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A Little light Reading.
HOLY SPIRIT, The Need.

Doug bachelor.

An Amazing Fact: Every day approximately
44,000 lightning storms occur throughout the
world, with lightning striking the earth 6,000
times a minute. The average lightning stroke is six
miles long and travels about 30,000 times faster
than a bullet. The temperature of lightning can
reach 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit, hotter than
the surface of the sun! In addition, lightning has
enough power to lift an ocean liner six feet in
the air.
A “Positive Giant” is a lightning strike that
hits the ground up to 20 miles away from the ac-
tual thunderstorm. Because it seems to strike from
a clear sky, it is known as a “bolt from the blue.”
These flashes strike between the storm’s top “anvil”
and the earth, carrying several times the energy of
a normal bolt.
It is also a myth that lightning never strikes
twice in the same place. For example, the top of the
Empire State Building averages over 20 hits per
year. In like manner, the Bible predicts the Holy
Spirit will come upon the church again in the last
days with the same light and power as the days
of Pentecost. Holy Spirit The Need 3
Introduction
Baptism of the Holy Spirit
S hortly after becoming a Christian, some
of my believing friends would ask, “Have
you received the baptism of the Holy
Spirit?” I wasn’t quite sure how to answer.
At the time, I always envisioned the Acts 2
experience where the dead were raised, the sick
were healed, and Christians walked around
with ethereal glowing tongues of fire hover-
ing above their heads. So I never felt worthy
to say, “I’m baptized in the Holy Spirit.” As
far as I knew, I wasn’t able to raise the dead or
heal the sick. So the best answer I could give
was, “I have the Spirit, but I’m not sure I have
‘the baptism.’ ”
I don’t think we can afford to be confused
on this matter, because the church is prophet-
ically overdue to receive a major, history-alter-
ing baptism of the Spirit. I want to be filled
with that Spirit when He comes, and I want
you to be filled too. Even more important, our
churches need to be baptized with the Spirit.
Frankly, this generation hasn’t experienced
what a church can do when it is full with
God’s Spirit, the way the apostles were filled on 4 Holy Spirit The Need
Pentecost. It’s going to happen again, and soon,
and we need to be ready for it.
So what exactly is the baptism of the Holy
Spirit, and how do we know if we have it? And
if we don’t have it, how can we get it? I’d like to
explore the baptism of the Holy Spirit in a little
more depth in the hope that you’ll be inspired
to seek this wonderful blessing from the Lord.
Chapter One
Degrees of the Spirit
The baptism of the Holy Spirit simply
means having the fullness of the Spirit.
Before experiencing that fullness, you
must already have some of that Spirit residing
in you. In other words, you have to have some
vital relationship with Jesus to expect to be filled
with the Spirit. It wasn’t pagans or gentiles who
received the baptism at Pentecost. And it wasn’t
the Jews who fought against Christ. Rather it
was those who had been walking side by side
with Jesus for three-and-a-half years. They were
ready for it.
Just as you can have varying intensities
of relationships with people, you can have a
relationship with the Holy Spirit in varying Holy Spirit The Need 5
degrees. Did Jesus have the Holy Spirit before
He began His ministry? Of course He did, but
the Holy Spirit came down to Him in a special
measure at His baptism. Still, “God gives not
the Spirit by measure unto him” (John 3:34).
This means that Jesus had a limitless supply of
the Holy Spirit.
Likewise, did the apostles have the Holy
Spirit before Pentecost? Yes, because Jesus sent
them out to preach. Would He have done
that if they didn’t have the Spirit? However,
they received a special fullness of the Holy
Spirit in Acts 2, often called the baptism of
the Holy Spirit, at the time of Pentecost. John
the Baptist prophesied this in Matthew 3:11:
“I indeed baptize you with water … but there
is One coming after me who is mightier than
I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear. He
will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and
with fire.”
Chapter Two
A Repeatable Blessing
The Holy Spirit not only comes in
different degrees, but His baptism
can come more than one time. For 6 Holy Spirit The Need
instance, in Acts 2, the Holy Spirit is poured
out on the disciples, and then again in Acts 4
and 5. We’re told that it was so powerful that
the places in which they spoke the Word shook
at the foundations.
