (Acts 1:4-5)
Ten days later (Acts 2:1-4, KJ21), "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."
However, on the day of Pentecost (see Lev. 22:15-22) two loaves of leavened bread made from freshly harvested grain were wave offered. These symbolically spoke of the Church, those who would truly commit to Jesus as their Messiah. We are born sinners. Our sins are forgiven and our sin nature crucified when we commit to Christ. However, as you already know, we have to daily crucify ourselves. We also sin at times, but can receive forgiveness and cleansing upon confession of sin. So the leavened bread foretold of the fact that God's people would deal with their sins through the power of Christ.
As you see in Acts, the disciples spoke in other tongues, languages they had not learned, but were directed, empowered and used by the Holy Spirit. They were so filled with the Holy Spirit that God was in control of their tongue. If that sounds odd, consider what is written in James:
"Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell." (James 3:5-6)
But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison." (James 3:8)
 Charles Foster's impression of what occurred on the Day of Pentecost when the disciples were baptized with the Holy Spirit and spoke with other tongues as the Spirit gave utterance. |
If you have read the Gospels, you will know that there were many times the disciples got into trouble by misusing their tongue. Also, the disciples were quite spiritually weak prior to the outpouring at Pentecost. They forsook the Lord when He was arrested, and though He had risen from the dead, they cowered behind closed doors due to fear of the Jews. However, after the outpouring at Pentecost, they continued to spread the Gospel of Christ despite heavy persecution. The healing virtue of God flowed through them and the fruits of the Holy Spirit were evident in their lives. Because they received the Holy Spirit's baptism, they had been endued (clothed with) "power from on high" as Jesus said they would be (Lk. 24:49): "And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high."
As you see from that verse, the outpouring upon the disciples at Pentecost was the promise of the Father. God certainly keeps His promises. By the Spirit, Peter declared that what occurred to the disciples was indeed the promise of the Father (Acts 2:33), and you know from a previous lesson that the Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Promise (Eph. 1:13).
All Christians are still in a learning process, so the condition of v.12 has not been met. It should be evident to us that the full knowledge spoken of here shall not be attained until we are raised from the dead. Since the condition of v.12 has not been met, tongues, prophecies and similar blessings of God are still relevant today.
Also, though the Word of God is perfect, that is not what is meant for "when that which is perfect is come," for the Word of God had already existed (Psa. 119:89) though it was not completely written until before 100 AD. I would say "that which is perfect" refers to the final condition as described in Revelation 21 to 22, which Christ was referring to in John 14:2-3.
Another thing to consider is that there is no proof that "tongues" did cease. Some people assume a complete cessation after John died, since tongues are scarcely mentioned, if at all, in post-Bible Christian literature. The fact is, many Christian writers in the centuries after the initial Apostles were often more concerned about dealing with doctrinal error, heresy and internal problems than describing a gathering. Another thing to consider is that sometimes Christian documents were destroyed during persecutions.
No doubt though, the manifestations of the Holy Spirit diminished due to the fact most people began to turn to sin and not to the Savior. By 400 AD idolatry and power hungry politics could be found within churches. Sadly, the Roman Catholic "sacrament" of confirmation is an empty shell of the once powerful blessing many received in the early church when some had hands laid upon them by other Christians as they prayed (Acts 8:17, 19:6).
Regardless, the Holy Spirit's baptism was mightily poured forth again in the early 1900s. One such outpouring occurred in 1906 at what has been called the Azusa Street revival. The Pentecostal movement forged ahead and soon there were Pentecostal churches, fellowships, denominations and Bible schools. What many Christians don't realize though is that as God's hand was active in the spirit realm to bless His people with power, it was also active to bring power in the secular realm. Around a year before the Azusa Street revival, Albert Einstein introduced his theory of special relativity and related work which enlightened our minds to the fact that energy and matter are essentially the same. E=mc2 became a well known equation, and its power help set the stage for the fulfillment of Isa 66:8. Remember the discussion on this? We'll discuss it more in the lesson on Holy Bible Prophecy.
It should be very clear that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is for today. After hearing certain comments when the initial outpouring occurred (Acts 2:12-13), Peter was prompted by the Holy Spirit to give his first sermon. He based his message on Joel 2:28-32, and we read Peter's presentation of it in Acts 2:17-21:
Did you notice verse 17? "And it shall come to pass in the last days..." Certainly we are in the last days (of the Gentile Age). If we would continue to read in Joel, we would see the "last days" would include the restoration of Israel (Joel 3:1), and Armageddon (3:2), which has not yet occurred as of the creation of this lesson. The rule of the nations ends after Armageddon and Christ rules on earth for a thousand years (Rev. 20).
