Opening illustration: A few believers say, "Draw me," but resist running with the Lord as a partner with Him in His work in the earth. The Holy Spirit does not draw us so we can hang up a "Do Not Disturb" sign and sit in our little comfort zone, only singing love songs to Jesus the rest of our lives. As fellow heirs with Christ, we are drawn into intimacy, and then empowered in ministry to bring others into intimacy with the Lord. The church will surely mature in the tension of drawing and running. We will learn how to deliver broken people, prevail in spiritual warfare and serve one another while maintaining our intimacy with Jesus.
Let us turn to Luke 3 in God’s Word and catch up with John the Baptist who draws our attention to the one who will empower us with His Holy Spirit …
Introduction: What do we call this experience of empowerment that is distinct from justification and sanctification? Are we to say that we are "baptized with the Holy Spirit," "filled with the Holy Spirit," have "received the Holy Spirit," or "releasing the power of the Holy Spirit?" There appears to be ambiguity because there are a variety of terms and images used in Scripture to describe this empowering operation of the Holy Spirit.
Among Christians there is also a genuine diversity of experience of the Holy Spirit’s empowering work. Some Christians have a clear initiatory experience of the power of the Holy Spirit that launches them into effective empowered ministry. Others have more of a growth process into effective witness. Some have many dramatic experiences others have no experiences. How do we fit all this together?
What is the process of being ‘Empowered by the Holy Spirit?’
1. Anointing (external work and manifestation) (1 John 2: 20; 2 Corinthians 1: 21-22)
The origin of anointing was from a practice of shepherds. Lice and other insects would often get into the wool of sheep, and when they got near the sheep’s head, they could burrow into the sheep’s ears and kill the sheep. So, ancient shepherds poured oil on the sheep’s head. This made the wool slippery, making it impossible for insects to get near the sheep’s ears because they would just slide off. From this, anointing became symbolic of blessing, protection, and empowerment.
Anointing oil is mentioned 20 times in Scripture, was used in the Old Testament for pouring on the head of the High Priest and his descendants, appointment of kings and sprinkling the Tabernacle and its furnishings to mark them as holy and set apart to the Lord (Exodus 25: 6; Leviticus 8: 30; Numbers 4: 16). Three times it is called the "holy, anointing oil" and the Jews were strictly forbidden from reproducing it for personal use (Exodus 30: 32-33). There is no indication that the oil or the ingredients had any supernatural power. Rather, the strictness of the guidelines for creating the oil was a test of the obedience of the Israelites and a demonstration of the absolute holiness of God.
The New Testament Greek words for “anoint” are chrio, which means “to smear or rub with oil, and by implication to consecrate for office or religious service”; and aleipho, which means “to anoint.” In Bible times, people were anointed with oil to signify God’s blessing or call on that person’s life (Exodus 29: 7; Exodus 40: 9; 2 Kings 9: 6; Ecclesiastes 9: 8; James 5: 14). A person was anointed for a special purpose - to be a king, to be a prophet, to be a builder, etc. There is nothing wrong with anointing a person with oil today. We just have to make sure that the purpose of anointing is in agreement with Scripture. Anointing should not be viewed as a "magic potion." The oil itself does not have any power. It is only God that can anoint a person for a specific purpose. If we use oil, it is only a symbol of what God is doing.
Only four New Testament passages refer to the practice of anointing with oil and none of them offer an explanation for its use. We can draw our conclusions from context. In Mark 6: 13, the disciples anoint the sick and heal them. In Luke 7: 46, Mary anoints Jesus’ feet as an act of worship. In James 5: 14, the church elders anoint the sick with oil for healing. In Hebrews 1: 8-9, God says to Christ as He returns triumphantly to Heaven, "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever..." and God anoints Jesus "with the oil of gladness."
Another meaning for the word anointed is "chosen one." The Bible says that Jesus Christ was anointed by God with the Holy Spirit to spread the Good News and free those who have been held captive by sin (Luke 4: 18-19; Acts 10: 38). After Christ left the earth, He left us the gift of the Holy Spirit (John 14: 16). Now all Christians are anointed, chosen for a specific purpose in furthering God’s Kingdom (1 John 2: 20). "Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee" (2 Corinthians 1: 21-22).
There is nothing in Scripture that commands or even suggests that we should use similar oil today, but neither is there anything to forbid it. Oil is often used as a symbol for the Holy Spirit in the Bible as in the parable of the wise and foolish virgins (Matthew 25: 1-13). As such, Christians have the presence of the oil of the Spirit who leads us into all truth and anoints us continually with His grace and comfort. “But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth” (1 John 2: 20).
2. Baptism (immersed) of the Holy Spirit (external / internal work and manifestation) (1 Corinthians 12: 12-13)
The baptism of the Holy Spirit may be defined as that work whereby the Spirit of God places the believer into union with Christ and into union with other believers in the body of Christ at the moment of salvation. First Corinthians 12: 12-13 is the central passage in the Bible regarding the baptism of the Holy Spirit: “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body - whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free - and we were all given the one Spirit to drink” (1 Corinthians 12: 13). While Romans 6: 1-4 does not mention specifically the Spirit of God, it does describe the believer’s position before God in language similar to the 1 Corinthians passage: “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”
The following facts are necessary to help solidify our understanding of Spirit baptism:
(a) 1 Corinthians 12: 13 clearly states that all have been baptized, just as all been given the Spirit to drink (the indwelling of the Spirit).
(b) Nowhere in Scripture are believers told to be baptized with, in or by the Spirit, or in any sense to seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This indicates that all believers have had this experience.
© Ephesians 4: 5 seems to refer to Spirit baptism. If this is the case, Spirit baptism is the reality for every believer, just as “one faith” and “one Father” are.
