I had a lot of questions regarding the Baptism with the Holy Spirit when I started seeking it. It took me six years of confusion before I was able to receive! You can hear my testimony here. Now I get to talk and pray with a lot of people who want it, and often find they have the same questions I did. I have listed all the ones I can think of below with scriptural references to support them. If you have others you would like me to address, please email me through the Contact page and I will add it.
Q. What is the baptism with the Holy Spirit?
A. Scripture says it is a gift and promise from the Father (Acts1:4, Luke 24:49), that gives you power (Acts 1:8, Luke 24:49). In all 4 gospels, the writers note that Jesus is referred to as “the one who will baptize in the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, John 1:33).
Q. Don’t we receive the Holy Spirit when we get saved? Isn’t salvation and baptism with the Holy Spirit the same thing?
A. Yes and no. Yes, you receive the Holy Spirit when you get saved. Ephesians 1:13-14 says that when we believed, we were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance. This inheritance includes eternal salvation for all who believe, baptism or not. Yay for heaven! But I believe the baptism with the Holy Spirit is a separate event from salvation based on the fact that the Bible lists 4 examples and in every case, the people receiving this gift are already believers in Jesus. Apostles/disciples, (John 20:22); Simon (Acts 8:13); the Gentiles (Acts 10:44); the disciples in Ephesus (Acts 19:5)
Q. Why would I want baptism with the Holy Spirit?
A. After Jesus dies, He is resurrected and tells the disciples to wait in Jerusalem to be baptized with the Holy Spirit before they do anything else and that when the Holy Spirit comes upon them, they shall receive power to be God’s witnesses (Acts 1:4, 8). Would you like power to be God’s witness?
Q. Does that mean I have to receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit to be useful to God/be used in my spiritual gifts?
A. No. If God can even speak prophetic words through donkeys (Numbers 22:28-30), he can easily use any Christian who desires to cooperate with Him. However, I do believe is that this power makes it easier to move in the gifts – easier, meaning less effort on our part and greater results when we do. How would you like to work less and receive more? Jesus did not begin his ministry until the Holy Spirit came upon Him, and after his resurrection, He told the disciples not to do anything until they received it. I believe this instruction was God modeling and showing His love by power-equipping His people for everything He called them to do.
Q. Wasn’t this a one-and-done kind of thing? Isn’t Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit was poured out once and for all?
A. In Acts 2:33, after the initial 120 receive it, Peter tells the witnesses that is exactly what just happened: Exalted to the right hand of the God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. When the observers hear the gospel message and feel convicted, Peter instructs them to “Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off – for all whom the Lord our God will call. Acts 2:38-39. So I believe this still happens. Also, there are 3 other examples of people getting baptized in the Holy Spirit in Acts (Acts 8, Acts 10, Acts 19). If Acts 2 was a one-time only, these other 3 stories make no sense.
Q. I have prayed to receive it but nothing happened. Am I not holy/ knowledgeable/ mature/ surrendered enough to receive it?
A. Oh man, this lie got me a lot in the beginning! But it is just that – a LIE! I want to say 3 things about this:
1. In Acts 1:4 the baptism with the Holy Spirit is referred to by Jesus as “the gift my Father promised” and a gift cannot be earned, or it is no longer a gift. In Luke 24:49, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is referred to as the “Promise of the Father”. Peter later reaffirms that in Acts 2:33 when he says Jesus, exalted to the right hand of the God, has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. This promise was made between Jesus and the Father before we existed – that when Jesus completed His mission on earth, He would get the reward of pouring out the Holy Spirit. Our holiness, understanding, maturity or surrender do not affect this promise made between the Father and Son.
2. Additional proof of this is that in every example of baptism with the Holy Spirit in the bible, the people receiving it are mostly clueless and often new believers who have no understanding whatever. For example, when Jesus told the apostles what was about to happen, they misunderstood and thought He was going to restore Israel (Acts 1:6). Simon the Sorcerer was practicing witchcraft right before he received it and after he received it, was still so screwed up he wanted to buy the power to give the Holy Spirit from the disciples! (Acts 8:9-19). The Gentiles who received it in Acts 10:44-48 had never heard the gospel, but the second they believed the message, they got baptized in the Holy Spirit as well. It was only after this that Peter realized maybe they should be baptized in water, too. In Acts 19:1-6, when Paul asked the disciples if they had received the Holy Spirit when they believed, they said they had never heard of the Holy Spirit. They actually weren’t even saved! So Paul gets them saved and baptized in water, then baptized in the Holy Spirit. All this to say, none of these people were the epitome of Christian maturity, yet they all received. So, if you are a Christian, you are eligible.
