How to Receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit
The apostles also waited in unity, which is crucial to the flow of the Holy Spirit. Whatever differences there may have been were resolved or at least put aside. I have been in many churches where I did not sense that the Spirit was free to move. It may have been that there was disunity. I have also been privileged to be a part of a church known for its unity and is currently experiencing a wonderful visitation of the Holy Spirit. Before you ask the Lord to fill you with the Holy Spirit, seek to resolve any conflicts that you may have with others.
There may be some other hindrances to being baptized in the Spirit. Abbott lists some common hindrances as “a sense of guilt, a sense of unworthiness, assorted fears, a lack of understanding, confusing terms, a cold spiritual environment, discouragement, lack of faith, lack of intensity, and a tendency to quit short of the total experience” (Abbott, “Helping People Receive the Baptism, p. 172”). All of these, however, can be dealt with biblically and there is no reason to think that one will not receive the Baptism after (or perhaps even before) these hindrances are resolved.
Regarding receiving the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, the following 6 steps, adapted from Abbott, may be helpful.
- Make sure that you understand and have received salvation.
- Obedience is important. If you are in a state of guilt and condemnation due to unresolved matters, resolve them and abandon yourself to the will of God.
- That you are reading this is indicative of your spiritual thirst. Read and meditate on encouraging passages like Matthew 5:6 “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.”
- Just ask God to fill you (Luke 11:13).
- Remember that being filled with the Holy Spirit is like taking a drink (see John 7:37-9). Open your mouth and praise the Lord until the Spirit of the Lord overflows you.
- Expect to speak in other tongues, an issue that will be discussed later in this article.
(Abbott, p. 169-70) Tanya Jo Shipley, after months of anxiously seeking, relates how the evangelist who prayed over her to receive the Baptism told her to relax, that this is something that God does and there’s no point in getting nervous and tense about it (September 12, 1999). This is a good point, though it doesn’t mean that we should not actively seek the Baptism. Kaye Cole, who was raised in a Pentecostal church received the Baptism at the age of 13, received seemingly effortlessly when someone laid hands on her and encouraged her to speak out “whatever comes into your mouth to speak” (interview, September 13, 1999).
Category: Spirit, Winter 2000
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