START:
Stand for the reading of the Word.
Read from:
John 14: 15-18 “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”
John 7: 37-39 “ On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.”
Acts Chapter 2: 1-4 “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”
Acts 8:5, 12, 14-17 “Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.”
Pray for His presence and truth to be revealed to the hearts of those present
Let us Begin
Gen. 2:7 “… and God breathed on him and man became a living being…”
– Compare to:
John 20:22 After Jesus resurrection he met with the Apostles and “…breathed on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit…”
– And later:
Acts 1:4 “…wait and I will send you the Holy Spirit”
What is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit?
- Give a Coke bottle explanation.
- We are an empty bottle before Salvation
- When we are saved God fills us with His Spirit
- When we are baptized in the Holy Spirit, He puts His thumb over the bottle and shakes it. Then He lets it go all over.
How Do I Receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit
First – We must be Born Again (as read above) – Read John 14:16-17
“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you”
Note 1: The Helper is sometimes referred to as the Paraclete. (Define Paraclete as a soldier who stands over you in times of battle. Taken from the Romans)
Note 2: If you are Born Again do not let the Devil try to take away your salvation. He will try to tell you:
- “You’re not receiving the Baptism because you are not really Born Again.”
- “If you were you would be able to pray and people would be healed, etc. as the Word says.”
- “You definitely do not have enough Faith.”
Remember: Your salvation is not dependent upon the strength of your faith but on the Object of your Faith. That is Jesus and Him Crucified.
Ask – (If you ask for the Holy Spirit, that prayer will be answered. Remember what I just said about the Object of your Faith being Jesus.
Surrender – Present your Body a Living Sacrifice
(Rom 12:1) “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”
Obey – Must be willing to take it all Including Tongues
Believe – Faith is not “I know that I know, that I know, that I know.” That is knowing it is not Faith. Faith is Believing when you do not know.
Receive – Don’t just stand there.
Illustration of the pen
- If I hold out a pen and say, “this is yours” Who’s is it?
- It is not yours unless you take it out of my hand.
Exercise – Speak in other tongues.
(James 2:24) “You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.”
Speaking in Tongues
- It is not the Gift of Tongues. You can speak in tongues as you will. The Gift of Tongues is given “as the Spirit Wills”.
1 Cor 14:18 Paul says: “I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you”
- It is not “of the Devil” (any more than speaking in English) Attributing the things of God to Satan is Grieving the Holy Spirit.
- It is not a Qualification for Baptism in the Holy Spirit but it is an Indication of Baptism in the Holy Spirit
- It is a private affair
1 Cor. 14: 2-4; 14:15 “For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church.” and “For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding.”
- Praying in tongues is your prayer language (There are many scriptures that talk about “Praying in the Spirit”. This is praying in tongues)
- Praying in tongues builds you up when you are down (Again 1 Cor 14: 2-4)
- Praying in tongues is the evidence of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit Acts 2:4; 10:45, 46, 19:6)
- Praying in tongues reminds us of the Spirit’s indwelling presence. John 14: 16-17
“And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”
- Praying in tongues is praying in line with God’s will.Roman’s 8: 26-27
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.”
- Praying in tongues builds up faith.
Jude 20 “But ye beloved, building yourselves up in your holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost.”
- When you pray in tongues you do not know what you are praying. Your speak Mysteries by the Holy Spirit
1 Cor 14:2 “For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit.”
- Paul says: Forbid not to Pray in Tongues.
1 Cor 12 14: 39 “Therefore, my brothers and sisters, be eager to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues.”
NOTE:
If you do not speak in tongues you loose out in all of these things:
- Building yourself up in the faith when you are feeling down
- Have evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit
- Knowing you are Praying God’s will
- Interceding for others when you do not know how to pray yourself
- Praying in tongues is another way of praising God and praying without ceasing.
1 Thessalonians: 15-18 “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
In General – The Gifts of the Holy Spirit
- It is clear in the scriptures that the Gifts are manifest as the Spirit wills: 1Cor 12:11“But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.”
- It is a sign to unbelievers. 1Cor. 14:22 “Wherefore tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe not: but prophesying serveth not for them that believe not, but for them which believe.”
- They are not to be used only in the assembly but every day in our every day lives.
- Think of the Gifts as tools in a tool box. Like with a carpenter, they are available to us as the Spirit wills: 1 Cor 14:15 What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
- Use this language:
- in the home
- while driving your car
- in the neighborhood
- among your friends
- Church.
Examples:
- My wife and I while saying grace at a meal – there was a prophecy and one of our children jumpt up from the table and ran upstairs. He had done something that we had not known and the Lord nailed it during the prophecy.
- My wife is continually saying: “I knew that was going to happen”. This happens often to many of us.
- Give other examples from the church
Enough Said
Now let us pray.
