If you’ve received Jesus as your Savior, one-third of your salvation is complete. It’s a done deal. Your spirit is sealed (Eph. 1:13) and perfected forever (Heb. 10:14). That is the new you on the inside. But there is more to being a Christian than just the forgiveness of your sins and having a ticket to heaven. If you’re going to experience life the way God intended, you need the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I know some people take issue with that.
“You’re saying I don’t have the Holy Spirit even though I’ve been born again?”
No, that’s not what I’m saying.
“Well, then, if I got the Holy Ghost when I was saved, that’s all the Holy Ghost I need!”
Well, no, that’s only partially true. Yes, you did receive the Holy Spirit when you were saved, but there’s another, separate experience for after you’re born again. This is where you need to let the Bible get in the way of what you believe. Religion has taught that the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit all passed away with the apostles. That isn’t true. Speaking of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Peter said,
For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. Acts 2:39
That includes you and me.
You know, Scripture talks about how believers will receive power after the Holy Ghost has come upon them (Acts 1:8). I know many Christians who are saved but powerless, and it’s this separate experience of the Holy Spirit that makes all the difference. Before I had the baptism of the Holy Spirit, I was charging hell with a water pistol. After I received the Holy Spirit, boy, it was like having a fire hose!
I’m telling you, you never would have heard of me if it hadn’t been for the Holy Spirit’s power in my life. When I’ve faced issues in my life or in ministry, it was the Holy Spirit, particularly speaking in tongues, that has tipped the balance in my favor. It’s happened so many times that I’ve lost count.
Let’s look at some Scripture to verify this:
And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
Acts 19:1-6
Here is a perfect example of what I’m talking about. Paul asked believers if they had received the Holy Ghost. That would have been a dumb question for people who couldn’t receive any more of the Holy Spirit than they already had. Can you see that?
The reason this is so important is because many Christians emphasize the initial born-again experience, saying, “We’ve got to get people saved.” And I agree! We do! But then these same people will deemphasize anything having to do with the Holy Spirit. They don’t realize how foundational it is to the Christian life. They consider it optional. It’s a view that’s completely opposite to what we see in Scripture. Before Jesus sent His disciples into ministry, He commanded them to wait for the power of the Holy Spirit to come on their lives (Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:4). In Jesus’s opinion, having this power wasn’t optional. Speaking from experience, life is better with the Holy Ghost.
Some people will argue that they received this when they were saved. Well, it’s true that you can receive both the first and second works of the Holy Spirit at the same time (see Acts 10:44-46), but they are not the same experience. In John 20:22, right after Jesus rose from the dead, He breathed on His disciples and said, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” This is the moment they became born again. But over in Acts 2 is when they were filled:
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 2:2-4
If we could get people not only saved but also filled with the Holy Ghost, the devil would be in trouble! This is one of the reasons I emphasize the baptism of the Holy Spirit at many of my meetings. It is super important that we have this gift and begin to speak in tongues.
I don’t have the space here to explain all the benefits of speaking in tongues, but in my teaching The New You & The Holy Spirit, I go into greater detail about this and many other foundational truths. If initially you’re turned off by the idea of speaking in tongues, don’t worry. It’s not something you have to do; it’s something you get to do! Your relationship with God will go through the roof, revelation of the Word will come, and your life will change for the better.
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We love you,
Andrew and Jamie
