Being Filled with the Spirit

Many Bible teachings and doctrines have gone through much scrutiny and testing through the centuries. One of which is the “infilling,” “baptism,” or “being filled” with the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost. This can become a very exhaustive topic, but I’m going to keep it short and simple. I will present you with the Word on the matter, and then you can accept it, reject it, or further study the matter. A lot of false and misleading teachings exist in many of today’s Church’s; or the teaching is absent all together about this topic on which Jesus expressly admonished His disciples and us as well. Let’s see what the Word of God says about the subject, and remember Romans 3:4 says “Let God be true and every man a liar.” Regardless of what our Church leaders believe or what you and I believe, we must follow the Word only. My contention, in line with the Word of God, is that the “infilling,” “baptism,” or “being filled” with the Holy Spirit is a New Testament experience that has been very much ignored, but is still for ALL 21st century Christians.

Let us begin to dispel some myths about this experience with the truth of the Word of God.

Speaking in tongues is a gift that passed away with the Apostles in the Book of Acts. This is found nowhere in Scripture, in fact, the Bible says the exact opposite. Acts 2:39 says “For the promise [of the Holy Spirit] is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” If you read the entire second chapter of Acts, the day of Pentecost and the fulfillment of Joel 2 from the Old Testament came to pass. The power from on high came as Jesus foretold in Luke 24:49. If you have been called by God to salvation (you’re a born again believer in Jesus Christ), then the infilling is for you. The people in the Upper Room who got filled were already saved according to John 20:22, so this spiritual experience wasn’t the new birth, it was an experience subsequent to salvation. John 20:22 Jesus told the disciples to “Receive the Holy Ghost.” This wasn’t an eventual receiving of the Holy Spirit, it was instantaneous. If I throw a ball at you and I yell, “Catch!” When do you catch the ball? You catch it when I throw it. The same thing goes with the account in John 20:22; they received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in John 20:22, and the infilling came in Acts 2. The Holy Spirit (Indwelling) baptizes a believer into the Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 6:19, Titus 3:5, 1 Corinthians 12:13). Jesus (Infilling) baptizes believers with the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11, Acts 2). In Scripture, wherever water baptism occurred, Christians were submerged in water by other Christians. There is no Scriptural account of babies being baptized or young children being baptized to join a Church or to “get right with God.” Water baptism is an outward display or symbol, of an inward transformation. In other words, you don’t get baptized to become a Christian; you get baptized because you are already a Christian.

Tongues is a gift only for the select few, everyone has there own gift from God. There is truth to this, but it is also misleading. There are actually two types of “Tongues”: the ministry gift to edify the body of believers (1 Corinthians 12:7-11, 30), and the personal prayer language (1 Corinthians 14:2 & 14, Romans 8:26 and Jude 20). In 1 Corinthians 12, we see a ministry gift being mentioned which entails an unknown tongue (to the speaker) being publicly spoken, accompanied with an interpretation in the audience’s known language. It’s actually the equivalent of prophecy. This is a gift that God will give to certain people as He sees fit. In 1 Corinthians 14, Romans 8:26 and Jude 20, we see another gift which is made available to all believers, a personal prayer language (speaking in tongues). Respectively, these Scriptures teach us that a Christian’s spirit is speaking directly to God; one can pray about weaknesses and situations unknown to the praying Christian; a Christian can build up the strength of his/her spirit.

Speaking in tongues is of the devil. If you sincerely and from your heart ask God for a gift, do you really believe that God will allow the devil to give you a counterfeit? (Luke 11:11-13) God knows our hearts and if we are truly seeking Him, you won’t be led astray. Read Acts 10, God sent Peter to a sinner, Cornelius, to help him because God saw that Cornelius’ heart was right before Him. If your heart is right, you CAN’T be deceived. Remember, you can be wrong about something without being deceived. You can have wrong thinking and have a good heart. But deception is the work of the enemy.

Speaking in tongues is a bunch of gibberish that fanatical Christians do. All of that isn’t necessary. People get off course and think that speaking in tongues is being filled with the Holy Spirit. Speaking in tongues isn’t being filled with the Holy Spirit; it’s the initial evidence that the believer has been filled with the Holy Spirit. But just like a car, you can run your tank low and need to get re-filled. Ephesians 5:18 talks about “Being filled with the Spirit” or “being filled” continually. If this experience isn’t necessary, then why didn’t Jesus allow the disciples to carry out the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19) without it (Luke 24:49)? The fact is that it is very necessary. It is the anointing that God left for the Church to empower us for service. (Acts 10:38)

If you don’t speak in tongues you aren’t a Christian. A few sects of Christianity are misinformed here, as well. They base their thinking on Acts 2:38 which says “Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Three things are mentioned together but they are separate processes: repentance, water baptism and the gift of the Holy Spirit. This Scripture is not a formula for salvation, if it was then it would be repeated elsewhere in the New Testament for confirmation (2 Corinthians 13:1). Yet, Paul, Peter and others explicitly mention a salvation that comes by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9); salvation comes from believing on Jesus with your heart and confession of the Lord Jesus with your mouth (Romans 10:9-10, 13); Jesus preached about repentance leading to remission of sin without mention of water baptism or speaking in tongues (Luke 24:47). Speaking in tongues is a gift that is for Christians, it doesn’t make you a Christian.

You can be filled with the Holy Spirit and not speak in tongues. Wherever the Book of Acts mentions anyone initially being filled with the Spirit, they are subsequently speaking in tongues and/or prophesying. (Acts 2; Acts 10; Acts 19)

You have to tarry for the Holy Ghost. This is another misinterpretation of Scripture. In Luke 24:49, Jesus was telling those disciples that were physically on the earth with him to go to the Upper Room and wait (tarry) for “the Promise,” which we now know as the Acts 2 Pentecost experience. We don’t have to tarry, scream, holler, beg and froth at the mouth like some sects do. Everything we do with God or expect from God we do and get by faith. We believe that we receive and it’s done.

How do I receive the gift of the Holy Spirit?

1.) Forget all of the misconceptions and erroneous teachings you’ve heard about the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Re-read this article and study the Scriptures that are here. Make sure that you understand the gift of the Holy Spirit.

2.) Believe that the infilling is a gift that God has made available for you.
Believe that when you ask for it, you will receive exactly what the Bible says that it is.

3.) Start to worship God and thank Him for filling you with the Holy Spirit. Don’t time it, if it doesn’t come within the first minute, be patient, and do it by faith. If a strange word or sound comes out of your mouth or pops into your mind, say it by faith, and don’t be scared. It’s an unknown language to you, but not to God. Speak as the Spirit gives you the utterance. God will not make you speak in tongues, just like he won’t make you speak in English.

4.) Utilize your prayer language everyday. Your words will get clearer as you use your gift more and more.

In conclusion, the gift of the Holy Spirit is the key to the supernatural, deeper Scriptural revelation and insight. You can live a Christian life without it, but why wouldn’t you want to have all that God has made available for you? I could write a book about this subject, but you will still never comprehend all that this gift can do for you until you experience it personally. Don’t be scared and don’t be ashamed; it’s a gift from God, and everything that comes from God is good. Some people that you know who have received the infilling of the Holy Spirit may behave a little differently than you, or may have a louder worship style, but don’t let that discourage you. Go walk in the power of God, receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, and go to higher heights and deeper depths in God!