Pentecostal Power, part 4

There are two benefits that we derive from the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. The first benefit, is what God wants to do IN you. He wants you to experience a greater intimacy with Him; He desires to IMMERSE you, in His Holy Spirit. This immersion, is indicated in Acts 1:5, where Jesus said, “John baptized you in water, but soon you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit” NIV.
 

The Greek word for baptize is, “baptizmo.” And it means to be literally immersed or covered over. It does not mean, to be lightly dipped or sprinkled. It means to be completely drenched; immersed; and saturated. This immersion is not a baptism into an experience or impersonal force. Remember, that the Holy Spirit is also a person. He is the third person of the Trinity… Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. So, the Lord’s desire to baptize you with, or in, the Holy Spirit, means that God wants to immerse you in HIMSELF! 

Luke describes the scene in the upper room in Acts 2:2-4 “Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them” NIV.
 

The Second Benefit of Pentecost, is CHANGE. This intimate immersion affected both their spiritual awareness and their physical senses. We find here three areas of change that the Holy Spirit brought. First, their hearing was influenced when the sound of a strong, gusting wind filled the house. They Began to HEAR, GOD INSPIRED SOUNDS. Then came the appearance of fire, that was seemingly magnetic in its attraction, to each hungry seeker. They Began to SEE GOD INSPIRED SIGHTS.
 

Not only was their hearing and sight affected, but fire then came to rest upon each one of them as they were all, literally filled with the Holy Spirit. The verb which Luke uses for “filling,” is used to indicate the process of being anointed with the power of the Spirit for Divine service.
 

The fire fell from Heaven, separated, and came to rest on each person in the room. Their entire existence was SATURATED by God. Evangelist, Tim Enloe adds, “This was not a single flame for all to share, but a God designed personal embrace from Heaven, for each one of them! Each person had an equally powerful, intimate encounter, with the Holy Spirit.” Should it be any surprise then, that… They SPOKE, GOD INSPIRED WORDS!
 

The sound of the wind, and tongues of fire, were signs initiating the new era of the Holy Spirit. Of the three signs that appeared at Pentecost, only one remains constant. The Holy Spirit enabled the disciples to, “speak in other tongues.” Just on a side note from my experience at the Senders’ Summit, where Missions Directors, from 71, of the 100-something Countries, that have an Assemblies of God Denomination, met together for 4-days of prayer and strategizing on how to reach the unreached and unengaged of the world. Everyone there spoke some level of English, and purposely spoke it so we could all hear and understand one another; however, in the prayer times – everyone began praying in English but within moments everyone was, Praying in the Spirit – in tongues – a heavenly language. It was amazing as we all noticed how that happened and talked about the fact, we were not praying in our heart language, but rather in a spiritual language given by the Holy Spirit. It was powerful and, honesty, it left me in tears more than once as we prayed together. 
 

The universal question about the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is, “HOW WILL I KNOW THAT I HAVE RECEIVED?” One of the common misunderstandings of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is that when a person speaks in tongues that is it once and done. The unspoken perception is that tongues is, the Baptism.

Continued tomorrow