Baptism in the Holy Spirit
Series: Book of Acts #5
Acts 1:4-8[1]
11-13-05
Intro
Act 1:8 is the book of Acts in a nutshell. It establishes both the theme and the outline of the whole book. Listen again to this awesome promise Jesus makes to His followers in that verse. Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” That is a declaration of God’s purpose for every person in this room. The purpose is witness. The means for fulfilling that purpose is the baptism in the Holy Spirit. That’s why Jesus’ command in verse 4, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
Our subject his morning is the baptism of the Holy Spirit as we find it in the book of Acts. What does Luke mean when he talks about being baptized in the Holy Spirit? As a foundation for understanding Acts we will explore that question and talk some about how we can receive this wonderful gift from our Heavenly Father.
Our English word “baptize” is essentially a transliteration directly from the Greek word “baptizo”. Its root meaning is “to dip” or immerse into fluid and then take it out again.[2] I. There are at least four different baptisms in the New Testament. So when we see the term in Scripture it is not always referring to the same thing.
First, there is the baptism of John the Baptist in water. Mark 1:4 says “And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” Or the Greek preposition “eis” might also be translated “into” which would make it read “baptism of repentance into the forgiveness of sins.” John’s baptism was a preparation for the coming of Messiah. It was different from Christian baptism. We know that by Paul’s actions in Acts 19:1-5 “While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’ They answered, ‘No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.’ So Paul asked, ‘Then what baptism did you receive?’ ‘John’s baptism,’ they replied. 4 Paul said, ‘John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.’ On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.” What did Paul do when he learned that they had only been baptized with John’s baptism? He had them re-baptized in Christian baptism.
Second is Christian baptism in water. Jesus provided the example for this in His baptism. The purpose is “to fulfill all righteousness.” Christian baptism in water is an outward act of obedience as a confession of the inward righteousness received in Christ. We don’t have time to expound on that right now. But Jesus authorized this baptism in the Great Commission found in Matt 28:19 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Unlike John’s baptism it is in the name of the Triune God. John’s baptism was in anticipation of the coming Messiah. Christian baptism is in recognition of our union with the resurrected Christ who has come and died for our sins.
Third, Jesus talked about His own baptism of suffering in Luke 12:50. In Mark 10 He talked about it for His followers where He asked James and John (Mark 10:38) “Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?"
Fourth, which is our point of interest this morning is the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The promise of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is so important it is found in all four gospels and then repeated in Acts 1:5 “...For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” I personally think the New American Standard translation of “in the Holy Spirit” is clearer because the word “baptizo” means to dip into or immerse.[3] To be baptized in the Holy Spirit is to be immersed in the Spirit. The term is used in Josephus in reference to dipping cloth into liquid dye so that the material is saturated with the dye and changes color.[4] There are some wonderful changes that happen when we are baptized in the Holy Spirit.
II. Paul and Luke do not always refer to “Spirit baptism” from the same perspective.
To interpret Scripture we must read it from the cultural perspective of the author rather than our own culture thousands of years later. A common mistake people make concerning our subject this morning is to assume “baptizo” is a technical term in Scripture and that it has to always have the same meaning.[5] Its basic meaning is to dip into or immerse. But Paul has a different point of interest when he talks about being baptized in the Spirit than Luke has in his books. For example, in 1Cor. 12:13 Paul is focused on conversion and Spirit baptism signifying entry into the body of Christ. 1 Cor 12:13 “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.” Paul is using the term to refer to salvation. In Romans 8:9 he says “...And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” Paul is talking about receiving the Spirit at the time of conversion. Every Christian has the Holy Spirit in that sense. Paul’s orientation in those verses is soteriological.
In contrast to that, Luke’s focus is upon the empowerment of the Holy Spirit for service. When Luke talks about the baptism in the Holy Spirit he is talking about Charismatic empowerment.[6] They are not using the term “baptizo” in a technical sense but according to common language of the day. Each one has to be understood in the context of his writing. There is a work of the Spirit at conversion that incorporates us into the body of Christ. But there is an additional work of Spirit that Luke wants us to understand that empowers us for the work of the ministry.
