The Holy Spirit has many purposes in the lives of believers.
One of the main purposes of the Holy Spirit, however, is to make the Christian
a powerful witness for the Gospel:
But ye shall receive power after
that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto me...to
the uttermost part of the earth. Acts 1:8
The true evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit was
visible immediately in the life of the Apostle Peter. Before the Day of Pentecost,
he had fearfully denied that he knew Jesus. After his baptism in the Holy
Spirit, Peter stood and gave a powerful witness to the Gospel that resulted in
the salvation of 3,000 people.
It was the power of the Holy Spirit in the early church that
resulted in the spread of the Gospel throughout the world. The book of Acts is
a record of this powerful witness which was evidence of baptism in the Holy
Spirit.
THE PHYSICAL SIGN
The Holy Spirit is invisible to the natural eye. He was
compared to the wind by Jesus:
The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou
hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it
goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit. John 3:8
Although the wind is invisible, the effects it produces can
be seen and heard. When the wind blows the dust rises from the ground, the
trees all bend in one direction, leaves rustle, the waves of the sea roar, and
clouds move across the sky. These are all physical signs of the wind. So, it is
with the Holy Spirit. Even though He is invisible, the effects which the Holy
Spirit produces can be seen and heard.
There’re three places in the New Testament where we’re told
what happened when people were baptized in the Holy Spirit:
v DAY OF
PENTECOST:
Acts 2:2-4 is the record of what happened on the day of
Pentecost:
And suddenly there came a sound
from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they
were sitting. And there appeared unto
them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost,
and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them
utterance. Acts 2:2-4
v HOUSE
OF CORNELIUS:
Acts 10:44-46 is the record of what happened when Peter
preached the Gospel to a man named Cornelius and his family:
While Peter yet spoke these
words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed
were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also
was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
For[because] they heard them speak
with tongues, and magnify God... Acts 10:44-46
v CONVERTS
AT EPHESUS:
Acts 19:1-6 describes what happened to the first group of
converts at Ephesus:
And it came to pass, that, while
Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to
Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, He said unto them, Have ye received the
Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as
heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. And
he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's
baptism. Then said Paul, John verily
baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they
should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in
the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the
Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues and prophesied. Acts 19:6
ü A
COMMON SIGN: THE TONGUES
As we compare these passages there is one physical sign
which is common to all three: Those who received the baptism of the Holy Spirit
spoke with other tongues. Other supernatural signs of the Holy Spirit were
mentioned, but none of these were evident on all three occasions.
On the day of Pentecost there was the sound of a rushing
wind and visible tongues of fire were seen. These were not recorded on the
other two occasions. At Ephesus the new converts prophesied. This is not
mentioned as having occurred on the day of Pentecost or in the house of
Cornelius.
The one outward sign which the apostles observed in the
experience of Cornelius and his household was that they spoke with tongues.
This physical sign was proof to the disciples that this family had been
baptized in the Holy Spirit. From these Biblical records we conclude that the
physical sign of speaking in tongues through the power of the Holy Spirit
confirms that a person has been baptized in the Holy Spirit.
The sign of "tongues" can be languages known to
man. This is what happened on the day of Pentecost:
. . . And they were all amazed and marvelled,
saying one to another, Behold are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue,
wherein we were born? Acts
2:7-8
Tongues can also be a language not known to man. This is
called an unknown tongue:
For he that speaketh in an
unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth
him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. 1 Corinthians 14:2
ü PURPOSES
FOR TONGUES
The sign of tongues received through baptism in the Holy
Spirit has many purposes in the lives of believers. In 1 Corinthians 14 we find
many purposes of speaking in tongues:
·
Prayer to God: Verse 2
·
Self-edification: Building up yourself and
increasing spiritual knowledge: Verse 4
·
When interpreted they edify the church: Verses
12-13
·
Intercession: Verse 14 (See also Romans 8:26-27)
·
Sign to unbelievers: Verse 22
·
Fulfillment of prophecy: Verse 21 (See also
Isaiah 28:11-12)
·
Praise: Verses 15, 17
ü OBJECTIONS
TO TONGUES
·
EVERY CHRISTIAN HAS THE HOLY SPIRIT:
One
of the most common objections is that every Christian receives the Holy Spirit
when he is converted...He does not need any further experience to receive the
baptism of the Holy Spirit. But consider the examples of people in the New
Testament who were true believers. The apostles had repented of their sins and
believed Jesus was the Messiah. They had witnessed personally and accepted as
true the facts of His death, burial, a resurrection. Jesus told His followers:
And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you; but
tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. Luke 24:49
He also said:
For John truly baptized with
water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. Acts 1:5
The promised experience of being baptized in the Holy Ghost
came on the day of Pentecost:
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
Although the apostles were already Christians it was not
until the day of Pentecost that they were filled with [baptized in] the Holy
Spirit.
The people of Samaria heard the
Gospel preached. They believed and were baptized in water, but they had not
received the Holy Spirit:
Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). Then laid they their hands on them and they received the Holy Ghost. Acts 8:14-17
The people of Samaria received water baptism through the ministry of Philip. They received the Holy Spirit through the ministry of Peter and John. Receiving the Holy Spirit was a separate experience from receiving salvation.