In the parable of the 10 virgins, half of
them were not prepared for the great wedding
feast. What distinguished those who were ready
from those who were not ready? The amount of
oil in their vessels. Every virgin had oil, which
represents the Holy Spirit. But some had more
than others, and those others simply didn’t have
enough. It’s not enough to have the Holy Spirit
in your life. Instead, you must have enough of
the Holy Spirit in your life. Some Christians
are satisfied to have a thin relationship with the
Lord, but the Lord longs for us to be filled with
the Spirit.
Indeed, as we approach the end of time
on this planet, the filling of the Holy Spirit is
our most desperate need. Right now, the vast
majority of the membership in our churches
are groping spiritually in the dark because they
don’t have an adequate presence of God, the
Holy Spirit. Think about how many problems
we bring on ourselves because we don’t have Holy Spirit The Need 7
enough Spirit. Those five virgins ended up in
the dark and outside the feast because they sim-
ply ran out of oil.
Chapter Three
Evidence of the Holy Spirit
I
n 1 Thessalonians 4:4, Paul enjoins, “That
every one of you might know how to pos-
sess his vessel in sanctification and honor.”
Our bodies are temples to be filled with God’s
Spirit. Out on the ocean, sailboats can be blown
around by the winds. They go whichever way
the wind goes.
But an iceberg is sort of a paradox in that
it might be heading south while the wind is
blowing 50 miles an hour north. That’s possible
because 90 percent of the mass of an iceberg
is not seen and the current it’s in is not seen
either. It’s going a different direction.
Likewise, something deeper for the
Christian is controlling them when they have
the Holy Spirit. If we are being controlled by
whichever way the wind blows, our carnal na-
ture is prevailing, that’s not the Holy Spirit
leading your life. When you are rooted in God
and led by His Spirit, you don’t go whichever 8 Holy Spirit The Need
way the wind blows. In fact, you’re being led
against the wind, but you’re going with the cur-
rent of God’s Spirit.
Chapter Four
The Latter Rain
According to the Bible, Jesus is the sower
of the seed. In the Hebrew agricultural
economy, they depended on a regular
climate and seasons to water the crop. When
the time was right they would sow the seed, and
in the fall they would get what they called the
former rain, which would sprout the seed and
enable it to grow through the winter months.
Then in the springtime they would receive the
latter rain. This would fatten and ripen the
crop, and it would be harvested shortly after.
The apostles in Acts 2 were experiencing the
former rain, the time when God launched the
New Testament church. He poured out His Spirit
and thousands were baptized. The seeds that
Jesus had been sowing through His life sprouted
and began to grow almost uncontrollably.
We have yet to see the latter rain, which is
the special outpouring of the Spirit that prepares
the last-day church for the great harvest when Holy Spirit The Need 9
Jesus comes again. In Revelation, Christ is pic-
tured not only with a sword in His mouth, but
with a sickle in His hand. This shows that He is
coming to harvest the believers of the world. So
we need this second outpouring to prepare the
world. In the same way that the former rain fell
on those who already knew about Christ and
had a relationship with Him, so the latter rain
is going to fall on God’s people.
Chapter Five
Seeding the Cloud
Now that we know what it is and how
much we need it, how do we prepare
our bodies, hearts, and minds to re-
ceive the baptism of the Holy Spirit and not be
left out? How are we going to be ready for the
latter rain?
For one, we need to “seed the clouds.” It is
said that a technology exists today that enables
humans to make clouds rain. Pilots fly a plane
through an existing cloud over lands experienc-
ing drought. While in the cloud, they emit a
gas laden with sodium particles into the atmo-
sphere. Moisture droplets in the cloud attach
to these sodium particles and form a raindrop. 10 Holy Spirit The Need
Once it gets started, it ignites a chain reaction
throughout the cloud to form a downpour.
Jesus has given us the promise of the Holy
Spirit and the latter rain, but we must seed
the cloud to make it rain. We must ask for it
through fasting and prayer because God’s Spirit
won’t force himself on anybody. But looking
through the lens of the latter rain, Zechariah
10:1 speaks volumes: “Ask ye of the Lord rain
in the time of the latter rain.” It is the time of
the latter rain; we’re due, so God is telling us we
need to be asking now.
