Opening illustration: The story is told of an elderly woman named Norena, who lived in southern Florida. When a hurricane hit that area, her home was one of many that was severely damaged. Norena received an insurance settlement, and the repair work began. However, when the money ran out, so did the contractor, leaving an unfinished home with no electricity. Norena lived in her dark, unfinished home - without power - for fifteen (15) years.
You see, my brothers and sisters, the astonishing part of this story is that the hurricane was not Katrina but Andrew - a hurricane which struck in 1992. She had no heat in her home when the winter chills settled over southern Florida. She had no air conditioning when the mercury climbed into the 90’s and the humidity clung to 100 percent. She did not have one hot shower. Without money to finish the repairs, Norena just got by with a small lamp and a single burner.
Her neighbors did not seem to notice the absence of power in her home. Acting on a tip, one day, the mayor of the Miami-Dade area got involved. It only took a few hours of work by electrical contractor, Kent Crook, to return power to Norena’s house. CBS News reported that Norena planned to let the water get really hot, and then take her first "bubble bath" in a decade and a half. "It’s hard to describe having [the electricity]...to switch on," Norena told reporters, "It’s overwhelming."
Tell me, "How many Christian true believers have been living their entire lives without ever knowing what it is like to have the overwhelming Power of the Holy Spirit operating within them?" To be quite frank, I believe that some of us have had that Power turned off for so long, that we would not even recognize it if it came back to us!
Let us turn to Acts chapter 8 and catch with the story where God provides the NT church with a new power ~ ‘The infilling of the Holy Spirit.’ This gives a completely new dimension and empowerment to the church.
Introduction: (There is no set formula) to be baptized or filled with the Holy Spirit as defined by Scripture does not mean that you do not have the Holy Spirit. If you are a disciple of Jesus Christ, you already have the Spirit dwelling within you!
The phrase "receive the Holy Spirit" in Acts 8: 15, 17, 19; Acts 10: 47 and Acts 19: 2 refer to the empowering operation of the Holy Spirit. In Romans 8: 15, however, it depicts the inward justifying and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.
Further, it does not mean getting more of the Holy Spirit; rather it is a matter of letting the Holy Spirit have more of you. Recall Thomas Smail’s summary:
There are obviously endless differences in maturity and effectiveness among Christians, but they are not differences of this kind. All of Christ and all of the Spirit is offered to all Christians, and withheld from none, as the great gift of God’s grace, and the differences arise not between ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’ in regard to the Spirit, but solely from the degree to which Christians have entered into enjoyment of the inheritance that belongs to all of them and possessed the possessions that are for all in Christ.
Most of us only give Christ a little space of our lives and a grudging ascent of our wills. D.L. Moody once said, "What could God accomplish with a man or a woman who has fully surrendered his or her will to God?"
The Principles for Receiving and Growing in the Infilling with the Holy Spirit Are Basically the Same as Growing in Depth of Relationship with Jesus Christ
These are given as guidelines; there is no set formula! God is sovereign! These principles represent our human attempt at cooperation in God’s purposes and submission to God’s will. Growing in having the Holy Spirit upon for power is simply a matter of being in love with Jesus, asking for the equipping of the Holy Spirit, receiving in faith, and stepping out in obedience.
When / How do we receive the Holy Spirit?
The apostle Paul clearly taught that we receive the Holy Spirit the moment we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior. First Corinthians 12: 13 declares, “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.” Romans 8: 9 tells us that if a person does not possess the Holy Spirit, he or she does not belong to Christ: “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” Ephesians 1: 13-14 teaches us that the Holy Spirit is the seal of salvation for all those who believe: “Having 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.”
These three passages make it clear that the Holy Spirit is received at the moment of salvation. Paul could not say that we all were baptized by one Spirit and all given one Spirit to drink if not all of the Corinthian believers possessed the Holy Spirit. Romans 8: 9 is even stronger, stating that if a person does not have the Spirit, he does not belong to Christ. Therefore, the possession of the Spirit is an identifying factor of the possession of salvation. Further, the Holy Spirit could not be the “seal of salvation” (Ephesians 1: 13-14) if He is not received at the moment of salvation. Many scriptures make it abundantly clear that our salvation is secured the moment we receive Christ as Savior.
1. Thirst - John 7: 37-39
It is "thirst" that leads us to Jesus Christ who gives the living water of the Spirit of God. Jesus says, “If anyone thirst, let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.’ Now this He said about the Spirit which those who believed in Him were to receive." (John 7:37-39)
This is, first of all, a thirst for intimacy with God.
"My God, thou art my God, I seek thee my soul thirsts for thee; my flesh faints for thee, as in a dry and weary land where no water is." (Psalm 63:1)
Second, it is a thirst that arises out of a profound awareness of our own inadequacy to do the works of God in our own strength. Jesus perfectly describes our condition when he says, "...apart from me you can do nothing!"
