Category Archives: baptism with the Holy Spirit

Everything We Need to Know Him Part 4 — The Holy Spirit

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”And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.“ Ephesians 1:13-14 NIV
”“All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.“ John 14:25-26 NIV

The one who truly believes in God has embarked on a journey to know God. This should be the focus of our lives. God has given us everything we need to truly know Him because He desires to be known by us. One of the greatest evidences of His desire to be known is the presence Holy Spirit within a believer.

We are all aware that our blessed Savior Jesus came to us as a baby and lived among us. He is “God with us.” But after His resurrection we were not abandoned to be left as orphans here. The Holy Spirit came to be “God in us.”

He is the precious “seal” and “deposit” within our lives “guaranteeing our inheritance”. When we come to God in faith the Holy Spirit comes to reside within us. He is more than willing to fill us to overflowing as we are baptized with the Holy Spirit so that we can walk with His power and be a witness to all who are around us.

The Holy Spirit is our Teacher. As we read the Word, it is the Holy Spirit who makes it come alive within us. He gives us understanding and He brings change within us through the Word.

The Holy Spirit is our Advocate. He intercedes for us. He is our Comforter and our Helper. He is our dearest Friend.

The Apostle Paul prayed this prayer for the Corinthian believers:

”May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.“ 
2 Corinthians 13:14 NIV

Paul wanted them to know closeness and friendship with the Holy Spirit. Our desire can and should be the same. As we come to the Holy Spirit and asking Him to speak to us and to teach us, He will. The Holy Spirit has come so we can know God intimately.

Our loving God truly has provided all that we need to know Him.

“Even Tax Collectors Came”-Reflections on Luke 3

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Years ago the President of the United States spoke at a venue 30 minutes drive from my home. The preparations for his arrival were extensive. Security, the press, state officials were all in action. Publicity of his arrival was everywhere. If you wanted to see him you had to prepare for him to come. 

Someone greater than the President has arrived, Jesus the Son of God. In our chapter today, John announced Jesus’s coming. Curiosity consumed the common people.

John preached a baptism of repentance from sin to prepare the peoples’ hearts for Jesus to appear. People despised by the religious elite wanted to know how to be prepared for “God’s salvation.”

“Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?””

Luke 3:12 NIV

 We know the story goes on. Jesus did indeed come. He became our Emmanuel, God with us. How do we respond to our invitation to come to Him? Have we “Prepared the way for the Lord” in our hearts?

The tax collectors, the most despised of sinners by the Jewish religious elite came because they wanted more than the wealth they had amassed and approval of the occupying army, the Romans. They asked a question that rings in my heart today. “Teacher, what should we do?”

As we take a few moments each day to prepare our hearts to celebrate the arrival of Jesus to our world during the first Christmas, may we ask the same question. He will not turn away the most despised and desperate one who is trapped by sin. He will not turn us away. What should we do in response to the one who longs to baptize us with the Holy Spirit and fire and bring us into a relationship of oneness with Him?

May we ask Jesus the same question the tax collectors asked John all those years ago. “Teacher what should we do?”

 

Reflections on Mark: Mark 1:1-20 The Good News

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(This month I’m going back to the gospels, the books that tell about Jesus’s life- the Book of Mark)

Mark starts his book by proclaiming that Jesus and His coming is Good News! It is Good News indeed! John the Baptist testified of this Good News in his ministry before Jesus came. John said this:

“And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”” Mark 1:7-8 NIV

In the first 12 verses of Mark, the Holy Spirit is mentioned three times. Why is this important? Jesus came as God with us! He walked in our world. Jesus came so that He could baptize us or fully immerse us with the Holy Spirit, who is God in us! As we come into that relationship we will find the Holy Spirit to be such a precious friend.

This same Holy Spirit that fills us is the same Holy Spirit of whom John the Baptist spoke. The same Holy Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove at His baptism. He is the same Holy Spirit that led Jesus into the wilderness afterwards.