Chapter Six
Seeking the Spirit Earnestly
I
f our most desperate need is the Spirit,
then how deeply, earnestly, and sincerely
should we seek after it? Christ taught,
“Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his
righteousness.” When Solomon said “that I
might have wisdom,” he was asking for the
Spirit, whose gifts include wisdom. When
Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah’s
spirit, what was he really asking for? It wasn’t
as though Elijah had a special brand name of
the Spirit. No, Elisha was asking for the Holy Holy Spirit The Need 11
Spirit, seeking even a double portion with all of
his heart.
The writer Ellen White explained, “A reviv-
al of true godliness among us is the greatest and
most urgent of our needs. To seek this should
be our first work. There must be earnest effort
to obtain the blessing of the Lord” (Selected
Messages, Vol. 1, p. 121). It takes an effort to
seek after God, not because He isn’t willing to
bestow His blessing upon us, but because we
are unprepared to receive it. So when we pray
for the Holy Spirit, we’re really asking God to
prepare our vessels to receive Him.
White adds, “Our Heavenly Father is more
willing to give the Holy Spirit to them that ask
him than our earthly parents to give good gifts
to their children, but it is our work by confes-
sion, humiliation, repentance, and earnest prayer
to fulfill the conditions upon which God has
promised to grant us his blessing. A revival need
be expected only in answer to prayer.” Would you
like a revival? You can only expect it in answer to
earnest seeking, fasting, and prayer. Historically
every revival can be traced to somebody or a group
praying. When Pentecost took place, the disciples
were praying together in the upper room. 12 Holy Spirit The Need
Chapter Seven
Be Willing, Be Humble
There is more we can do to be filled with
the Holy Spirit. We should prepare our
vessels, our minds, and bodies for the
glorious honor. We also need to have a will-
ingness to obey God in all things. Peter says,
“And we are His witnesses to these things, and
so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given
to those who obey Him” (Acts 5:32). This isn’t
to say that we have to be perfect. “I will put My
Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My
statutes” (Ezekiel 36:27). You can’t teach some-
one that they’ll receive the Spirit only if they’re
perfect, because it’s God Spirit that teaches you
to obey Him. However, you must be willing to
surrender your will to His.
I imagine that when the disciples received
the baptism of the Holy Spirit, they were on their
knees in the upper room confessing their faults
and praying for one another. By doing that, they
made room in their hearts and humbled them-
selves, and God filled them with the Spirit.
Jesus also said, “If you love Me, keep My
commandments.” This is a very well-known
verse, but I want you to read a few more lines in: Holy Spirit The Need 13
“I will pray the Father, and He will give you
another Helper, that He might abide with you
forever—the Spirit of truth” (John 14:15). We
must be willing to obey Jesus to receive the
Spirit. It can’t be put any clearer.
We must also humble ourselves. People
who boast that they have the Spirit while
they’re walking in high-handed disobedience to
God are liars. “He who says, ‘I know him’ and
keepeth not his commandments is a liar and
the truth is not in him.” It’s a dangerous thing
to be found a hypocrite. It was embarrassing to
the church when, many years ago, a number of
televangelists got into moral trouble with vari-
ous vices. It was made very public, circulating
in all the newspapers and on television.
Every one of them spoke in tongues dur-
ing their programs as evidence that they had the
Holy Spirit, and then the media pulled back the
veil and we all found out that they had disobe-
dient lives. It made me wonder, Was that really
the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is a very pow-
erful person, and God cannot trust that power
to those who will abuse it because of pride.
Samson certainly had the Holy Spirit, but he
ultimately abused that power and paid a price. 14 Holy Spirit The Need
Chapter Eight
Empty Yourself
Apart of humbling ourselves for the bap-
tism of the Spirit means emptying our-
selves of self. We are never further from
God than when we feel self-sufficient. Jesus
said to the church of Laodicea, “You think
you’re rich and increased with goods. You have
no room in your hearts for me.” God cannot
fill those who are already full. Recognizing this
need goes a long way to prepare our hearts.