2. Expect - Ephesians 3: 20
For many of us "our God is too small" and our expectations of the Christian life are too small. We have limited and tamed God by our fears, worldview, lack of knowledge, etc. Expectancy is an expression of untrammeled faith in God, which prepares us to receive and to do all that He has for us.
3. Repentance - Acts 2: 38
That one is already baptized and growing in Christ is already assumed. What is emphasized here is that repentance and confession should be an ongoing part of the Christian life. Sin blocks our relationship with God, so repentance is a basic criterion for spiritual growth. Being sensitive to sin is what counts.
Please be very careful here!
One does not have to be perfect or have reached a high level of sanctification to receive the Holy Spirit "upon" for empowerment. There is no precondition of a "second blessing" or entire sanctification. If there were such a criterion for receiving the infilling, then none of us would qualify. This is given as a free gift of God’s grace to all in Christ who in obedience receive. The gift is available from the moment we are in Christ.
Having affirmed that there is no precondition we must be careful not to neglect the inward work of the Holy Spirit. God is very patient, but if a person persists in disobedience, God may, and often does, withdraw the Spirit’s empowering.
This God did in the tragic cases of Samson and King Saul who persisted in disobedience. They lost the anointing of the Spirit, and finally their lives. After David had committed adultery with Bathsheba, he prayed, "Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy Holy Spirit from me." (Psalm 51:11)
And Peter after denying Jesus, went out and wept bitterly. Later on the beach he accepted Jesus’ recommissioning in the question and command, "Do you love me? ...feed my sheep.”
The way to growing in depth of relationship with Christ, and the Holy Spirit’s empowerment for the work of His Kingdom, is by "walking in the light." This firstly means a willingness to be vulnerable to the Holy Spirit, and letting his searching light pierce to the secret places within us. Secondly, walking in the light means a readiness to confess and to repent of our sins and receiving the forgiveness and cleansing of Jesus.
I have personally found that if I am to continue receiving the infilling of the Holy Spirit, then confession must be a regular spiritual discipline. This may be done alone with God, before whom all our thoughts and desires are known. It is also helpful, and keeps us honest, to follow the direction of James and confess our sins to another brother or sister.
4. Ask - Luke 11: 9-13
If a person is in Jesus Christ he already has the Holy Spirit within him, for conversion is itself a work of the Holy Spirit. But to have the Holy Spirit "upon" for power, which is what it means to be baptized or filled with the Holy Spirit, one must appropriate it. One receives partly through asking in prayer. This is true of all that Christ has promised us. Calvin affirms this in his teaching on prayer.
Therefore we see that to us nothing is promised to be expected from the Lord, which we are not also bidden to ask of him in prayers. So true it is that we dig up by prayer the treasures that were pointed out by the Lord’s Gospel, and which our faith has gazed upon.
The New Covenant in which all of God’s people are promised the Holy Spirit for power has been established in the blood of Jesus Christ. On the day of Pentecost the promised Holy Spirit was poured out! It is now for us to appropriate God’s gracious gift and provision through asking and receiving in faith.
Asking in Prayer
• The important thing is to ask in prayer. It does not matter what words you use; there are no neat formulas. What matters is the intent of the heart.
• Many find it helpful to have hands laid upon them. This has good Biblical precedent and may be a support to one’s faith (Acts 9: 17, 19: 6)
• One may ask to be filled with the Holy Spirit not once but many times, as often as needed.
5. Receive In Faith - Galatians 3: 13-14, I John 5: 14-15
Receiving the infilling with the Holy Spirit is not subject to our emotions or experience. Rather it is founded in the promises of God and received in faith.
Paul asked the Galatians, "Does He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?" (Galatians 4: 5)
"Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us-for it is written, ’Cursed be everyone who hangs on a tree’ - that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." (Galatians 3: 13-14)
The key to appropriating what God has clearly promised us in Jesus Christ is given in the following incredible verses. (Mark 11: 22-24; I John 5: 14-15)
These promises give us the confidence to ask for and in faith receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit. We know that it is God’s will and intention that we are made useful in his kingdom and equipped to witness to Jesus Christ. Thus in faith we ask for it and we trust and believe that we have indeed received. Experience will follow what we have appropriated in faith.
This emphasis upon appropriating in faith the baptism with the Holy Spirit was the unique emphasis of R.A. Torrey. It is Biblical, fully respects the sovereignty of God, and avoids all the gimmicks and manipulations like tarrying meetings, or pressuring people to speak in tongues that have so marred our joyful reception of God’s free gift.
So crucial is this appropriation of the promise of the Holy Spirit to our project that I quote R.A. Torrey extensively.
