The baptism of the Holy Spirit (also called the gift of the Holy Spirit) is a promised gift to all who ask. In this article we will first look at the Biblical foundations, then I will pray with you to receive the gift God has for you!
Just so you are not confused by terminology, the baptism (gift) of the Holy Spirit is referred to by various terms.
It is also called Spirit baptism, or gift of the Holy Spirit, or being filled with the Holy Spirit.
Modern translations of the Bible use the words “Holy Spirit” instead of the traditional “Holy Ghost” from the King James Version.
I will try to use the term “Holy Spirit” here.
When you first become a Christian believer and you ask Jesus to come into your heart, His Spirit, called the Holy Spirit, comes to live inside you.
You are born again by God’s Spirit and reconnected to an eternal life of relationship with the one true God (Read “How is God Three and One?“) here.
Believing is the first step in your relationship.
If you have not begun that relationship click here.
The baptism in the Holy Spirit is a gift that God gives to those who ask.
The Holy Spirit brings new empowerment to live the Christian life (Acts 1:8).
This gift takes daily Christian life to another level in one’s spiritual journey toward knowing God more intimately.
Spirit baptism is different than water baptism, although we can compare Spirit baptism with water baptism.
When a person is water baptized s/he is generally immersed in water. When one is baptized by the Holy Spirit, one is immersed in the Holy Spirit until the Holy Spirit completely fills him or her up in a greater magnitude than ever before.
Scripture talks about the Holy Spirit being poured out and the believer being filled up. The believer receives the gift of the Holy Spirit, also called the promise of the Father.
God’s Promise to You
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is more than a church doctrine, it is a promise from God to His people. The prophet Joel writes,
“It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind, And your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. “Even on the male and female servants, I will pour out My Spirit in those days” (Joel 2:28-29).
This promise was fulfilled in Acts 2 and continues to be fulfilled today.
The promise continues to this day for all believers—you, and your children, and to all those far away (Acts 2:39).
Let us look at several Bible verses that talk about being filled/baptized with the Spirit, beginning with John the Baptist.
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What Does the Bible Say about Being Baptized (Filled) with the Holy Spirit?
John the Baptist on Spirit Baptism
As part of John the Baptist’s call to prepare the way for the Messiah, he began to preach about a new baptism. He preached that One would come after him and baptize believers with the Holy Spirit and give the Holy Spirit without measure.
“As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matt 3:11; and also, Mark 1:7-8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33).
Jesus on Spirit Baptism
Christ taught that those who believe in Him should receive the Holy Spirit,
“Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified (John 7:37-39).
Jesus knew He was going to leave His disciples behind soon. So, He began to prepare them.
He promised He would send the Promise from the Father, which had been prophesied centuries earlier.
“I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Comforter [also translated Helper], that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him. You know Him because He abides with you and will be in you” (John 14:16-17).
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you” (John 14:26).
“But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you” (John 16:7).
“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come” (John 16:13).
Jesus referred to the Spirit as the “Comforter/Helper,” and the “Spirit of truth.”
This signifies the purpose of the Spirit in believers’ lives in this new era.
The term “Comforter” in the original Greek is the word, parakletos, which means “an intercessor, consoler, advocate, comforter.”
The Spirit comforts and consoles in times of distress and helps in all of life’s situations. The Spirit of Truth brings discernment, understanding, wisdom, and knowledge of God.
The disciples had been with Jesus.
But soon He would be in them and abide in them to empower, lead, and guide them. He would show them things to come.
Jesus told his disciples,
“Behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high” (Luke 24:49).
Then again in Acts 1:4-5 as Jesus was about to transcend into the heavenlies,
“He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, ‘Which,’ He said, ‘you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’”
“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
Jesus knew they were not ready to move into the purposes He had for them without the empowerment of the Spirit. (The Comforter, the Teacher, the Truth, the Helper)
These next series of events are fascinating and astounding. I suggest you read the whole narrative in your own Bible when you get the chance.
After the disciples watched Jesus ascended to heaven, they returned to Jerusalem from Mount Olivet.
They entered the city and went to the upper room and stayed there constantly praying and seeking God. About ten days later, on the day of Pentecost, a group of about 120 people, were filled (also called baptized) with the Holy Spirit.
Peter on Baptism in the Holy Spirit
On the day of Pentecost, Peter to explain what was happening preached to those assembled. He quoted the Old Testament prophet Joel,
‘And it shall be in the last days,’ God says, ‘That I will pour forth of My Spirit on all [flesh] humankind; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
And your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; Even on My bondslaves, both men and women, I will in those days pour forth of My Spirit and they shall prophesy (Acts 2:17,18).
Which is exactly what occurred that day. The prophecies came to pass. The promise of the Father came that day.
This was the first place in the Bible where believers received the Holy Spirit and spoke with tongues as evidence of the infilling.
Luke writes his eyewitness account,
“When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.
Suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.
And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them.
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance” (Acts 2:1-4).
When others came to see what was happening, Peter preached about Jesus to them.
When they asked what they should do, Peter said,
“Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself” (Acts 2:38-39).
Other Examples of Being Filled with the Holy Spirit in the Bible
This not only happened once but many times over.
There are four other places in the book of Acts (8,9,10,19) that also show this experience of the baptism of the Holy Ghost. At each occurrence, the believers spoke in languages they never learned.
This experience is referred to as speaking in tongues or speaking in a personal prayer language.
