If you are not a witness for Jesus, you are not filled with the Holy Spirit; if you are not full of the Spirit, you can’t be a witness for Jesus.
“For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” And He said to them, “you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
The day you are born again is the day you receive the life of the Lord Jesus Christ in you. That day you die to your old self and your self-pleasing lifestyle ends. At the advent of the Lord in your life, the Holy Spirit who is upon Him also comes in. This is why you can boldly address Jesus as your Lord. No one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. You begin to live a life that pleases God because the Spirit of God enables you to overcome sin. Your thoughts, words, and deeds start aligning with the word of God because you have the Holy Spirit in you. He has now baptized you into the body of Christ. You are in Christ now. You start functioning as a member in His body.
Not only you are quenched of your thirst but you also have the potential (dunamis) to spring out as rivers of living water for the benefit of others. People around you can be quenched of their thirst. The born-again have been made to drink of the Spirit. “But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” Christ in us is the hope of glory for the believer. The believer in Christ is the hope for the world!
When you realize that you can’t live a God-pleasing life that benefits His church without the help of the Holy Spirit, and you yearn for more and more of His control in your life, you submit to Him completely – your spirit, soul, and body. He takes you over from head to toe and starts ruling your spirit (attitude, bearing, conscience), your soul (will, mind, emotions), and your body (actions, words, senses). This is when you are filled with the Holy Ghost. The baptism that is already in you becomes a reality. This filling happens not once and the first time; it must happen continuously. The filling happens from the inside, not from the outside. He directs, guides, and holds your hand to walk in the ways of the Lord every moment. The Holy Spirit has you now. He makes you an effective witness and He starts doing exploits through you. Yielding is the key.
Receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit and experiencing the fullness of the Holy Spirit, though they are two different things, can happen simultaneously or immediately after the first. For some, it can take longer because it might take a while for the truth to sink in, or the brokenness inside might happen slowly, or in some cases, one never knows such an experience exists at all. The household of Cornelius received both experiences instantly. Paul received the second experience three days after his conversion.
In the case of Peter and the disciples, they received the baptism of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost long after they were converted or born again (when Jesus breathed on them before His crucifixion). This was because the Holy Spirit was not sent to indwell the believers as of then.
The disciples from Ephesus are examples of believers ignorant of a Spirit baptism.
The believers in Rome were the other kind; they didn’t know the facts about their spiritual status. They already had Christ in them. However, they didn’t realize that If they were to be in Christ, then the Spirit had to fill them. They needed to know that they died with Christ, were buried with Him at this baptism, and then were risen with Him to walk in the newness of life. It was only a matter of realization of the truth that remained. And, Paul had to write to them as to how this baptism translates to a life experience. The potential is already inside. The revelation is pending! Submission matters.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not for the super-spiritual as some tend to imply; not for the already sanctified, as some tend to show off. (If already sanctified, why do they need this baptism at all? And, none is sanctified without the Holy Spirit and this is an ongoing process).
Those filled with the Holy Spirit become humbler than ever. They don’t look down on those who have not completely yielded yet. They become more concerned about their carnality. They exhort, edify, and build them up to maturity. Paul did this to the Corinthian believers. And, they will not receive garlands, worship, and offerings as a mark of public (or private) recognition. However, Spirit-filled believers cannot tolerate sin, hypocrisy, evil, or perversion of the truth. Simon the sorcerer, Elimas, Ananias and Sapphira, and even Apostle Peter are examples of people whom the Spirit rebuked. Jesus took a whip while Paul wanted to bring a cane!
There is always a possibility that the Spirit is grieved when we yield to the flesh even after He warns us of the ensuing (or ongoing) disobedient act and its consequences. At some point, the quenching of the Spirit also can happen, if the believer keeps yielding to the flesh, ignoring the voice of the Spirit. With the absence of life (the Spirit completely put off) the believer becomes twice dead. This is a dangerous situation because he can’t be revived a second time. The writer to the Hebrews says so.
(That brings me to a profound question: Why would the Spirit baptize the person in the first place when He knows even from the beginning that the person would fall away? Should we go to the case of the Israelites who were delivered out of Egypt, were baptized under the cloud, and made to drink of Christ, the Rock? Or to the Balaam case to understand this? God wants to fulfill His purpose through the person! The Pharaoh of Moses’ time, King Solomon, and Caiaphas might be other examples. Billy Graham and DGS Dinakaran might be 20th-century dubious examples!).
In Acts chapters 2, 8, 10, and 19, there were people around who could not understand the native tongue or the language of the evangelists. So, the Holy Spirit gifted the spirit-baptized people to speak in the languages of the listeners. Tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; This resulted in the Lord opening their ears, the audience hearing the word of God, and then confessing their faith in Christ. The Lord accomplished His purpose through the gift of speaking in tongues by the Spirit-filled believers.