It is a very limited mindset that thinks the Holy Spirit can only do one thing. Even someone as finite as myself can function as a husband, a father, a grandfather, a pastor. Someone might ask, “Is Richard a father or a grandfather?” “Does Richard prepare sermons or preach sermons?” The answer is “yes” and there is no contradiction in the answer. Too many people think one dimensional when it comes to the activity of the Holy Spirit. “Does the Holy Spirit place people into the body of Christ or does He empower people for service?” The answer is “yes”. Paul tells us He places people in the body of Christ. Luke tells us He empowers people for service. Jesus is not using double talk in John 14:17 when He says to the disciples, “the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”
I have just talked with you about the way Paul and Luke use a similar phrase in reference to two different experiences. Now I want you to see how Luke uses different expression to refer to the same experience—the baptism in the Holy Spirit.[7] In our modernistic minds we would like for Luke to settle on one technical term and consistently use that term every time he speaks about the baptism in the Holy Spirit. But that is not what is happening in Scripture. And if we want to understand the message we must receive it the way Luke is giving it to us.
III. Here are seven terms or phrases Luke uses in reference to the charismatic empowerment in the Holy Spirit.
(1) Baptized in the Spirit. Acts 1:5 says “en pnumati baptisthesesthe” or “you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit.” You will be immersed, surrounded and enveloped in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.[8] In Acts 11:15-17 Peter is reporting his experience at the house of Cornelius. "As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. 16 Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ’John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’” Notice with me a couple of details in that testimony. First, he uses the phrase “baptized in the Holy Spirit” to describe the experience. Second, he equates that to “the Holy Spirit came on them”. And he pulls it all together by saying “as he had come on us at the beginning.”[9] So sometimes the experience is referred to as a baptism in the Holy Spirit.
(2) Came upon them. We just saw that terminology in Acts 11:15, “the Holy Spirit came on them.” Acts 8:16 uses similar terminology when it says “because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.” Each text has a form of “epipipto”[10] which is a common term that simply means to fall upon or come upon. What we are beginning to see is that there are a number of ways this experience can be described. No one of them is exhaustive. And each one probably helps us understand it a little better. Acts 10:44 uses the same terminology, “While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message.” Our English translations usually say “came upon” or “fell upon”.
(3) Came upon them. A different Greek word is used to describe this activity of the Holy Spirit in Acts 19:6. The word is “erchomai” meaning to come upon. This is an extremely common term. The advantage of looking at this in the Greek is to realize how Luke is simply using common language of the day. Acts 19:6 “When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.” Our text in Acts 1:8 uses a similar word, “eperchomai”. “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you....”
(4) Pour out on. In Acts 2:33 Peter uses the verb “ekcheo” to describe the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The term is usually translated “to pour out”. Acts 2:33 speaking of Jesus, “Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.” Where does Peter get that terminology? He gets it from the Septuagint which he quotes in Acts 2:17 "’In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.” Much of Luke’s terminology concerning the Holy Spirit comes from his Greek Old Testament.[11]
(5) Clothed with the Holy Spirit. “Enduo” is the word used in Luke 24:49 which basically means to clothe. Luke 24:49 Jesus says to His followers, “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."
What is He talking about? He is talking about the Day of Pentecost. He is talking about the baptism in the Holy Spirit. NKJV says “...until you are endued with power from on high." Judges 6:34 uses a similar word where it says, “Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon....”
(6) Filled with the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:4 says “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” Filled with the Holy Spirit—“pimplemi.” Acts 4:31 uses the same terminology, “After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.”
What am I trying to establish with all this? We simply want to realize that a variety of terms are used to describe the charismatic empowerment of the Holy Spirit. So that later in Acts when we read the Holy Spirit came upon someone we already understand that we are essentially talking about the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. When we get to each passage we can talk about some of the contextual factors. But this basic understanding will be helpful.
(7) Receive the Holy Spirit. Another term used to describe the baptism in the Holy Spirit is “lambano”. Again this is an extremely common word and it simply means to take or receive. Acts 8:15 “When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit...” In Acts 19:2 Paul asks the elders at Ephesus "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when {2 Or after} you believed?"
