Baptism of the Holy Spirit:
A Personal Pentecost
Instructors:
Elsie Fuhrman, Bruce & Cindy Urban
Next Class: To be scheduled.
Contact Information
For questions not addressed below or for more information, contact Jan at 651-797-7876.
Instructors
Elsie Fuhrman has taught classes on baptism in the Holy Spirit since the early 1970s. Many believers have received the empowerment of the Holy Spirit through this ministry. She and her husband, Don, are longtime members of North Heights and have three children and nine grandchildren.
Bruce and Cindy Urban received the baptism of the Spirit in the mid-80s and it radically changed their lives. They have been teaching and ministering the baptism of the Spirit ever since in small groups, large groups, and in one-on-one situations.
Didn't I receive the Holy Spirit when I received Christ Jesus as Savior?
Yes, all believers have the indwelling Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:17; John 3:5–8). New life in Christ Jesus is given to them through the Holy Spirit. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life (1 John 5:11,12).
There is another encounter that is distinct from conversion and from water baptism. Baptism in the Holy Spirit equips believers to serve the Lord. Disciples of Jesus received the Holy Spirit when Jesus breathed on them saying “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22) and also at Pentecost (Acts 2:4).
How to Receive Baptism in the Holy Spirit
We find the answer in Luke 11:9–10, 13, “And I tell you, ask, and it will be to given you;...For everyone who asks receives...how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” We receive by asking. Knowing it is the will of God gives us confidence to ask to be baptized in the Holy Spirit and confidence that we will receive. God is true to his promises!
You can pray the “Prayer to Receive.” Others may lay hands on you and pray for you but it is not necessary. You may choose to ask by yourself; this is between you and God. We need not attain to some sense of worthiness to receive baptism in the Holy Spirit; it is on the merits of the risen and exalted Christ Jesus that we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:32–36).
Prayer to Receive
Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for the promise of the Holy Spirit. I declare that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. I want to be baptized in the Holy Spirit and receive the power of the Spirit. I receive the Holy Spirit and I thank you for this most precious gift. I will speak forth in new tongues to your praise and glory. Amen.
If you have prayed this prayer, believe (faith) that you can speak in tongues and express your faith by beginning to speak sounds, trusting that the Holy Spirit will give the utterance. Do not speak in your “everyday language.” It is important that you yield your voice to the Holy Spirit and as you do so, new tongues will flow forth. God will not move your lips for you. We do our part, and God will do His part. Dismiss any doubts about the validity of the tongues you are speaking. What it sounds like is the Holy Spirit’s business! Do not imitate someone else’s tongues as that would make it a mental exercise and not a spiritual one.
Thank the Lord for baptizing you in the Holy Spirit. Pray in your spiritual language daily. Remember, you are speaking to God when you pray in tongues (1 Cor. 14:2). Seek fellowship with other Spirit-filled believers.
This is the gateway for the divinely supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit to manifest through the believer. The gifts of the Holy Spirit, which equip the church for ministry, are listed in 1 Cor. 12:7–11. They are manifestations of God’s power and presence flowing through believers to edify the church. They glorify the risen Christ and bear witness to him.
The Holy Spirit initiates the gifts and gives them to individuals as he wills (1 Cor. 12:11). They are not natural attributes or part of the character of the believer. As believers are faithful in their calling, the gifts of the Spirit that are essential to their ministry will manifest through them. God is a God of power and love. Both of these attributes should be evident in the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
Scripture
It is the desire of the heavenly Father’s heart that his people receive the power of the Holy Spirit just as the followers of Jesus did at Pentecost. He promises to give the Holy Spirit to all who ask him. It is God's will for his people to be filled with the Holy Spirit continually. “How much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13).
Paul instructed the believers at Ephesus to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18) and prayed that they would be filled with all the fullness of God (Eph. 3:19). The ministry of the disciples of the Lord Jesus changed dramatically after they received the power of the Holy Spirit.
This empowerment of the Holy Spirit is available to all believers, not just a select few. And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself” (Acts 2:38,39).