Concept
 

We are given the gift of the Holy Spirit when we truly ask Jesus Christ to be our Savior and to forgive our sins. But it is our choice whether we are truly filled, and controlled, and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Think of it like this. You may have a King who comes to live in your house. You can ask him to live in a small room; or you can ask him to be in charge of the whole house. So you can have the Holy Spirit in your life but you can try to run your own life, or you can ask God the Holy Spirit to fill and control your entire life. 
 

"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death." - Romans 8:2 
 

"However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him." - Romans 8:9 
 

"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh." - Galations 5:16 
 

In this conversation you will cover the idea that when people are baptised in the Holy Spirit there is something to "see and hear". And then explain the process of receiving the Baptism. You are then going to explain to them the process of what is going to happen. And finally you will pray for them to receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.
 

This conversation should be done in a private environment so you are free to pray openly with them and press in for their Baptism when the time is right.

 

 

Conversation Points:
 

Questions:
What do you know about Baptism in the Holy Spirit?
Have you been Baptised in the Holy Spirit?
How would you know?
 

Something to See and Hear:

Peter, after the events of the day of Pentecost said:
 

Acts 2:32-33
“God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this. Now he is exalted to the place of highest honour in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today."
 

Notice the words "SEE AND HEAR"!
 

Acts 2:38-39
"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.”
 

• Repentance

• Baptism in Water

• Receiving the Holy Spirit
   

All separate events.
 

"For all who are afar off" - you don't get much further afar than the other side of the planet, 2000 years later!

This is for US!
 

The Day of Pentecost:
 

Acts 1:4-5 
"Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
 

• So Jesus is telling them that despite everything that have known and experienced, they need something else.

• Jesus told those who believed (and note these are people who BELIEVED!) not to go anywhere, preach, start churches or fulfil their callings until they first received the promise of the father which was in His own words the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

• So do you see here that believing is NOT an automatic sign that you have the Holy Spirit IN you. You will see this CONFIRMED in other scriptures later.

• All these people following Jesus were perfectly capable of believing in him and following him WITHOUT the BAPTISM of the Holy Spirit. so you DON'T have to be filled to be a follower.
   

Acts 2:1-4 
"On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place. Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability."
 

Notice they were filled or baptized with the Holy Spirit, just as Jesus foretold. This was the Promise of the father and was accompanied by them speaking in other tongues.
 

The noise of the rushing might wind was the wake of the Holy Spirit making his initial entrance into the temples he had always desired to dwell in. Again, Scripture does not say He was wind; rather wind was the manifestation of His entrance.
 

Question: Was there anything to see or hear when they were baptized in the Holy Spirit?
 

Key points from the story

• They needed it before anything else

• They are COMMANDED to be baptized in the Holy Spirit

• They are “Baptized” as promised. 

 

Samaria:
 

Acts 8:7
"Many evil spirits were cast out, screaming as they left their victims. And many who had been paralysed or lame were healed."
 

Philip went to a city in Samaria and proclaimed Jesus. Multitudes came out to hear the things he spoke. There were tremendous miracles as “unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many who were possessed; and my who were paralysed and lame were healed”
 

The outreach was amazingly powerful and there was great joy in the city, and we read…
 

Acts 8:12-19 
"But now the people believed Philip’s message of Good News concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. As a result, many men and women were baptized. Then Simon himself believed and was baptized. He began following Philip wherever he went, and he was amazed by the signs and great miracles Philip performed. When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that the people of Samaria had accepted God’s message, they sent Peter and John there. As soon as they arrived, they prayed for these new believers to receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them, for they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
Then Peter and John laid their hands upon these believers, and they received the Holy Spirit. When Simon saw that the Spirit was given when the apostles laid their hands on people, he offered them money to buy this power. “Let me have this power, too,” he exclaimed, “so that when I lay my hands on people, they will receive the Holy Spirit!”
 

Question: What did Simon see and hear that was SO powerful that he was willing to pay money to learn how to "lay hands upon people"?

 

Ephesus:
 

Acts 19:1-7
"While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions until he reached Ephesus, on the coast, where he found several believers. “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” he asked them. “No,” they replied, “we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” “Then what baptism did you experience?” he asked. And they replied, “The baptism of John.”
Paul said, “John’s baptism called for repentance from sin. But John himself told the people to believe in the one who would come later, meaning Jesus.” As soon as they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in other tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve men in all."
 

