The next step in our journey after baptism in water is baptism in the Holy Spirit. Just as you are immersed in water in burial and resurrection with Jesus, the promise of God is that you will be immersed in his Holy Spirit. Remember the words of John the Baptist: “Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to stoop down like a slave and untie the straps of his sandals. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!” (Mark 1:7-8). We baptized you in water, but Jesus himself baptizes you in the Holy Spirit!
After his death and resurrection, Jesus promised his followers, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses … to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). This promise was first fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost in the year Jesus died and rose nearly two thousand years ago:
“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues [i.e., languages] as the Spirit enabled them.” (Acts 2:1-4)
When spectators questioned the source of these languages, Peter stood up and told them: “God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this. Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today” (Acts 2:32-33). This was the fulfillment of John’s prophecy that Jesus would baptize his followers in the Holy Spirit or “pour out” the Spirit on them.
The experience of that Day of Pentecost is still for us today! Jesus’ promise of baptism in the Spirit is “…for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:39). The Day of Pentecost lays out a pattern we experience over and over, in which we see people filled with, or baptized in, the Spirit and enabled to speak in tongues, that is, languages they never learned. They go on to confidently announce the good news about Jesus (Acts 2:13-36).
People have different experiences when they encounter the Holy Spirit; God wants to meet each of us in a personal way. Here are some other things you may experience:
God pouring out his love into your heart (Romans 5:5)
A deep sense of joy or peace (Romans 15:13)
A tangible sense of God’s presence, which may feel like an overwhelming energy in your body (Colossians 1:29)
When the Spirit comes on you, he often gives you new abilities; we call these “spiritual gifts” because they come from the Holy Spirit. Generally, they involve supernaturally-empowered speech. There are gifts of:
Boldness or confidence in sharing the good news about Jesus (Acts 4:31)
Tongues and their interpretation into a known language (1 Corinthians 14)
Prophecy, sharing a word from God for others (1 Corinthians 14)
Words of knowledge or wisdom, facts or insight that could not be otherwise known (1 Corinthians 12:8)
Healing, a supernatural empowerment to heal the sick (1 Corinthians 12:9)
Discernment, the ability to tell what is from the Holy Spirit, a human spirit, or an evil spirit (1 Corinthians 12:10)
A greater desire to worship (Acts 10:46)
This is not an exhaustive list (see 1 Corinthians 12:7-11; Romans 12:6-8; and Ephesians 4:11-16), but all evidence the Spirit’s power in a person’s life.
When Jesus gave this promise of baptism in the Holy Spirit, he told his disciples to wait until they received it. They spent ten days in prayer and worship before Jesus fulfilled his promise on the Day of Pentecost. So, as you desire the baptism of the Spirit, set your heart on God’s promise, ask God in prayer to fill you with his Spirit, and seek him in worship. Jesus will fulfill his promise in his own divine time as we wait and ask.
Finally, while being baptized in the Holy Spirit is a step we each take on our journey with Jesus, it is not one we then leave behind. Paul instructs us: “Be filled with the Holy Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18), that is, go on being filled over and over and over. For it is the Spirit, his power and his gifts, that enable us to grow in our lifelong journey of becoming more like Jesus. May God fill you with his Holy Spirit!