Chapter 3 -

Receiving the gift                              

  

 

 

 

On the previous pages, we dealt with some questions that can come into people’s minds regarding the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The goal has been to prove that it does not mean the same as being saved, or the same as water baptism, but that it is a gift that is meant for spiritual ministry. In addition to this, we have also shown that Jesus and the Apostles did not begin their task before they had received this gift.

  Today, we can also receive this gift from God now. The next points that should be taken into consideration are connected with receiving the gift:

 

THE LOCKED DOORS

 

- (Acts 2:38) Then Peter said to them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

 

Before we can receive anything from God, we must first open "the locked doors" of our heart, meaning that we must confess to God those sins that we have not yet given up. If we have sin and bitterness in our heart and do not want to give them up, we might not be able to experience the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, when Peter preached at Pentecost, he first spoke about repentance and after that about the gift of the Holy Spirit – this is always the order.

   We cannot change our own nature ourselves, but we can repent our sins and our bad habits: bitterness, criticalness, and occultism, not giving our life completely to God, etc. When we confess these wrong attitudes to God, we will immediately be purified by the blood of Jesus:

 

 - (1 John 1:7) But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleans us from all sin.

 

Furthermore, it is important that we have the right motives for wanting the baptism of the Holy Spirit. If our purpose is to become happy, it certainly is the wrong motive. Also, if our purpose is to boast "about the enormous power", it is also the wrong motive. The Holy Spirit always only wants to bring glory to Christ, not to people and their proud minds:

 

- (John 16:14) He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it to you.

 

- (Jam 4:6) But he gives more grace. Why he said, God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

 

 RECEIVING THROUGH GRACE

 

Just like being saved, receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit is based on grace. As comes to grace, we can never be so good and perfect that we could earn it through our good deeds. It is not given to us after a long battle of sanctification but by grace alone, just like salvation. On the other hand, if we are in Christ, none of us can be so bad that he or she could not receive this gift. Our goodness and badness do not prevent us from receiving this gift:

 

 - (Acts 10:45) And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.

 

- (Acts 11:15-17) And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning.

16  Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but you shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.

17  For as much then as God gave them the like gift as he did to us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?

 

GLORIFIED SAVIOR

 

Receiving salvation is always based on what Jesus has first done for us. It is based on the fact that He carried our sins on the cross and reconciled us with God so that we no longer have to try to earn salvation.

   Receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit is also based on what Jesus has done. According to the Bible, pouring out the Holy Spirit depended specifically on Jesus first being glorified and exalted to the right side of the Father. The purpose was basically to indicate that Jesus is the Lord and has gone to sit at the right side of the Father.

   So, as Jesus has already been glorified and the Holy Spirit poured out 2,000 years ago at Pentecost, we no longer need to wait: we can simply receive this gift. It has nothing to do with our merits or good deeds, it is based only on the merits of Christ and His gift to the congregation:

 

 - (John 7:37-39) In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come to me, and drink.

38  He that believes on me, as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

39  (But this spoke he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

 

- (Acts 2:33-36) Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he has shed forth this, which you now see and hear.

34  For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he said himself, The Lord said to my Lord, Sit you on my right hand,

35  Until I make your foes your footstool.

36  Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God has made the same Jesus, whom you have crucified, both Lord and Christ.

 

- (Heb. 1:3) Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:

 

- (John 15:26) But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send to you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceeds from the Father, he shall testify of me

 

- (John 16:7) Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send him to you.

 

Watchman Nee has written very well about how Jesus has already been glorified and the Holy Spirit poured out because of it. What we need to do is only to receive this gift that has already been given to us:

 

The divine facts are the basis of all spiritual experiences. The Holy Spirit is not received by one's own efforts, but by resting in faith, on what the Lord has done.

   If we have not yet experienced this, let us pray that God would show us that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is the gift of a glorified Lord to His congregation. That is where our own efforts end, and pleading will change into praising. The vision of what the Lord had done for the whole world made an end to our own efforts to receive the forgiveness of our sins, and having seen what the Lord has done for His congregation will stop our efforts to receive the Holy Spirit. We are doing so much only because we have not seen the works of Christ. When we see them, faith will be created in our hearts and be followed by experiences of it.

