What is the baptism of the Holy Spirit?

Now that we have explored being sealed by the Holy Spirit in the previous question, let’s explore some of what it means to be Baptized in the Holy Spirit. In Acts 1:4-8, Jesus speaks to His disciples about the coming of the Holy Spirit before He ascended to heaven:

“And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, ‘which,’ He said, ‘you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.’ Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, ‘Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’ And He said to them, ‘Itis not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’”

According to Jesus, the Baptism with the Holy Spirit brings power to the believers. The Greek word for power here is “dunamis,” which means miraculous strength, power, and ability. The result is that the believers will be equipped to represent Jesus better than before. It is true for His followers today to be equipped in the same way!

We will now look at three specific ways the baptism of the Holy Spirit helps us be more effective on our mission to represent Jesus:

1. A Bold Witness to the Gospel

In Acts 4, Peter and John were arrested for preaching and healing in the name of Jesus. They were forbidden and threatened to not use His name any further. When they returned to the others, after sharing what happened, they all prayed for boldness to continue in spite of the threats, also asking God to continue to work in signs and wonders.

Acts 4:31: “And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.”

We can trust that the Holy Spirit, through His baptism, will give us renewed boldness that is supernatural, above and beyond what we could work up in our own abilities.

***It is important to note that the disciples had already received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2. In Ephesians 5:18, we read, “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.” The phrase be filled in the Greek means to be filled and keep on being filled.

2. Power For Ministry

Acts 1:8 (ESV) promises: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses…”

Here are a list of the Nine Gifts of the Holy Spirit as laid out in 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, with a brief description of each:

Revelation gifts:

• Word of Wisdom: A supernatural ability to speak or act with divine wisdom in a

given situation.

• Word of Knowledge: Supernatural knowledge of facts or information that would

not be known through natural means.

• Discernment of Spirits: The ability to distinguish between the Holy Spirit and

deceptive spirits or to perceive the spiritual forces at work.

Power gifts:

• Working of Miracles: Supernatural ability to interrupt the normal course of nature

to perform the impossible.

• Gifts of Healing: The power to supernaturally bring healing to the sick, without

human aid.

• Faith: A supernatural endowment of faith for a specific purpose, enabling belief

beyond natural limits.

Vocal gifts:

• Prophecy: A supernatural utterance given by God in a known language, which

can be for forth-telling (speaking God's message) or foretelling (predicting future

events).

• Tongues: Speaking in a language that is not known by the speaker, empowered

by the Holy Spirit.

• Interpretation of Tongues: The supernatural ability to interpret what was spoken

in tongues.

3. Gift of Tongues

This is an important gift that comes with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit that is worth taking some time to explain. It is possible to be Baptized in the Holy Spirit and not receive the gift of tongues, but we also believe that the gift is available for all who have the Baptism. For some, it just make be something that they receive later in their journey.

There are particularly three types of tongues mentioned in the Bible:

• The first type of tongues we see is when the disciples are first filled with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. They speak in a known language unfamiliar to themselves.

• The second type of tongues we read about in 1 Corinthians 14, where it is done publicly, and must be followed by the prophetic interpretation.

• The third type of tongue we read about in 1 Corinthians 14:4 and Jude 1:20, which is for the edifying of self. Romans 8:26-27 speaks of the Holy Spirit praying for and through us with “wordless groans” (NIV), or “groanings that cannot be expressed in words” (NLT). This is an invaluable gift that helps us grow through revelation of the Word as revealed to us when we pray in tongues and in praying for others and situations that we may not fully understand how to pray or what the will of God is for a particular situation.

The Holy Spirit doesn’t just change our inner life. He also equips us to serve others. When we receive the Holy Spirit, He fills you and makes you a bold witness for the Gospel. We gain a new passion for evangelism and making disciples. These gifts empower us to powerfully proclaim Jesus. As we mature, we should expect to see the Holy Spirit release these gifts in our lives in greater and greater measure.