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The Power Of the Baptisms In House Churches
This series of teachings is aimed at helping house church planters to plant proper and authentically Biblical house churches just as Jesus Christ and the apostles did in Biblical times.
In the previous sessions, we discussed the Luke 10 method of evangelism, which focuses on finding a man of peace and making him, along with his family and friends, disciples of Christ while we practically equip the new converts from the previous outreach.
House church planters must realize that Pentecostalism is a requirement when we plant house churches and equip the members of the house church congregations. Pentecostalism is not optional. It is the very “tool” that God gave us that forms the foundation of ministry in house churches. We read about that in 1 Corinthians 14:26
How is it then, brethren? When ye come together, every one of you has a psalm, has a doctrine, has a tongue, has a revelation, and has an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
When church planters accept and promote Pentecostalism, the baptism in the Holy Spirit, and the gifts of the Spirit, they empower the laborers with the power of God. It empowers people to make choices and to live out their faith. We have noticed that particular denominations that have initially opposed Pentecostalism have decided to embrace Pentecostalism.
We have seen denominations that were not willing to go that far decide to at least accept people within their ranks to practice Pentecostalism. These denominations benefited tremendously by being more lenient and more tolerant in this regard. They took note of the pros and cons, and they convinced their leaders and members to be more lenient and more tolerant with regard to things previously opposed, such as the inclusion of diverse worship styles and the acceptance of Pentecostal practices.
Pentecostalism does not damage the church, and it does offer the laborers the opportunity to preach a gospel of hope and deliverance. It causes freedom and deliverance in people’s lives.
It is for this reason that Pentecostalism is the fastest-growing Christian movement in the world, and its popularity is increasing tremendously every day. It is because of its effectiveness that the denominations that I mentioned have decided to become Pentecostal or at least allow it to function within their structures.
The situation is no different in house churches.
We also analyzed and discussed the reasons why new converts are a powerful resource in the hands of God and such a tremendous help to church planters.
We discussed how we, as church leaders, can maximize the potential of laborers and also how we may hinder or block this valuable resource.
In this session, we are discussing the biblical aspects of the baptisms. We are discussing the reasons why water baptism is such a powerful experience in the church. We are discussing why water baptism is not merely a symbolic act, but rather an act of obedience for the remission of sin that profoundly impacts the spiritual world.
It causes havoc among demons, and it has a powerful impact on the spiritual realm, as evidenced by testimonies and transformations seen in individuals who undergo baptism, demonstrating its significance beyond mere symbolism.
Just take a look at some of the YouTube videos of water baptisms that were carried out for the remission of sin as an act of obedience and repentance. Demonic manifestations happen quite a lot because of their significance.
There is a tremendous difference between a symbolic baptism and a baptism as an act of repentance. The symbolic baptism has no power and has no spiritual value. To follow Jesus Christ through the water by dying with him and rising with him is something different. It is not a symbolic act but an action that has a powerful impact on us and the spiritual world.
It changes a lot of things in our lives, such as our perspectives, relationships, and spiritual well-being.
It brings freedom. It delivers us from many negative things.
It sets us free from bondage, and it washes away our sins. Unfortunately, the church has separated salvation from the water baptism experience.
The Biblical way of repentance is the following: The unsaved person stands in the water. He is not saved yet, but he did inform the person who preached the gospel of Christ to him that he wants to follow Jesus Christ. People follow Jesus Christ through the water, not by praying the sinner’s prayer. Water baptism is the road to salvation and restoration.
In Genesis, God breathed a human spirit into Adam, which brought to life the first man. Every human is made in God’s image, and the Bible refers many times to the spirit of a person. But the Holy Spirit is not a human spirit, and Adam never received the Holy Spirit. The Old Testament human spirit could not and still cannot receive the Holy Spirit. We need to be born of the Holy Spirit, which is a new creation, and then we can receive the Holy Spirit.
So when an unsaved person (a person who was not requested to pray the sinner’s prayer, which was a new invention by the organised church, not too long ago) goes underwater, as an act of repentance, as it was in Biblical times, the old man (old spirit) literally dies and ceases to exist. In its place, a new creature, a new spirit, is born of the Spirit of God. It is not the same type of spirit that the Old Testament people had or unsaved people have. The old spirit ceases to exist when the new convert goes under the water. In its place, an entirely new type of spirit is born. That is why it is called a new creation.
