The Power of the Holy Spirit!

Our God is a Triune God, one true God revealed in three persons, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each has individual characteristics, responsibilities, and operations yet are equal and work in total unity and harmony. The Holy Spirit is the Third Person of the Trinity or Godhead (Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14). He is God, and He is a person who has the mind of God; knows the will of God; knows what God is feeling, and displays emotions.

All plans come from the Father, who initiates, through Jesus, who proclaims because He is the Word and reveals the Father; (John 1:14; 14:10-11), and the Holy Spirit who carries them out.

The Holy Spirit possesses all God’s attributes and has roles and functions, i.e., Helper, Teacher, Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor, Counselor, Strengthener, Standby, Author of Scripture, etc. (John 14:16-17, 26; John 16:7-11. 13-14; Romans 8:26-27; 2 Timothy 3:16-17). He is omnipresent; omniscient; omnipotent; and eternal (Hebrews 9:14; 1 Corinthians 2:11-12; Psalm 139).

The Holy Spirit gives us the Anointing, power, and gifts (1 John 2:20; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 12:7-11). The Anointing is the presence, goodness, and power of God made manifest that lives within you, comes upon you, and flows through you. It is tangible, evident, and observable. As a believer, you have the Holy Spirit living within you ever since you were born again, and His abiding presence teaches you (1 John 2:27).

Jesus had the Holy Spirit living within Him from the moment of conception (Luke 1:35). The Holy Spirit came upon Jesus after His water baptism before starting His earthly ministry (Luke 3:21- 22). Jesus didn’t work one miracle until after His baptism with the Holy Spirit. Only after the Holy Spirit came upon Him did He preach, heal the sick, and do the mighty works of God.

“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.” Luke 4:18-19
“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” Acts 10:38
The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD. Isaiah 11:2

Jesus taught His disciples about the baptism with the Holy Spirit after His resurrection from the dead. When Jesus gave His disciples the “Great Commission” (Matthew 28: 19-20), He knew that they couldn’t fulfill it in their power and so told them to wait in Jerusalem until they received the power from on high, which was the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.

“Behold I send the promise of My Father upon you, but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on High.” Luke 24:49

Jesus promised His disciples and all believers a separate and subsequent experience from the new birth indwelling of the Holy Spirit with the outpouring or infilling of the Holy Spirit upon believers and only for believers!

The two-fold work of the Holy Spirit that is available to all believers is a separate and definite experience, i.e., in salvation and the baptism with the Holy Spirit. However, they can be experienced simultaneously. In both cases, it is the same Holy Spirit but with different functions, one producing a well for ourselves and the other a release of rivers of living water to the world around us (John 4:13-14; 7:37-39). When the Holy Spirit comes upon us through the baptism with the Holy Spirit, we are anointed for supernatural ministry just like Jesus was to do the Father’s works. In addition, His in-filling gives us the power to be witnesses for the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

“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.” Acts 1:8

The Bible mentions several baptisms, with two baptisms involving the Holy Spirit that you can’t see with your physical eyes, but only their after-effects in a person’s life. The baptism of the Holy Spirit or baptism of salvation is the first. It occurs when we experience salvation when the Holy Spirit draws us to Jesus Christ and does a supernatural work of regeneration in our spirit, making us spiritually alive or born-again. Thus, we gain admittance into the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit does this work in us, and He is doing the baptizing (1 Corinthians 12:13; Galatians 3:27).

Most of us are familiar with water baptism, as seen in the Bible by John the Baptist’s activity in the Jordan River that most Christian churches practice today (Matthew 3:13-17). Water baptism is a baptism we can choose to experience according to the command of Scripture after we receive Christ through salvation (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:16). Water baptism symbolizes our death, burial, and resurrection to a new life in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:3-4).

The baptism with the Holy Spirit is another baptism mentioned in Scripture. Each of the Gospels tells the story of Jesus coming to John the Baptist from a different perspective, but in each of these accounts, John testifies that it is Jesus who will be doing the baptizing with the Holy Spirit and fire (Matthew 3:11-17; Mark 1:6-8; Luke 3:15-16; John 1:29-34; 3:27-36).

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Matthew 3:11

The baptism with the Holy Spirit means immersion or in-filling with the Spirit’s life and power, and Jesus is the one who is doing the baptizing. It is empowering for life and service reproducing the ministry of Jesus, including signs, wonders, and miracles! As believers and children of the King, we are to be His witnesses and enforce His kingdom on the earth, but we need a power greater than our own to serve and minister Christ’s kingdom here. Not only does His presence dwell within and flow through us, but His power can come upon us and fill us!

We receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit by grace through faith, just like all the other blessings of God (2 Corinthians 5:7; Ephesians 2:8-9). However, the Bible reveals different ways that people receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit, i.e., looking to God for enabling power, asking God in prayer and by the laying on of hands, etc. (Luke 11:9-13; Acts 2:1-4; 4:29-31; 8:14-17; 10:44-47; 19:6; 1 Timothy 4:14; 2 Timothy 1:6).

When we experience the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, we may speak in tongues or prophesy and may also experience shaking, laughing, crying, and falling down as the Holy Spirit ministers to us. Remember, it is not only an experience but the reality of the person of the Holy Spirit in us, filling us and working through us.

We don’t have to tarry or wait to receive the outpouring of the Holy Spirit because He came on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4; 16-18). But to receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit, you must be born-again. If you have never asked Jesus to forgive your sins and be your Savior, you can do that right now. You can experience God’s love, peace, and reconciliation by the blood of Jesus and have a personal relationship with Him by praying this suggested prayer out loud right now. You can also pray in your own words. Remember, it is not words or prayer alone that will save you. Prayer is a way to reach out to the Lord and must be done in faith (completely trusting in Him to save you). Christ will save you if you pray these or similar words in faith. You can also receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit or infilling simultaneously.

Heavenly Father,

Your Word says that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Therefore, I ask You to forgive me for my sins. I repent of my sins, turn from them and turn to You. I am calling on You and ask Jesus to come into my heart and be Lord over my life. I believe that Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood for me. I believe in my heart that You raised Him from the dead, and He is alive today. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me the Holy Spirit to live inside of me. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and Your healing power in my life. I now belong to You. Help me to live for You and obey You all the days of my life.

In the name of Jesus, Amen.

If you prayed for salvation in faith, you are now a child of God and are in His family (John 1:12; Romans 8:16). Go to my website and check out some steps on how to grow in your relationship with Him! https://alexiscarucci.com/welcome-to-gods-family/

God has already given the Holy Spirit, and it is now up to the believer to receive God’s gift of the power of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, anyone who is a believer is ready to receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit immediately. So, whether a believer, pastor, or ministry leader lays hands on you, prays for you, or you pray to ask the Lord, receive the Holy Spirit by faith at that time. After that, you may speak in tongues or prophesy. (Refer back to last week’s blog, The Power of the Tongue, when we looked at the gift of tongues).

We receive power from on high or baptism with the Holy Spirit with the same Holy Spirit who re-created our spirit when we became born again! We can experience more of God when He brings the fullness of God to us (Ephesians 3:19-20). Each person’s encounter is unique and special. Some speak in tongues right away; others need the laying on of hands to increase their faith or agreement in prayer; some ask in prayer by themselves. It doesn’t matter how you receive the baptism with the Spirit that Jesus gives; He knows the way that you need to receive Him.

If you would like to receive the fullness of God through the baptism with the Holy Spirit right now, pray this prayer out loud:

Lord Jesus,

I ask You to baptize me with the Holy Spirit. I fully expect to receive by faith power from on high. Thank you for pouring out the Holy Spirit upon me and immersing me in Him so that I can work with You to be a witness for You and to bring the Kingdom of God to the earth.

In Your name, I pray, Amen.

If you sense the Holy Spirit is prompting you to speak words in a language unknown to you, yield to Him and speak these words out.

The Holy Spirit gives us the power to live victoriously, witness and minister for Christ, help us pray, and has gifts to impart to us that are a gateway to the supernatural. The baptism with the Holy Spirit activates these gifts (1 Corinthians 12:4-11; Romans 12:6-8). When you are a believer filled with the Holy Spirit, you have the potential for all the power God has, and we need to learn to cooperate with Him since He is our power source (Matthew 28:18; Luke 10:19; Mark 16:17-18)!

God commands us to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18); therefore, it is His will. The in-filling of the Holy Spirit is indispensable for living an abundant life and for fruitful service. We can receive a fresh in-filling whenever we ask for more of Him. He longs to give us more of Himself, as much as we are willing to accept. We need the Anointing and power that Jesus said is available for all who believe, and don’t forget to thank and praise Him for it!