And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.
~Acts 4:31
The Word of God says that Jesus Himself will baptize us with the Holy Spirit and with fire. It is the will of the Father that we are filled with His fullness, His very Life and Spirit, that we may be one with Him. Baptizo of the Holy Spirit is a submerging, a cleansing, an overwhelming immersion into God’s glory and presence.
We are to desire and pursue this immersion with a passion that hungers for more of the Father’s presence in our lives. Jesus declared, “It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you” (John 16:7). It was necessary that Jesus ascend to the right hand of the Father to assure the sons and daughters of God that they would be able to live in the same authority and power Jesus exercised on earth. He was clear when He said, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Acts 1:8). The baptism of the Holy Spirit grants us a divine power that, through our faith will allow miracles, signs, wonders and healings to flow. The manifestation of this power enables us to be witnesses to the true and living God.
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit provides us with nine “power” gifts, each of which we are instructed to release by virtue of our relationship with the Holy Spirit. We are not to be ignorant about the purpose and function of these gifts. Each gift is immediate and available upon the baptism of the Holy Spirit in order to profit the one being ministered to. Unfortunately, we have been taught to believe that the phrase “for to one” or “another” in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 refers to us receiving only one gift from the Holy Spirit. The belief is that each person in the body of Christ receives one gift and when working together with the other Christians we function as one body. This is poor teaching! The phrase “for to one” and “another” is a demonstrative pronoun that links each verse to the last noun in verse seven of First Corinthians chapter twelve. 1 Corinthians 12:7 states, “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all.” The last noun in this verse is “profit” which actually means the benefit and edification of all. Therefore, the manifestation of the Holy Spirit is given to each person for the profit or benefit of the one we are ministering to. By God’s divine love and mercy, the manifestation of the Spirit is “given” to each believer that the Father’s glory may be revealed.
Take for example, Philip, who went down to Samaria to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. “And the multitude with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles, which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice came out of many who were possessed; and many who were paralyzed and lame were healed. And there was great joy in that city” (Acts 8:5-8). By operating the gifts of the Holy Spirit, Philip produced in Samaria a manifestation of the Spirit through miracles, deliverance and healings. And there was great joy in the city! Christians are called to manifest the Spirit of God by being in the will of God at all times. We must position ourselves to release the gifts of the Holy Spirit by faith in order to reconcile the heart of man back to the heart of the Father.
The “power” gifts of the Holy Spirit are categorized to help understand them better:
- Inspirational, Worship or Utterance Gifts
- The gift of tongues
- The gift of interpretation of tongues
- The gift of prophecy.
- Revelation, Instructional or Knowledge Gifts
- The gift of the word of knowledge
- The gift of the word of wisdom
- The gift of discerning of spirits
- Power or Impartation Gifts
- The gift of faith
- The gift of healing
- The gift of the working of miracles
The secret to releasing the full manifestation of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to work these gifts in combination with one another. When the gift of prophesy is used with the gift of a word of knowledge and of faith, healing is released and manifestation of the Holy Spirit is produced. Jesus is the perfect example of working from the Holy Spirit and allowing the Holy Spirit to manifest His goodness on this earth. Matthew 17:24-27 gives an example of Jesus operating in the gifts of the Holy Spirit,
When they had come to Capernaum, those who received the temple tax came to Peter and said, “Does your Teacher not pay the temple tax?” He said, “Yes.”
And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth take customs or taxes, from their sons or from strangers?” Peter said to Him, “From strangers.” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. Nevertheless, lest we offend them, go to the sea, cast in a hook, and take the fish that comes up first. And when you have opened its mouth, you will find a piece of money; take that and give it to them for Me and you.”
Notice that Word of God says, “Jesus anticipated what Peter was going to say.” The gift of prophesy, the word of wisdom, gift of faith and working of miracles all produced a coin in the fish’s mouth. Jesus did not produce this miracle because He was the Son of God, rather He worked this miracle with His friend the Holy Spirit who manifested His goodness through Jesus’ faith. This is what the Holy Spirit desires to do with all of us! This is the purpose and plan for us to be One with God is to be One with the Holy Spirit that we may bring “profit” or “benefit” to the one’s we are ministering to. The Father desires to reveal His glory on this earth and He has chosen to work through us to do so.
Acts 4:31 states, “And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.” As we begin to live and walk by the Spirit of God we will understand that there are many fillings of the Holy Spirit. There is so much more that Abba desires to reveal and release through us. We cannot contain it all. There are many fillings of the Holy Spirit and as we yearn and draw closer to Him these fillings overtake us and we are empowered to reveal more of Him! Understand, you were first filled with the Holy Spirit when you were “born again” and the Spirit of God came into you to dwell (John 3:5-6; John 20:21-22; 1 Cor. 12:3); you can then be “baptized in the Holy Spirit” to be empowered to fulfill His call and destiny on your life (Matthew 3:11; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:5-8; 1 Cor. 12); and you can have many more fillings of the Holy Spirit as He continues to equip and empower you with His goodness and power (Acts 4:31).
Abba’s intentions for us go far beyond salvation. It is not “good enough” for us to stop at “being saved.” The reality of our salvation is so wonderful that it is beyond our comprehension; but a place in heaven is only the beginning of all Abba desires to give us. Abba also sent His Son so that we can enjoy an amazing life on this earth. Paul said, “Godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come” (1 Timothy 4:8). Notice the word godliness. Only one who knows Abba can possess godliness because godliness is to be like Him. James states, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8). Abba desires to spend time with you so that you can become like Him. We become godly through intimate knowledge of God, and the only way we can develop this deep relationship with God is through His beautiful and amazing Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 2).
As a Church, we must look to Jesus as our model. The lost were drawn to Jesus. He walked the streets and fellowshipped with tax collectors and prostitutes, the very people the religious leaders looked down upon. There was something different about Him. Jesus was the ultimate example of what it means to be in the world but not of it. His heart broke for those the religious zealots shunned. He did not attend their parties to be a part of what they pursued; He was there to show them a new way. Likewise, we are called to reach out to the morally depraved and broken.
If the Church will not be Christ’s hands and feet, then who will? We—and we alone—are His Body.
Through the transformational power of the Holy Spirit, we are now in Christ. We serve as His ambassadors (an extension and representation of who He is) on the earth. If we do not carry Abba’s truth and light to this world, no one will.
Be encouraged and be filled with the Holy Spirit! The person of the Holy Spirit desires to co-labor with you to present His Kingdom on this earth! What an exciting time! Be filled with the Holy Spirit today and truly be His light in this world. Isaiah saw this day and he declared, “Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the LORD will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.” This “glory” is the manifested presence of God – your friend the Holy Spirit! Arise and shine for the Holy Spirit is with you and will fill you to overflowing that you may be the light the world is look for.
Written by Dave Carlson
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