Now apply this to the matter of the baptism with the Holy Spirit. You have taken all the other six steps, and you have come to God and asked Him definitely to baptize you with the Holy Spirit (or, to fill you with the Holy Spirit, as the case may be). Then ask yourself, "Is this petition of mine according to His will? You know that it is because Acts 2: 39 and Luke 11: 13 say so. Then read I John 5: 14, "this is the confidence that we have toward Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us." Then say, "I asked for the baptism with the Holy Spirit, I know that is according to His will because God says so in Luke 11: 13 and Acts 2: 39, therefore, I know He has heard me." Then read the fifteenth verse, "and if we know that He heareth us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of Him." The petition I asked was the baptism with the Holy Spirit; I know He has heard me; I know I have what I asked; I know I have the baptism with the Holy Spirit. And what you thus take upon naked faith in the word of God, you shall afterwards have in actual experimental possession.
Ask and then receive in faith!
6. Obey the Holy Spirit - Acts 5: 32, John 14: 15-17
This last step is the crucial one. Indeed it is the essence of our whole relationship with Jesus Christ. We are called to obedience.
After asking for the empowering of the Holy Spirit and receiving in faith, that faith must be made active and alive, and the way this happens is through obedience to the Holy Spirit. (Acts 5: 32; John 14: 15-17)
The obedience that God calls us to is not just a matter of doing a few things right to fulfill the law, rather it is a surrender of the will. R.A. Torrey clearly presents us with this call to radical obedience.
In the story of Peter walking on the water, Jesus commanded him to come. As Peter obeyed and left the security of the boat he experienced the incredible miracle of walking on water. It may have only been a few steps, but this is a quantum leap beyond what the rest of the disciples experienced who did not get out of the boat.
Likewise, the Holy Spirit calls us to obedience and as we obey, that is when we experience the power or see evidences that we have indeed been empowered.
Some concerns ~ Manifestations and Gifts: Growing in the Obedience to the Holy Spirit
(a) Manifestations of the Holy Spirit: Variety of different experiences people encounter.
(b) Why do manifestations happen? Nature of the HS and response of human beings; strengthen our faith; opportunity to trust and obey the HS.
(c) Dangers of manifestations: Hyped emotions; manipulations ~ careful discernment is needed by the leadership; do not quench the manifestations of the HS. In everything our focus should not shift to the manifestations but rest completely on Jesus Christ.
Illustration: Does anyone know what that piece in the middle of the washer is called? The part in the middle that moves back and forth and shakes the clothes back and forth? What is that called? I’m going to call it an Agitator…. What is the purpose of the Agitator?
As far as I can tell, it sole purpose is to cause havoc for the dirty clothes… it’s there to shake and separate the clothes from all the dirt and grime and money that may be in or on the clothes, right?
As soon as we are saved, the Holy Spirit moves into our hearts, but He doesn’t have our heart to himself… there’s still a lot of things in there… the main one being our own selfish desires…even though we have been saved from our past sins, there still remains some things of the world that we are still fond of… these things of the world have a way of attaching themselves to us like dirt on clothes… they can stain us, they seemingly won’t come out.
The Holy Spirit, being Holy….His nature doesn’t allow Him to live in a dirty environment, so He begins to gently and lovingly, He begins to agitate, to shake… to convict us of the things that need to leave our heart…. You see God wants us to be filled with His Spirit… and only when we come to a place in our lives where we are willing to remove all the dirt…can we truly be Filled with His Spirit. Until then, many times our spiritual life fills like we are in a washing machine…. The Holy Spirit constantly, because He loves us so much, constantly agitation within us, convicting us of the things that need to be removed from our lives…. The truth is it is God’s will for all to be filled with the Spirit…. But it’s your choice… it’s up to you… If you willing to surrender every area of your life… every area.. Past, present, future… habits, control, finances, family… everything that means something to you…. Total surrender
This is one of the major reasons why many individuals in the body of Christ desire to just have a casual, nominal Christian lifestyle and don’t seek to receive the Holy Spirit. Apparently they know He is going to shake them up and even rattle them so hard and displace them from their comfort zone that what their flesh yearns is not going to be fulfilled. Their wants are not going to take precedence, only their needs. But in all that they miss out the joy that the Holy Spirit gives which ultimately is manifested as our strength in Jesus Christ our Lord! Amen.
Conclusion: This discussion is controversial because the ministries of the Holy Spirit are often confused. The receiving / indwelling of the Spirit occurs at the moment of salvation. The filling of the Spirit is an ongoing process in the Christian life. While we hold that the baptism of the Spirit also occurs at the moment of salvation, some Christians do not. This sometimes results in the baptism of the Spirit being confused with “receiving the Spirit” as an act subsequent to salvation.
In conclusion, how do we receive the Holy Spirit? We receive the Holy Spirit by simply receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior (John 3: 5-16). When do we receive the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit becomes our permanent possession the moment we believe.
To receive the baptism or infilling with the Holy Spirit is just a beginning … You have not arrived at the end of the journey, but have only begun. We must continue to walk, move and be led by the Holy Spirit at every moment of our lives.