Most people consider speaking in tongues as the initial evidence, or proof, of being baptized in the Holy Spirit.
1. Philip the Evangelist
In Acts 8:5-17, Philip went to the city of Samaria and many believed and were baptized in water.
They received the baptism in the Holy Ghost when Peter and John came to pray and lay hands on them. Then they received the Holy Ghost.
2. The Apostle Paul (Acts 9)
In Acts 9:1-18, the apostle Paul received a conversion experience and was struck with blindness on the road to Damascus. The Lord told him to go into the city and there he would be told what to do. The Lord had also spoken to Ananias in a vision and told him to go to pray for Paul.
Ananias prayed for Paul’s sight to return and to be filled with the Holy Ghost. Paul’s sight returned, and he was baptized. It does not specifically say right here that Paul spoke with tongues. But later Paul says in 1 Cor 14:18, “I speak with tongues more than you all.”
3. Cornelius and His Household (Acts 10)
Cornelius saw a vision where an angel told him to send for and inquire of Simon Peter.
So, he sent for Peter, who God had also prepared with three visions.
Peter went to Cornelius’ house and preached the gospel of Jesus to them.
“While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God” (Acts 10:44-48).
4. The Disciples at Ephesus (Acts 19)
When Paul passed through the area of Ephesus he met some disciples. He asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”
When he learned they had been only baptized by John the Baptist, Paul said,
“‘John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.’ When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues and prophesying” (Acts 19:6).
These believers had not heard about the Holy Spirit. Paul told them about the baptism of the Holy Spirit and laid hands on them in prayer to receive. As a result, they spoke with tongues and prophesied.
The New Era of Relationship with God
The promise of the Father had been fulfilled ushering in a new era of relationship between God and humanity.
Jesus provided each of us the opportunity for an intimate relationship with the Spirit of God.
You will need the Holy Spirit’s help to lead you into understanding how to live in God’s kingdom.
You will need the Holy Spirit’s help to grow into a mature Christian through life’s ups and downs.
The first disciples needed the Holy Spirit’s power to accomplish their purposes, and you will too.
The Holy Spirit will be your Helper and Comforter. The Spirit of Truth will lead and guide you in learning to live in the kingdom of God.
You will be empowered daily to live the life you know you should live.
The Holy Spirit will empower you to live in amazing possibilities far beyond what you can ask or think. And He will give you boldness to share your testimony with others.
God Will Give the Holy Spirit to Those Who Ask
Jesus says,
Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he?
Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he?
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?” (Luke 11:11-13).
Just as human parents love to give good gifts to their children, our heavenly Father is excited to give the Holy Spirit to those who ask.
The promise for you and all your children and for all who are far off. This is a promise from your Creator to you. Ask Him for it now.
Prayer to Receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit
Suggested Prayer. Ask Jesus to baptize you in the Holy Spirit as you pray along:
Jesus, I ask You to forgive me. I repent of my sins, and I renounce all evil in my life. I surrender my life completely to You. Cover me with Your cleansing blood of the cross. Thank You for saving me.
I ask you to baptize me with Your Holy Spirit. I thank you and praise you!
Take a moment to feel His love pour over you!
How to Speak with Tongues, also called, How to Release Your Prayer Language
Now, praise Him with your voice, out loud.
Think of your sins being removed by Jesus’ blood. Or you can think of Jesus’ baptism when the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus. You might want to think of Jesus as your friend, standing beside you. Or maybe picture Him in your mind giving you this gift.
Thank Him for baptizing you and filling you with His Holy Spirit out loud with your voice.
If those praise words start to sound strange, just go with it. Feel the peace and love and don’t stop praising Him with your voice.
You do not have to be afraid. Just follow the love and peace. The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom 14:7).
I think it is safe to say, you will not feel a powerful jolt like lightning and thunder. I’ve seen that only once in my lifetime.
God comes most often in the peaceful gentle whisper (remember Elijah and the still small voice?).
So stay aware of His gentle peace, love, and joy.
Just express your heart’s praise to your Lord and receive His love. Some people will be more exuberant than others. Your Lord loves all expressions of worship from the heart.
Continue in this manner. Then you will switch from praising in your native language to praising in a language you have never learned.
It can only take seconds. I have seen many people simply and easily pray from their hearts and start speaking in tongues quickly and easily.
It may take some people longer to come to a place where they are ready. They may be afraid or try intellectually to argue or analyze why God uses such a thing. Some people try to “get” the Holy Spirit by human effort.
Dear friend, simply come by faith and believe.
It really is as simple as turning your heart to Jesus in love. Then release your praise by speaking with your voice.
Some people may have words they don’t know come to their minds. If this happens to you, simply speak those out, and it will continue.
Continue speaking out loud your praise and prayer language until you get comfortable and fluent.
The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is Not a One-Time Experience
Speaking in tongues is part of the initial experience of receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit. It is also a part of growing as a Christian.
I advise people to pray with tongues every day, or at least as often as possible.
I also suggest you go to a church where people will pray with you to receive the gift. You can get fluent in your prayer language.
There is something very special and powerful about praying with other believers.
Then continue to read every day to learn more about your miraculous relationship with God.
In the next article, we will explore the benefits the Holy Spirit brings to the believer’s life.
For now, as the old-time preachers used to say, “Stay close to the Ghost,” the Holy Ghost that is.
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Thanks for reading, and God bless you on your Christian journey!
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