Baptism With the Holy Spirit

By Don Bell | ⏱️ 11 minute read

Baptism with the Holy Spirit is transformative experience available to every follower of Christ. This divine encounter, distinct from salvation, empowers believers with supernatural abilities to advance God's Kingdom.

Whether you're seeking this spiritual baptism or simply curious about its significance, this comprehensive article will walk you through what the Bible teaches about this vital spiritual experience.

Understanding the Holy Spirit's Transforming Presence

Swirling Clouds and Sunlight Are God's CreationYou Need to Get Baptized in the Holy Spirit
Source: ©alenalihacheva/Depositphotos.com

Only a follower of Christ can receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit, so if you're not a follower of Jesus, NOW is the time to become one!

John the Baptist spoke of Jesus saying, "'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).

We read in Scripture, "On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.' But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive …" (John 7:37–39).

The "great day of the feast" was the last day of the seven-day Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), and it featured a special Water Libation Ceremony. The temple priests would each day walk to the Pool of Siloam and fill a large golden vessel with water.

The Pool of Siloam was fed by the Gihon Spring. Fresh spring water that bubbled up from the earth was prized in the arid land of Israel; it was known as "living water" and symbolic of the Holy Spirit.

The Byzantine Pool of Siloam in JerusalemThe Byzantine Pool of Siloam, City of David, Jerusalem
Source: ©Don Bell

The vessel of living water was then carried by the priests in a jubilant procession up the stepped street and taken through the Water Gate to the Temple, accompanied by blasts of the shofar.

Each day, the great Hallel (Psalms, chapters 113–118) were recited, and a silver bowel of water was poured on the altar of sacrifice while being mingled with wine poured from another silver bowl (foreshowing the water and blood that flowed from the spear wound in Jesus' side).

However, on the last day of the feast, known as the Great Day, the priests poured the water into a silver funnel placed above the altar. This seventh day of Sukkot is called the Great Hoshiana, Hebrew for Hosanna, meaning Save Now!

Jesus' (Yeshua's) name means Salvation, and it's quite likely that just as the ceremonial water was poured through the silver funnel onto the altar, Jesus loudly shouted, "'If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scriptures have said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water'" (John 7:37–38).

Jesus had publicly declared Himself the Messiah, the source of living water. He spoke of the Holy Spirit whom those believing in Him would later receive. Later on, before ascending to Heaven, Jesus commanded His followers not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, the baptism with the Holy Spirit.

Jesus promises, "'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 Greek word δύναμις (dynamis) means miraculous power. After you've received the baptism with the Holy Spirit, this miraculous power will be manifested whenever and wherever you share Jesus' good news of the Kingdom with accompanying signs.

When you ask for and receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and He that's already WITHIN you now expands, fills, and OVERFLOWS. The overflowing of the Spirit is what enables you to minister the gifts of the Holy Spirit and touch the lives of people around you.

It's important to realize that you are not receiving another spirit. You already HAVE the Spirit of Christ WITHIN you if you are spiritually reborn!

Scripture says, "For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but YOU RECEIVED THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION by whom we cry out, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God" (Romans 8:15–16, emphasis added).

To be clear, the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you are completely immersed (baptized) in the Spirit that's already IN you, and His presence flows up from within and flows OUT to others.

A Personal Anecdote

One Sunday morning, I sat with my wife in the back row of the large sanctuary. I was tired, and while the worship time had been anointed and uplifting, I was now struggling to keep my eyes open during the long sermon, counting the minutes until it was time to go home. Hey, I'm human.

When the service had ended and as we stood to leave, an unknown woman approached me. She and her family had been sitting to my right with about five or six empty seats between us.

"I just wanted to thank you," she said. "I have never felt the presence of God so strong as I've felt Him this morning."

"That's wonderful, but why are you thanking me?" I asked, puzzled.

"Because God's presence was flowing from you," she replied. "I could literally feel His peace all through the service; it felt just like electricity."

She asked for prayer and after I blessed her and her family, she left. I never revealed to her how dry I had felt during the same service.

For me, it was a huge wake-up call that the Holy Spirit is always seeking to manifest through us whether we feel his presence or not. God's presence is NEVER based on our feelings!

When we're filled with the Spirit, there's always an overflow.

The Divine Purpose of Baptism With the Holy Spirit

Jesus is God's greatest gift to mankind and the entrance key to the Kingdom of God. And if you have already invited Jesus into your life, then you can receive the fullness of His Spirit.

Why should we as followers of Jesus desire the fullness of the Holy Spirit? Out of necessity! We absolutely need the fullness (anointing) of the Holy Spirit for service, for doing the supernatural works of Jesus.

The fullness of the Spirit is not to make us appear "spiritual" or to make us feel good. It's to do the works of Jesus and thereby draw people to Him. It's also to help build up the Body of Christ, and so advance the Kingdom of God.

Receiving the Baptism With the Holy Spirit: A Simple Guide

We read in Scripture, "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. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, AS MANY AS THE LORD OUR GOD WILL CALL'" (Acts 2:38–39, emphasis added).

Have you come alive spiritually in Christ? If so, the Lord Jesus HAS called you, and the promise of the baptism with the Holy Spirit IS yours for the asking!

The Promise of the Father was fulfilled at Pentecost; therefore, the Holy Spirit is readily available to all believers today. There's no need to wait (tarry); He has already come!

Jesus says, "'So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened'" (Luke 11:9–10).

Simply, in your own words ask for Jesus to baptize you with His Holy Spirit. For example, you might say, "Jesus, I believe in you, and according to your Word I am asking for the baptism with your Holy Spirit. Please come upon me and fill me to overflowing with your Spirit. Thank you."