Jesus offers us Good News as well today! The Kingdom of God has come near! We can be a part of that Kingdom! He wants us to follow Him just as He called out to Simon and Andrew. 

“As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭1‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

And as we follow Him others will want to follow as well! Empowered by the Holy Spirit and sharing the goodness of God we receive. Good News for all!

Pentecost in Acts: God in Us!

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(I write these devotions as a daily text to my nieces. I began to share them on my blog. There is a reference to Grandma and Grandpa, my mother in law and father in law. They believed and received the gift I wrote about.)

Happy Pentecost Sunday! At Christmas we celebrated God with us. At Easter we celebrated God restoring relationship with us. Today we celebrate God in us!!

I want to encourage you today to reflect on the precious presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. He is the comforter, the teacher, the intercesor, the one who empowers us. The promise of the Holy Spirit’s infilling is for today.

Your Grandma and Grandpa testified frequently to the difference they experienced when they received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit that we read about in Acts. They also practiced daily praying in tongues or praying in the Spirit. This is a part of your rich heritage. This gift of a prayer language that we read about in Ephesians:

“praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication…” Ephesians 6:18 ESV

This Builds us up in our faith. I have experienced its benefits in my life as well. I pray often in the Spirit. It is a daily practice that has helped me in my walk with the Lord.

“But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit,” Jude 1:20 ESV

I mention all of this because I know how hard it is to live victoriously in this world. This is one of the tools that God has given us to help us to overcome sin. I would encourage you to ask the Holy Spirit to fill you and to desire all that He has for you.

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” 2 Corinthians 13:14 ESV

The Apostle Paul spoke of the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. That is spending time with Him as a friend. I know only a small portion of what this is and I want to know it more. May we all desire to know Him as our dear and closest Friend. Love you all!

Pentecost in Acts: Acts 19:1-10 The Holy Spirit Came

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Paul went to Ephesus on his missionary journey. When he arrived there he found disciples there who had believed. They had not heard of the Holy Spirit and had only been baptized with John’s baptism of repentance. Paul explained:

“John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.”” Acts 19:4 ESV

They were baptized and then Paul placed his hands on them to receive the Holy Spirit. Once again the Holy Spirit filled the people as He did on Pentecost:

“And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.” Acts 19:6 ESV

God had not changed. He filled the believers in Ephesus with the same promised power and presence of the Holy Spirit. God has not changed still today! We are a part of the promise:

“For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”” Acts 2:39 ESV

Come Holy Spirit!

Pentecost in Acts: Acts 11:1-18 The Same Gift

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It was a big deal to the early Jewish Christians for someone to share the good news of Jesus to a non Jew/ Gentile. So when they heard that Peter had went to spend time with Cornelius, a Gentile, they criticized him. Peter told them the account of what happened in Caesarea.

He told the Jewish believers in Jerusalem that Cornelius was instructed by an Angel to send for him. The Angel told him Peter would tell Cornelius and his household how “they would be saved.” Then Peter told the story:

“As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning.” Acts 11:15 ESV

Peter also baptized them in water after they had been “baptized with the Holy Spirit.” (Verse 16)

He explained:

“If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God’s way?”” Acts 11:17 ESV

So the Jewish believers praised God because the Gentiles were granted repentance as well.

In our day and time we can ask the same question Peter did, “Who am I that I can stand in God’s way?” God longs to fill us with His Holy Spirit baptizing us in the Holy Spirit. He desires for us to follow Him in water baptism. He wants us to repent and “to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ…”

Do we follow Jesus as the early Christians did? Do we long for all of God that He offers for us to experience of Himself? Or do we stand in the way of what God wants to do in our lives?

He wants us to believe in Him, follow His example of being baptized in water, and to be baptized in the Holy Spirit as well. He wanted this for the Gentile believers in Caesarea over 2000 years ago. He is the same God today!