Some will go so far as saying that unless you speak in tongues, you are not saved. They develop that viewpoint by isolating (taking out of context) certain passages and then neglecting passages where people commit to Christ but there is no record of them speaking in tongues. They fail to see some believed and were baptized in water prior to receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:12-17), and some had not heard a thing about the Holy Spirit but believed and were baptized in water first (Acts 19:1-7).
If we carefully read Romans 8, we will see in verses 1 to 15 it is clear that the Spirit of God dwells within a true Christian. In verse 15 we see the Spirit of adoption will cause us to cry out "Abba, Father." Abba is from the Aramaic, a known language, and the term "Father" is translated from another known language, Greek. Neither reflects speaking in "other tongues," languages we have not learned but by which we speak by the power and direction of God. As we continue past verse 15, we then see a distinction in 23 (as just mentioned) and 26-27.
Had it been an absolute necessity to speak with other tongues in order to be saved surely we would have seen an effort to that end in cases like the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26-40) and the Philippian jailor (Acts 16:25-34). However, while it is not necessary for salvation, the gift of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is certainly something that God wants us to have.
Before His merciful passion on the cross, Christ told His disciples (John 14:15-17), "If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." After His resurrection He symbolically encouraged them to receive His Spirit (John 20:21-22). When someone commits to Christ and becomes born-again, Christ resides in that person by His Spirit (John 14:23). So every true Christian already has the Holy Spirit to some degree dwelling within them. However, the Scriptures indicate we are to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18) and, amen, filled to overflowing (John 7:38)!
To illustrate this, consider that you are like a glass that holds water. When you committed to Christ, by His Holy Spirit He came to dwell inside of you. Unlike the glass though, we have a will. We can decide how much can be within us. If we take a glass and start putting water into it, we can fill it. However, we can keep pouring water into that glass and it will overflow. As the water goes over the rim of the glass, it runs down the side of the glass. The glass is immersed (baptized in a sense) in water. It could also be considered that the glass is clothed with water. The word "endued" in Luke 29:49 to denote the baptizing action of the Holy Spirit means to be clothed.
Just as we can tell a glass of water is full and overflowing by the fact water is pouring over the top of it and down along its sides, speaking in tongues by a true Christian is the first evidence that the person has received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. They may have felt the wonderful presence of God within them as they were filled to overflowing, but it is not known that they have received the Spirit's baptism until they begin to speak with another language by the power of God. So, speaking in tongues by a true Christian is the initial evidence that the person has received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
1. Added Protection: Whether we say baptized or clothed, the vessel we are speaking of is covered. Before His death, Christ prayed to the Father (John 17:15), "I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil." Being not only filled, but covered with the Holy Spirit, will certainly help us to be protected from the evil. It is up to us, though, to remain under that covering (Jude 21).
2. Added Inner Cleansing: We also deal with the inner problem of responding to our sin nature. While that was addressed in part above under "Its Necessity," also remember that an emblem of the Holy Spirit is fire. Mark 9:49 states, "For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt." We will get to the salt later, but for now keep in mind that our lives are to be a living sacrifice unto God through Christ (Rom. 12:1), saying yes to God and no to satan (I avoid capitalization of that name), the world, and our very own selves. Whether it is unresolved areas of our sin nature or being spiritually infected by the world, with our cooperation the fire of the Holy Spirit can purge us.
As you remember, wine is an emblem of the Holy Spirit. As you have read above, the leavened bread offered on Pentecost represents the Church, the Body of Christ. In a way, the leavened bread (like most of the other sacrifices) may also represent the individual believer. As the leaven works in the bread it forms gases that expand the bread which create small gaps throughout the bread. These may represent the spiritual deficiencies in our lives. Now let us consider the Greek word for baptize, baptizo. Vine2 states the word was ". . . primarily a frequentative form of bapto, to dip, was used among the Greeks to signify the dyeing of a garment . . .". When a garment is dyed it is often submerged in a colored solution which then thoroughly colors the garment within and without as it fills in all minute gaps in the fabric. With that, you can see why we are admonished to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18), and filled to overflowing as we have already described. It is good to remove bitterness, vengeance, lust, etc from within., and permit God to fill us with His Holy Spirit. May we be filled with Him, and have no place for sin!
3. Increases Spiritual Fruit: We are exhorted by the Word to produce spiritual fruit (John 15:8, Gal. 5:22-24), and godly logic indicates the more the Holy Spirit flows in our lives, the more spiritual fruit we will produce.
