BAPTISM WITH THE HOLY GHOST
In the Old Testament there are examples of the
Spirit of God resting upon and coming upon individuals from time to time, The
most notable is with Samson: "And the Spirit of the Lord began to move him
at times,,, " (Judges 13:25), On three separate occasions the Spirit of
the Lord came upon him.
The father of John the Baptist, Zacharias, was
struck dumb because of unbelief when promised a son, After being restored, he
was filled with the Holy Ghost. Momentary manifestations of the Holy Ghost were
common prior to the mighty outpouring of the Holy Ghost on the day Pentecost,
alter Christ's ascension.
John the Baptist broke ground for the baptism
with the Holy Ghost, and Jesus prepared His disciples for the outpouring,
"I indeed baptize you with water unto
repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I…he shall baptize you
with the Holy Ghost, and with fire" (Matt.3:11).
"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....shall be in you" (John
14:16, 17).
"Behold, I send the promise of my Father
upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with
power.,,, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses
unto me..." (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8).
It is interesting to note that after His
departing instructions, Jesus led His disciples to Bethany, and blessed them.
By that blessing (their sanctification), the fear-ridden, and depressed
disciples were filled with "great joy" as they returned to Jerusalem
(Luke 24:50-52), About 120 disciples, both men and women, tarried in an upper
room until:
"…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 like as of fire, and it
sat upon each of them, And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began
to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts
2:1-4),
There are three basic points to this initial
outpouring of the Holy Ghost:
1. They were all with one accord.
2. They were all filled with the Holy Ghost.
3. They all spoke with other tongues.
Receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost, as recorded
in Acts 2, reveals an experience foreign to the disciples of Christ speaking in
other tongues as the Spirit gave the utterance. In the natural, such was
impossible for the one hundred twenty disciples. Bible believers should in
these last days, hold firm the principle of this doctrine that speaking in
tongues is the initial evidence of the disciple of Christ receiving the baptism
with the Holy Ghost.
In addition to the above. scriptural reference,
support is found in:
1. The converts at Cornelius' house (Acts
10:44-46).
2. About twelve of John's disciples at Ephesus
(Acts 19:1-6).
The baptism with the Holy Ghost is primarily
enduement of power for service. This gift of the Holy Ghost is "given to
them that obey Him" (Acts 5:32), and to those whose vessels have been
sanctified, "meet for the master's use" (2 Timothy 2:21), Paul
declares that the human body:
"…is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is
in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own" and the Body of
Christ, the Church, is a "…building fitly framed together growth unto an
holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation
of God through the Spirit" (1Cor, 6:19; Eph, 2:21, 22).
Embracing God's plan, the experience of
sanctification is a prerequisite for the baptism with the Holy Ghost, "As
your faith is," the Christian convert may receive the experiences of born
again, sanctification, and the baptism with the Holy Ghost in swift succession,
the understanding coming after the fact. In "seeking" for the baptism
of the Holy Ghost, one can only seek to completely surrender all to the Lord,
for it is unnecessary to seek after a gift that is already there being freely
offered.
For that precious soul that backslides, all gain
is lost. Restoration is never complete except there be a complete return to
that spiritual level from which he or she has fallen, That includes the baptism
with the Holy Ghost, The Scripture plainly teaches that, "...unto
whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required..," (Luke 12:48).
Unequivocally, the Bible supports speaking in
tongues as the evidence that one has received the baptism with the Holy Ghost.
Jesus declared, "they shall speak with new tongues" (Mark 16:17).
"Sin is a reproach to any people"
(Prov. 14:34), and .sound doctrine exalts His people in His eyes. "Take
heed unto thyself and unto the doctrine; continue in them for in doing this
thou shalt both save thyself and them that hear thee" (1 Tim. 4:16).
You must admit you are a sinner, confess your sin to Jesus, repent (turn from all you know is wrong), ask Jesus to come in your heart, and begin to follow Jesus by reading and obeying his word and go to a bible believing church that teaches his word. And Tell Someone What Christ Jesus Has Done For You (Rev 12:10)
If you enjoyed this blogpost and believe some else can be helped and may be blessed pass it along:
If you have never accepted Jesus Christ here are three steps you need to take to be saved:
You must admit you are a sinner, confess your sin to Jesus, repent (turn from all you know is wrong), ask Jesus to come in your heart, and begin to follow Jesus by reading and obeying his word and go to a bible believing church that teaches his word. And Tell Someone What Christ Jesus Has Done For You (Rev 12:10)
May God through Christ bless you!
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If you have a prayer request or have questions that need clarification please contact me at: neverstoppraying8@gmail.com
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