The Christian faith rests upon the person of Jesus Christ; who He is, what He has done for us and our personal relationship with Him.

 Jesus was of course, more than a prophet, sage or seer. He was God come down to man. While previous religious teachers had promised to show their followers the ways of life and truth, Jesus dramatically proclaimed “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6).

 To discover God, one must simply find Jesus Christ, for God was in Home bringing the world to himself (Scripture Reference).  While dwelling in human flesh God became the supreme sacrifice for our sins and our means of salvation from our sin nature.  Through His death on the cross, burial and resurrection we find the pathway to eternal life and the power to overcome the destructive nature of sin ever present in our lives.  

The significance of Jesus’ death is that “He died for us” and that He rose from the dead the third day!  His resurrection not only brings validity to the value of His death for us but also is the predominant source of spiritual power for Christian believers.  He possessed power - the Power over sin and Satan. He led captivity captive. He captured the keys to death, hell and the grave - even death could not hold Him.  

These are among the many reasons we worship Him as our Lord and Savior. Yet the most amazing potential of the Christian faith is not what He did but what we can do through His power.  He promises his followers a demonstration of His power greater than anything He himself performed.  Although His ministry on earth was distinguished with signs, wonders and miracles including blind eyes opened, deaf ears healed, the lame walking and even the dead raised, He promised to do greater things through us (John 14:12) He explained how this would become possible when He informed His disciples - I am with you but I “shall be in you” (John 14:17).

 The wonderful promise of being filled with the very Spirit and power of the mighty God is breathtaking. This is the very same Spirit that was in Christ!  This spiritual filling of our souls with God’s Spirit is described in the scripture as a baptism. We have come to commonly refer to this supernatural experience as the “Baptism of the Holy Spirit”.

 God is a Spirit. God is a Holy Spirit. When a person receives the Holy Spirit they are receiving Holy God into their soul. This baptism of the Holy Spirit saturates the mind, the soul and the emotions of the believer and is even visible in the physical body.

 Although the results and affects of the Holy Spirit in our life are numerous and diverse, the scripture provides a clear description of what to expect and how to identify a true baptism of the Spirit. There is an immediate sign we may call the “initial evidence” of the Holy Spirit as well as long term attributes known as the “fruit of the Spirit”.  The initial evidence is simply a verification of a new life source and an expression of the joy and peace that is beyond human understanding, while the fruit of the spirit gives testimony of the progress and development of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  We expect a baby to make a noise or cry when born but to speak intelligently as they grow. 

 The process of receiving the Holy Spirit involves totally surrendering to Jesus Christ. He gave His life for us and we in turn give our life to Him. The meeting place for God and mankind is Calvary. The cross of Jesus Christ is the way of salvation.  We are crucified with Christ through repenting of our sins and turning away from a life of sin. At this point we turn over our will to Him and say “not my will but thine be done”.  We are buried with Christ though baptism in water. This signifies the death and burial of our old sinful nature.  Here our sins are washed away through faith in His name - Jesus. (Rom 6:3)  We must then receive new life or be resurrected though the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This new life is one surrendered to His control and powered by His indwelling presence. 

 Resurrection power: That’s right!  The very power involved in the resurrection of Jesus Christ comes to live inside a Christian believer. Romans 8:11 declares that if “the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you,…he…shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you.” The grace of Jesus Christ is found in His sacrificial death for us, but the power of the Christian faith is found in the resurrection. Living under the divine control of the Holy Spirit is the only way to overcome the strong tendency of the flesh towards sinfulness.   

The initial evidence of our total surrender to Him is demonstrated by allowing the Holy Spirit to speak through us in a new heavenly language not known to the human mind of the believer. This is what the Bible calls speaking in other tongues. The book of James gives a fabulous explanation of why speaking with tongues is so significant. The tongue is the most unruly member of the body; therefore, it makes sense that once this member is brought under the control of the Holy Spirit the rest of our mortal members will follow.  When a person is speaking with other tongues they are not intellectually controlling the words. The person is providing the volume to speak but allowing the words to flow out as an expression of the Holy Spirit. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is so wonderful and joyous that there are no known words adequate enough to express the emotion and sense of peace. 

  What must I do? Many people wonder:  How can I receive this wonderful baptism? Actually, it is quite easy to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God’s gift to you. Every one of us is an heir to the wonderful promise of Spirit baptism. Acts 2:39 says the promise is for you and for your children also.  God’s presence dwells in an atmosphere of praise and worship. The heavens themselves are filled with His praises. When you want to feel the presence of God simply begin to worship Him. The more you praise Him the more you will feel Him. True heartfelt worship allows the presence of God access to our inner most being.  Lift your voice out loud and let Jesus know how much you love Him and thank Him for all He has done.  Tell Him how amazed you are at His power and glory!  Phrases like “I love you, Jesus” and “Thank you, Jesus” begin the process of softening your heart toward Him. The word hallelujah is a very high praise.  This word says I am giving you all my praise and all my heart in worship. The more you begin to worship Him out loud and with some excitement the more you will feel His presence. Soon your words will not come out in English or Spanish or whatever languages you know, but you will begin to speak sounds and utterances you do not understand. These are expressions of the true joy that is deep within your soul.

 Some people have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit by themselves at home in their personal prayer time. Something that may help you is to put on some worshipful praise music and set an atmosphere of reverence toward God. This is why many people receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit at church; the atmosphere is filled with praise and worship.  You may want to ask another Spirit filled believer to pray with you or even several others to pray with you. In the book of Acts they also called for the ministers to lay hands on them that they might receive the Holy Spirit.

 Here are some steps to help you as you begin to seek the power of the Holy Spirit in your Life.  First, you must “Desire” to be filled with all your heart. Matthew 5:6 states “they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness…shall be filled.”  Second, “Focus” your attention on Jesus. You may even be able to picture Him in your mind as you pray; this will help you get your mind off everything else and get your attention entirely on Him. Third, “have Faith.”  You have every reason to believe God wants to fill you. This is what Christianity is all about. This is resurrection power.  Believe He will fill you with His Spirit when you ask Him sincerely. Fourth, “Worship.”  Lift up your voice loudly. With all your heart and with all your soul worship Him. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised!  Fifth, “Surrender your Tongue.” Allow yourself to speak with tongues. Allow yourself to speak out in sounds and syllables and utterances of another language.   

Douglas Klinedinst - International Evangelist