Baptized In The Holy Spirit

Ephesians 5:18 "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit."

This passage has two commands, both I am sure are of equal importance. If I were to come to church next Sunday drunk, I know this church would know what to do, for the Bible says we are not be drunk with wine, for this is dissipation or excess. If the worship team, the Sunday School members, the church board were to show up on Sunday imbalanced because of alcohol, the church members would know what to do in handling this situation.

Yet, the passage says there is something else, Be filled with the Spirit. It would be just as much of a sin for me to come into the pulpit and preach without being filled with the Holy Spirit. And this is not limited to just preachers.

I like the story of the minister who was in his study preparing for the Sunday service. He was in prayer asking the Lord to fill him with the Holy Spirit before he left the room to begin the service. A little boy passed the study hearing the pleadings of the minister. As the boy sat in the pew, someone asked where the minister was at. The little boy said he was in the office with yelling at someone in his study saying that if that person did not come out of the office with him, then he was not going to come out either. Church, we must be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Tonight, it is my desire, it is my prayer, that everyone here in this room will be filled with the Spirit.

I am an Assembly of God minister, and I believe the initial evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues, that is having a prayer language, but I also believe this to be just the starting point in what the Spirit is going to do in each of our lives.

I want to quickly go through some Scripture to show you the God given mandate to be filled with the Holy Spirit as believers.

Acts 1:4 Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me tell you about.

Acts 1:5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit

Acts 2:4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them

Luke 24:49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high

Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you

Luke 11:13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.

Ephesians 5:18 Be filled with the Spirit

Whatever term you uses, we are commanded to be filled with the Holy Spirit, God does not want us to be a powerless people.

We need to know what unction is today. We need to know what it is that caused Wesley to say that he walked with God.

We need something akin to George Whitefield who when he came home had blood dripping from his face because of his enemies.

We need something akin to John Knox who cried and prayed, Oh God give me Scotland or I will die. And bloody Mary, the queen of England said she feared the prayers of John Knox more than she did all the armies of Scotland.

We need something akin to George Fox who stayed in a trance for 14 days

We need something akin to what Savanna Roland had when he stayed in his pulpit in a trance for 5 hours as the Spirit came upon him

We need something akin to what David Brinard had when he walked with God and left his knee prints in the planks as he prayed that God would send revival to the Northeastern United States.

We need the anointing of the Holy Spirit in this land today. It will bring boldness upon our lives, it will give us power over the demons and devils of our land.

Jacob in Genesis Chapter 32 wrestled with an angel and said that he would not let him go unless he blessed him.

Isaiah saw an angel take a coal from the alter and place it on his tongue. The prophet cried out, Woe is me for I am unclean

Ezekiel wept the Bible says in the bitterness of spirit

Elisha got Elijah’s mantle and the Bible says Elisha performed twice as many miracles as Elijah