Learning From Acts – The Baptism in the Holy Spirit

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” – Acts 1:8

There is much more to the baptism in the Holy Spirit than just power to be witnesses – that is but one small part of it. In places where the Lord’s servants work together as a Body, we see more of the emphasis given to the Holy Spirit’s work in integrating new lives into the Body of Christ, giving closer communion with the Lord, and sanctifying us through and through. On the other hand, when Christians act more like a “movement,” rather than a Body, often the focus is exclusively on the “power to be witnesses.”

Like most Bible-believing churches around the world, we emphasize the importance of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. It is part of God’s plan for every Christian. The Holy Spirit begins to work in a person even before they are saved, to draw the person to the Lord, to bring conviction of sin, and to convince the person of their need for the Savior. The Holy Spirit produces the miracle of new birth in a person at the moment of salvation, so that he or she is “born again” as a child of God. After we belong to the Lord, Jesus wants to baptize us in the Holy Spirit, just as he did to the Apostles and many other people on the day of Pentecost (recorded in Acts Ch. 2).

“But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” – Matthew 3:11

Before Jesus ascended into heaven, he told his disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, so that they would have “power to be witnesses” in the city of Jerusalem, the region of Judea, surrounding regions, and eventually to the whole world. The disciples had already received the Holy Spirit, of course, before Jesus said this to them; when he appeared to them in the Upper Room, immediately after his resurrection, the Word says “he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” (John 20:22). Nevertheless, he still told his disciples that there was a deeper, more profound experience with the Holy Spirit still in store for them, at the day of Pentecost (over a month later).

His promise was fulfilled: on the Day of Pentecost, which in that time was a Jewish religious festival, the disciples received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, just as he had said they would. This pattern was repeated through the book of Acts, and continues into our day; Jesus breathes life into us at the moment of salvation, and the Holy Spirit indwells the believer. The Baptism in the Spirit is when we receive the Spirit in a deeper, more life-changing way. The disciples did in fact receive power to be the Lord’s witnesses. Many miracles were performed by the Lord through them, and the Word of God spread westward as far as Spain and eastward as far as southern India within a few short decades.

Power to be Jesus’ witnesses, however, is not the whole story – that is only part of the purpose of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit also integrates us into the Body of Christ in a real way. The Lord did not intend his church to be a mere social organization or institution; rather, it is a spiritual Body, where all the members are interconnected and share the same spiritual Life, the Life of Jesus. The Holy Spirit operates within the Body, and provides life to the Body. When we are baptized in the Holy Spirit, one purpose of this is bring us into deeper fellowship with the Body, so we can contribute to it and draw strength and life from it. The baptism in the Holy Spirit should produce unity within the Body, because the same Holy Spirit is working in each member. The baptism in the Holy Spirit also gives us more intimacy with the Lord, deeper and easier communion with Him. The Holy Spirit brings sanctification, holiness, obedience, and wisdom.

So there is much more to the baptism in the Holy Spirit than just power to be witnesses – that is but one small part of it. In places where the Lord’s servants work together more as a Body, we see more balance in the emphasis on these different aspects of the Holy Spirit’s work. In the Body, the baptism in the Holy Spirit is viewed as the way new lives become integrated into the Body of Christ, in addition to receiving power to bring the gospel to others. On the other hand, when Christians act more like members in a “movement,” rather than a Body, the emphasis shifts, so that the focus is exclusively on the “power to be witnesses” when people think of the Holy Spirit. The Lord calls us, and challenges us, to strike the balance He sets forth in his Word, to emphasize everything God has for his people.

SPIRITUAL GIFTS – Spiritual gifts are not intended to be mere demonstrations of the supernatural – as if they were just “signs” that God is present and working. Rather, the gifts are supposed to be integrated into the Body – both the local body (church) and the worldwide Body (the Bride of Christ). Where we see Christians who have properly integrated their spiritual lives into the Body, we see spiritual gifts operating through them in ways that contribute to the Body and are in submission to the Body. On the other hand, when Christians function together more as a “movement,” we see spiritual gifts being used solely as demonstrations of miraculous power, often in a way that draws attention to the individual or is “showing off.”

We should think of gifts as things the Lord gives to the Body through individual members like you and me. Unfortunately, often churches that believe in the gifts reverse this, and teach the exact opposite. People start to think of spiritual gifts as something given to them as individuals (like a supernatural power or special ability), maybe through the church (i.e., they “get” the gifts when a famous preacher prays for them). This approach brings and imbalance in people’s spiritual lives and leads to abuses of the gifts. Abuses of spiritual gifts create scandals and cause people to become disillusioned, even losing their faith that God can work in this way.

Gifts are supposed to be part of the day-to-day life of the Body, whether manifested through dreams, visions, or revelations. Without the Body, where Christians are together merely as a social movement, the gifts become nothing more than extraordinary experiences or encounters with God’s power. We already have faith in God’s power; His power does not depend on our amazement or attention. The gifts of the Holy Spirit have a purpose – they guide and direct the life of the Body, they provide counsel and correction, they teach us about the Lord’s character, they reflect and illustrate his revealed doctrine. They are not isolated occurrences of power, but rather coordinated, purposeful revelations and manifestations of the Holy Spirit that work together to create a complete picture of what the Lord is doing in the midst of his people.