   Some time ago, a young man who had been a believer only for five weeks, being a strong opponent of the Gospel before that, came to a meeting in which these issues were preached. When he went home, he prayed from his heart, "I have now seen that You have been glorified, and I ask that I could experience the power of the Holy Spirit.” But he soon corrected it like this, "Lord, that was all wrong. We are partners, and the Father has promised two things to us – glory to You and the Spirit to me. Because You already have glory, it is clear that I also have the Spirit. I praise You for having already received the glory and given me the Spirit.” From that day onwards, the man knew that the Spirit lived in him. (3)

 

THERE IS NO NEED TO WAIT

 

As the Holy Spirit has already been given as a gift to the congregation, we do not need to wait for Him anymore. Some people have thought that just like the Apostles had to wait a certain time in Jerusalem, they also have to wait.

   However, the disciples had to wait because "for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified" (John 7:39). They had to wait for a certain historical moment, the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came on the Earth according to the promise of Jesus:

 

- (John 16:7) Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send him to you.

 

- (Acts 2:1) And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

 

The Holy Spirit has already come to the Earth -- we no longer need to wait for Him. After the Pentecost, the people received the gift of the Holy Spirit immediately after someone prayed for them. This took place in Samaria (Acts 8), in the life of Paul (Acts 9), and for believers in Ephesus (Acts 19) – they immediately received the Holy Spirit without having to wait. In addition, in the home of Cornelius people were also saved and received the gift of the Holy Spirit without waiting (Acts 10).

   So, as comes to salvation and baptism of the Holy Spirit, we do not need to wait for them anymore, they can be received. We must receive the first and the second Comforter: Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit:

 

 - (1 John 2:1) My little children, these things write I to you, that you sin not.  And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous

 

- (John 14:16) And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever

 

Therefore, when a person receives Christ, he or she will become the child of God and will be saved. And when he or she receives the Holy Spirit, s/he will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, which is the baptism of the Holy Spirit:

 

 - (John 1:12) But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name

 

- (Acts 19:2) He said to them, Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?  And they said to him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

 

RECEIVING THE GIFT

 

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a gift, just like salvation is a gift. And because it is a gift, receiving this gift does not depend on our goodness or badness. Nor do we need to ask or pray for this gift thousands of times, we can only receive it or reject it.

   It is a bit like a person visiting his friends who offer him coffee. His hosts have been willing to give him coffee all the time, but he keeps on asking for it and yet refuses to receive it:

 

I remember an amusing story of a sister who waited for the fullness of the Spirit and always sighed, when God did not fill her. A preacher who prayed for people who wanted the baptism of the Holy Spirit, once visited her congregation. Again, the sister sighed and was left without fullness of the Spirit. Then she asked this preacher and a few friends over to her house for coffee. As she was making coffee the preacher said, "Oh, if only I could get a cup of coffee."

   The sister replied, "Just a moment, brother, this will soon be ready.”

   After a while, the preacher sighed again and said, "Oh, if only I could get a cup of coffee.”

   The sister tried to hurry, put the cups on the table, and poured coffee into the cups. People took their coffee and began to drink, but the preacher sighed deeply and said, "If only I could get a cup of coffee."

   At this point, the sister was already quite irritated and said, "The preacher is welcome to drink; the coffee is already in the cup."

   Then the brother said, "You, sister, you are just like this. The Lord has done everything for you; you only need to receive and the Lord will fill you with the Holy Spirit." This helped the sister; now she understood that the baptism of the Holy Spirit was a gift that can be received without sighing, simply by receiving the perfect gift. Praise the Lord! (4)

 

 FAITH AND FEELINGS

 

 - (Mark 11:24) Therefore I say to you, What things soever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them.

 

- (1 John 5:14-15) And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he hears us:

15  And if we know that he hear us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

 

When we receive salvation, it always takes place through faith. We do not necessarily experience any special feelings at the moment we receive it. Nor do we get an assurance of salvation by observing our feelings and ourselves but by looking at the word. The feelings can, of course, follow in their own time.

   The same goes with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. When we have received it, we can be happy, depressed, or sad – our emotions do not matter. It is like having a thousand dollars in our pocket: you have it despite how you feel.

   In addition, when we receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit from God, we can thank Him for the gift already in advance. Just like it is polite to thank one’s  host for the served goodies at the coffee table, it is certainly also suitable to do so as comes to the gifts of God. One can also place one's own hands on himself and make a note of the exact time when he believed to have received the gift.

  R.A. Torrey told one example of receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit:

 

"Have you then received the baptism of the Holy Spirit?"