This spirit can contain God, whilst the Old Testament spirit could not. This is why Paul said that it was the old man who sinned. The new man cannot sin and has never sinned. This is why the Bible says that Jesus was sent to take sin away.
It is not “if it” never existed. It actually never did exist in a new creation’s life. So sin does not exist in the life of a born-again person. Yes, both the soul and body can still sin, but God has empowered us to overcome and defeat sin in our souls and bodies through the pursuit of holiness.
Both the baptism in water and the baptism in the Holy Spirit empower us to pursue holiness.
This is why we are baptized in water and in the Holy Spirit. We need to look at questions like, does the water baptism save us? What happens when a person repents but fails to be baptized? What do I need to do if I am not sure whether I was baptized the right way? I am going to answer all these questions and many more.
First, let us start by looking at a few Scriptures about water baptism:
John 3:5
Jesus answered, “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
This verse shows that we must be born of water and the Spirit to enter God’s kingdom.
There is a very important “and” between water and Spirit. This Scripture seems to suggest that we need to be baptized to be saved, but is it really a requirement? We will answer this question in a minute.
Mark 16:15-16
15 And he said unto them, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”
16 “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”
Just as the previous Scripture, this Scripture provides a similar suggestion.
It says that if we believe and are baptized, then we shall be saved. Is this suggestion really the truth? Do we have to be baptized to be saved? We will answer this question in a minute.
1 Peter 3:20-21
20 Who sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls, were saved by water.
21 The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Acts 2:36-47
36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
39 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.
40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized, and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
43 And fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.
44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
45 And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.
46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
47 Praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
In this Scripture, we see the full Gospel of Jesus Christ. We see all the steps that everybody has to take to be truly saved. We see repentance, we see baptism in water, and we see baptism in the Holy Spirit. This is the full Gospel, and this full Gospel sets people free.
Colossians 2:11-13
11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses.
This Scripture emphasizes the fact that when we are baptized, we are dead to sins. This teaching suggests that the old man was buried, and we rose in Christ as a new creature.
This message is the full Gospel of Christ. The result is true repentance.
Galatians 3:26-27
26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.
27 For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
The previous Scriptures suggested that when we are baptized the Biblical way, we die with Christ, and we rise with Christ. This Scripture probably refers to our spiritual baptism in Christ and does not refer to water baptism or baptism in the Holy Spirit.
It is a very significant Scripture that needs to be discussed as well.
To understand all these Scriptures, we need to understand the following: Man is a spirit, has a soul, and lives in a body. We actually have three “bodies” that look identical, and they are exactly the same size, yet they are different. Many people are unaware, but the three bodies are saved at different times, and we will include the Scriptures that prove this.
Our spirit is saved immediately when we truly repent. So we are saved immediately after we have decided to repent and to follow Jesus Christ. So if we die, then we go to heaven, where Christ is, even if we weren’t baptized in water or the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
So our spirit is saved through grace and not through works.
However, at that moment, our souls and our bodies are not saved yet. We can even be demon-possessed and oppressed in our souls and in our bodies after we repent, which means that the demons need to be cast out of our souls and bodies, although our spirits are completely saved and in harmony with God. Please take note that soul possession and spirit possession are two different things, but both require the casting out of demons in a similar way. The bottom line is, after we repented, our souls and our bodies still need to come in line with the spirit. It needs to be set free completely, and it needs to be healed completely, and it needs to be holy completely. As you can imagine, this is a gradual process. We all know that Paul has written letters to Christians who were seriously involved in sin, although they were saved. They were saved, but they lived in sin. Their souls and bodies acted like the unsaved, but their spirits were in harmony with God.
1 Corinthians 5:1
It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.
1 Corinthians 11:18
For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there are divisions among you, and I partly believe it.
These Christians are still slaves to sin in body and soul, but their spirit is free by God’s grace.
We need to repent and follow Christ through the water and be baptized in the Holy Spirit to be completely free.
Acts 2:38
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Yes, this verse refers to the Holy Spirit’s gift, which we all receive when we repent, even before we are baptized.
This is not the Holy Spirit baptism, but the Gift of the Holy Spirit often occurs immediately after water baptism.
Is this just a coincidence? It might be, but still, in practice, the practical experience of many people does support this Scripture.
I think the Bible should support doctrines, not our experiences.
It is just fascinating that this happens.