When Elijah prayed down the rain, the
people humbled themselves when the fire came
down and consumed Elijah’s sacrifice. They
didn’t just kneel on a knee or even two knees.
They fell on their faces before God. They cried
out, “The Lord, he is God!” It is the most ab-
ject form of humbling yourself, like when
David fell on his face to seek forgiveness for
his sin.
If we humble ourselves, God will lift us up.
If we empty ourselves, He’ll fill us up. When
we acknowledge our emptiness, humbling our-
selves low, the Lord will send in the rain. If
you remember, the disciples were full of them-
selves during the Last Supper, arguing who was Holy Spirit The Need 15
greater than another. They didn’t get the Spirit
that day, even though they really needed it.
Jesus prepared His vessel. He emptied Himself
of His royalty and washed His inferiors’ feet.
Instead, the Spirit only came to them in
the upper room when they recognized their
need, put aside their pride, and emptied their
vessels. Their hearts were prepared for the gift
of the Holy Spirit.
Once you are empty, you’re going to be
hungry. One of the most important ways to
prepare your vessel is a need to hunger and
thirst for God. “O God, You are my God; early
I will seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh
longs for You in a dry and a thirsty land where
there is no water” (Psalms 63:1). Do you know
that you’re thirsty? You ought to know that
you are parched dry. If you do recognize your
need, He’ll satisfy it in ways you can’t imagine.
Isaiah adds, “For I will pour water on him who
is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground” (44:3).
We need to empty ourselves and know that
we’re hungry and that we thirst for the Spirit
of God. “He has filled the hungry with good
things, and the rich He has sent away empty”
(Luke 1:53). 16 Holy Spirit The Need
Chapter Nine
Found in the Word
The filling of the Spirit often happens
in concert with the proclamation of
the Word. If you want to be filled with
the Spirit, you need to connect with the Bible.
“While Peter was speaking these words, the
Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the
word” (Acts 10:44). The Holy Spirit will come
in answer to prayer, and He’ll also come when
you hear or study the Word.
It could potentially happen here right now,
as you read these Bible verses. As our hearts are
stirred by God’s Word, they’re also being pre-
pared. The Bible is a cultivator, a holy tiller that
breaks up the fallow ground and prepares us to
receive the seed. It can happen in public set-
tings, like in Acts 10, or it can happen privately
in study and prayer.
Have you ever felt the Holy Spirit come
upon you while you were studying on your own?
You hear or read a passage of Scripture and, all
of a sudden, the presence of God becomes so
real to you. Jesus says, “The words that I speak
to you they are spirit, and they are life” (John
6:63). Christians miss a lot of opportunities Holy Spirit The Need 17
to experience the filling of the Holy Spirit be-
cause we’re so often not reading about Him.
Someone said, “If you have the Spirit
without the Word, you’ll blow up. If you have
the Word without the Spirit, you’ll dry up. If
you have both the Word and the Spirit, you’ll
grow up.” The Word of God in connection
with the Spirit nurtures us. We need the two of
them together.
Chapter Ten
Gather Together and Forgive
This is probably going to sound like a
commercial for church, but the fact is,
a practical prerequisite for the filling of
the Spirit is getting together in God’s name in
God’s house. Hebrews 10 says that we shouldn’t
forsake the gathering of ourselves, “all the more
as we see the day approaching.”
Again in Acts 2, it says that the disciples
were all in one accord and “in one place.” God
waited to fill them not when they were out at
the market or in their separate homes, sepa-
rated from one another. He waited until they
were collected in one place, honoring and wor-
shiping Him. Obviously, this doesn’t mean that 18 Holy Spirit The Need
God cannot pour His Spirit on you as an indi-
vidual wherever you happen to be, because that
has been documented in the Bible.
But if I read my Bible right, the latter rain
experience is going to come down much like
the former rain, in a time and place where
God’s people are assembling together to hum-
ble ourselves, and praying and putting aside
our differences. They may be small groups; they
may be big groups. In Acts 2 it was 120 people,
but they were all together. “And when they had
prayed, the place where they were assembled
together was shaken; and they were filled with
the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of
God with boldness” (Acts 4:31).
