The Promise, Power and Purpose of God's Spirit - Receive it [5]

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: 

old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.  

(2 Corinthians 5:17)

Baptism in God’s Spirit is crucial in becoming the new creatures God has called us to be.  It’s important because it enables us to become powerful witnesses of the Gospel message:

 

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 Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

 

And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover.  (Luke 16:17-18)

Becoming new creatures in Christ as a result of the resurrection power in Jesus is promised to us. 

Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:  Romans 1:34

However, it is not an automatic occurrence.  It is nothing that we did, nothing we can do that entitles us to the resurrection power of Jesus. 

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  Ephesians 2:8

There is a giving of ourselves that we must adhere to in order to walk in the fullness and live a live unfettered by the enemy, the influences of the world and our corrupt self-nature.  When we follow the plan as given to us through the word of God, we become new creatures in Christ; shaped in the image of our heavenly father.

¨     RECEIVING GOD’S SPIRIT

 Repent And Be Baptized:

 

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. (Acts 2:38)

 Believe It’s for You:

 

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. (Acts 2:39)

Desire It:

 

. . . Jesus stood and cried, saying, if any man thirst let him come unto me, and drink.  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.  (but this spake He of the Spirit, which they that believed on Him should receive; for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) (John 7:37-39)

Accept It as A Gift:

God’s Spirit has already been given. It was given to the Church on the Day of Pentecost. Because it’s a gift, you can’t do anything to earn it:

 

. . .the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Acts 2:38)

 

This only would I learn of you. Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?  He therefore that ministereth to you in the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?  That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles; through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (Galatians 3:2,5,14)

Begin to praise and thank God for the gift of God’s Spirit.

Yield To God:

Yield your tongue to God in praise and worship. As you praise Him audibly you may first experience stammering lips. As you continue to yield your tongue to God’s Spirit and He will speak through you words foreign to your understanding. This is the confirming physical sign of Holy Spirit baptism:

 

And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:4)

Request The Prayers of Other Believers:

God’s Spirit can be received through the laying on of hands (Acts 8,9,19) or without the laying on of hands (Acts 2,4,10). Study these chapters which show how Spirit-filled believers can help you experience baptism in God’s Spirit.