In Charismatic meetings, groups of people whipped up emotionally and coaxed into an emotional fever. They are told to repeat phrases over and over as fast as they could in order to get the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues. YET, NONE OF THIS IS FOUND IN THE BIBLE! NOWHERE DOES THE BIBLE INSTRUCT A BELIEVER TO RECEIVE THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. No-where in the Bible does it say or infer that it is a "second blessing" or that the proof one has experienced the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, is that they speak in "tongues" (known languages). However, Galatians 5:22-23, says "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." Note that "tongues" is not mentioned as a fruit of the Spirit.
Further you must have the Spirit in order to have the fruit of the Spirit. All of these "fruits" do not come from our carnal nature, but from one's submissiveness to the spiritual nature only which the believer receives when he is saved and receives the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. If God says these are the fruits of the Holy Spirit in a believer's life, then the believer must have the indwelling and presence of the Holy Spirit in order to have such fruit. Never in the New Testament is there even a hint of a class of believers, who have not had the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, but yet can still serve God and have the fruits of the Spirit in their lives.
All believers are exhorted to have the fruits of the Spirit in their lives. Galatians 5:16 says Christians are to ". . . Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." Would God tell us that the way to overcome our sinful flesh was to "walk in the Spirit" when we are not able to? The answer is "of course not". The command of God is based on the fact that we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and can absolutely "walk in the Spirit." Further, one cannot partially receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a person. You can not partially receive a person. The Holy Spirit can only be fully and permanently received. Once He is received in salvation we can obey and let Him lead . . .or we can walk in the flesh. That is why Paul said, in Ephesians 5:18, "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit." In other words...let the Holy Spirit control us. Again, He cannot control us if He does not indwell us.
Jesus said He would send the Comforter, who is the Holy Spirit, and two things are clear. One the Holy Spirit would abide with them forever and two He would abide in them.
'And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." (John 14:16-17)
Jesus just prior to returning to heaven as Acts 1 records told His disciples "And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence." (Acts 1:4-5)
"Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Romans 5:5)
"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God" (Romans 8:14).
"The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God" (Romans 8:16).
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own" (1 Corinthians 6:19)
"Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a deposit" (2 Corinthians 1:21-22).
This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Have you suffered so many things in vain? - if indeed it was in vain. Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?" (Galatians 3:2-5)
"In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory" (Ephesians 1:13-14).
"Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit" (1 Thessalonians 4:8.
"But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things." (1 John 2:20)
Colossians 2:9-10, "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power."
Further Jesus explained what would happen after they received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit: "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." (Acts 1:8
In other words the disciple were not to begin their ministry in preaching the Gospel until they had received the baptism of the Holy Spirit which empowered them to be Christ's witnesses.
Jesus told the Pharisee Nicodemus, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3)
In Verse 5, Jesus further explained that, ". . . unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." There can be no mistake that Jesus was saying a person, in order to be saved, must be born again of the Holy Spirit. These verses do not say that being born of the Spirit and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit are the same. However, in verse 6, Jesus said that, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." He is saying what the Holy Spirit produces is Spirit.
John explained that the Jesus spoke of the coming indwelling of the Holy Spirit in John 7:33-38; John says, "But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified." (John 7:39)
Paul explained further in Romans 8:9-12 saying, "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh." (Romans 8:9-12)
Further you must have the Spirit in order to have the fruit of the Spirit. All of these "fruits" do not come from our carnal nature, but from one's submissiveness to the spiritual nature only which the believer receives when he is saved and receives the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. If God says these are the fruits of the Holy Spirit in a believer's life, then the believer must have the indwelling and presence of the Holy Spirit in order to have such fruit. Never in the New Testament is there even a hint of a class of believers, who have not had the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, but yet can still serve God and have the fruits of the Spirit in their lives.
All believers are exhorted to have the fruits of the Spirit in their lives. Galatians 5:16 says Christians are to ". . . Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." Would God tell us that the way to overcome our sinful flesh was to "walk in the Spirit" when we are not able to? The answer is "of course not". The command of God is based on the fact that we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and can absolutely "walk in the Spirit." Further, one cannot partially receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a person. You can not partially receive a person. The Holy Spirit can only be fully and permanently received. Once He is received in salvation we can obey and let Him lead . . .or we can walk in the flesh. That is why Paul said, in Ephesians 5:18, "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit." In other words...let the Holy Spirit control us. Again, He cannot control us if He does not indwell us.
Jesus said He would send the Comforter, who is the Holy Spirit, and two things are clear. One the Holy Spirit would abide with them forever and two He would abide in them.
'And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." (John 14:16-17)
Jesus just prior to returning to heaven as Acts 1 records told His disciples "And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence." (Acts 1:4-5)
"Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Romans 5:5)
"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God" (Romans 8:14).
"The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God" (Romans 8:16).
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own" (1 Corinthians 6:19)
"Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a deposit" (2 Corinthians 1:21-22).
This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? Have you suffered so many things in vain? - if indeed it was in vain. Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?" (Galatians 3:2-5)
"In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory" (Ephesians 1:13-14).
"Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit" (1 Thessalonians 4:8.
"But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things." (1 John 2:20)
Colossians 2:9-10, "For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power."
Further Jesus explained what would happen after they received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit: "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." (Acts 1:8
In other words the disciple were not to begin their ministry in preaching the Gospel until they had received the baptism of the Holy Spirit which empowered them to be Christ's witnesses.
Jesus told the Pharisee Nicodemus, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3)
In Verse 5, Jesus further explained that, ". . . unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." There can be no mistake that Jesus was saying a person, in order to be saved, must be born again of the Holy Spirit. These verses do not say that being born of the Spirit and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit are the same. However, in verse 6, Jesus said that, "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." He is saying what the Holy Spirit produces is Spirit.
John explained that the Jesus spoke of the coming indwelling of the Holy Spirit in John 7:33-38; John says, "But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified." (John 7:39)
Paul explained further in Romans 8:9-12 saying, "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh." (Romans 8:9-12)
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