We also find examples in the Old Testament.
In Numbers 11:24, God was getting ready to
baptize the leaders of Israel with the Spirit. “So
Moses … gathered the seventy men of the el-
ders of the people and placed them around the
tabernacle. Then the Lord came down in the
cloud, and he spoke unto him, and the Lord
took of the Spirit that was upon him, and
placed the same upon the seventy elders.” God
said, “Gather the people together” to the tab-
ernacle, and He took the Holy Spirit that He Holy Spirit The Need 19
had given Moses and gave it to the people as a
corporate body.
It bears mentioning that two individuals,
Eldad and Medad, didn’t feel worthy to come
with the 70 elders. They stayed in the camp,
thinking that Moses’ spirit was too good for
them. But the Holy Spirit fell on them too.
So it can happen to individuals that might be
separated, but they also were humble; in fact, I
believe their humility is the reason why Moses
documented them individually.
But don’t miss the point: We need to not
forsake the assembling of ourselves because
that is one way God will baptize us with His
Spirit. Besides, wouldn’t it be a tragedy to have
the latter rain experience fall upon your church
on the day that you stayed home? Wouldn’t you
feel awful? I’d feel terrible if I missed it! Trust
me, you want to be there, so take every oppor-
tunity to go to church and fellowship with your
Christian family.
While we’re together, we need to forgive
one another if we’re ever going to expect the
filling of the Spirit. We often have unsightly
blisters in our vessels that render us unfit to re-
ceive the Holy Spirit. When we harbor, cherish, 20 Holy Spirit The Need
and feed the anger and resentment that we have
for other people, we grieve the Holy Spirit. As
Jesus forgave us, so we ought to forgive one an-
other. It’s important to have an attitude and the
mind of Christ. When Acts 2 says that the dis-
ciples were in one accord, it means they might
have been divided before. They had put aside
their differences, forgave one another, and be-
came one.
Chapter Eleven
Expect the Promise
J
esus promised, “If I go to the Father, the
Comforter will come.” In the days of Elijah,
a terrible famine raged for three-and-a-half
years. People were dying from starvation, and
they were in desperate need of rain—another
symbol of God’s Spirit. Elijah prayed for rain
just like the apostles prayed for the outpouring
of the Holy Spirit. And he prayed earnestly on
his knees until it came.
But he did more than that. In faith, he ex-
pected the rain to come. He sent his servant
out and asked, “Do you see anything yet?”
When they didn’t see anything, Elijah prayed
again, and he kept on praying seven times until Holy Spirit The Need 21
they finally saw the cloud coming. It was just
a little cloud in the beginning, but that little
cloud was all he needed to be sure.
According to Luke 11:13, if we ask earnest-
ly and sincerely, we should expect to receive the
gift: “If you then, being evil, know how to give
good gifts unto your children, how much more
will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to them that ask.”
One of the last things Jesus said was,
“Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22). For
John, the great commission is to “Receive the
Holy Spirit,” for that will lead to preaching of
the gospel in a way you can’t imagine. Christ
breathed on those who were there with Him,
and He wants to breathe on you. The Lord
wants you to have the Holy Spirit. Jesus died to
purchase you that great gift, so the promise to
receive the baptism is sure.
Chapter Twelve
The Good Storm
When we pray for the Spirit, we’re re-
ally asking for a storm. And God
is going to send a storm, so you
need to be sure you really want it. When Elijah 22 Holy Spirit The Need
prayed for rain, the storm grew so big that he
got drenched. “Now it happened in the mean-
time the sky became black with clouds and
the wind, and there was a heavy rain” (1 Kings
18:45). Elijah got caught in a storm and could
barely see his way.
When God sends His Spirit, you might
get caught in the storm. That could be a good
thing; it just depends on what your plans are.
If you’ve just planted some seeds and it rains,
that’s good news. If you’re planning a wedding,
it’s not so good. If you’re praying for the Holy
Spirit to be poured out, you better be prepared
for your plans to change.