4. An Added Way to Worship God: Acts 2:7-11
5. Power to Witness: In Acts 1:8, Christ told His disciples, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." Before he received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, Peter had denied Christ three times and, with other disciples, met secretly for fear of the Jews that might kill them. However, after receiving the Baptism, he boldly proclaimed the Gospel.
6. Special Intercessory Prayer: Some languages are more expressive than others, and no human knows what ranges of expression can be had in angelic languages. There are times that those who have been baptized with the Holy Spirit feel an overflowing during prayer and begin to pray in other tongues. This is the Spirit's way for us to be more expressive in prayer, thus, more powerful in prayer. Romans 8:26--"Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." This can add to our personal comfort at times when we are beset with problems.
7. Baptized into the Church (Body of Christ): 1 Co. 12:13--"For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit." Though a person becomes part of the Church, the Body of Christ, upon true commitment to Christ, there is the aspect of being Spirit baptized into the Church which we shall explore shortly.
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Some Wrong Ideas 1. Speaking In Tongues Is Not for Every Christian
Those who feel this way will cite passages from 1 Corinthians 12 such as “If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?” (verse 17), and “Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of miracles? Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?” (verses 29 and 30).
However, as noted in this lesson in the column to the left, these passages are dealing with the charisma of tongues and not the dorea. In Acts 2, the Greek text shows it is the dorea of the Holy Spirit manifested in speaking in tongues. In response to those that were convicted by the Holy Spirit of their need of salvation during the Apostle Peter’s message, we read in verses 38 and 39, “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift (dorea) of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” Later in Acts 10 we see the experience came upon all who had heard the Word of God that had gathered in Cornelius’ home. 2. The rules of 1 Corinthians 14 must always be followed.
This is true for the charismata, but there is a different situation involved with the dorea. In Acts 10, all that heard the Word of God were blessed with the dorea and there is no record that there were only two or, at the most, three who spoke in tongues, which is also true for the crowd of believers in Acts 2. 3. Tongues must always be interpreted.
While this is the ideal for the charisma of tongues (1 Co. 12 – 14), there were no interpretations recorded in Acts 10. Also, in Acts 2, despite the fact that numerous known languages were miraculously spoken, apparently there were some languages unknown to all present and seemed like they were not earthly languages at all. Acts 2:13 states, “Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine,” implying, in the least, some heard utterances that seemed like jibber. We see in 1 Co. 13:1 angels have languages so, to my mind, Acts 2:13 could indicate that some believers were speaking in angelic languages. Once again, the Greek word for "gift" in Acts 2 and 10 is dorea. 4. A Christian may speak in tongues, but not in church.
Those who think this are usually taking the words of Paul by the Holy Spirit in 1 Co. 14:19 out of context with the rest of the chapter. While in that verse he said by the Spirit “Yet in the church I had rather speak five words with my understanding, that by my voice I might teach others also, than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue,” by the Spirit he also indicated that the charisma of tongues should be permitted (verse 27) and not forbidden. 1 Co. 12:7-11 also shows that the charisma (gift) of tongues should be part of the church assembly like the other charismata (gifts) of the Holy Spirit. Also, with all the directives about the flow of Christian meeting, Paul did say by the Holy Spirit (1 Co. 14:39), “Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues.” The charisma of tongues is perfectly acceptable in the church meetings, as was the dorea as seen in Acts. Considering Acts 2 and 10, it is apparent that the dorea may move upon the congregation of true believers as God sees fit.
While not every Christian is used in the charisma of tongues, Peter speaking by the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, stated that the dorea, which was promised by the Father (Acts 1:4), was for whoever would commit to Christ: “For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” Acts 2:39 5. If Someone Speaks in Tongues This is a Sign They are a Christian.
Those that feel this way should remember our Lord Himself warned us about false signs and wonders (Mt. 24:24) as did Paul by the Holy Spirit (2 Th. 2:9). We need to keep in mind that satan himself can appear as an angel of light (2 Co. 11:14) and that a miracle shall be involved with the Antichrist (Rev. 13:3, 12, and 14). Logically, speaking in tongues can be easily faked. However, that does not mean the genuine experience does not exist. Remember that the Lord said we can tell by a person’s fruits (Mt. 7:16-20), not necessarily their gifts. 6. It Was A Miracle Of Hearing and Not Speaking.
Those who think this use Acts 2:8-11 but ignore 2:4 which clearly states, “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” The last phrase clearly indicates it was a miraculous utterance, and the Holy Spirit was the origin of it.