"I don't feel it."

"That wasn’t what I asked. Read those verses again!"

   The Bible was open at 1 John 5, and he read the verses 14 and 15, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”

   "Wait a moment; was that prayer according to God's will?"

   "Undoubtedly it was.”

   "Did He hear it?”

   "Yes, He did.”

   "Read on.”

   "And if we know that He hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of Him."

   "So, what do we know?”

   "We know that we have what we asked of Him.”

   "For what have you asked?”

   "The baptism of the Holy Spirit.”

   "Do you have it?”

   "I don't feel it, but if God says so, I must have it.”

   A few days later, I met her again and asked her if she really had received what she had embraced in sincere faith.

   Her face beamed with happiness when she answered, "I have.” (5)

 

THE FEAR OF SOMETHING BEING WRONG

 

If we are hoping to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands, it is important that we do not allow unreliable persons to do this. (We should not, however, go to extremities in this. Many people think they are great "experts" and wrongly judge real servants of God.) The evil spirits can easily move from one person to another and cause suffering until the person is freed from them.

 

- (James 4:7) Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

 

On the other hand, if one wants to be baptized by the Holy Spirit and has been saved and broken all bonds with, for example, occultism, and brought themselves under the blood of Jesus, there is no fear of any wrong spirits. Jesus Himself said:

 

- (Luke 11:11-13) 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 you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

 

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF PRAYER

 

When we receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, it is only the beginning of a new phase of life. It does not make anyone perfect, even though it can assist in spiritual life and ministry.

   On the other hand, when we have for the first time received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, we can later be filled with the Holy Spirit even more perfectly. For example, Niilo Yli-Vainio, a famous Finnish preacher whom God used in bringing a revival, received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and spoke in tongues for the first time in 1946, but was filled even more powerfully with the Holy Spirit later on, in 1977. One reason for this was that he continually asked and prayed God to give him more power so that people could be saved. God answered his prayers.

   Prayer after being baptized by the Holy Spirit is indeed significant. If one neglects prayer, one can become like a leaking sieve. But if he constantly remains in prayer, he can again be filled with the Holy Spirit, as also happened to the Apostles after the Pentecost:

 

 - (Acts 4:31) And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.

 

CAUSE AND EFFECT

 

When looking for the baptism of the Holy Spirit, it is important that we do not turn issues upside-down. Many people have tried to receive the gift of speaking in tongues or other such gifts by "pumping", not understanding that speaking in tongues is a result of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, not the cause. Nobody can speak in tongues God has given him until after the Holy Spirit brings new words to their mind (that is when we should have the courage to open our mouth).

   It is also possible that such speaking in tongues which has been obtained by "pumping" or "forcing it", is not at all a gift given by God but a psychical gift from which one should break away (if someone repeats the same words over and over again thousands of times and finally receives the gift in this manner, it is probably not a gift from God).

   On the other hand, we can question whether speaking in tongues is the only result of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Even though during the time of the Apostles it was the most common sign, and is still worth praying for, we cannot say that it always followed the baptism of the Holy Spirit:

 

 - (1 Cor 12:8,10,11) For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;

9  To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;

10  To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:

11  But all these works that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

 

- (1 Cor 12:30) Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?

 

R.A. Torrey, who wrote the book Pyhän Hengen kaste (The Baptism with the Holy Spirit), noted that in his time, in the 1800s, there were hardly any people speaking in tongues, even though many had experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit. He said:

 

When I examined the baptism of the Holy Spirit earlier I noticed that in many cases those who were baptized "spoke in tongues", which raised a question: "If a person has been baptized with the Holy Spirit, does he not then speak in tongues?” But I did not meet anyone who would have spoken in tongues, and so I often wondered if there is any such person these days who has really been baptized by the Holy Spirit. (6)

 

 

 

REFERENCES:

 

1)  YLI-VAINIO NIILO, Sinä voit täyttyä Pyhällä Hengellä, back cover

2) TORREY R.A., Pyhän Hengen kaste (The Baptism with the Holy Spirit)

3) NEE WATCHMAN, Elämän rikkaus Kristuksessa (THE NORMAL CHRISTIAN LIFE), p.52

4) YLI-VAINIO NIILO, Sinä voit täyttyä Pyhällä Hengellä, p.30

5) TORREY R.A., Pyhän Hengen kaste (The Baptism with the Holy Spirit), p.60,61

6) Same, p.16