What else happened when the disciples re-
ceived the outpouring of the Spirit? They were
praying in the upper room when the Spirit
came to them in the form of tongues of fire. A
fire burns; it’s a hot, purging element. The bap-
tism of the Spirit does not come like a gentle
wind, but as a loud noise and a fierce fire.
Being filled with the Spirit can also be
expensive in terms of the world. After the
Holy Spirit was poured out on the disciples,
the Bible reports, “Now all who believed
were together they had all things in common, Holy Spirit The Need 23
they sold their possessions and goods, and di-
vided them among all, as anyone had need.
No man said that ought that he had was his
own.” The disciples had to leave many things
behind when the Spirit fell on them, some
giving up all they had. Peter, James, and
John—no record that they ever went fish-
ing again. Andrew, Matthew—they didn’t go
back to the tax-collecting booth. Paul lost a
promising career in the Sanhedrin. It was ex-
pensive for all of them to be filled with the
Holy Spirit. Of course, to them it was a worth-
while sacrifice, but you need to be prepared for
some struggle.
Chapter Thirteen
God’s Purging Spirit
When the Holy Spirit is poured out,
there is very little toleration for
even the “smallest” sin in a life and
in a church. As soon as someone began to teach
inappropriate theology in the newly estab-
lished, Spirit-filled church, he or she was called
on it. When Simon said, “Let me pay for the
Holy Spirit,” the apostles came down on him.
They asked, “Do you think the Holy Spirit can 24 Holy Spirit The Need
be bought as though it’s a commodity? It’s the
person of God! God forbid!”
When the church was Spirit-filled, Ananias
and Sapphira told a little half-truth about their
offering and they dropped dead. They were ac-
tive members of the church, but that’s what
happens when the Spirit of God is present.
Accountability soars. Frankly, we’d be having
a lot more funerals if God showed that kind of
accountability right now—for people robbing
Him, being dishonest, and the little things we
often wink at now in the church. One of the
signs that our church isn’t yet Spirit-filled is
that we tolerate so much sin in our ranks.
Jesus said, “The Holy Spirit, he will con-
vict you of sin.” Your sensitivity regarding sin
is heightened when you receive the baptism
(some might call you a fanatic for that). You’ll
recognize your complete unworthiness before
God, and that can be a difficult, humbling ex-
perience. However, your love will be intensified
too, but you won’t wink at sin as though it’s
not something offensive to God. So make sure
that you know what you’re asking for. Are you
prepared to have the Lord do a purging work
in your life? Holy Spirit The Need 25
Chapter Fourteen
The Devil’s Fury
But more than that, being filled with
the Holy Spirit will attract the anger
of the devil. When the disciples began
to preach, they were immediately mocked. As
soon as the Holy Spirit came upon them, so
did the ridicule. Acts 2:13 records, “Others
mocking said, ‘They’re full of new wine.’” Of
course, you don’t have to roll around on the
ground to be mocked. You don’t have to babble
in tongues to be mocked. You live a holy life, a
Spirit-filled life, and you’ll be mocked.
They were also imprisoned and persecuted
when they received the Holy Spirit. By Acts 3,
just one chapter later, they’re already in jail. Are
you ready to pray for the Holy Spirit and go to
jail for it? In Acts 4, angry men “laid hands on
them, and they put them in custody.” In Acts 8,
“At that time a great persecution arose against
the church.”
Just when the church is filled with God’s
Spirit, persecution comes. That should be ex-
pected. Most of us have easy sailing because we
are no threat to the devil. Wouldn’t you rather
have the smooth sailing that comes from the 26 Holy Spirit The Need
approbation of the world? Jesus said, “Woe
unto you when all men speak well of you for so
they did of the false prophets.” If you’re Spirit-
filled, you are going to rile up the resistance of
the enemy.
For the disciples, that meant a death sen-
tence. They were killed after the outpouring
of the Spirit. Steven was stoned to death, and
James was killed by King Herod in Acts 12.
Indeed, it became a life-and-death issue. Of
the 12 apostles, only one died of old age. But
to them it was worth it to be one with God and
be filled His Spirit.
