Christian Foundations (15) - The Baptism in the Holy Spirit (2)

There is a 2-fold RECEIVING of the SPIRIT: (1) WITHIN, at the New Birth (Romans 8:9), and then (2) UPON - the BAPTISM in the SPIRIT. (1) The Spirit WITHIN is for our personal holiness. (2) The Spirit UPON is to EMPOWER us to fulfil the Great Commission. It is a separate experience that comes after salvation. Old Testament Prophecy said when Messiah comes and brings in a New Covenant, it would include a greater ministry of the Spirit for all believers - the 2-fold Promise of the Father: (1) The Spirit WITHIN for their blessing and holiness (Ezekiel 36:26-27), and (2) the Spirit UPON, to empower them to be a blessing to others (Joel 2:28-29). John announced the Messiah as the One who will bring this Promise to fulfilment. He was the first to use the phrase ‘Baptism in the Spirit’, so his description is definitive. He compared it to Baptism in Water: “I BAPTISED you IN WATER but He will BAPTISE you IN the HOLY SPIRIT” (Mark 1:8). When a man is BAPTISED (immersed) IN WATER, the water covers (envelops) him, so it is UPON him. Likewise, when Jesus BAPTISES us IN the HOLY SPIRIT, we are immersed in the Spirit, so we are covered and clothed with the Spirit UPON us. We see this 2-fold experience of the SPIRIT in the life of Jesus, our example: (1) He was conceived of the Spirit, and had the Spirit WITHIN, enabling Him to live a perfect human life, (2) He was BAPTISED in the SPIRIT, when the SPIRIT came UPON Him to supernaturally EMPOWER Him for His ministry (Luke 3:21-22, 4:18). Only after the Spirit came upon Him did He start preaching, healing and working miracles (John 2:11). The same Jesus, who was BAPTISED in the Spirit also BAPTISES us in the SPIRIT (John 1:32-33). Thus, He was BAPTISED in the Spirit as our representative (receiving the Spirit on our behalf), so He could then BAPTISE us in the Spirit The apostles also had a 2-stage experience of the Spirit, as (1) on the day of the resurrection, He imparted the Spirit into His disciples. This was their new Birth, when He gave them the Spirit WITHIN (John 20:22, Gen 2:7). Then He started to prepare them to also (2) receive the Spirit UPON, to be His witnesses, 50 days later at Pentecost (Luke 24:46-49). He gave them the same instructions 40 days later in Acts 1:3-5,8. Although they had already received the Spirit WITHIN, they had not yet received the SPIRIT UPON (Luke 24:49), called the BAPTISM in the SPIRIT (Acts 1:5). So, what they experienced at Pentecost, when the Spirit came UPON (Acts 2:1-3), was the BAPTISM in the SPIRIT. The Spirit came UPON them (v3) and “they were all FILLED with the HOLY SPIRIT" (v4). In the New Covenant, anyone who receives the Spirit UPON has previously received the Spirit WITHIN, so He must come upon us from within, and so fills us from the inside (v4). When we dedicate to do God’s will and fulfil His mission, we receive His Spirit to come UPON us by FILLING our SOULS and taking control of our tongues, the control centre of our body (Jas 3:3-4). So: “they were all FILLED with the HOLY SPIRIT, and began to SPEAK with TONGUES, as the SPIRIT gave them UTTERANCE (the words)” (Acts 2:4). When we pray in tongues, we YIELD our TONGUE to God, speaking the words the Spirit gives us. In this way, we submit our body to the Spirit, and allow Him to come upon us. Then as we continue to pray in tongues, we maintain and deepen that surrender, keeping the Spirit active upon us. Acts 2:4 is a key verse describing the Baptism in the Spirit. Speaking in tongues was the outward evidence and sign the Spirit had FILLED them and was now UPON them in POWER. What the disciples received at Pentecost was the BAPTISM in the SPIRIT (Acts 1:5), and this is confirmed by the Gentile Pentecost in Acts 10-11, when Peter explained the SPIRIT had come UPON the Gentiles, just as He had come UPON the Jews at the Beginning (Pentecost), and that both events were fulfilments of the Lord's prophecy in Acts 1:5 of the BAPTISM in the SPIRIT (11:15-17). We also see this 2-stage experience of the Spirit with the Samaritans in Acts 8, who had received the Gospel and were born again (v14,16), but had not yet RECEIVED the HOLY SPIRIT, in that, He had not come upon UPON them (v15-16). But later when the apostles laid hands on them, they RECEIVED the HOLY SPIRIT upon them (v17), which was manifested outwardly (v18-19), even tongues. Their experience proves the Baptism in the Spirit is different from and subsequent to salvation. They had received salvation through the Gospel, but had not yet received the Spirit upon, for there was no outward evidence (tongues), until the apostles prayed for them. So, to receive the Baptism in the Spirit, we must (1) be born again with the Spirit within. Then (2) we must surrender to God to fulfil His mission, which allows His Spirit within to fill us and come upon us with power, so as we obey Him His Spirit flows out through us as rivers of life (John 7:37-39).