7. They Spoke In Languages They Already Knew.
Let us look at Acts 2:4 again. They spoke with other tongues. The Greek for “other” is heteros which can mean, “of another kind,” an indication that each miraculously spoke a language not previously learned by them. 8. Since We Do Not See Tongues Of Fire Above The Heads Of Pentecostals Speaking In Tongues This Cannot Be The True Experience.
When Solomon's Temple was dedicated, visible fire from heaven set ablaze the first offering in the Temple. It is considered by most that the Church, made up of individual committed believers, was birthed on the day of Pentecost as recorded in Acts 2. Since the body of each true believer is the Temple of the Holy Spirit, tongues of fire appeared above the heads of the first Christians as they were filled to overflowing.
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“Quench not the Spirit.”–1 Thessalonians 5:19 Williams:"Stop stifling the Spirit." |
One thing that prevents believers from receiving the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is their misunderstanding of the Scriptures dealing with it or / and the misinformation presented by those not knowledgeable of, or opposed to, the Pentecostal experience. One's flesh can naturally be opposed to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit since an aspect of the Baptism is to purge our flesh from its daily infection of being exposed to the sinful elements of the world. In order to clear up misunderstandings and misinformation, let us see what the Holy Bible says.
Among other places in the New Testament, speaking in tongues is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles and in 1 Corinthians. In both locations, the word “gift” is used in connection with glossolalia (tongues) in most English versions. However, what many Christians do not know is that in each location a different Greek word is being used.
In Acts, the Greek word, “dorea,” (pronounced dough – ray – ah) is used. The word “charisma” (pronounced kha – ris – mah) is used in 1 Corinthians 12 to 14 in connection with the manifestation of tongues. "Pneumatikos" (noo-mat-ik-os) is also translated as "gifts" in 12:1, 14:37 and other verses in 1 Corinthians and, depending upon the context, is a synonym of charisma.
Dorea essentially means “gift” as in birthday or Christmas gift. While charisma can also mean this to a degree, it can also mean to be "talented" by God with gifts of extraordinary powers, enabling Christians to serve the Body of Christ and further the work of God. Thus, we can consider charisma (plural being charismates, pronounced khah-ris-mah-tays; or charismata, khah-ris-mah-ta) to mean “gift” as in a talent, such as a “gifted pianist” or “gifted painter.”
Knowing the distinctions between these two Greek words, and an honest approach to Holy Bible interpretation, will help to clear up some misconceptions of speaking in tongues such as those shown in the chart above to the right.
The distinction does not stop there. By the context of Holy Scripture, we should also note that a primary purpose of the dorea of tongues as seen in Acts was to empower the believers for ongoing external ministry — evangelism. By gentle contrast, the charismata of tongues of 1 Corinthians was to empower the Christians for ministry within the assembly of believers predominately through spiritual edification. In both cases it is the same precious Holy Spirit empowering the believer, but as the "dorea" He empowers Christians to reach the non-Christians, and as the "charisma" He empowers Christians to minister to each other.
Considering the Scriptures, it is sensible that the dorea of the Spirit comes before the charismata of the Spirit. Looking in Acts, oftentimes those desiring the Baptism of the Spirit had hands laid upon them during prayer. However, as we see in Acts 10, those of Cornelius' household who heard the Word received the Baptism, and apparently no one laid hands upon them.
Regardless, these received the Baptism because they were seeking a deeper walk in God, were obedient to Christ and yielded to whatever the Holy Spirit wanted them to do prior to receiving the Baptism. It has been said amongst Pentecostals that those seeking this precious experience should not seek the Baptism itself, but the the Baptizer. It is perfectly fine to ask God for the Baptism, but to receive it we should believe that He will do it and actively worship Him in our native tongue until we sense His overflowing within us. I have seen people receive the Baptism with or without hands laid upon them. I heard a report while at Northeast Bible Institute that some Mennonites had been sitting in the back of the chapel and at one point just leaned their heads back and started speaking in tongues. One young man received it while taking a shower. In all, a common denominator is a yielded heart that seeks Him through worship.
We are exhorted by the Holy Scriptures to be continuously filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18), which should be a natural part of our communion with Christ. We should endeavor to avoid impurity so we may continue to receive not only the blessing of the Baptism, but any of God's blessings. We can be a blessing to others by guarding ourselves and receiving His blessings.
Remember that by the Holy Spirit Peter indicated that the dorea of the Spirit, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, is the promise of the Father to every committed believer in Christ. If you have not received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, or have drawn away from it, I encourage you to have a willing mind to accept this blessing, ask God for it, and continually fervently worship Him.
When you are ready, take a quiz. English only.
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1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein
2Vine, Vol. 1, p97
Continue to the next lesson, The Fruit and Gifts of the Spirit
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