Shalom,

Yesterday we looked at the fact that at the new birth the Holy Spirit recreates the human spirit and then indwells the new believer. Jesus said this to His disciples:

John 20:22 (Amplified)
22And having said this, He breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit!

We also see this in the Epistles:

1 Corinthians 3:16 (KJV)
16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Godhead, dwells inside of believers, those who have received Jesus Christ as personal Savior. He is ever present to help us. This verse in the Amplified bible shows Who he wants to be to us:

John 14:26 (Amplified)
26But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you.

We see here that the Holy Spirit lives in believers and wants to operate as our Helper, Comforter, Counselor, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby and Teacher. He will operate in us to the extent that we allow Him to!

But what we want to look at today is the fact that the Holy Spirit wants to do even more. Check out what Jesus said to His disciples:

Acts 1:4-5 (KJV)
4And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
5For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

And also in this verse:

Acts 1:8
8But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Notice that this is AFTER He breathed on them to receive the Holy Spirit. Jesus told them what would come to pass and we see the fulfillment of this here:

Acts 2:4 (KJV)
4And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Acts 4:8 (Amplified)
8Then Peter, [because he was] filled with [and controlled by] the Holy Spirit, said to them, Rulers of the people and members of the council (the Sanhedrin),

Acts 4:31 (Amplified)
31And when they had prayed, the place in which they were assembled was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they continued to speak the Word of God with freedom and boldness and courage.

Acts 6:3 (Amplified)
3Therefore select out from among yourselves, brethren, seven men of good and attested character and repute, full of the [Holy] Spirit and wisdom, whom we may assign to look after this business and duty.

Acts 8:12-17 (KJV)
12But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
13Then Simon himself believed also: and when he was baptized, he continued with Philip, and wondered, beholding the miracles and signs which were done.
14Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:
15Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:
16(For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)
17Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.

Acts 10:45-46 (Amplified)
45And the believers from among the circumcised [the Jews] who came with Peter were surprised and amazed, because the free gift of the Holy Spirit had been bestowed and poured out largely even on the Gentiles.
46For they heard them talking in [unknown] tongues (languages) and extolling and magnifying God.

We see from all of these Scriptures that there is an additional experience with the Holy Spirit, AFTER the new birth, that God has planned for believers. What is the purpose of this "Baptism" with the Holy Spirit? Here are a few examples:

Jude 1:20 (KJV)
20But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, or:

Jude 1:20 (Amplified)
20But you, beloved, build yourselves up [founded] on your most holy faith [make progress, rise like an edifice higher and higher], praying in the Holy Spirit;

I've heard it put this way: "When we talk to God in English, He comes down to our level. When we talk to God in our heavenly language, we come up to His level". I like that!

1 Corinthians 14:14-15 (Amplified)
14For if I pray in an [unknown] tongue, my spirit [by the Holy Spirit within me] prays, but my mind is unproductive [it bears no fruit and helps nobody].
15Then what am I to do? I will pray with my spirit [by the Holy Spirit that is within me], but I will also pray [intelligently] with my mind and understanding; I will sing with my spirit [by the Holy Spirit that is within me], but I will sing [intelligently] with my mind and understanding also.

Notice that Paul also says:

1 Corinthians 14:18 (Amplified)
18I thank God that I speak in [strange] tongues (languages) more than any of you or all of you put together;

The purpose for the Baptism with the Holy Spirit is to give us the power to be His living witnesses, to communicate with our Lord spirit to spirit, to walk in the same power that Jesus walked in on earth in order to set people free, and so that we could do what Jesus said:

John 14:12 (KJV)
12Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

John 14:12 (Amplified)
12I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father.

When God the Father took Jesus back to heaven to sit at His right hand, He didn't leave us alone! He planned for the Holy Spirit to live in us and also to fill us to overflowing with all that we would need to be overcomers in this life and to set others free, the same way that Jesus did! If you have received Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, but have never received the "Infilling" of the Holy Spirit, I invite you to pray this prayer, believing:


Father, I am Your child. I desire to be filled with Holy Spirit and speak with other tongues as the Holy Spirit gives me the utterance. By faith, I receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit. As I lift my hands to praise You, I fully expect to speak in my heavenly prayer language. Amen.

Now open your heart and mouth in praise to Him and allow the Holy Spirit to give you that powerful, personal, prayer language. If you have further questions, please check out The Spoken Word website at the top left and contact us there. We will be happy to help you in your spiritual growth. Have a great and wonderful day!

Shalom in Him!