The water baptism is not just a symbolic act. It is a powerful act of obedience that causes changes in our lives. It fast-tracks us on our spiritual journey. We experience instant deliverance or at least a lot of success in our spiritual growth and development when we are baptized Biblically. It means we are serious about Christ Jesus and our faith, and that is why demonic spirits hate it. They know that they won’t be able to do whatever they do when they possess or oppress people. When this happens, they know that they will not be able to keep such a person in bondage. There is power in obedience, and there is power in water baptism.
Symbolic baptism is not an act of obedience. It is just a religious act, and therefore it has no power at all. It’s just a waste of time. That is why demons have no problem with such baptisms, even if they are done the Biblical way by full immersion in water. That does not change anything at all. The baptism is either a religious act performed by someone who did not truly repent, or it is conducted by an individual who follows the practices of their church.
The former has no intention of following Jesus Christ, while his church places the latter in a difficult situation.
Some people are baptized merely to please other people or to feel better about themselves or something similar, rather than out of genuine faith or commitment to the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Such an act is similar to the sinner’s prayer. The sinner’s prayer usually precedes a symbolic baptism. These two acts are very similar. It is just religious acts. The sinner’s prayer, as popularly known today, has roots in Protestant Christianity. It was first used in the seventeenth-century Methodist church and made popular by Charles Finney. The sinner’s prayer is not Biblical. The Scriptures do not mention it, and it differs in meaning and power from true repentance, which is done through water baptism.
This is why demons have no problem with both. However, when a person truly repents and decides to be baptized for the remission of their sins, the Biblical way, demons start to shiver and panic because they know that the person that they possess or oppress will be set free.
In Biblical times, people responded to the gospel by being baptized in water and becoming followers of Christ.
They usually took all these steps in one day. Sometimes they are baptized in the Holy Spirit even before they are baptized in water, but the bottom line is that the three acts are linked together, as they represent a comprehensive commitment to faith that includes spiritual transformation, public declaration, and discipleship.
We need to repent, or we will be judged.
2 Corinthians 5:10
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to what he has done, whether it be good or bad.
1 Peter 4:17
For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God; and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?
This Scripture says that we are accountable for the sins in our souls and bodies. Our spirits cannot sin according to 1 John 3:9, and therefore, there is no condemnation for us. We are saved and righteous because of that. But our soul is something else. We need to save our souls by pursuing holiness as required by the guidelines of the Word of God.
It is our job. We read this in James 1:21
Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which can save your souls.
So we save our soul and body by “laying apart” all sins. We also see that the word of God saves our souls if we receive it in meekness. This Scripture was written to Christians. It is not addressed to unsaved people. So, in this sense, the word is about renewing their mind and submitting to God’s word and will.
Galatians 5:19-26
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these: Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
26 Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.
We save our souls and bodies by walking in the Spirit. We do it by being led by the Holy Spirit. We do it by crucifying the flesh.
1 Peter 1:9
Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
Some Scriptures demonstrate that we are responsible for saving our own souls.
God saved our spirits, but we have to save our souls. Let’s look at the Scriptures that support this:
1 Timothy 4:16
Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself and them that hear thee.
We save our souls by looking at how we live and if our lives conform to the word (doctrines) of God.
1 Thessalonians 5:23
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 12:1-2
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.
This Scripture proves that we have to renew our minds so that we can do the perfect will of God.
We need to save our souls and bodies, as this Scripture suggests. God saves our spirit through grace. We save our souls and bodies by pursuing holiness, renewing our minds, and being obedient.
So the saving of our souls is not through grace but through works. We read that in James 2:24
Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
Many people do not know of this Scripture in the Bible. It does not contradict Ephesians 2:8-9 which says that we are saved through grace and not by works. Ephesians 2:8-9 refers to our spirit, and James 2:24 refers to our soul and body. So if the soul and body are saved by works, then they are saved by us. We have to do the job. We need to pursue holiness. We need to crucify the flesh. We need to walk by the Spirit. We need to renew our minds. All these things are difficult to do.
This is why both the water baptism and the baptism in the Holy Spirit are required.
We need God to help us with this, and we need the “tools” that He gave us to help us with this. The baptism in the water helps us to get rid of the old man by crucifying him on the cross, by dying with Christ and rising with Christ, and by the washing off of our sins. These things happen in the water.
Many people think that we need to be pure and holy and deserve the Holy Spirit before we can be baptized.
In reality, the opposite is true.
We need the Holy Spirit to help, lead, teach, remind, exhort, motivate, comfort, intercede, reveal the truth, inspire, and build us up, as well as to remind us of what the word of God says, what Jesus said, and what the Father said.
