How To Receive The Holy Spirit
We receive the Holy Spirit when we first receive Jesus Christ into our hearts as Lord and Saviour John 20:19-20 ‘Then the same day at evening; being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you; as the Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, HE BREATHED ON THEM, AND SAITH UNTO THEM, RECEIVE THE HOLY GHOST.
THE RESURRECTED CHRIST INBREATHS THE HOLY SPIRIT ON US.
THEN ON THE DAY OF PENTECOST THE GLORIFIED CHRIST OUTPOURS HIS HOLY SPIRIT. Acts 1:8 “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth”.
In Luke 24:49, Jesus commanded them to wait: “And behold I send you the promise of my Father upon you, but stay in the city, until you are clothed with power from on high.”
We now get baptised with the power of the Holy Spirit. Let’s read what happened.
i. Acts 2:1-4 will show how the Holy Spirit came upon them
ii. Acts 2:5-16 will show the results of the Holy Spirit coming upon them
personally
iii. Acts 2:17-19 will show how the Old Testament prophecy was fulfilled
iv. Acts 2:37-42 will show the response of the people to Holy Spirit
empowered preaching
- 1. Who is the Holy Spirit for?
a) Mark 1:10, “And immediately, coming out of the water, he saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove.” JESUS received the Holy Spirit at His baptism and then He began in His miraculous ministry.
Also read Luke 4:18.
b) (Acts 4:33) With great power THE APOSTLES gave testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and great grace was upon them all – the disciples and the apostles.
c) (Acts 6:8) And Stephen full of grace and power did great wonders and signs among the people. To others that the Lord raised up to serve Him. Also read Acts 8:6-8, Acts 8:14-17, Acts 10:44-46a and Acts 19:2.-6
d) Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope FILL YOU with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit YOU may abound in hope” = you and me and every reader that ever reads the Bible. Romans 8:11, “If the spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through His Spirit which dwells in you.”
2. How do we receive the Holy Spirit?
a) Receive Jesus as your Lord and Saviour
John 1:12, “But to all who received Him, who believed in His name, He gave power to become children of God who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God.”
b) Be baptised
Mark 16:16, “He who believes and is baptised will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” This can be done before or after you receive the Holy Spirit.
c) Ask
Luke 11:13, “If you then who are evil, 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.”
d) WAIT and Receive
This may be immediate or this may take a bit of time for the Holy Spirit is a person, but know this – The Heavenly Father is ready to give you this gift.
When you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, it is normal to receive the gift of tongues at the same time. The gift of tongues is speaking another language given to you by the Holy Spirit. As you open your mouth to praise God, little sounds will come from your mouth and as you yield to this and speak out, this language will start to pour forth even as rivers of living water as the Holy spirit gives you vocal inspiration. If this does not happen straight away, do not worry about it, for the Lord will give you this to you in His timing.
To receive this gift you can say this prayer:
Lord I come to you now.
I thank you for dying on the cross to forgive my sins and to give me the gift of salvation. Please forgive me, forgive me for where I have sinned against you in thought word or deed, or in things left undone. Thank-you for your forgiveness. Please come into my heart as Lord and Savour and baptise me in your Holy Spirit.
Thank-you Jesus.
Amen.
Now simply receive and begin to praise Him in your new tongue.
GROUP ACTIVITY
- Spend time in prayer and assist those still being baptised in the Holy Spirit to receive and speak in tongues.
- Look up the Scriptures and discuss them to find what sign should follow