Just be yourself. You don't need flowery language or religious sounding words. God listens to your heart. Have faith and EXPECT to receive. It's that simple.

Jesus promises, "'If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!'" (Luke 11:11–13).

Experiencing Baptism With the Holy Spirit

Sometimes, baptism with the Holy Spirit can be accompanied with unusual phenomena, such as speaking in an unknown language, and a heightened state of joyousness, but not always.

The Book of Acts records the unusual phenomena that occurred when the Holy Spirit arrived to those who were faithfully waiting in the Upper Room on the Day of Pentecost:

When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:1–4)

They all spoke in unknown tongues, and it caused such a commotion that people outside the building heard the loud voices and wondered what had happened.

Scripture records, "So they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, 'Whatever could this mean?' Others mocking said, 'They are full of new wine.'" (Acts 2:12–16).

Judging from the crowd's observations, Peter and the others experienced the gift of unknown tongues along with a heightened state of euphoria and unbridled joy, causing the puzzled onlookers to assume that they had gotten drunk on wine.

Many believers have had similar experiences today, while others have been filled with the Spirit very matter-of-fact-like with little or no emotion or sensation.

A Personal Anecdote

On a Sunday evening in 1970, I was driving to the midweek Bible study that I attended at an Anglican church when suddenly, my deepening desire to experience the fullness of the Spirit prompted me to make an unexpected turn into the parking lot of the nearby Pentecostal Church.

I knew that Pentecostals emphasized speaking in tongues, but I was wary and unsure what to expect in their meetings. That evening, the guest speaker, Pastor Abe Kudra, delivered an inspiring sermon, but throughout the service there was no mention or manifestation of the baptism with the Holy Spirit, and I was left feeling somewhat let down. However, as we headed for refreshments after the service, it was announced that the basement prayer room was available for anyone wanting prayer.

Summoning my courage, I entered the room and approached Pastor Kudra, asking him to pray for me to receive the baptism withe the Holy Spirit. He responded by placing his hands on my shoulders and asking God to fill me with His Spirit.

Suddenly, half a dozen Pentecostals surrounded me, laying on hands and speaking loudly in what I assumed were tongues. Coming from my reserved Anglican background, I found myself in unfamiliar territory that stretched my comfort zone, to say the least.

Those praying over me kept exclaiming, "That's it, you've got it, you're speaking in tongues!" I accepted by faith that I had received, but I felt absolutely nothing, and the few strange syllables I had spoken didn't match what I'd imagined an unknown tongue to sound like.

I managed to withdraw myself from the group excitement, and retreating to one the metal folding chairs lining the room's perimeter, I sat quietly in prayer, as the lively meeting continued.

Meanwhile, my absence from the Anglican Bible study hadn't gone unnoticed. Several teen attendees knew of my plans to attend that evening and becoming concerned with my absence, they approached the rector's wife. I had spoken with her about Acts 2 and Pentecost on earlier occasions, so she suspected my whereabouts, and brought them to find me.

Standing to greet them, I glanced at a nearby wall clock and was shocked to discover that well over an hour had passed since I had first sat down. It had seemed like mere minutes! I had been so caught up in the Spirit that I was completely oblivious to time passing.

One of the men who had prayed for me suggested that I pray for one of the teens. The moment I reached out, the youth fell backward, landing flat on the carpeted floor. Stepping back in surprise, I bumped into two other nearby teens who similarly fell to the floor.

I quickly retreated to the safety of my chair, wondering what on earth had just happened. I had never before witnessed anyone fall under the power of the Holy Spirit, a phenomenon the Pentecostals called being slain in the Spirit.

As I watched the teenagers speaking fluently in tongues, I wondered why I hadn't experienced the same fluency and why I hadn't been slain in the Spirit. Moments later, I felt a warm sensation of peacefulness wash over me; it was the Holy Spirit reassuring me that He works uniquely in each person's life, and my journey would unfold in its own special way.

Later at home, I was still processing everything that had happened. As I read the Book of Acts late into the night, its words now seemed alive, clearer, and more personal than they ever had before.

Within a few days, those unknown syllables I had spoken evolved into complete sentences, and I experienced a wonderful fluency in tongues.

When seeking the baptism with the Holy Spirit, the emphasis must always be placed on the "inner filling" instead of the "inner feeling" or the outward experience. That's not to say there won't be any emotions or sensations involved, but be prepared that they might come later.

Much of what's experienced depends on the sovereignty of God and the emotional makeup of the individual. Rest assured that the Holy Spirit does not overpower you or make you do anything against your will. Believe me, you can trust Him.

Simply ask for and receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit. Start to praise God out loud using whatever words come to mind. Tell Him you love Him. Thank Him for all that He's done for you. As you worship Him, yield your voice and allow Him to give you unusual words that you've never heard before.

Begin to pray using your new words and language. This supernatural ability is called speaking in unknown tongues, and it's one of the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit that's now available to you.

Praying in tongues will supercharge your prayer life. Paul writes, "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God" (Romans 8:26–27).

Spend time alone with the Holy Spirit each day. Get to know Him as your comforter and friend and become accustomed to His wonderful personality. Learn to recognize His gentle presence and be sure to pray often in tongues. Your new prayer language is just like having a direct line to God.


About the Author

Don Bell of Kingdom Anointing

Don Bell is the creator of the Kingdom Anointing website, and a dedicated follower of Jesus Christ. He shares insights from his spiritual journey to encourage ordinary believers to seek God's Kingdom and lead extraordinary lives in the Holy Spirit.


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