We need the Holy Spirit in his fullness. To preach the gospel, heal the sick, cast out demons, do miracles, and raise the dead, we need the Holy Spirit’s power to obey Christ and fulfill the Great Commission.
Without the Holy Spirit, the nine gifts of the Spirit cannot function in our lives.
This is the true gospel of Christ, and if we follow these three steps, we are immediately on a path of success, victory, and freedom. This is real freedom. The result is divine dominion.
We repent, follow Jesus through the water, and are baptized in the Spirit, and then we are free to do God’s will.
If any of the three steps are missing, we are spiritually in a worse place in our lives than we should be.
We are only completely saved when all of these things are present.
If we follow all three steps and seek holiness, we are saved.
When we do this, our spirit, soul, and body have all been set free completely.
How do we know if a person has been saved and set free completely? We know a person has been saved and set free completely when their soul resembles their spirit and their body reflects the state of their spirit.
This state is when the body is completely healed.
No more sicknesses and diseases are evident in such a person’s life. We know it when the soul is completely submitted to God’s word and his will.
This indicates that the person no longer experiences struggles, wrestling, fighting, negative emotions, or bad attitudes.
The soul has completely submitted itself to the Holy Spirit and allows the fruit of the Spirit to flow through it continuously.
So most of us are still in the process of saving our souls and our bodies. Some are very successful with this, and others are not, as evidenced by the varying degrees of spiritual growth and commitment among individuals in their faith journeys. Some are more obedient than others.
Just think of a person who repented fifty years ago but who was never baptized for the remission of his sins and who was never baptized in the Holy Spirit. How successful do you think he is in this area? Did such a person save his soul and his body completely? No, he did not because it is impossible to do these things without the help of God and without making use of the “tools” that He gave us.
Such a person has probably experienced quite a lot of turmoil, hardships, and problems in his life.
Such a person could never reign as a king in the kingdom of God. Such a person experienced quite a mediocre life in Christ. He or she is like the nation of Israel, which could only conquer about ten percent of the promised land. Such a person failed to claim his or her inheritance. They lack a lot, including the fulfillment of their potential and the spiritual richness that comes from fully claiming their inheritance.
They are not spiritually developed like they should have been.
So what happens if our soul is not saved, and what are the consequences thereof? It means that you will go to heaven, but that you will suffer on earth. You will experience adverse circumstances, and you will become sick, and you will lose, and you will suffer defeats.
You will not be completely free. You will still be in bondage regarding certain aspects of your life. You will act in ways that you do not want to, and you will still be a slave to specific sins and bad behavior and bad emotions, such as anger, jealousy, or addiction, which can hinder your personal growth and spiritual freedom.
So the water baptism does save us. It does set us free.
Another consequence is just as serious: we will not be able to be the instrument of excellence in the hands of God that we are supposed to be. We will not be able to fulfill the Great Commission as we are supposed to. We will not be able to be used by God as He and we desire. We will fall short.
If we are not baptized for the remission of sin, we will always struggle to live in freedom when we return to the Biblical way of water baptism.
We need to lay down the old man, and we need to die with Christ by sacrificing the old man so that we can rise with Christ as a new creature. We cannot carry the old man on our backs. The water baptism is the first step to follow Jesus, and at that moment, we are disciples. Not before that. Before we go through the water, we are just saved, and this statement refers to our spirit. However, when we are baptized, at that moment we become a follower of Jesus Christ.
To be sprinkled with water as a baby is a dead and religious act. Baptizing someone by full immersion for any reason other than what I explained in this session is a dead and religious act.
If you have not been baptized the right way, then you will have to be baptized again.
So the baptism in water, according to the Bible, is a very powerful thing. It delivers us from bondage. It delivers us from sin. It gives us a new life in Christ. It gives us the power to pursue holiness successfully so that we will never be slaves of sin anymore. It empowers us to get rid of sins in our lives, allowing us to live in accordance with God’s will and experience true freedom from our past behaviors.
When combined with the baptism in the Holy Spirit, it completely transforms our lives.
The best thing that we can do is to take all these steps as soon as we can.
Cornelius and his whole household took all these steps in one day, as we can see in Acts 10:42-48
42 And he commanded us to preach unto the people and to testify that it is he who was ordained of God to be the Judge of the quick and dead.
43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believes in him shall receive remission of sins.
