It was a great night in THP Students!

Today, we are beginning a journey to discover what the “Gifts of the Holy Spirit” are. These are supernatural things given to us through the Holy Spirit for very specific purposes. There’s a lot of discussion around this, including whether they’re for today, where they come from, and many other questions.

To start with, let me ask a simple question: What is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit?

Baptism of the Holy Spirit is an event that occurs separately from salvation. It’s where we are immersed in the Holy Spirit, empowering us to do certain things.

The question becomes, where does the idea of this event come from?

The terminology comes from Jesus himself in the book of Acts:

And while staying with them, he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 

 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version Acts 1:4–5.

To see the first mention of this and a glimpse of what this looks like, we can take a look back 800 years earlier to the Old Testament for that answer. In the Book of Joel, the prophet is speaking prophetically over the people of Israel who are suffering from a devastating attack of locusts that are eating their fields. He speaks of God’s redemption, but then He speaks of a later time.

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. 

 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version Joel 2:28–29.

800 years later in the book of Acts, after we see the first experience of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Peter gets up and says this:

But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel:  ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.  

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version  Acts 2:16–18.

So we see that it’s something that’s been promised to us by Jesus and is something that was even prophesied well before the first event of Baptism of the Holy Spirit ever took place.  

The question still remains, what is it?

First, we need to understand that it is a separate event from Salvation. We do receive the Holy Spirit when we get saved. John 20:22 and many other passages present this. But the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, where the Holy Spirit empowers us, is shown in scriptures to be a separate thing from salvation. Take a look at Acts 8:14-17

Now, when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for he had not yet fallen on any of them. Still, they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. 

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version Acts 8:14–17.

Earlier, we quoted Acts 1:5 where Jesus says, “You will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” This term Baptized is the Greek Term “Baptizo,” which means to be submerged in. Much like how we baptize in water, when we are baptized in the Holy Spirit we are completely surrounded and submerged in Holy Spirit. He surrounds us and fills us completely, shaping how we see things and do things.

So it is a separate experience from salvation, but what does it do?

Jesus gives us that answer in Acts 1:8

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version Acts 1:8.

A theologian named PC Nelson once wrote this about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. 

“The Holy Spirit is not given to believers as a spiritual luxury for their personal satisfaction and enjoyment, but as an enduement of power to fit them for bearing effective witness to the great soul-saving truths of the gospel.” 

 P. C. Nelson, Bible Doctrines: Discover Profound Truths for Everyday Living, Revised Edition (Springfield, MO: Gospel Publishing House, 2009), 64.

Another way of saying this is that the Holy Spirit was not given to us to make us feel good or get us excited. Baptism of the Holy Spirit is meant to equip you to be able to reach your friends and loved ones with the truth that Jesus can save them.

In 1 Corinthians 12, there are various gifts presented, such as speaking in tongues, the gift of wisdom, words of knowledge, prophecy, and faith. But Corinthians also tells us that they are specifically meant to edify the church, and Ephesians tells us that it’s meant to help all Christians to mature in their faith. So we have this aspect where the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is meant to help us reach the lost, but also to equip us to help each other grow as Christians. 

Then in 1 Corinthians 13, we are told very specifically that these gifts that come with the Baptism are all pointless… if we don’t have true biblical love for each other and people. This is a key aspect. This experience doesn’t make us better than other individuals. It’s meant to put a spotlight on you. It’s meant for you to operate with the love of Christ to point people back to Christ. 

So how do we close this?

Do you want to be empowered by the Holy Spirit to reach the lost and help build up the body of Christ? Are you willing to operate with the pure motive of Biblical love to achieve these things? Then let’s pray and seek the Holy Spirit. 

Parent Conversation Questions:

1. What’s one thing you learned today about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit that you didn’t know before?
2. How do you think Holy Spirit can help you at school, with friends, or at home?
3. Why do you think it’s important that Love is the main motive behind using the gifts of the Spirit?