Are you baptized in the Holy Spirit?

I got into a discussion (read, "argument") with someone who was a Pentecostal pastor. I went away from that meeting determined to prove him wrong. After six weeks of looking up original Greek and Hebrew, and chasing down original meanings, I found myself wanting this Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

I'd never been in a Pentecostal church. I'd never heard anyone speak in tongues, with the exception of a nut who was walking around in a church slaying invisible demons. But when I found myself on my face, speaking in tongues and praising God, there was no uncertainty, no "what's going on." I knew. I knew God had touched me, and I had accepted His control over my life.

Results came immediately. I saw everything differently. I threw out inappropriate books and other items without even deciding consciously to do it. I laughed for days.


Then there was the time He came so close to me that I lost my breath (and found I didn't need it). He's come close several times like that, but not nearly enough for my liking. After that episode, though, I realized that eternity is NEVER going to be long enough to give Him all the praise and worship He deserves. But I can't wait to try.

Isa28:12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.

Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

I am saddened when I think about all the Christians that have never experienced the baptism of The Holy Ghost. I am not out of the Assemblies but I do believe that if you are Spirit filled, fire baptized you will speak in tongues. For out of your belly shall flow rivers of living water.
I will be watching this thread for responses since I am putting together a bible study on the subject of the baptism in the Holy Ghost on my web site intimatemomentswiththefather.com

The complete immersion of the Holy Spirit . the continual inflow .

makes all my spiritual gifts so much more .. powerful .

they grow and grow more each day .

this is what i experience .

I pray everyone does .

whatever their gift(s) .

Its funny I dont remember the time I was baptised in the spirit as hugely powerful as many others. I remember the pastor just telling me to start praising god, and try speaking in tongues. I did and then it just seemed to flow out of me.

There have been many other occasions where I have felt gods touch in a more profound way. Its cool how everyone has their own unique experiences.

i've tasted a few glimpses,
but i've heard that once you are touched by God your life will never be the same again.

so far i don't think i've had that,
but im going through a big spiritual journey in the next month or so.
going off to summer retreat on thursday,
then in feburary i'm going to try and do 21 days of early morning prayer

I am forever grateful that I received the Holy Spirit when and where I did. No one can ever say it was hyper-emotionalism, trying to fit in, or succumbing to peer pressure. I was alone, unsure of anything but that I needed God. No one encouraged me to speak in tongues, no one was there cheering me on. It was just me and God.

I agree Josephus. Being baptised in the Spirit is something all
christians should seek. The unfortunate thing is that only those who have experienced it, can understand it. I believe those who have not seek it is afraid to give up the "this is who I am" mentality, they are afraid to go to a deeper level in their faith. they are comfortable in their complacency.
It is like a lifting on burdens and complete peace that this world cannot give you. And a strengthening to put off the old man and take up the new man persuing GOD to please him with every inch of our lives.

There are also those who grew up like I did - speaking in tongues and other manifestations were considered demonic.

stormdancer0 said:

There are also those who grew up like I did - speaking in tongues and other manifestations were considered demonic.

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That's very sad. So many people don't know what they are missig out on. The Holy Spirit won't fully reveal Hiself to someone who's going to call His manifestation demonic, that's for sure. As a child, I rememer receiving Him, with the most intense joy imaginable. I felt His power coarse through my whole body. I remember receiving prophetic insights as a child - but couldn't tell my family - as they would have freaked out.

stormdancer0 said:

There are also those who grew up like I did - speaking in tongues and other manifestations were considered demonic.

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That's because of the manifestation of the shaking violently and falling over that associated a lot of the public phenomena

anyone who has read the scriptural passages on demon possession

would almost immediately make the connection

but i speak in tongues too .

so its not a criticism just an empathy observation . anyone looking in from the outside would read the passage on tongues and say .. well that's not being practiced either . so ... what did you want me to think?

i know exactly what you mean .

I'd like to tell you about how I was baptized in the Holy Spirit. I was sitting in my camper reading a book. I prayed over it first that only the Lord speak to me. The Lord said to me, 'the Holy Spirit can speak to you from anywhere.' This set a light bulb off in my head like never before. You see I wasn't raised in a church ... I went to Sunday school on my own. My dad rotated shifts and was raising four kids by himself ... church was the last thing on his mind at the time. As it turns out ... that day in the camper was when the Lord introduced me to the Holy Spirit. I realized I had never paid any attention to that part ... no one had ever really taught me anything about the Holy Spirit.

Well, things changed fast. I fell in love with the Holy Spirit that day and everything changed. I couldn't get enough of the Word. For months and months everyone said it was like I wasn't here ... I literally felt like I was floating in another world. Understandings were coming at me so fast I could barely keep up. I was a horrible student in school ... it was amazing during that time ... everything I took in I retained and understood ... my family were simply stunned.

this took place less than a month after I was water baptized.

I don't speak in tongues. And before someone tells me it's because i haven't asked (the most common thing said to me) I'll tell you I have prayed and prayed and cried and cried about it. One might ask why would you cry about it. Well, simply from the amount of people who have told me I don't have the holy Spirit because I don't speak in tongues. It's astounding how much I know without the Holy Spirit?!

I know one person who threw themself on the altar for hours and prayed and cried ... nothing ... this person knows more about being a christian than most I've met.

I'm not here to burst anyone's bubble ... I'm here to tell you what it feels like when you tell someone they can have this gift too and the Lord hasn't given it to them. It is a gift, afterall. I can't tell you the countless tears I've cried and others I know because that is put out there. I know the Holy Spirit is in me and I've come to terms with it ... this is for all the people reading this who don't speak in tongues ... If and when you do it is a gift. Gifts are not free for the taking. I rarely speak about this because it is a subject that creates division and I believe it's because of that one thing ... because we are told we can have it ... we just have to want it enough ... I say take that up with the Holy Spirit.

Like I said ... not here to burst anyone's bubble ... just asking you respect the hearts of those who don't ... we're no less.

God bless and peace.

lilmissmontana said:

Like I said ... not here to burst anyone's bubble ... just asking you respect the hearts of those who don't ... we're no less.

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Though i speak in tongues . (though i've learned to translate so "tongues" doesn't come out as much anymore) i really never understood the boastful attitude around it either . i started speaking in tongues not knowing what it was . and outside a community context . and really they were just prayers to sustain me .

I have observed that the baptism of the Holy Spirit amplifies all gifts of the Holy Spirit .

If Paul taught to not forbid to speak in tongues . then it would stand to reason some just didn't have that experience .