44 While Peter yet spoke these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them who heard the word.
45 And they of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then answered Peter,
47 Can any man forbid water that these should not be baptized, who have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?
48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they prayed him to tarry certain days.
The eunuch did not waste any time being baptized when Philip preached the gospel to him, as we can see in Acts 8:35-36. He decided to follow Jesus Christ through the water, and he became a disciple immediately.
35 Then Philip opened his mouth and began at the same scripture and preached to him about Jesus.
36 And as they went on their way, they came unto certain water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water; what doth hinder me from being baptized?”
Let’s briefly discuss the baptism in the Holy Spirit. We are not going to address this aspect extensively, but I do want to discuss the most important aspects of this wonderful experience with God.
God knew that mankind would not be able to fulfill the enormous commission in their own power.
Whatever man possesses and whatever they use to make such an attempt is just a waste of time. We cannot save people. We cannot set people free. We cannot deliver people. We need God to do that through us. That is why we need the baptism in the Holy Spirit. We need power. The Great Commission is nothing but preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ in word and power. We cannot even preach the word without the help of the Holy Spirit. We need divine power to set people free. We need divine power to heal the sick, to raise the dead, and to cast out demons. Without the Holy Spirit, we just cannot do that.
Jesus paid the price for this world. He has set us free on that cross. He not only paid for sin, but He also paid for the penalty of sin. Because of sin, we are spiritually dead. Because of sin, we are in bondage. Because of sin, we are blind. Because of sin, we are sick. Because of sin, we go to hell. Therefore, the sins of humanity have devastating consequences and effects on their lives.
Jesus did not only carry our sins, but He also carried the penalty of sin. Those are all the adverse things that I have just mentioned.
This means that healing and restoration are in the atonement. That is why Jesus did two things when He walked this earth. He forgave people for their sins, and he restored people’s lives. He healed the sick, He cast out demons, and He delivered people. No wonder that He gave us the same job to do. He said, Go, preach the gospel, make disciples, heal the sick, cast out demons, and raise the dead. This is what we need to do. This is the Great Commission. However, the task is not easy.
We need the power of the Holy Spirit to accomplish this.
It is for this reason that Jesus told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they had received the power from on high.
Luke 24:49
And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
Acts 1:4,5,8
4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but “wait for the promise of the Father, which,” saith he, “ye have heard of me.”
5 “For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.”
8 “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judæa, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
Remember, they all had received the Holy Spirit already before this happened.
It happened the first time that Jesus appeared to the eleven disciples after his resurrection.
John 20:19-22
19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, “Peace be unto you.”
20 And when he had so said, he showed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord.
21 Then said Jesus to them again, “Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.”
22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.”
This experience was similar to what every believer has felt at the moment of their rebirth.
At that moment, when they received the Holy Spirit, they were born of the Holy Spirit. That is when they became new creations. However, they lacked something. The power of the Holy Spirit. They received that on the day of Pentecost, as is written in Acts 2:1-4
1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
And so this wonderful experience repeated itself right through the New Testament and even today. It usually happens when the disciples of God lay their hands on people, although it can happen in other ways as well.
Let’s discuss an incident that happened after the day of Pentecost:
Acts 19:1-6
1 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,
2 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.
3 And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism.
4 Then said Paul, “John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people that they should believe on him who should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.”
5 When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.
In this Scripture, we see a few intriguing things.
These people were Christians, and they were saved, but they were not yet baptized in the Holy Spirit. Paul laid his hand on them, prayed, and they were baptized in the Holy Spirit.
They immediately spoke in tongues.
This shows that we all get the Holy Spirit when saved, but we aren’t baptized in it until someone prays for us by laying on hands.
The evidence that we are baptized in the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues. Speaking in tongues as a prayer language is a specific manifestation of the Holy Spirit that we all have.
The Spirit’s gifts and other tongues appear randomly in people’s lives.
The Holy Spirit manifests through his gifts, and we do not have control over the gifts. We can control praying in tongues, even if we don’t understand it.
This is the general or universal evidence of the fact that we are baptized in the Holy Spirit.
We need the power of the Holy Spirit, and any child of God attempting to fulfill the Great Commission without the Holy Spirit is setting himself up for failure. This is the reason why I appeal to church leaders to accept or at least tolerate this Christian experience. It will change people’s lives, and it will empower people to fulfill the Great Commission the way that Christ intended.
Assignment: House Church Training 5
