Maybe you grew up in a church where the Holy Spirit was a line in the creed. You believed in Him. You just never expected Him to do anything on a Tuesday afternoon.
Or maybe you've heard people talk about being "Spirit-filled" and wondered if you're missing something.
Fair question. The answer starts with Jesus.
What is the baptism with the Holy Spirit?
John the Baptist introduced Jesus twice. First: "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29). Then: "this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit" (John 1:33). John told the crowds, "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Matthew 3:11).
Lamb first, then Baptizer. The cross comes before the fire, but Jesus came to do both.
Before He went back to the Father, Jesus told His disciples to wait for "the Promise of My Father" until they were "endued with power from on high" (Luke 24:49). He "commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father," because "you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now" (Acts 1:4–5).
Commanded, not suggested. These men had walked with Jesus for three years. He still said wait.
The baptism with the Holy Spirit is Jesus immersing a believer in the Spirit, so He comes upon them with power. The Bible uses several phrases for the same experience: "baptized with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 1:5), "the Holy Spirit has come upon you" (Acts 1:8), and "filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:4).
Is it biblical?
On the Day of Pentecost, 120 praying believers "were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:4).
Peter explained it with the prophet Joel: "I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh" (Acts 2:16–17; Joel 2:28). And it didn't stop in that room:
- In Samaria, new believers received the Holy Spirit when Peter and John prayed for them (Acts 8:14–17).
- Ananias laid hands on Saul so he would "be filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 9:17).
- At Cornelius's house, "the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word" (Acts 10:44–46).
- In Ephesus, "the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied" (Acts 19:1–6).
Isn't that the same as being saved?
Every believer has the Holy Spirit. "If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His" (Romans 8:9).
But Scripture shows something more. On the day He rose, Jesus "breathed on them, and said to them, 'Receive the Holy Spirit'" (John 20:22). They came alive inside. Forty days later, Jesus told those same men to wait for the Promise.
The Samaritans had believed and been baptized in water, "for as yet He had fallen upon none of them" (Acts 8:16). Paul asked a group of disciples, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" (Acts 19:2). That question only makes sense if the two can come apart.
Sometimes they don't. In Cornelius's house, the Spirit fell while Peter was still preaching, before anyone was baptized in water. Both came in the same hour. Even so, Peter could tell they had received the Spirit "just as we have" because "they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God" (Acts 10:46–47).
The timing varies. The experience is distinct. The Spirit living in you makes you new. The Spirit coming upon you makes what He's doing visible on the outside.
Is it for everyone?
Yes. Peter said so on the first day: "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).
Not just apostles or pastors. And you don't get a junior Holy Spirit. It's the same Spirit who came upon Jesus.
Why does it matter?
Look at Jesus. The Spirit came upon Him at the Jordan (Luke 3:22), and He "returned in the power of the Spirit" (Luke 4:14). His public ministry began after that. If Jesus didn't start without the Spirit, why would we?
- Power to be a witness. "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me" (Acts 1:8). The Spirit doesn't just teach you how to witness. He makes you one.
- Jesus, made real. "He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you" (John 16:14). The point is Him, not an experience.
- Boldness. Peter once denied Jesus to a servant girl. Filled with the Spirit, he preached and "about three thousand souls were added" (Acts 2:41).
- Gifts for helping others. The Spirit gives spiritual gifts "for the profit of all" (1 Corinthians 12:7).
- Love and joy. His fruit is "love, joy, peace" (Galatians 5:22).
What about speaking in tongues?
In Acts, tongues keeps showing up when the Spirit comes (Acts 2:4; 10:46; 19:6). With the Foursquare Church, we believe the same is true today.
Think of it as a prayer language. "He who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God" (1 Corinthians 14:2). The words come from your spirit, not your mind: "If I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays" (1 Corinthians 14:14).
Why want that? Because "the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us" (Romans 8:26), and "he who speaks in a tongue edifies himself" (1 Corinthians 14:4). Jude calls it "building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit" (Jude 20). It's like charging a battery.
Paul did both. "I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding" (1 Corinthians 14:15).
At Pentecost, they spoke. The Spirit "gave them utterance" (Acts 2:4). He supplies the words. You supply the voice. Nobody is grading you.
How do I receive it?
First, belong to Jesus. If you're not sure you do, start with what it means to be saved. Then:
- Ask. "How much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" (Luke 11:13).
- Come thirsty for Jesus. "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink" (John 7:37–39). Want Him, not a feeling.
- Receive by faith and yield. Thank Him. When words you don't recognize rise up, let them out.
- Let someone pray with you. In Acts, believers often received as others laid hands on them (Acts 8:17; 19:6).
It may come quietly or with tears. Some speak in tongues right away; others, later in prayer. We can't promise a feeling. Your Father keeps His word.
You could pray something like this:
Jesus, You are the Baptizer with the Holy Spirit. I'm asking You to fill me. Holy Spirit, I want to know You. I open my heart and my mouth to You. Give me power to be a witness, boldness, and a new language to pray. Make Jesus real to me. I receive You now, in Jesus' name. Amen.
How do I stay filled?
Paul wrote "be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18) to a church that had already been filled. In Greek it's ongoing: keep on being filled. The believers of Acts 2 were filled again in Acts 4:31 and "spoke the word of God with boldness."
Just because you were filled doesn't mean you are. Think of free refills. The cup doesn't stay full, so you walk back to the fountain. Endless supply. You just have to go.
Paul tells us how: "singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always" (Ephesians 5:19–20). Pray in the Spirit every day. Worship. Give thanks. Get around other Spirit-filled believers in a small group.
Common questions
Do I have to speak in tongues to be saved?
No. "For by grace you have been saved through faith" (Ephesians 2:8). If you belong to Jesus, His Spirit lives in you (Romans 8:9). Tongues isn't a ticket to heaven. It's a gift for the road.
What if I've asked and nothing happened?
Don't carry shame over this. Jesus said, "ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find" (Luke 11:9), and in Greek that's keep asking. Sometimes we wait for a feeling while He waits for us to open our mouth. Keep asking, and let us pray with you.
Is this just emotionalism?
The Holy Spirit is God, a Person, not a mood. People sometimes get emotional when He moves. But the test isn't volume. It's whether Jesus is glorified and love grows. "Let all things be done decently and in order" (1 Corinthians 14:40).
Come hungry
Pentecost happens wherever there's a hungry heart with the door open. Join us Sunday at 10am at 3102 Prairie Rd in Madison. Plan your visit, and after the service, ask one of our pastors to pray with you. Questions first? Send us a message.