The Baptism In The Holy Spirit

Rev Albert Kang


When Jesus came to earth, he had two distinct objectives. The first was to bring salvation to mankind by taking away the sin of the world and thus allowing men and women to be regenerated. (John 1:29 – “Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”). A better-known term for this experience is “Born Again”. A “Born Again” person is not saved from hell but his relationship being restored with God the Father.

The second objective of Christ was to baptize His disciples in the Holy Spirit so that they would have the authority and power to serve the Father. (John 1:33 “…this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit”).

 Repentance And Baptism

Upon your confession and repentance of your sins, you are baptized into the Body of Christ. You can then immediately be baptized in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues. Baptism in the Holy Spirit is not primarily intended to make the disciples happy or holy, but to make them useful. Baptism in the Holy Spirit is an experience connected with and primarily for the purpose of spiritual service. In Acts 1:8, Jesus said, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth." Power is the word!

 What is the Baptism in the Holy Spirit?

Every disciple of Christ needs the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. You really do not have a choice. It comes as a package with salvation. It is almost like when you go to the store to purchase something and the shopkeeper informs you that what you have purchased comes with a promotion gift. Will you take the gift? I know I would!

To be baptized in the Holy Spirit is to have the Holy Spirit saturating your mind, heart and spirit with the tangible presence of God. The Holy Spirit not only fill you inside but make you aware of God’s Spirit around you. He takes hold of your natural faculties and impart His supernatural gifts. With this empowerment, you experience a certain boldness and courage to do God’s will.

 Baptism in the Holy Spirit is an objective experience. This means that whatever happens to you, it may be observed by others. In the Book of Acts, you will discover that in every instance, observers were able to witness that something was happening to the recipients of the Holy Spirit. For example, in Acts 8, we read about the incident when the apostles placed their hands on the people and they were baptized in the Holy Spirit. Simon a sorcerer offered the apostles money for the “ability” because he observed objectively what had happened.

In another important event is found in Acts 10. At that time, a very devout Roman centurion, by the name of Cornelius, was seeking for God. His prayers and gifts to the poor had come up as a memorial offering before the Lord. Peter was asked to share the gospel with Cornelius and his group of devotees. In Acts 10: 44 – 46, we learn that while Peter was still preaching, the Holy Spirit descended on all those who were there. The Jewish Christians who had come with Peter were surprise that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even upon these Gentiles. How did they know that? The Bible said that they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.

This evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is confirmed in Acts 19, where it recorded the encounter of Paul with twelve disciples at Ephesus. Paul asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

They replied in the negative, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

Paul learned that they had received “John’s baptism” which was water baptism and a baptism unto repentance. The twelve disciples were then baptized in the name of Jesus and then subsequently when Paul placed his hands over them, the Holy Spirit came upon them and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. Once again, we see the speaking in tongues was the common denominator and thus we can safely say that it is the initial evidence of being baptized in the Holy Spirit.

 A Subsequent Work

Baptism in the Holy Spirit is not baptism for the forgiveness of sins. It is an operation of the Holy Spirit distinct from and subsequent and additional to His regenerating work of salvation. In Acts 1:5, Jesus was explaining to His disciples, “For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit”. Here was a group of regenerated disciples and yet, they were told that they needed the Baptism in the Spirit.

 Some churches are teaching that there is no such thing as a subsequent work when one is baptized in the Holy Spirit. They always quote 1 Corinthians 12:13 – “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body -- whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free -- and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.” They claim that once a person is saved, he has the Holy Spirit and therefore there is no need for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. In this scripture portion, Paul was referring to the Holy Spirit baptizing the believer into the Body of Christ. The Holy Spirit is the agent doing the baptizing and the Body of Christ is the agency. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is exactly the opposite. Once a person is baptized into the Body of Christ, the Lord will take him and baptize him in the Holy Spirit for empowerment. (Acts 1:5 - For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit). In the process of being baptized in the Holy Spirit, the roles are reversed and Christ becomes the baptizing agent and the Holy Spirit becomes the agency.

 You should never be afraid to ask God for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Jesus allays all fear of asking God for the Holy Spirit by saying, “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:11-13)

Trust in the words of the Lord. He never lies to you. You need this divine anointing to do the task of the Lord ahead of you. Ask God, in the name of Jesus and be baptized in the Holy Spirit today. Trust Him to give you the gift of speaking in tongues. It is a prayer language and it is meant for you to use it to praise God and pray to Him. Find a quiet place and humble yourself before the living God and experience this miraculous empowerment of God.