ROMANS 10:9,10
9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine
heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession
is made unto salvation.
We thank God for Paul's born-again experience, but we should not hold one's experience up
as the standard or criteria for being saved. No, we should magnify the Word, and let every
person have his own experience as God wills.
Don't Seek Experiences To Receive the Holy Spirit
In the same way, some people have unusual experiences when they receive the Holy Spirit.
When I was a young boy preacher, I knew a fine denominational woman in whom I had great
confidence. She related to me once how she received the baptism in the Holy Ghost.
She said she was seeking God, and she had her eyes closed, praising God. She saw in the
spirit a beam of light about as big as a pencil. That beam of light seemed to come down
through the roof and the ceiling and hit her right between the eyes. When it did, she started
speaking with tongues.
Many people have told me, "I heard of people who were seeking the Holy Ghost, and they saw
a ball of fire about as big as a basketball. It came and burst over their heads, and they started
speaking in tongues."
My experience was different; I have never seen any beam of light or ball of fire, but I am just as
much filled with the Holy Ghost as anyone. I had the Bible evidence of being filled with the
Holy Spirit — I spoke with tongues.
I don't doubt that some of those other experiences happened, but God's Word really only
promises the evidence of speaking with tongues as the initial sign that a person has been filled
with the Spirit.
If other scriptural experiences occur, that's fine — as long as those experiences are in line with
God's Word. But don't seek experiences. You do have a right, however, to seek to be filled
with the Spirit and to speak with tongues.
All believers will speak with tongues when they receive the Holy Spirit, but some may also
initially be given an additional gift of the Spirit. However, that doesn't mean they have any more
of the Holy Ghost than you or I do.
The Need for Biblical Instruction For Receiving the Holy Spirit
Too many times folks have no instructions on how to receive the Holy Spirit. Or even worse,
they receive wrong instruction, and therefore fail to receive the Holy Spirit.
I've also seen people come to receive the Holy Spirit, and they spoke a few words in tongues
quietly. Then I've seen someone slap them on the back
and say, "Well, too bad you didn't receive this time! Better luck next time."