1. What is the Baptism in the Holy Spirit?
2. Why do we need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit?
3. Where is ‘Baptism in the Holy Spirit’ mentioned in the bible?
4. Is ‘Baptism of the Holy Spirit’ an one-off event which happened only at Pentecost?
5. Is ‘Baptism of the Holy Spirit’ relevant only for the Early Church?
6. Why doesn’t the Catholic Church promote or teach about ‘Baptism of the Holy Spirit’?
7. How do I receive the ‘Baptism of the Holy Spirit’?
8. How do I know whether I have received ‘Baptism of the Holy Spirit’?
9. How does a person change after receiving Baptism in the Holy Spirit?
10. What do I need to do after Baptism in the Holy Spirit?
11. What are the gifts of the Holy Spirit?
1. What is the Baptism in the Holy Spirit?
Baptism in the Holy Spirit is the making welcome or fellowshipping of the Holy Spirit who already lives in us since baptism. As we welcome the Holy Spirit into our lives, His power will be released and will overflow to fill our souls and bodies, enabling us to live out the Christian lives we were called to live by God.
The experience of being baptized in the Holy Spirit can be explained using the analogy of a sugar cube in a cup of coffee. When we were baptized, we received the Holy Spirit into our lives – like a sugar cube being placed into a cup of coffee. When we receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit, it is like stirring this cup of coffee so that the sweetness from the sugar can be released to the entire cup of coffee.
2. Why do we need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit?
• It is Jesus’ promise and command.
Prior to His ascension, Jesus instructed His disciples not to go anywhere until they have received power of the Holy Spirit.
“And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:29)
Again in Acts, Jesus told His disciples not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait until they have received the baptism in the Holy Spirit:
While meeting with them, he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for “the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak; for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." (Acts 1:4-5)
• To be a witness for Christ
Jesus expects His disciples to receive the power of the Holy Spirit so that they can become His witnesses to the ends of the earth:
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8)
3. Where is ‘Baptism in the Holy Spirit’ mentioned in the bible?
Baptism in the Holy Spirit is mentioned throughout the Bible in the New Testament. It appears in all four gospels and the Acts of the Apostles.
‘I am baptizing you with water for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I… He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.’
(Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, John 1:32-34)
“for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the holy Spirit." (Acts 1:5)
When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. (Acts 2:1-4)
4. Is ‘Baptism of the Holy Spirit’ an one-off event which happened only at Pentecost?
No. Scripture clearly tells us that Baptism of the Holy Spirit is not a one-off event. It happened on many occasions at different places after Pentecost:
When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, and they went down there, and prayed for the Samaritans to receive the Holy Spirit, for as yet he had not come down on any of them: they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. (Acts 8:14-17)
When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, and the moment Paul laid hands on them the Holy Spirit came down on them, and they began to speak with tongues and to prophesy. (Acts 19:5-6)
5. Is ‘Baptism of the Holy Spirit’ relevant only for the Early Church?
No. The Early Church needed the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit to build the church. Our church today is equally reliant on the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit to grow and revive the church.
The Great Commission Jesus handed to His disciples in Mark 16:15-18 is our mission too:
He said to them, "Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents (with their hands), and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." (Mark 16:15-18)
Believers should not rely on their own strength and talent to carry out God’s work. We, too, need the power and gifts of Holy Spirit to witness, serve and edify our church.
6. Why doesn’t the Catholic Church promote or teach about ‘Baptism of the Holy Spirit’?
One of the major reasons why many believers have never had any experience of the ‘baptism of the Holy Spirit’ is that it has never been clearly preached even though it has been part of Early Church tradition as described in the Acts of the Apostles.
Some of the reasons why it is not widely taught include:
• a lack of understanding of Who the Holy Spirit really is
• a lack of appreciation of the Holy Spirit and His crucial role in the believer’s life
• a fear of losing control and letting the Holy Spirit take charge
• a fear of stepping into the unknown
However, a renewal movement called ‘Catholic Charismatic Renewal’ involving the baptism of Holy Spirit was started within the Catholic Church in 1967. Many are drawn to this movement by the testimonies and the lives of those who have been ‘filled with the Holy Spirit’.
7. How do I receive the ‘Baptism of the Holy Spirit’?
Most believers nowadays received the ‘baptism of the Holy Spirit’ by allowing other ‘Spirit-filled’ believers to lay hands on them and pray for the power of the Holy Spirit to be released upon them. However, the essential element in the process of receiving the ‘baptism of the Holy Spirit’ is to:
• Acknowledge Jesus as the only God in heaven and on earth
• Acknowledge Jesus as your personal Lord, God and Saviour
• Renounce Satan and all their works
• Repent your sins
• Desire and believe that Jesus wants to give His gifts to you
8. How do I know whether I have received ‘Baptism of the Holy Spirit’?
You may manifest one or more of the many gifts of the Holy Spirit. (e.g. gift of tongues, gift of prophecy, gift of healing).
You will receive a new awareness of God’s presence and His love. You will also develop a deeper hunger for God, a stronger desire to do His will and serve in His kingdom.
9. How does a person change after receiving Baptism in the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is here to help us grow spiritually. Some of the common fruits you will develop are:
• a new hunger and thirst for prayer
• a hunger to study the Scripture
• a new sense of Jesus’ love, a sense of God as our Loving Father who loves us and wants what is best for us
• a greater power over temptation and sin. Many of our chains with sin are broken when we received the Baptism in the Spirit.
• a strong desire to detach from things of the world and a greater joy of the things of the Spirit, eg, prayer, fellowship and Christian reading etc.
• a new appreciation of the Church’s sacraments and devotions
• a deeper understanding of the Mass and a longing for the Eucharist
10. What do I need to do after Baptism in the Holy Spirit?
It is crucial that you join a charismatic style prayer group that can help you grow spiritually. Through praise and worship, fellowship and studying the scripture, you will receive support from your brothers and sisters in Christ and be strengthened in your faith.
11. What are the gifts of the Holy Spirit?
As we received the ‘baptism of the Holy Spirit’, we will experience a deeper infilling or a new outpouring of God’s Spirit. We will begin to discover new spiritual gifts as mentioned in 1Cor 12:4-11:
“There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit; there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit. To one is given through the Spirit the expression of wisdom; to another the expression of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit; to another mighty deeds; to another prophecy; to another discernment of spirits; to another varieties of tongues; to another interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as he wishes.” (1 Corinthians 12:4-11)
The different spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit mentioned above are:
• The gift of wisdom – Guided by the Holy Spirit, a person is gifted with the ability to make decision or give guidance to others according to the perfect will of God.
• The Word of Knowledge – Gift which grant you insight or information into a situation or problem that is not available to you naturally.
• The gift of Faith - Supernatural faith from the Holy Spirit, which enables one to believe and to trust under all circumstances. The gift of faith comes when own faith stops or reaches its limit.
• The gift of Healing - Gift of supernatural healing without any natural (or medical) assistance.
• The gift of Miracles – Signs and wonders performed through the power the Holy Spirit to change or alter natural events or circumstances.
• The gift of Prophecy – To proclaim God’s message under divine inspiration. Prophecy is for edification, exhortation and comfort.
• The discernment between true & false spirits - The gift of discerning of spirits is supernatural knowledge of the spirit world. You can perceive or see if a specific spirit is good or evil in a certain situation.
• The gift of Speaking in Tongues - Supernatural ability to speak in languages we do not know. It could be a human language or the language of the Holy Spirit.
• The gift of interpretation of Tongues - This is having a supernatural understanding of the gift of tongue spoken publicly.