Receive the Holy Spirit as per the Bible

There are many ideas in Christian circles regarding receiving the Holy Spirit, yet in the Bible -- if you take it at face value -- it is clear, simple and not confusing. The immediate, as well as the long term, benefits to the individual who receives the Holy Spirit are Biblical, and they are amazing.

Steps

  1. Get a Bible and begin to check into receiving the Holy Spirit as in the Bible.
  2. Look up Acts 2:38[1] which says, if you repent and get baptised, you will receive the Holy Spirit.
  3. Repent. Repent is from the Greek word "metanoeo" Click for original meaning. which means literally: "change ones mind." In practical terms, it means to change from not seeking to do God's will to seeking to do God's will.
  4. Get baptised. Baptism is from the Greek word "baptizo"Click for original meaning. means to immerse or to submerge in water. Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in water for our example to follow. Find some water (ocean, lake, river, swimming pool or warm bathwater, etc. will do). Anyone can baptise you, if already a Spirit-filled believer .
  5. Ask God to give you the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, "And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened... how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" (Luke 11:9,10 & 13b)[2]
  6. Ask, by praying to God - using your voice to ask for the Holy Spirit. Be prepared to be transformed and speak in tongues by the power of the Holy Ghost, as the early disciples did. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:4)[3]
  7. Expect God to keep working in your life. Many people have been healed of illnesses and addictions and other problems of all sorts at the time of receiving the Holy Spirit.
  8. When you receive the Holy Spirit, you receive the love of God and the power of God. (to help and heal your life and to help and heal others ) Luke 24:39[4]; Acts 1:8[5]; Romans 5:5[6] and many other things, and it's awesome.
  9. Live a good Christian life. (Galatians 5:22-25[7] & Romans 12:9-21[8])
  10. Use your new tongue (prayer language) to talk to God (in private) which will build you up and maintain the faith which you have just received: "For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries... He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself" (1 Corinthians14:2 & 4a)[9]
  11. Tell others how easy it was by telling them what happened to you. Pray for them so they can be healed and receive God's Spirit. (Mark 16:15-20)[10]

Tips

  • If you haven't received the Holy Spirit, be persistent in asking (see Luke 11:5-13)[11], and don't stop until you're filled as the disciples were in Acts 2:4 (see also Acts 10:44-46[12] & Acts 19:1-6[13]).
  • Although some people have been wanting this experience for a long time, there is no scriptural reason why receiving the Holy Spirit can't be immediate. If you're having trouble, please review carefully that you are lining up with repentance and baptism -- and then receiving the Holy Spirit is guaranteed by God.
  • Get The Bible online and look up all the references to repentance, baptism, Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues.
  • Repent always means to change your mind in the original Greek, never to merely feel sorry which is a modern non Biblical meaning. Click for original meaning.
  • Holy Ghost and Holy Spirit mean the same thing (pneûma agiov in the original text).
  • There are interchangeable terms, all meaning the same, in the Bible -- all talking about this one miraculous experience, including:
    • "being filled" with the Holy Spirit,
    • "receiving" the Holy Spirit,
    • "pouring out" of the Holy Spirit,
    • "being baptised" with the Holy Spirit,
    • "being born" of the Spirit, etc.
  • If this sounds appealing, try it out; you've got nothing to lose.
  • If you don't agree with this, that's your choice.
  • Look up original meanings of Bible words in a Strong's Concordance click for example -- available either on paper or online.
  • Faith, knowledge, understanding and charity and speaking in tongues are all essential elements of Christianity, but all must be done in the context of loving one another, or else one can be no more than a clanging noise (1 Corinthians 13:1-3[14]).
  • You don't have to believe every word of the Bible to receive the Holy Spirit. The key to believing is asking: if you can believe God enough to ask Him for the Holy Spirit, you will receive. Jesus said so. (Luke 11:10)[15]
  • Receiving the Holy Spirit is a wonderful experience which doesn't go away (John 14:15-17)[16].

Warnings

  • People who legitimately speak in tongues, and yet behave badly still have the Holy Spirit, but one chooses how to live. Paul's letters are full of warnings about this.
  • If you decide to try this, well meaning people like your friends and family will probably try to talk you out of it. Read the scriptures about the Holy Spirit, pray about it and make up your own mind.
  • People who are well behaved cannot claim to have the Holy Spirit just because they are well behaved. Anyone can behave well, if they choose to.
  • Salvation is not a prerequisite for receiving the Holy Spirit. Receiving the Holy Spirit is salvation (John 3:5[17]; John 6:63[18]; Romans 8:2[19]; 2 Corinthians 3:6[20]; Titus 3:5[21]).
  • Healing from God, Joy, Belief in Jesus, and water baptism alone are not evidence that someone has the Holy Spirit. The Samaritans in Acts 8:5-17[22] had all these wonderful things, and yet none of them had the Holy Spirit, until the Apostles laid their hands on the Samaritans and they then received the Holy Spirit (v. 17).

Things You'll Need

  • Bible

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ "Acts2:38"
  2. ↑ "Luke11:9-13"
  3. ↑ "Acts2:4"
  4. ↑ "Luke24:39"
  5. ↑ "Acts1:8"
  6. ↑ "Romans5:5"
  7. ↑ "Galatians22-25"
  8. ↑ "Romans12:9-21"
  9. ↑ "1Corinthians 14:2-4"
  10. ↑ "Mark16:15-20"
  11. ↑ "Luke11:5-13"
  12. ↑ "Acts10:44-46"
  13. ↑ "Acts19:1-6"
  14. ↑ "1Corinthians13:1-3"
  15. ↑ "Luke11:10"
  16. ↑ "John14:15-17"
  17. ↑ "John3:5"
  18. ↑ "John6:63"
  19. ↑ "Romans8-2"
  20. ↑ "2Corinthians3:6"
  21. ↑ "Titus3:5"
  22. ↑ "Acts8:5-17"
Retrieved from "https://kipkis.com/index.php?title=Receive_the_Holy_Spirit_as_per_the_Bible&oldid=314118"