“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)
After a person has been born again and has believed in Jesus Christ, a vital next step is for him to receive the Holy Spirit. The Bible calls this the baptism of the Holy Spirit, being filled with the Holy Spirit, or receiving the Holy Spirit. The Faithless have resisted this teaching. They claim that what happens to us at conversion, when we believe in Jesus Christ, is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and they claim that when we receive Jesus Christ, we also receive the Holy Spirit.
However, the Bible contradicts this. Although the new birth is the work of the Holy Spirit, the Bible does not say that this is to receive the Holy Spirit. It reserves this type of expression to a separate and subsequent experience. Regardless of how much the Holy Spirit is involved in regeneration when we receive Jesus Christ, it is not the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and it is not being filled with the Holy Spirit. It does not matter in what sense one claims to “have” the Holy Spirit after conversion, the Bible does not say that this person has received the Holy Spirit.
The Bible describes regeneration as something performed by the Holy Spirit, but it refers to the baptism of the Holy Spirit as something performed by Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit causes us to be born again, convinces us of our need for Jesus Christ and creates faith in us to follow him. At this point, we are saved from the wrath of God. We are the children of God. When we receive Jesus Christ, we receive forgiveness and salvation. God credits the righteousness of Christ to our account.
After this, Jesus Christ baptizes us with the Holy Spirit. This is not for regeneration, not for forgiveness, and not for salvation. Rather, Jesus pours out the Holy Spirit upon us to give us power — power to live this new life, power to speak for him, and power to perform miracles in his name.
The Faithless distort the letters of Paul to supplant this doctrine of Spirit baptism, but Paul himself asserts this doctrine of Spirit baptism in the Acts of the Apostles. In his letters, Paul would often assume that his readers have the Holy Spirit. False theology exploits this and claims the apostle thought that all those who had converted to Jesus also received the Holy Spirit at the same time.
However, we must remember that Paul’s letters were written years after the baptism of the Holy Spirit had become the norm. He also assumed that his readers had received water baptism. Are we to assume that everyone who receives Jesus Christ is automatically baptized in water? Are we to think that when someone believes in Jesus, water supernaturally appears and drenches the person without delay? Nobody makes this absurd claim about water baptism, but they say this about the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Of course we could assume that those who were saved by faith in Jesus had also received water baptism, because it was the standard teaching. Likewise, Paul could speak to Christians as if they had received the Holy Spirit, because it was the standard teaching that those who had received Jesus should afterward also receive the Holy Spirit by faith. But it was a separate event, just as water baptism was a separate event.
The distinction is vital to the health of believers and churches, and to the progress of the gospel in the world. The conflation of receiving Jesus Christ and receiving the Holy Spirit has effectively eliminated the baptism of the Holy Spirit in those circles that insist on teaching this error. Suppose a church claims that the baptism of water is what happens when a person receives Jesus Christ. What would happen? It would effectively eliminate water baptism, since anyone who confesses Jesus Christ is declared as baptized with water, even when the reality is that it is a separate event.
For centuries, this error and heresy about the baptism of the Holy Spirit has existed in most church and seminary circles. And since the baptism of the Holy Spirit is the thing that confers power from God, many generations of people who claimed to follow Jesus Christ had lived without this power that he commanded his disciples to receive before they were considered equipped to be his witnesses. As a result, this error and heresy has done incalculable damages to the cause of the gospel.
This is a main reason believers and churches have been weak and defeated. And it is a main reason the gospel has not made more progress through the centuries. It is a main reason that religious leaders have resorted to carnal methods, and to cultural and political activism. Faithless doctrines and human traditions are directly responsible. If something is meant to provide salvation, but it is absorbed into another thing so that it disappears, then no one gets saved. And if something is meant to provide power, but it is absorbed into another thing so that it disappears, then no one obtains power.
Refer to this doctrine as the baptism of the Holy Spirit, being filled with the Holy Spirit, or even receiving the Holy Spirit. Opponents would protest that this implies those who are saved have never “received” the Holy Spirit in any sense. However, regardless of the role of the Spirit in conversion, it is something else to “receive” the Holy Spirit. This is the way Scripture itself refers to this doctrine and experience, and this is the way Scripture itself distinguishes it from conversion. And so this is how we will proceed. There is no need to compromise on how we refer to it.
The Bible says that if anyone confesses Jesus as Lord and believes in his resurrection, then he is saved. The apostles received the Holy Spirit many days after they acknowledged the resurrection of Christ. The people in Samaria received the Holy Spirit days after they believed the preaching of Philip. They received the Holy Spirit when the apostles laid their hands on the people — no one receives salvation by the laying on of hands. They were already saved by the preaching of Philip days earlier.
God is sovereign and generous, so that sometimes he would baptize people with the Holy Spirit and cause them to speak in tongues and prophecies the moment they receive Jesus Christ in their hearts. Moreover, some people are simply quick to believe, and so they receive the Holy Spirit in a matter of minutes after they receive Jesus. However, sometimes there is a delay between the two events.
In the Acts of the Apostles, Paul assumed that a certain group of people were disciples of Jesus, and so he asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit. He knew that not all those who had received Christ would afterward immediately receive the Holy Spirit, since these are two different things. Paul himself received the Holy Spirit days after he witnessed and confessed the resurrected Christ.
The Four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles devote far more attention and emphasis to the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the supernatural effects that it produces than the Lord’s Supper and water baptism. As important as these two things are, they are only mentioned in passing, practically ignored in comparison. I speak relatively, for Jesus said that we should obey all the commands of God. But he also said that even among the commands of God, some matters are more important than others.