Question: Was there anything to see or hear in this story that would suggest they had been baptised in the Holy Spirit?

 

 The Apostle Paul:
 

Acts 9:17-18
"So Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Instantly something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized."
 

Question: Was there anything to see or hear? Did Paul speak in tongues though?
 

1 Corinthians 14:18
"I thank God that I speak in tongues more than any of you."

​

The House of Cornelius:
 

There was a roman officer named Cornelius. He, his household and friends would become the first Gentiles to be born again. Cornelius had been fasting and praying  often and one afternoon an angel appeared to him and told him to send for Peter. Once Peter came a few days later, Cornelius had gathered his loved ones and they were ready to hear his message. Peter began to preach Jesus and before he could even finish, we read… 
 

Acts 10:44-46
"Even as Peter was saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the message. The Jewish believers[a] who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles, too. For they heard them speaking in other tongues and praising God."
 

Question: What was seen and heard in this story?

 

Key Point: Every single time someone is baptised in the Holy Spirit, there was something to see and hear. And in every instance it is apparent that there was speaking in tongues.

 

 How to be Filled with the Holy Spirit:
 

(If the person you are with wants to be Baptised in the Holy Spirit, you would do well to have a private space where you can pray for them openly)
 

•  As easy as being Born Again

  • Must already be born again

• No pattern of Disobedience

  • Unforgiveness and offence
     

 God WANTS to give you a good, good gift!
 

Luke 11:11-13
“You fathers—if your children ask[a] for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people 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.”
 

Don't Doubt

​

James 1:6-7
But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;"
 

Mark 11:24
"Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them."
 

So ask yourself at this moment… “When will I receive? When I speak in tongues? Or the moment I ask?”
 

The answer of course should be the moment I ask…. Because in the Kingdom, we BELIEVE THEN RECEIVE.
 

Yield
 

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

Notice: THEY spoke in tongues; it was not the Holy Spirit who spoke in tongues. They had to do it, as the Spirit gave them the words. So there is a yeilding! I may be able to stand in a fast flowing river, but unless I pick up my feet and yield to the river, I won’t flow with it."
 

So there are 3 areas where we must yield
 

• Our lips – If I don’t move my lips; words, whether English, a foreign language, or a heavenly tongue, cannot come out!

• Our tongue - If I don’t move my tongue, I can’t speak!

• Our vocal cords - If I don’t allow my vocal cords to move, I can’t speak!

• Our lungs - If I don't breathe and allow air to flow, nothing will come out to be heard or seen.
   

We are not being silly here. Some people struggle because subconsciously they think the Holy Spirit is going to grab hold of their vocal system and MAKE them speak. No! WE speak – and HE gives the utterance.
 

John 7:38-39 
"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;"
 

When you ask for the Holy Spirit, you may have a syllable bubbling up, or rolling around in your head. Where the yielding comes into this is here. Because we have to speak by FAITH… many people find that they will only GET one little bit at the start – but as they YIELD to it and speak it out, then that heavenly language begins to flow – the dam of living waters is opened!
 

Romans 8:26 (NIV)
"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans."
 

So allow those groans from your soul to come out and to give birth to the new language that God has for you. So remember believe and yield!
 

Question: Do you have any other questions about receiving the Baptism of the Holy Spirit?
 

Receiving the Baptism:
 

Question: Are you ready to receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit
 

Now here is what we are going to do.
 

We are going to pray together now for you to receive the filling of the Holy Spirit. Then I am going to lay hands on you to receive the Holy Spirit.
 

(if you have another spirit-filled believer present explain that you are going to get that person to listen and attest to the evidence of their baptism)
 

Yes I AM expecting the filling of the Holy Spirit to cause you to speak in tongues and/or prophesy as this IS the most common evidence (especially to yourself!) that you have been empowered!
 

Now we are going to pray and I want you to repeat this after me: (this is just a model prayer. Feel free to go it alone!)
 

Father, I ask that You would search me and show me if there is any disobedience in my heart. Please show me if there is any person I have withheld forgiveness from. I choose to obey and forgive no matter what You reveal to me. I ask this in the name of Jesus and thank You so very much. In the name of Jesus, I come to you as Your child. You said if I asked You for the Holy Spirit You would give Him to me. With joy I now ask in faith; please baptize and fill me at this very moment with Your Holy Spirit. I receive all You have for me including the ability to speak in tongues. So now in faith I will speak in new tongues! Amen!
 

(Now lay hands on them and pray for them to receive the Baptism)