Acts 19:1-6 describes how Paul went to the city of Ephesus
and met people described as "disciples". The first question Paul
asked was, "Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?"
If people received the Holy Ghost when they received the
word of God it would be foolish for Paul to ask this question. The fact that he
asked it makes it clear that people become believers without receiving the
baptism of the Holy Spirit. Even if a person receives the baptism of the Holy
Spirit at the same time he is converted, it is still a separate experience.
The ministry of the Holy Spirit
can be observed from the very creation of the world. The Old Testament speaks
of the Holy Spirit coming on Israel's spiritual leaders. The Holy Spirit is
also operative in the life of a sinner to bring him to Christ.
But these ministries of the Holy Spirit are different from
being baptized with the Holy Spirit. Jesus made that clear when He said:
Even the Spirit of truth; whom
the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth him: but ye
know Him: for He dwelleth with you [presently],
and shall be in you [in the future]. John 14:17
The Holy Spirit was with the disciples at that time, but not
yet in them. They were filled [baptized] with the Holy Spirit on the Day of
Pentecost.
The Holy Spirit is WITH the sinner to draw him to Jesus
Christ. But this is not the same as being IN him.
In Old Testament times the power of the Holy Spirit came
upon spiritual leaders at special times. In the New Testament this power was
given permanently to believers.
The Holy Spirit was WITH the spiritual leaders of Old
Testament times. But He was not yet IN them. This is the difference between the
Old and New Testament ministries of the Holy Spirit.
·
DO ALL SPEAK WITH TONGUES?
Another
objection to tongues has come through misunderstanding of a question of Apostle
Paul. In 1 Corinthians 12:30 he asks, "Do all speak with tongues?"
The answer to his question is "No, all do not speak with tongues."
But Paul is not speaking here of the experience of being baptized in the Holy
Spirit. The discussion concerns gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Now ye are the body of Christ,
and members in particular. And God hath
set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers,
after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of
tongues. 1 Corinthians 12:27-28
Apostle Paul is speaking of gifts which may be used by
members of the church. One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is "diversities
of tongues". It is an ability to
give special messages to the church in tongues through the power of the Holy
Spirit.
Although everyone experiences the sign of tongues when
baptized in the Holy Spirit, not everyone receives the special gift of
diversities of tongues.
·
FEAR:
Some
believers won’t seek the baptism of the Holy Spirit because they’re afraid they’ll
receive an experience that is not of God. But the Bible says:
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find;
knock, and it shall be opened unto you; For every one that asketh receiveth;
and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you whom if his son
ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or
if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
If ye then being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children,
how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them
that ask Him? Matthew 7:7-11
If a believer asks God for something, just like a good
earthly Father, God will not let him receive anything that will harm him.
·
EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE:
Another
objection to tongues is that it is an emotional experience. Many believers who
receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit emphasize their own emotional reactions
to the experience.
Man is an emotional creature. Conversion to Jesus Christ
does not eliminate a man's emotions. He will still experience joy and sorrow.
Conversion frees man's emotions from the control of sin. It redirects these
emotions to worship of God.
The word "joy" in Scripture is closely associated
with the Holy Spirit. In Acts 13:52 we read that "the disciples were
filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost." Some people react with great
emotion to the joy which comes with the baptism of the Holy Spirit because they
are naturally more emotional than others. They may shout, laugh, or experience
sensations in their physical bodies.
But these emotional reactions are not the sign of baptism in
the Holy Spirit. The confirming sign is speaking in tongues. The evidence is
power. There’s nothing wrong in showing great emotion such as laughing,
shouting, dancing, etc. in response to being baptized in the Holy Spirit. How
one reacts emotionally to the joy this experience brings is often related to
his individual emotions.
So, there is no criticism toward those who have joyful,
emotional reactions to the Holy Spirit. The Bible records emotional reactions
of those who had a powerful experience with God. People trembled, fell
prostrate on the ground, shouted, rejoiced, and danced before God.
It is interesting to observe the emotional reaction of
people to various athletic events. They will yell, laugh, jump up and down, and
express much excitement over a sports game. How much more excited we should be
over a gift like the Holy Spirit which accomplishes so many purposes in our
lives, brings great joy, and equips us with power to reach the world with the
Gospel?
The Psalmist David agreed. He presents a picture of joyful,
loud, emotional worship of God:
O come, let us sing unto the
Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with
thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King
above all gods. Psalms 95:1-3
Praise Him with the sound of the
trumpet; praise Him with the psaltery and harp.
Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; praise Him with stringed
instruments and organs. Praise Him upon
the loud cymbals; praise Him upon the high-sounding cymbals. Let everything that hath breath praise the
Lord. Praise ye the Lord. Psalms 150:3-6
You don’t have to fear that baptism in the Holy Spirit will
cause you to do something improper or lose control of yourself.
Apostle Paul said there were times to "keep
silent" and "hold your peace" in regards to speaking in tongues
(I Corinthians 14). He would not make these statements if the Holy Spirit
caused people to be out of control.
The Bible says:
And the spirits of the prophets are subject to
the prophets. 1 Corinthians 14:32
This means that any gift God gives is subject to or under
the control of the user. God does nothing improper for...
...God is not the author of
confusion, but of peace... 1
Corinthians 14:33
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