Edification of the Church receives preeminence over the edification of a believer for the Lord. So, He wants Spirit-filled people to speak in a language that is understandable to the hearers. Speaking in any language incomprehensible to the listeners is devoid of any purpose. So, the Lord commands Spirit-baptized believers to refrain from speaking in tongues / any foreign language unless it is interpreted for the benefit of the assembly. God would never provide a believer with a purposeless gift.
Moreover, words spoken in any language enabled by the Holy Spirit have a definite meaning. Unless you utter by the tongue words easy to understand, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will be speaking into the air. There are so many kinds of languages in the world, and none of them is without significance. The interpreted message brings edification, exhortation, and comfort to the hearers.
Now, if the congregation can understand the tongue/ language in which the message is given, what is the purpose of speaking in another tongue? Over centuries, such congregations that are filled with the love of God, united by a language, and that which understands the speakers have come into existence. This has resulted in this gift ceasing gradually. Whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
Today, you don’t need the gift of speaking in tongues. You have the revelation of God’s will printed in your tongue in your hands. You need a Spirit-filled Pastor, Teacher, or Evangelist who can preach prophetical messages in your tongue based on the already revealed word. And, you need to share the gospel with your community in your tongue. You need the gift of prophetical preaching and teaching.
The current need of the Church is Spirit-filled Prophets, Evangelists, Teachers, and Pastors. (The twelve Apostles have already laid the framework for the Church through the doctrines they taught and wrote down. These are the foundations of the walls of New Jerusalem. There is no need for Apostles today as the purpose of Apostles has already been accomplished. And, nobody gets promoted to an apostleship from a 'lower' post of a Pastor, Teacher, Prophet, or Evangelist). And, though not every Spirit-filled believer would be a Prophet, Teacher, or Pastor, according to Jesus, every believer must be an Evangelist! Do not wait for an ordination to start this ministry!
The sure and proven sign of being filled with the Holy Spirit is the urge to witness for the Lord. You receive the courage to speak boldly and share the gospel with others, whether they are friendly or hostile. Peter demonstrated it in Jerusalem. Paul exemplified it in Damascus. This is what should happen, according to the Lord Himself who said, “You shall be my witnesses“. And, it should start from your immediate neighborhood. Preaching on a stage facing a large crowd, ministering in a foreign country, or sharing a message in a video or a TV Show comes later on.
You won’t be bogged down by individuals, pressured down by crowds, or silenced by governments. Come what may, you still would want to go ahead in your endeavor to share the word of God. “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord”, says Paul. “The love of Christ compels us”.
Paul continues: “In labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness— besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches”. “In Damascus, the governor, under Aretas the king, was guarding the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desiring to arrest me; but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped from his hands”. This was because “Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues (in Damascus) that He is the Son of God.
A Spirit-filled believer will always be looking for a first opportunity, favorable or not, to share the gospel. Paul encourages Timothy, ”Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching”.
An evangelist would speak to a cab driver, a policeman, a streetside seller, a rag picker, a co-passenger, a person on the street, and so on, not always at a Church gathering, a massive meeting, a special occasion or in a closed room. He would not need wall posters and flyers to advertise his ministry, a choir, and ear-tingling music to set the mood, a prominent speaker to break ice, or a celebrity to compere. And, he uses no polished language and does not mix words to pacify the crowd or cool them down. He will not praise the organizers or flatter the politician. He might not be a great orator but he has all the guts to present the truth to the powerful as well as to the simple.
Evangelism does not stop with these activities:
1. Enthusiastically distributing a gospel tract
2. Fervently interceding for the salvation of your loved ones
3. Respectfully handing over a Bible or a New Testament
4. Regularly sending money for missionary work
5. Repeatedly preaching a gospel message to believers
6. Generously contributing money to social causes
7. Solemnly singing in a church Choir
8. Passionately playing music in a gospel band
9. Eagerly volunteering for church activities
10. Publicly fighting for a Christian cause
11. Compassionately praying for the sick
12. Unselfishly training the poor in tailoring and other crafts
13. Deeply involved in an NGO that empowers the weak
14. Frantically shouting, dancing, and jumping on stage
15. Piously leading people to sing a medley of choruses
Jesus has called His disciples to “be” witnesses. This starts with a life that reveals Jesus Christ to those around you. Your actions speak louder than your words. People will listen to your testimony only if they are convinced that your words agree with your actions. For example, if you are dishonest and lie occasionally, people will always be apprehensive about your words and intent. So, when you share the gospel with them, they will assume that there is a hidden motive behind your witnessing. They will not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. And, you shut the door for them forever, even if there is a genuine attempt by another honest believer at a later time.
Time is running out. Present yourself to the Lord for the baptism of the Holy Spirit. He can do wonders in your life and through your life.
Be Spirit-filled. Start evangelizing.