3. Finally, just a common sense thing: If this is a gift to help you be a more effective witness for God, why would God withhold it? Why would He want you to be LESS effective for Him? He also says in Psalm 84:11, no good thing does He withhold. This is a good gift from Him, so he will not withhold it.
Q. I have prayed to receive it but nothing happened. Do I have to “tarry” like the disciples in Acts 1-2?
A. After Jesus was resurrected, He appeared for 40 days. Right before He ascended, He told the disciples to go to Jerusalem and wait for the Holy Spirit. So they went to the Upper Room and prayed. 10 days later, the Holy Spirit was poured out. Because the disciples prayed for 10 days before receiving, some teach that anyone who wants the baptism with the Holy Spirit must go to their prayer closet and “tarry” until we have convinced God we are ready. You will often see this kind of thinking in baptism stories from the 1900’s when there was an emphasis on our works achieving personal holiness and a misunderstanding of our position in Christ. God says by Christ’s sacrifice, we have been made perfect forever (Hebrews 10:14). So while in our flesh we may still sin, in Christ, we have been made holy (Hebrews 10:10). If we relied on our perfect works to receive gifts from God, how could we even receive the Holy Spirit at salvation? It is by grace we have been saved, not by works (Ephesians 2:8). And the same is true for baptism with the Holy Spirit. It is a work of grace. So, any Christian is eligible.
Then why the wait? We find the answer in the Old Testament. When Moses returned down the mountain with the law (tablets), it was also the day of Pentecost. And on that day, 3000 men died due to their sin against the law (Exodus 32:28). Contrast that to the first Pentecost of the New Covenant when the Holy Spirit came, it says that 3000 men were saved after witnessing what happened to the disciples (Acts 2:41). So this initial waiting was to emphasize the fruit of the law vs. the fruit of the Spirit as discussed in 2 Corinthians 3:6 – the law kills while the Spirit brings life. That being said, in the other 3 stories of baptism with the Holy Spirit (Acts 8, 10, 19), there was no wait. They all received once they asked, and in the case of the Gentiles (Acts 10), right after they first believed.
Q. I have prayed to receive it but nothing happened to me. Shouldn’t God just overtake me and make something happen?
A. In some stories, it happened spontaneously (Acts 2:1-4, Acts 10:44-45, Acts 11:15-17), but in other stories, someone asked if they had it, laid hands on them and helped them receive it (Acts 8:16-18 and Acts 19:6). II have friends that received it alone and spontaneously while they were praying or driving or even sleeping! But in my experience, many people benefit from someone praying for them. I believe this is especially true for very logical, rational people as baptism with the Holy Spirit makes no logical sense and sometimes having someone there to help you overcome the questions can be helpful.
Q. How do I know if I received it?
A. This was another big issue with me. I had read some amazing stories of men who had received baptism with the Holy Spirit in powerful ways (like this description from Charles Finney) and my expectations were shaped to expect electrical power, being in a trance-like state and/or God overcoming my will to make my mouth speak in tongues. One of the things God told me that was very helpful is that baptism with the Holy Spirit is similar to salvation in many ways, including that everyone’s experience is different. When I got saved, I felt nothing. I thought I was supposed to feel God’s love, hear angels singing, something! But I felt nothing. [In contrast, some people have very powerful salvation experiences]. So I kept saying the salvation prayer over and over until someone told me it wasn’t a feeling. It was a believing. But how was I supposed to believe when it didn’t FEEL true? They told me to start ACTING as if I believed, to make decisions moving forward AS IF I BELIEVED and then one day I would realize I did. The same is true for baptism with the Holy Spirit. Some may experience a powerful, spontaneous encounter and some may experience no feelings whatsoever. In either case, we ask God to do it and believe that He will. Luke 11:9-13 tells us that if any child asks any father for something, their father won’t give them something bad, so how much more will our Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask? So we ask. And believe. What does believe mean? Keep reading below!
Q. Do I HAVE to speak in tongues?
A. Tongues are not a requirement for salvation. If anyone tells you that, RUN. Some denominations believe that if you do not speak in tongues, you are not baptized in the Holy Spirit. Other denominations believe tongues are ONE of many evidences that you are baptized in the Holy Spirit. This is not an issue I desire to take a stance on as I never want to assume to know how God works or what is in the heart of a person. However, I do believe that everyone who is baptized in the Holy Spirit CAN speak in tongues, whether they choose to or not. Here is why:
Those in the Bible who were baptized in the Holy Spirit spoke in tongues: 3 of the 4 examples specifically say it: The 120 (Acts 2:4); The Gentiles (Acts 10: 45-46, Acts 11:15-17) and the disciples at Ephesus (Acts 19:6). In the case of Simon the Sorcerer, it says in Acts 8:18 that he saw that the Holy Spirit was given on the laying on of the apostle’s hands. While it doesn’t specifically mention tongues, we can assume something happened in front of him that was obvious enough that he knew for sure they got it. I would assume tongues, based on the other 3 stories. Because of this, when I pray for people for baptism with the Holy Spirit, I always try to help the person pray in tongues right away because I want to help them receive all God has for them.