Remember how Jesus referred to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as a gift? Acts 1:4 “On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: ‘Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about.’” The Holy Spirit is a gift from the Father. There is only one thing we have to do when someone is giving us a gift. We have to receive it. We don’t have to earn it or pay for it. It is free. Our only responsibility is to receive.
We have seen that all these different terms and phrases refer to essentially the same experience—the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Have you received the Holy Spirit after you believed? God offers this to each and every one of us. He is no respecter of persons.
IV. How do we receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit?
(1) We take God at His word when He says in Acts 2:39 “The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off-for all whom the Lord our God will call.” This is not a gift that God gave to first century Christians and now He no longer gives to His children. “The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off...”—not just that one generation. If you are not convinced that this is a gift for you then I would encourage you to do as the Bereans did and check it out in the word of God.[12]
Are you willing to learn something that you didn’t already know? Are you willing to enter into new experiences with God? The Holy Spirit is the ascension gift from Jesus to His people. The deciding factor is not what I think or what you think or what religious background I may have or what your grandpa believed. The deciding factor is what God has revealed about this in His word. God says this promise is for you and your children and for all who are afar off. It is for our day just as it was for Peter’s day and Luke’s day.
(2) Desire to be filled with the Spirit. Jesus said in Matt 5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”
We are not likely to enter into anything fresh and new if we are satisfied with the status quo. How bad do you want it? Is the Holy Spirit something you can take or leave? Is He low on your priority list? Do you have other things to do that are more important in your estimation? There may be a part of us that desires more of the Spirit. But if we have other priorities we may miss the opportunity to receive. Jesus commanded the disciples in Acts 1:4-5 "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." I’m glad they didn’t say, “Lord, I’ll catch you later. Right now I’ve got some very important things to do.” May God give all of us enough divine dissatisfaction that we seek Him for more of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
(3) Recognize you desperate need for the Holy Spirit. In Acts 1 these disciples had some good things going for them. They had seen the resurrected Christ. They had even been taught the Scripture by Him. But still Jesus said, “Don’t launch out. Don’t try to do the job I’ve given you to do until you are endued with power from on high. Wait in Jerusalem until you receive.” We need the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives to live holy in this ungodly world. We need the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives to do the work of the ministry. The challenge is far greater than anything our natural ability can accomplish. Jesus said in John 15 “Without me you can do nothing.” Those who believe that will wait upon God for a fresh outpouring of the Spirit in their lives.
(4) Ask God to fill you with His Spirit. In Luke 11:9-13 Jesus said, "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. 11 "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 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!"
(5) Obey the promptings of the Spirit as you ask. In Acts 5:32 Peter says, “We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him." There is an element of cooperation with the Holy Spirit that requires faith. Sometimes people just want to stand there limp so they can make sure its God. I can understand that thinking. But it’s missing something crucial—faith. It takes faith to speak out the syllables God is giving you when you are being filled with the Spirit. Our minds don’t understand the meaning of what we are saying and that can feel a bit uncomfortable. But when we are filled with the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues it is not the Holy Spirit Who is doing the speaking.[13] The Holy Spirit prompts and initiates the utterance but we are the ones that speak. And that always takes a step of faith. On the Day of Pentecost, Acts 2:4 “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” NKJV says “And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” They were the ones speaking as the Holy Spirit stirred them to do so.
There is nothing more exciting than stepping out in faith and obeying God. You never know exactly what God is going to do next. You can know that He will take care of you, that what He gives you will be good for you, that what He calls you to do will be empowered by His Spirit. It is an awesome adventure to boldly follow God. Spirit-filled, New Testament Christianity puts you out there where the action is. It is like surfing the big waves in the ocean. You don’t control those waves; you cooperate with them and enjoy the ride. Watch this clip from the movie, “Step into Liquid” and imagine the thrill of entering into all God has for you.
Show clip from movie, “Step into Liquid” (0:07:55 to 0:10:58).[14]
Invitation to come forward asking God to be filled with the Holy Spirit.
