“A Christian who neglects the Holy Spirit is like a lamp that is not plugged in.” Unknown
As this Sunday approaches, Pentecost will come. Have we lost the significance of this great event? The Holy Spirit came with fire on to the early church. Jesus said that when He left the earth, the new believers would receive power and do greater miracles than He perfomed while He was on the earth. : The book of Acts tells us: And when the day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all assembled together in one place. When suddenly there came a sound from heaven like the rushing of a violent tempest blast, and it filled the whole house in which they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues resembling fire, which were separated and distributed and which settled on each one of them. And they were all filled (diffused throughout their souls) with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other (different, foreign) languages (tongues), as the Spirit kept giving them clear and loud expression [in each tongue in appropriate words].
The Holy Spirit diffused their souls!
The Holy Spirit diffused throughout their souls! What does the word diffuse mean? To spread freely. In the Greek, the Word used is pleroo, it means to fill to the full, overflowing. God wants the expression of Himself and part of the Godhead to fill you overflowing! Isn’t that amazing?
How do I ask the Holy Spirit to fill me?
Admittedly in many church traditions, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is believed to enter the believer at the moment of salvation and honestly, He does. In Spirit filled circles (some call it Charismatic) they believe that the baptism is stepping into a more powerful walk with God. Much like the early church, they waited and prayed for the Holy Spirit to fill them. We must do the same. I am going to be honest church, in these uncertain times, I’ll take that leap of faith and ask the Holy Spirit to fill me to brimming! The more of God’s peace that I can have in my life, the better. I’d like to list a simple prayer of faith that I wrote to ask the Holy Spirit to fill us to the full.
A Prayer to receive the Holy Spirit
Heavenly Father-Most Gracious All in All. Precious Lord Jesus, Lord and Master of all. I ask right now for your Holy Spirit to come, fill me to the full, during this sacred time of Pentecost. Please forgive me of my sins and show me the way. Help me to walk in your love and grace. Precious Holy Spirit, Ruakh breath of God, please come upon me with tongues of fire! I want to know You more. Please light the dark places in my life, help me to walk in Your light. I desire to serve You fully with my whole heart. Teach me, dear Holy Spirit, I desire Your tongues of fire. I wait on You, dear God and precious King, to fill me running over with Your Spirit which frees. It frees me to serve you more, to listen with spiritual ears and walk closer with You, Lord. Thank You, dear Father, Son and Holy Spirit for the gifts that You give. May I be a reflection of You for all to see. Amen
All we have to do is ask
Furthermore, the Scripture tells us that all we need to do is ask for the Holy Spirit and He will come upon us. Each person that I’ve known who has decided to take a step into spirit-filled faith has had a different experience with the Holy Spirit. God is gracious and wonderful in that He meets us where we are. Now, before I anger other believers, let me say again, we do have the Holy Spirit at the time of salvation. Much like the early church, they believed that Jesus was the Son of God and received Him into their life along with the Holy Spirit. Asking for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is merely plugging into those tongues of fire that were mentioned in Acts. What happened after that baptism in the Upper Room? The church went forth joyfully in power and miracles were performed! The Apostle Paul met Jesus on the Damascus Road, he was blinded, baptized and set apart to minister powerfully to the world.
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit empowers us
Finally, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit unites us with Christ, empowers us to do His works. The blind see, some speak in other tongues and we are thrust into a deeper experience with Him. I’ve heard others say that this experience is distinct from the Salvation experience, which is why the new believers received the Baptism in the upper room. Are you ready to go deeper? Just pray and ask! God desires to walk with you in fullness in this crazy world. If you need a recommendation for a good Bible that really dives into the gifts of the Spirit and the role of the baptism, check out the Spirit Filled Life Bible with commentary by Mark Hayes.
Go forth dear ones! Step into Pentecost with Power! Selah
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