BYM ONLINE DESK Blessing July 2017 E-magazine English | Page 5

JULY 2017
Cornelius' house to be baptized in water (Acts 10:44-
48). You don't need to send a thirsty believer away to
come back only after water baptism, but do check
whether there is a willing mind. God honors the
attitude that precedes the act (2 Cor 8:11,12).
While we are saying that God does not expect
us to be perfect to receive the Holy Spirit, we must
ensure that the known sins are confessed and
cleansed by the blood of Christ. Typically in the Old
Testament, sprinkling of oil on the unclean followed
that of blood (Lev 14: 13-18). While seeking the Lord
for the anointing of the Spirit, He usually brings to
our mind the matters to be restituted and the persons
to be reconciled with. Obedience brings blessing.
3. Is speaking in tongues necessary?
The tongues' controversy has been the main
hindrance for many Christians for receiving the
glorious infilling of the Spirit. There are two extreme
views concerning tongues. One is that everyone must
speak in tongues; otherwise he is not baptized with
the Spirit. The next belief is that tongues have ceased
with the apostolic era; and the tongues spoken today
are just gibberish and not a genuine gift of the Spirit.
Both these views are wrong as they are unscriptural.
No one can prove from the Scriptures that speaking in
tongues is the only sign nor that speaking in tongues
is not for today. The Biblical understanding of this
phenomenon is more balanced.
Instead of getting into unhelpful arguments, we
need to focus on the benefits of speaking in tongues,
most of which are listed in 1 Corinthians 14:
(1) Speaking in tongues is one way of praying to God in
the Spirit (v2,14).
(2) Speaking in tongues builds up on eself spiritually
(v4).
(3) Speaking in tongues enhances praise and worship
(v15-17).
(4) Speaking in tongues may serve at times as a
convincing sign to skeptic onlookers, as on the day
of Pentecost (v22; Acts 2:6-13).
(5) Speaking in tongues usually prepares the speaker to
move into the operation of the other gifts (Acts
19:6).
The supernatural and the miraculous aspect in
Christian life cannot be fully explained but they can
be experienced by simple faith (1 Cor 13:9,12).
Though speaking in tongues is not the only
sign of the baptism with the Holy Spirit, we need to
turn to the Biblical examples and see how this gift
was a manifestation associated with most of the
instances of the Spirit's outpouring (Acts 2: 1-4;
10:44-46; 19:6).
I have found that people who are more thirsty
for the infilling of the Holy Spirit are least bothered
about these things. In any case, we need to encourage
the believers positively. We should be careful not to
answer questions that are not asked.
Leading the Believers In the Anointing of the
Holy Spirit
We have now come to the final step i.e to lead
the believers into this experience.
a) Tell the believer to BELIEVE that God is
more interested in filling him with the Spirit than
him. The gift of the Holy Spirit is “the promise of the
Father” to His children (Acts 1:4). “God who did not
spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all how
will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us
all things?” (Rom 8:32).
b) Encourage the believer to ASK God for the
Gift. Following His teaching on prayer, the first thing
Jesus encouraged His disciples to ask for is the Holy
Spirit (Lk 11:13b). True praying means asking until
receiving, seeking until finding, and knocking until
entering. But in most instances people get filled
instantly when they pray just as they get saved
instantly when they believe. People who lead others
can also pray for the person seeking infilling (Acts
8:15). Some would prefer to pray alone for the Holy
Spirit whereas others would find the presence of
other Spirit-filled believers supportive.
c)Stir the believer to RECEIVE the Holy Spirit
with thanksgiving. “If we know that God hears us
whatever we ask -we know that we have that we asked
of Him.” (1 Jn 5:14,15). Some have a notion that they
must “tarry” in order to receive the Spirit. Explain to
them that waiting was necessary before the Holy
Spirit was sent into the world. Now that He is already
here, we need to simply take Him in. People who lead
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