Another issue is assurance. FOR ME, I needed to speak in tongues to be assured I had been baptized in the Holy Spirit. Initially I had an interest in tongues (when other people did it) but a disgust in wanting to participate myself. Really, it was fear. Then God started to change my heart about it. I would hear people during worship praying and singing in tongues and it was as if there was a melody of their worship just out of reach over my head and my heart desired to join in. But I still had so much fear. I had been prayed for many times for baptism with the Holy Spirit but always felt unsure if I had received it because I felt nothing and had no reaction. I often wondered if God had said no to my request. Sometimes, I went home and tried to pray in tongues. By this, I mean that someone told me God always says yes to our prayers and she advised me to go home and turn up the worship music loudly and just start speaking in any other language that wasn’t English. I did this, but still was never sure that was IT. One day God told me that to be sure, I needed to have someone pray for me for baptism and I needed to pray in tongues in front of them. It was less about what I said and more about me trusting him enough to obey. The second I spoke the first syllable, I had the assurance I had been looking for. And surprisingly, it was the same sounds I had been praying when I “tried’ years before.
Q. But how do you “just speak in tongues”?
A. I get it. If you are anything like me, you aren’t a huge fan of not knowing how to do something and then trying to do it, with a witness! What if nothing comes out? What if you sound stupid? What if you DO IT WRONG? Well the good news is, you can’t do it wrong. Speaking in tongues is, in faith, believing that just like the disciples who were baptized in the Holy Spirit in the bible, you can speak in tongues and then going for it. So it doesn’t matter WHAT you say, just that you said it.
What should it sound like? I don’t know! It should sound like the language God wants to give YOU. This is your language that only He and your spirit understand. I have heard people pray in their prayer language. Some sound like they are speaking Chinese, Arabic, African. Some sing in the spirit. I have heard people who sound like they are making clicking noises. It is all different and sometimes it changes. Often when we “try” to speak in tongues, our brains get involved and stop us. This is not something that will make sense to your brain, so it is almost as if you have to shut your brain down for a few minutes. One big misconception I had was that I thought God was going to overtake me and force me to speak (and He can!) but if you are believing God for your prayer language and it’s not happening TO you, I want you to think about all the miracles in the Bible and how man’s initiation is often required.
For example, Peter sees Jesus on the water and says, “Jesus, if that is you, bid me to come to you on the water.” Jesus could have miraculously levitated Peter towards Him, but He doesn’t. He says, “Come.” It is PETER that has to stand up in the boat, put one foot over the edge and shut down the screaming in his brain that is saying, “Don’t you dare take that step! You will certainly sink!” But Peter looks at Jesus in the eyes, chooses trust and shifts his weight from boat to water. And we know what happens. The water holds his weight. It is only when he takes his eyes off Jesus that his brain wakes up and reminds him that his is IMPOSSIBLE! And he falls. The same is true for tongues. So turn up the worship (sometimes it helps to not hear yourself – at least in the beginning), close your eyes, and picture Jesus. Then take a step. You open your mouth. You move your tongue. You vocalize. And Jesus makes it into a language.
Q. What am I saying when I speak in tongues?
A. Usually it is an unknown language or but sometimes it is another known language: They spoke in tongues and those around all heard them speaking in their native languages. (Acts 2:7-11); You could be praising God: They were declaring the wonderful works of God (Acts 2:11) and They heard them speak in other tongues and magnify God (Acts 10:46); It could be spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6:18).
Q. Am I supposed to understand what I am saying?
A. Usually you will not understand what you are saying. 1 Corinthains 14:14 says If I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. However, sometimes God may show you what you are praying for. Never hurts to ask!
Q. If I can’t understand it, then why would I want to speak in tongues?
A. Scripture says it can build you up when you feel weak/tired (1 Corinthians 14:4); it can stir up other spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 14:6); it can build up your faith (Jude 20); it is a way for your spirit to pray when you don’t know what to pray (Romans 8:26)
Additional Resources:
My friend Neal Leazer is an amazing teacher on the baptism with the Holy Spirit and someone who helped me greatly in my own understanding. If you would like further teaching I would love to refer you to his website, Born of Spirit.