The baptism with the Holy Spirit is not a second work of grace, nor is it synonymous with sanctification. Rather, it is the conscious appropriation in faith and obedience of the empowering and equipping dimension of the Holy Spirit’s work that already dwells within us. The baptism with the Holy Spirit fits within the same motif of the Spirit upon and has as its primary meaning empowerment for service and witness. (Acts 1:5, 8)
Once one has experienced baptism of the Holy Spirit, even if not living a new state of empowerment by the Holy Spirit, one is able to receive that empowering dimension of the Holy Spirit and to manifest the gifts of the Holy Spirit as the Holy Spirit leads. The inward and the outward operations of the Holy Spirit should meet and mingle to become the Spirit filled life. We are to live by the Holy Spirit and are also to walk by the Spirit. In so doing, we will reflect the character of Jesus and will also have the power to do the same works that Jesus did and much more (John 14: 12).
3. Baptism (immersed) with Fire (internal work and manifestation) (Matthew 3: 11)
The Bible describes God as “a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12: 29), so it is not surprising that fire often appears as a symbol of God’s presence. Fire is a wonderful picture of the work of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is like a fire in at least three ways: He brings ~
(a) God’s presence ~ examples include the burning bush (Exodus 3: 2), the Shekinah glory (Exodus 14: 19; Numbers 9: 14-15), and Ezekiel’s vision (Ezekiel 1: 4). Fire has many times been an instrument of God’s judgment (Numbers 11: 1, 3; 2 Kings 1: 10, 12) and a sign of His power (Judges 13: 20; 1 Kings 18: 38).
The Holy Spirit is the presence of God as He indwells the heart of the believer (Romans 8: 9). In the Old Testament, God showed His presence to the Israelites by overspreading the tabernacle with fire (Numbers 9: 14-15). This fiery presence provided light and guidance (Numbers 9: 17-23). In the New Testament, God guides and comforts His children with the Holy Spirit dwelling in our bodies—the “tabernacle” and the “temple of the living God” (2 Corinthians 5: 1; 6: 16).
(b) God’s passion ~ for obvious reasons, fire was important for the Old Testament sacrifices. The fire on the altar of burnt offering was a divine gift, having been lit originally by God Himself (Leviticus 9: 24). God charged the priests with keeping His fire lit (Leviticus 6: 13) and made it clear that fire from any other source was unacceptable (Leviticus 10: 1-2).
The Holy Spirit creates the passion of God in our hearts. After the two traveling disciples talk with the resurrected Jesus, they describe their hearts as “burning within us” (Luke 24: 32). After the apostles receive the Spirit at Pentecost, they have a passion that lasts a lifetime and impels them to speak the word of God boldly (Acts 4: 31).
© God’s purity ~ In the New Testament, the altar can serve as a picture of our commitment to the Lord. As believers in Jesus Christ, we are called upon to offer our bodies as “living sacrifices” (Romans 12: 1), engulfed by the divine gift: the inextinguishable fire of the Holy Spirit. At the very beginning of the New Testament, the Holy Spirit is associated with fire. John the Baptist predicts that Jesus will be the One to “baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire” (Matthew 3: 11). When the Holy Spirit began His ministry of indwelling the early church, He chose to appear as “tongues of fire” resting on each of the believers. At that moment, “all of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them” (Acts 2: 3-4).
The Holy Spirit produces the purity of God in our lives. God’s purpose is to purify us (Titus 2: 14), and the Spirit is the agent of our sanctification (1 Corinthians 6: 11; 2 Thessalonians 2: 13; 1 Peter 1: 2). As the silversmith uses fire to purge the dross from the precious metal, so God uses the Spirit to remove our sin from us (Psalm 66: 10; Proverbs 17: 3). His fire cleanses and refines.
Conclusion: Using the terms "receiving the Holy Spirit" and "the baptism in the Holy Spirit" for the initial experience of empowerment for witness and service is biblical.
"Filled with the Holy Spirit" or "the Spirit upon" and "gifts of the Holy Spirit" are used for continued manifestations of the Holy Spirit’s power enabling witness and service. Given the continued influence of the Holiness Pentecostal teaching on the baptism with the Holy Spirit that confuses empowerment with sanctification, it is better to use the terms “filled with the Holy Spirit”, “received the Holy Spirit”, or “the Spirit upon” rather than “baptized with the Holy Spirit.” To do so not only avoids confusion but is also more consistent with the biblical usage.
Apparently the baptism of the Holy Spirit does two things, (i) it joins us to the body of Christ, and (ii) it actualizes our co-crucifixion with Christ. Being in His body means we are risen with Him to newness of life (Romans 6: 4). We should then exercise our spiritual gifts to keep that body functioning properly as stated in the context of 1 Corinthians 12: 13. Experiencing the one Spirit baptism serves as the basis for keeping the unity of the church, as in the context of Ephesians 4: 5. Being associated with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection through Spirit baptism establishes the basis for our separation from the power of indwelling sin and our walk in newness of life (Romans 6: 1-10; Colossians 2: 12).
Therefore my final questions for retrospection are:-
• Do you have the anointing? If so, are you moving in it? And if you are moving in it, where is the operation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit? (operations include defying all natural laws)
• Are you baptized in the Holy Spirit? If so, where are the fruit and the gifts of the Holy Spirit?
• Are you baptized with fire? If so, do you practice the presence of God and where is your passion for Him?
If there are any or all questions which remain unanswered, my exhortation will be to the body of Christ here to get right with God. Time to take a U turn. He is a God who loves you and will never leave you nor forsake you. What are you waiting for? Before it is too late and you reach a place of no return …
