Have You Received? The Baptism of the Holy Spirit

Church, I want to take you back to the upper room. One hundred and twenty people. Praying. Waiting. And then — suddenly — the sound of a violent wind. The room shakes. Fire appears — individual flames resting on each person. And they begin to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gives them utterance. This is the baptism of the Holy Spirit. And it is not just a historical event. It is a present-tense reality available to every believer. Jesus said: "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you." That power is not optional equipment. It is standard issue. Every born-again believer has the right to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit — a distinct experience from conversion, evidenced by speaking in tongues. Acts 2: the disciples spoke in tongues. Acts 8: the Samaritans received the Spirit. Acts 10: Cornelius's household spoke in tongues. Acts 19: the Ephesian disciples spoke in tongues. The pattern is consistent. The gift is available. The power is real. If you have not yet received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, today is your day. The same Spirit who fell in the upper room is in this room right now. He is not limited by geography or century. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And He is ready to baptize you with fire.

Some traditions teach that the supernatural gifts of the Spirit — tongues, prophecy, healing, miracles — ceased with the apostles. The Pentecostal and Charismatic traditions say: show us the verse. Because we cannot find it. What we can find is this: "In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people." Peter said those words at Pentecost, and "the last days" have not ended. We are still in them. The Spirit is still being poured out. The gifts are still being distributed. Paul writes: "Do not forbid speaking in tongues." "Eagerly desire gifts of prophecy." "Earnestly desire the higher gifts." These are commands, not suggestions. And nowhere does Scripture indicate an expiration date. The Pentecostal/Charismatic movement is the fastest-growing segment of Christianity worldwide — over 600 million strong. Why? Not because of clever marketing. Because people are experiencing the same power that fell in Acts 2. Tongues are being spoken. Prophecies are being given. The sick are being healed. Demons are being cast out. The Spirit is as active today as He was two thousand years ago. Pentecost is not a museum exhibit. It is a present reality. And the gifts of the Spirit are not relics of the past. They are the equipment of the church for today.

I don't want to just talk about Pentecost. I want to experience it. Right now. In this room. The same Spirit who fell on Peter is here. The same fire that landed on one hundred and twenty is available to every person in this building. And if you are hungry — if you are desperate — if you are done with ordinary Christianity and you want the supernatural power of God in your life — then lift your hands and open your mouth and ask. "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" All you have to do is ask. Not earn. Not qualify. Not pass a test. Ask. Ask for the fire. Ask for the tongues. Ask for the power. Ask for the anointing. Ask for the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead to fall on you right now. Church, this is our day. This is our moment. The fire is not a memory. It is a promise. And the promise is for you, and for your children, and for all who are far off — everyone the Lord our God will call. Holy Spirit, fall! Fall in this place! Baptize with fire! Fill every empty vessel! Let the tongues of fire rest on every head in this room! Receive! In Jesus' name — receive!