TEXT: Acts 1:4-8
On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." 6 So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" 7 He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (NIV)
Richard Tow
Grace Chapel Foursquare Church
Springfield, MO
www.gracechapelchurch.org
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[1] Text was read at beginning of the sermon and is provided at the end of this manuscript. All Scripture quotes are from New International Version unless otherwise indicated.
[2] Derek Prince, The Spirit-Filled Believer’s Handbook: Foundations for Christian Living from the Bible (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 1993) p 177. The term is occasionally used to refer to ceremonial washing, for example Mk 7:4 & Lk 11:38, so we must allow context to contribute to our understanding of what is being said in a particular text.
[3] Ibid, pp 180-189. On p. 181 Prince points out that throughout the NT only two prepositions are used with the verb “baptizo”. These two Greek prepositions are “en” and “eis”. Although context is a major factor in translating prepositions, the meaning of the word “baptizo” should cause us to translate these prepositions “in” or “into” unless context dictates otherwise. I don’t think this issue should be overemphasized but it simply removes come ambiguity for me.
[4] Albrecht Oepke, Bapto, in TDNT vol. 1, G. Kittle, ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1964) p529.
[5] D. A. Carson, Exegetical Fallacies (Grand Rapids: Baker Books House, 2004) p 46. BDAG p. 164 says “...the need of qualifying statements or contextual coloring in the documents indicates that the term “baptizo” was not nearly so technical as the transliteration suggests.” Derek Prince (p 175-176) suggests that political pressures during the translation of the King James Verses contributed to its being transliterated rather than translated and that other version simply followed what had been established over years by the KJV. It’s likely that by the 1600’s the term “baptism” had taken on a much more technical meaning than it had for Paul and Luke. We must be careful to not impose our current thinking (specifically “baptism” as a technical term) upon Paul and Luke.
[6] Roger Stronstad, The Charismatic Theology of St. Luke (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1984) pp 9-12
[7] Roger Stronstad, The prophethood of All Believers: A Study in Luke’s Charismatic Theology (New York: Sheffield Academic Press, 2003) p 62-63. However, George Ladd, A Theology of the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1993) (p 382) does not feel baptism and filling are strictly synonymous reserving the term “baptism” for the first-time experience and “filling” for later recurrences. The term baptism does tend to carry a connotation of initiation. Stronstad tends to see the use of different terms as a way to emphasize different aspects of the Charismatic activity. On p. 81 of his book, The Charismatic Theology of St. Luke, Stronstad writes, “As we have seen, Luke describes the gift of the Spirit by a variety of terminology; for example, filled, anointed, clothed, baptized, and empowered by the Spirit. Though these and other terms all describe the charismatic gift of the Spirit, a twofold distinction must be made. The terms “anointed” and “baptized” describe the consecrating work of the Holy Spirit in inaugurating one’s public ministry. The terms “filled,” “clothed,” and “empowered,” describe the actual equipping by the Spirit for that ministry. Here, then, is the distinction between the once-for-all and the repetitive character of the gift of the Spirit. The consecration by the Spirit is once-for-all, while, as the need arises, the equipping by the Spirit is repetitive.” In accord with this I tend to refer to the initial experience as baptism in the Spirit and repetitive experiences as filled with the Spirit. However, I do not believe Luke was using these words as technical terms and we must not overstate the distinctions. See D.A. Carson, Exegetical Fallacies (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1996) p. 46.
[8] Derek Prince, p 210. At the end of this message we show a clip from the movie, “Step into Liquid”. It provides a strong visual of powerful baptism where the surfer is immersed in the wave over him, behind him, and under him.
[9] Notice Peter likens their experience to that which he had on the Day of Pentecost.
[10] For sake of simplicity I am using the lexical form on these terms.
[11] Stronstad, p. 18
[12] Acts 17:11. A.W. Tozer, The Tozer Pulpit, Vol. 1 (Camp Hill, PA: 1994) pp 64-78 makes this point strongly.
[13] Speaking in tongues is not the goal; it is simply the evidence that we got what we were seeking, the Holy Spirit enduing us with power. This will be addressed more fully later in our study.
[14] Documentary written and directed by Dana Brown produced in 2003. Go to www.stepintoliquid.com