In contrast to Scripture, faithless traditions and churches emphasize the Lord’s Supper and water baptism rather than receiving the Holy Spirit. This is because they have no faith and no power, and faithless and powerless people tend to embrace traditions that perpetuate their faithlessness and powerlessness, so that they could justify themselves and not embarrass themselves. However, this is not good for them, and not good for the world. This is why Christians are so foolish, so weak and defeated.
We need to wake them up, even if it means we must offend them. And then there are those who are not saved in the first place. They hold on to faithless doctrines and traditions because they have never believed in Jesus. They pretend to believe in Jesus and hide among us. But the baptism of the Holy Spirit involves power that can be experienced and demonstrated. This is difficult for them to pretend, and so it is difficult for them to accept the biblical doctrine. We must speak the truth and expose them, so that we can remove their power to deceive, and so that we might save some of them.
Satan is the one who orchestrated the false doctrine that merges receiving Jesus Christ and receiving the Holy Spirit. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is what confers power to the Christians, and this is the power that can overwhelm all demonic forces. It is said in the Acts of the Apostles that the Christians turned the world upside down. This is the power that did it. And we need this same power if we wish to do this again in our generation.
This is the key to revival in our churches and to the progress of the gospel in the world. Since this doctrine of the baptism of the Spirit has been neglected even among those who claim to believe in it, it is all the more urgent to revive it among believers and to repeat it often. More people need to know about this, and those who have received the Holy Spirit need to understand what God has given to them.
In the centuries before the coming of Jesus, God would put his Spirit upon chosen men and women to fulfill special roles. They would receive supernatural insights and powers. There were such people as Moses, Samson, David, and Elijah. However, their spiritual operations were limited and sporadic, and the people of God were reliant upon them. Thus they looked forward to a day when all of God’s people would be like them, and even better than they were.
Moses did not say, “How I wish all God’s people would be saved!” But he said, “How I wish all God’s people would be prophets!” Joel did not say, “God would save all kinds of people.” But he said, “God would pour out his Spirit on all kinds of people, and give them all kinds of supernatural powers and experiences, and whoever calls on him will be saved.” In a number of biblical passages where both salvation by faith and the baptism of the Spirit are mentioned, it is remarkable that this Spirit-baptism receives stronger emphasis than salvation, as if to be saved is only a means to an end.
Preach this to unbelievers along with faith in Jesus Christ, even before they are saved. Tell them, “Believe in Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, so that afterward you can receive the Holy Spirit.” The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not an optional part of the gospel or even an important part of the gospel — it is the gospel. It is the good news that God would give his own Spirit to anyone who would follow his Son, and that he would infuse his very self and power into anyone without regard to the person’s gender or status. This person takes on God’s character and dominion. He receives revelations and performs miracles. He becomes full of theological insights and arguments to speak for the Lord. This is the good news that changes everything.
Paul met some people that he assumed were Christians, and he asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit when they believed. We should also ask this question: “After you believed in Jesus, have you received the Holy Spirit?” Since this remains one of the most neglected issue in the history of the church, we must make it a priority to speak about it. Teach it repeatedly and assertively. Many people will not grasp it the first time you mention it. Tell them, “You have received Jesus Christ by faith, and this means you are saved. But this does not mean you have received the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that his disciples ought to receive the Holy Spirit so that they may obtain power to be his witnesses.”
If you have received the Holy Spirit after you believed in Jesus Christ, then you have received the power of God. Although this power makes you a witness for Jesus Christ, it also enhances your personal faith and life. You cannot be full of boldness and power for the gospel ministry without it also affecting your personal confidence and behavior. You cannot have power to heal the sick and speak in tongues and still see your world the same way. Now you have power to live your life as a disciple of Jesus. You have power to heal the sick. You have the power to receive visions and dreams and prophecies from God. You have power to preach with boldness, to make arguments with deep insight, to refute objections with wit and profundity.
This power comes from another world. It transcends human wisdom and ability. It is spiritual and supernatural power. It is far beyond political power. You will see that in groups that have no faith and no power, or in groups where the baptism of the Spirit has fallen into neglect, they will turn to political power as a substitute for God. They will disproportionately emphasize politics and ethics in their preaching. Mark a minister that is constantly talking about politics, who pretends to be insightful and indignant. He has given up on God even as he preaches about God’s commands and standards. God never wanted his word to be enforced by the power of man.
If you are certain that you have received the Holy Spirit, do not worry if you have not been experiencing everything that you are entitled to experience. The baptism of the Holy Spirit gives us the potential to experience and perform spectacular things, but none of us have lived up to this potential. This is partly because of the centuries of neglect on both the individual and corporate level. The church needs to emphasize faith, miracles, and the Holy Spirit more and more. And we need to do this as individuals, in our own time, as well.
Sometimes our lives do not afford us with all the opportunities to see the works of God. If you do not meet many sick people, naturally you are not going to see many people healed by your hands. It does not mean you lack the power to do it. If you have faith, and especially if you have received the Holy Spirit, you can do it. When you do something that demands the power of God, the power of God will appear.
Stir up the gifts and powers of God by prayer, by thinking and talking about these things, by action, by finding opportunities, and you will experience more of these things. Speak in tongues to edify yourself. You will be doing this the most, because you will be doing this even when you are not in ministry or with other people. God is with you. Be happy, and never give up.