Receiving the Baptism with the Holy Spirit (Episode 14)

On the day of Pentecost, after Jesus had returned to heaven, something phenomenal happened in a place called the upper room. The Spirit of God was poured out upon the people who were assembled there. This experience was not limited to the apostles. But it was experienced by approximately 120 men and women. 

Furthermore, after the day of Pentecost, the Bible records several other times where groups of people had the same experience. In the Bible, that experience is referred to as the baptism with the Holy Spirit.

This experience was spoken of in the O. T. in the book of Joel the prophet. There, God said, “I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions” (Joel 2:28, KJV). Apostle Peter cites that prophecy on the day of Pentecost.

It is important to distinguish between one being born of the Holy Spirit and the baptism with the Holy Spirit. Everyone who repents of his sins and places his trust in what Jesus did on the cross is immediately born again of the Holy Spirit. That person has everything he needs to live for the Lord and to go to heaven.

The baptism with the Holy Spirit, however, is another experience administered by the Holy Spirit that empowers our life. In Luke 24:49, Jesus refers to the experience as being endued with power from on high. In Acts 1:8, Jesus told the disciples they would receive power AFTER the Holy Ghost had come upon them.

In some Christian circles, they passionately argue that the baptism with the Holy Spirit is always accompanied by speaking in other tongues or by prophesying. It is acknowledged that that was the case in the instances recorded in the book of Acts. But the purpose of this experience, Jesus says, is to empower our lives.