““I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.””
The Witness Within #3
There's a practical aspect to the "Baptism of the Spirit" and being "filled with the Holy Spirit" that you may have missed. First let me clarify what it means to be baptized in the Holy Spirit.
The "baptism of the Holy Spirit" is misunderstood among most Christians. Put simply, the baptism of the Spirit is the fulfillment of God's promise to put His Spirit in you, which happens when you first believe and are born again. When you place your faith in Christ, God puts His Spirit in you as the fulfillment of one of His most significant promises regarding the New Covenant.
Ezekiel 11:19 And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, 20 that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. ESV
From then on, you can "be filled" with the Spirit, like Peter in Acts 4. Acts 4 is most likely days or weeks after Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out. God poured out the Spirit once with no need to repeatedly pour Him out into the earth.
Peter had received the Spirit when Jesus breathed on Him, but Peter was endued with power in the upper room when the Spirit was first poured out. From then on, Peter and every other believer experienced the ongoing filling of the Spirit.
Notice in this passage what Peter does while being filled with the Spirit. Again, this is days or weeks after Pentecost.
Acts 4:8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, "Rulers and elders of the people! 9 If we are being examined today about a kind service to a man who was lame, to determine how he was healed, 10 then let this be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.
Peter was "filled" with the Spirit and preached the Gospel. Did he receive the Spirit again? No. Was he baptized in the Spirit again? No. Did the Spirit leave him and have to come again? No. Had Peter not been baptized with the Spirit on Pentecost? Yes, he was. So what's going on? It's simple, to be filled with the Spirit is to be under the influence. To be filled with the Spirit is to allow the indwelling Spirit to come upon for whatever is needed in the moment.
In Acts 4, the Holy Spirit came upon Peter, which is another way to say he was filled with the Spirit, and he preached a message. He didn't pray in tongues, he didn't do a miracle, he didn't prophesy…he preached the Gospel, under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
There's a traditional belief in Pentecostal and Charismatic churches that says you can be born again but still need to receive the Spirit with the evidence of tongues. Praying in tongues becomes the sole goal to prove that one is baptized in the Spirit. This error has left many Christians waiting for something they already have.
But like Peter, we need to be filled with the Spirit.
The Greek word for "filled" is pimplēmi which means fulfilled, accomplished, furnished, and filled. It does not denote to receive something you didn't have but to be under the influence or complete in whatever the influencing agent is in the moment.
You can be filled with anger, but that doesn't mean you received anger, you just tapped into your inherent capacity to be angry.
In traditional circles, the question is asked, "Have you received the Baptism of the Spirit with the evidence of praying in tongues." And then they pray for you to receive the Spirit and start praying in tongues. If the person doesn't pray in tongues, that person walks away wondering if they have the Spirit or not.
If you have placed your faith in Jesus to be saved, God's Spirit abides in you, and He will never leave or forsake you.
There is further confusion from passages like this. Try this as you read this passage; instead of baptism, use the word immerse.
Acts 19:1And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples 2 he said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?"
So they said to him, "We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit."
3 And he said to them, "Into what then were you baptized?" So they said, "Into John's baptism."
4 Then Paul said, "John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus."
5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.
The language seems to indicate they were born again but had not received the Spirit, but these concepts were all new at the time. To Paul, asking if they had received the Spirit was the same as asking if they were born again. He was asking if they had believed and been made new.
If they had only been water baptized in John's message of repentance, they had not yet heard the good news that they could be born again. Again, this was a brand new concept, and this was the message that was beginning to spread; you can be born again, and God's Spirit will do a work in you and make you new.
So rest assured, if you are born again, God's Spirit is in you. You can't be born again without God putting His Spirit in you as the agent that does the cleansing work to remove your root of sin, give you a new heart and prepare you to be inhabited by God.
So to be baptized in or with the Spirit means God has put His Spirit in you, which makes you born again. From then on, you can choose to be filled with the Spirit for all sorts of capacities.
Traditional folks say tongues are the evidence, but it's much better than that. I speak in tongues, and I think every believer should utilize that gift, but it's not the only evidence you have God's Spirit.
If you are afraid and turn to the Lord, and then boldness rises in you, you are being filled with the Spirit. If you are confused and pray, and wisdom rises up in your mind, you're being filled with the Spirit. If you are angry and allow God's peace to relax you and change your perspective, you are filled with the Spirit.
In every situation, you can turn to God's Spirit within and clothe yourself with that Spirit for wisdom, kindness, and self-control, operate in healing or prophecy for others, or even make a wise financial decision. You can clothe yourself with God's Spirit for every aspect of life, whether you pray in tongues or not.
The practical aspect of being filled with the Spirit is to trust God in every situation for the grace and strength to obey Him and follow His leading. You can try it in your strength, but being empowered by His Spirit in every situation is much more fruitful and effective.
Give it a try. As you face each life situation, become aware of God's presence in you, allow Him to remind you that you are His child, be willing to do it His way, and then step into the opportunity or decision trusting in the power of His Spirit in you and upon you.
