Maandelijks archief: mei 2013

The baptism with the Holy Spirit is the promise of God.

The baptism with the Holy Spirit is the promise of God after we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. The Bible says that Jesus Himself is the One who baptizes us with the Holy Spirit, as John the Baptist pointed out:

(Matthew 3:11) “Truly, I give baptism with water to those of you whose hearts are changed; but he who comes after me is greater than I, whose shoes I am not good enough to take up: he will give you baptism with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”

Like any other promise of God, we receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit by asking God for it and believing that we receive this gift from Him. The only condition is that you must be born again, by the power of God. This is the way to be a child of God by right of new birth. Trusting in Jesus Christ, the One who paid the penalty of sin when He died on the cross, is the means to be “born again.” “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

If you are born again and you desire the baptism with the Holy Spirit, you can simply pray, asking God to fill you with His Spirit and to give you your prayer language. Ask for His help to release that prayer language. Then take a step of faith. Allow the Holy Spirit to fill your mouth, open your mouth, and speak.

It’s important to understand that your own will plays a vital role in speaking bidden-tongentaalin tongues. God will never force anyone to do anything, including speaking in tongues. He is not going to do it for you. Yes, the Holy Spirit will form the words as you speak them, but it is still up to you to do the speaking. By a simple act of your will, you must open your mouth and let the sound come out.

Because your mind is not creating the words you are speaking, it will not understand them. (See I Corinthians 14:14). You may think you are making up words. But you are not. You are allowing the Holy Spirit to form the words you speak. And according to the Bible, you are speaking them directly to God:

(I Corinthians 14:2). “For he who makes use of tongues is not talking to men but to God; because no one has the sense of what he is saying; but in the Spirit he is talking of secret things.” As you speak to God with your prayer language, God understands what you say even if you don’t. But you can also ask God to help you interpret the meaning of what you’ve said, so that you can then pray with your understanding also. (See I Corinthians 14:13–15).

Apostel Paul gave us instructions to use the gift of speaking in tongues:
◾Praying in the Spirit is praying in new tongues. Praying in the Spirit is mentioned several times in Scripture.
1 Corinthians 14:15 says, “So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.”
Ephesians 6:18 says, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”
So, what exactly does it mean to pray in the Spirit? The Greek word translated “pray in” can have several different meanings. It can mean “by means of,” “with the help of,” and “in connection to.” Praying in the Spirit does not refer to the words we are saying. Rather, it refers to how we are praying. Praying in the Spirit is praying according to the Spirit’s leading. It is praying for things the Spirit leads us to pray for. Romans 8:26 tells us, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.”

◾Speaking in tongues, is necessary to be a true worshipper in the spirit. We find that Jesus says in John aanbidder54:23-24: “But the time is coming, and is even now here, when the true worshippers will give worship to the Father in the true way of the spirit, for these are the worshippers desired by the Father. God is Spirit: then let his worshippers give him worship in the true way of the spirit.” We do note that the scripture in John 4, defines ‘true worshippers’, indicating there would be worshippers (but not ‘true’ ones) whose worship is not accepted by God because their prayers are not in the Spirit (i.e. praying to God in the new tongues He gives). The most important reason ‘why you should speak in new tongues’, is to be a true worshipper of Jesus.

Is Speaking in Tongues the Most Important Part of the Holy Ghost Baptism?
No. The main purpose of receiving the Holy Ghost is not just to have something speak through you; speaking in tongues is simply the first evidence that He has come in; there are many evidences of the Holy Spirit. At Mount Sinai it was not the thunder, lightning, fire nor trumpet which were paramount, but the giving of the Law; and at Pentecost it was not the sound of wind or the tongues of fire, or speaking with other tongues which was paramount, but the giving of the Holy Ghost.

pinksterenvrijHave You Received the Holy Ghost?
“Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed” (Acts 19:2)? In this story, Paul was talking to believers here. To be a believer means your sins are gone. These people received something more than the born-again experience. What did happen to them? The Holy Ghost came on them; and they spoke with tongues (Acts 19:6). Here again is the pattern of how people are to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Have you received the Holy Ghost since you believed?

How Can You Receive Him?
Remember, the disciples were continually praising the Lord at Pentecost until the Holy Ghost came in. Consecrate your life to God. Yield yourself completely to Him. Rejoice in praises before Him and let Him come in.
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