The Baptism of the Holy Spirit

Lesson Content

1. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit was one of t he experiences of the early apostles. They preached it as one of their doctrines (Heb.6:1,2).

2. It is about this experience that Jesus said that rivers of living water shall flow from the belly of him who believes in Him (Jn.7:38,39).

3. Many names are given for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit such as ‘being filled with the Holy Ghost’, ‘anointing of the Holy Spirit’, ‘outpouring of the Holy Spirit’, ‘receiving the Holy Spirit’. ‘the seal of the Holy Spirit’, ‘the earnest of the Spirit’ — all of which point to the same experience.

4. The Holy Spirit has been compared to fire (Matt.3:11; Acts 2:3); water (Jn.7:38,39); wind (Jn.3:8) and oil (Psa.89:20).

5. The outward sign of receiving the Holy Spirit is speaking in unknown tongues (Acts 2:4; 10:44-46; 19:6; Isa.28:11,12; I Cor.14:21).

6. In the Old Testament period, the Most Holy Place became the resting place of God only after the glory of God came down into the temple (II Chron. 6:41; 7:1; Psa.132:8). This is a shadow of the reality in the New Testament period, when, by the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the Triune God comes to dwell in us (Jn.14:16,20). And we become the habitation of God (I Cor.3:16,17; Eph.2:21,22).

7. In the Old Testament, priests and kings were anointed with the holy anointing oil and this was a type of our receiving the Holy Spirit in the New Testament period.

Moral

We should be very careful about preserving our body in holiness because it becomes the temple of God by the baptism of the Holy Spirit.