HOW TO RECEIVE THE INITIAL BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

Today I am speaking on “HOW TO RECEIVE THE INITIAL BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT!” Have you received the Holy Spirit since you gave your life to Christ? (Acts 19:1-7). 

Every true Christian has the Holy Spirit. But not every believer has gotten the experience of baptism in the Holy Spirit, and therefore not every Christian is controlled by the Holy Spirit. It is only those that have received the fullness of the Spirit that are controlled by the Holy Spirit. To receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit every Christian needs the Holy Ghost baptism.

What is Holy Ghost baptism? The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is an experience in which Jesus fills believers with the power of God for ministry, service and victorious Christian living. Only when the believer is baptized in the Holy Spirit is he said to be Spirit-filled, Spirit-controlled, and Spirit-empowered. 

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is received only once just like the new birth experience. But thereafter there is need for continuous and consistent re-filling with the Holy Spirit so as to remain Spirit-filled. Each day, every Christian needs a fresh in-filling with the Holy Spirit. 

In order to receive the initial baptism of the Holy Spirit and the accompanying gifts, you need:

1. Sonship is the first pre-requisite. You must be Born Again (Jn 3:3-7). You must have made the God of Heaven your own Father by repenting of your sins and accepting Jesus into your heart as your Lord and personal Saviour (Rom 10:9-10). 

Galatians 4:6-7 says, “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”

2. You need to realize that God the Father has already given the Holy Spirit to every believer. The Holy Ghost is a free Gift from God (Acts 2:38). 

“If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him?” (Lk 11:13)

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (Jam 1:17).

“…and having received of the Father the promise [gift] of the Holy Ghost, He hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear” (Acts 2:33).

It is now up to you to receive this God’s free Gift. You are not to beg God to fill you with the Holy Spirit. The promise that the Holy Spirit was to be given was fulfilled in Acts 2:1-4 on the Day of Pentecost. So, all you need to do now is to receive what God has already provided. 

Acts 5:32 says, “And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God HAS GIVEN to those who obey Him." 

 For instance, in Acts 19:1-6 Paul did not tell the disciples there to pray that God would give them the Holy Ghost. The Bible says, “…the Holy Ghost came on them; and THEY SPAKE with tongues, and prophesied” (Acts 19:6; Acts 8:14-15). 

The apostles did not pray that God would give them the Holy Ghost. Rather they prayed that these new believers might RECEIVE the Holy Ghost which had already been given on the Day of Pentecost. 

Acts 8:17 says, “Then laid they their hands on them, and they RECEIVED the Holy Ghost.” 

The Holy Ghost is already here for believers to receive freely.

3. You must desire the Holy Ghost baptism. When you desire it, then you’ll receive it. Mark 11:24 says, “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” In John 7:37-39 Jesus stood and cried, saying, “If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly [spirit-man] shall flow rivers of living water.” 

In Isaiah 44:3 Jesus said, “For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty [desirous, expectant], and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour My spirit upon thy seed, and My blessing upon thine offspring.”

4. You must ask God for it. In Matthew 21:22 Jesus said, “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” 

“And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us: 15 And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.” (1 Jn 5:14-15).

Luke 11:9-13 says, “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. 10 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? 12 Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”

5. Exercise your faith. The Holy Spirit is given to them that believe on Jesus. (Jn. 7:39; Gal. 3:2, 5, 14). How is the promise of the Holy Ghost received? Through faith! (Heb. 11:1; 2 Cor. 4:18). 

6. You have a part to play. You must co-operate with God because He demands a co-operation. 

1 Corinthians 3:9 says, “For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.” We work together with God. He wants us to play a role. He does not want us to be mere observers but participators. For instance, in the marriage feast in Cana of Galilee, Jesus

7. Should not be afraid of receiving something false if you are Born Again (Lk 11:11-13). 

8. Should receive the Holy Spirit and speak without any reservation the language He gives (Jn. 7:37-39). Open your mouth and breath in as deeply as possible and at the same time tell God in your heart that you are receiving the Holy Ghost right now by FAITH. Speak the words and language the Spirit of God gives you, praising God with those supernatural words until a clear free language comes. 

9. Should not be stingy with pronouncing the utterance the Holy Ghost gives to you. Be bold and voice it out loud enough.

10. Do not speak one word known to your mind, because in this case your mind ought to be unfruitful, yet in the Spirit, you are speaking mysteries unto God. Realize that the only time the Bible says that our spirit-man speaks is in this case of speaking in tongues [other languages unknown to you] (1 Cor 14:2, 14:4, 14:13)

11. You should not fear receiving something false if you are Born Again. 

Why? Because in Luke 11:11-13 Jesus said, “If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 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!"  

12. Do not listen to yourself. The biggest enemy of God-consciousness is self-consciousness. When you listen to yourself, the devil may tell you that what you are saying does not make sense. That’s right! It does not need to make sense to you, but to God you are speaking mysteries. 

1 Corinthians 14:2 says, “For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.”

13. Should keep yourself from being distracted. 

The central truth is that if you’ll act on God’s Word, He will surely honour His Word, and you will (1) receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost, (2) be properly refilled, and (3) receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit because God said that He stands behind His Word to personally perform it (Jer. 1:12). 

Watch out for the next edition of Good News from the Pulpit!

• Your friend: I. I. Madubunyi (Senior Pastor)