Chapter Fifteen
Make Your Stand
Would you pray for the baptism of
the Holy Spirit knowing that it is
going to bring a storm in your life?
That fact is, you only have two choices. If you’re
going to pray for God’s Spirit, be prepared like
Elijah to get caught in the storm. I want the
baptism of the Holy Spirit, because what else
are my options? “He that doesn’t have the Spirit
of God is none of His.” It’s either filled with
the Holy Spirit or separated from Christ and Holy Spirit The Need 27
flowing with the world to oblivion. You choose
which one is better in terms of eternity.
“And it will come to pass afterward in
the last days that I will pour out My Spirit”
(Joel 2:28). God doesn’t sprinkle, He pours.
And what happens when He does that? Just
keep reading: “and your sons and your daugh-
ters will prophesy, your old men will dream
dreams, your young men will see visions.
Also on My menservants and on My maid-
servants I will pour out My Spirit in those
days. And I will show wonders in the heavens
and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars
of smoke.”
The part about the Spirit is certainly beau-
tiful, and it’s amazing that sons and daughters
will prophesy, but don’t miss that the blood
and the fire and the smoke all come in concert.
“The sun will be turned to darkness, the moon
into blood before the coming of the great and
terrible day of the Lord.”
The great and terrible day of the Lord is
not far off. Would you choose to prophesy for
God, or be consumed by the tempest to come?
We urgently need to have the Spirit poured
upon us. “And I’ll show wonders … and it will 28 Holy Spirit The Need
come to pass that whoever calls upon the name
of the Lord will be saved.” The filling of the
Holy Spirit is there for the asking, but we need
to ask.
Chapter Sixteen
What About Your Church?
Achurch without the filling of the Holy
Spirit is a church with a form of reli-
gion but no power. Some churches are
like a bus that has run out of gas. With all the
events they have to get to, the passengers don’t
want to stop. So a number of them will get out
to push. Sure, the bus will move, but it won’t
go far. People get tired of pushing. Churches
are likewise being pushed by members rather
than fueled by the Spirit. The bus needs gas;
the church needs the Holy Spirit. Churches are
designed not to run on people power, but with
God’s power.
Too many churches have people pushing,
because we all have our precious programs.
Those programs are making progress, but to
what effect? It’s like going to a convention
where they have new ideas to get members in-
volved and devise new ways to raise money for Holy Spirit The Need 29
church needs. It’s good stuff. But the church
doesn’t really need all that. What it needs is
men and women filled with the Spirit. The
baptism of fire is the most desperate need of
the church.
John Taylor said, “I’ve never heard of a
committee being adjourned because those
present were waiting for the arrival of the Holy
Spirit.” I’ve never seen a project abandoned
for lack of the Holy Spirit. We will abandon
a project for lack of funds, but when have
you ever seen a church program dismissed be-
cause of the lack of Spirit? We’ll always wait
to start a project until we have enough funds,
but we’ll move forward even if the Holy Spirit
is lacking. We’ll go forward Spiritless because,
“Well, we’ve made the plans. We need to move
ahead.” But how much better off we’d be if we
could have the baptism of the Holy Spirit in all
our projects?
A church that is filled with the Spirit is an
unstoppable bus that will plow through road-
blocks. Even if it has a flat or a little oil leak, it
can still do its mission. With the baptism of the
Holy Spirit, we’d get a lot further in spreading
the gospel than where we get with media. The 30 Holy Spirit The Need
disciples did much more without media than
we’re doing with television.
What did they have that we’re lacking? The
fullness of the Spirit. They turned the Roman
Empire upside down, uneducated fishermen
without college degrees. But they did have the
baptism of the Spirit. What separated the wise
from the foolish virgins? Some had full vessels,
some were only partially full.
Today rescue workers have infrared detec-
tion equipment to use when they’re searching
the countryside for someone who is missing.
A living person puts off a heat signature that
helps them locate the lost child or a missing
hiker. But for the equipment to work, the per-
son being sought after must be alive. Once their
bodies grow cold, nothing is detected.
Jesus said that when He comes, iniquity
will abound and the love of many will grow
cold (Matthew 24:12). If we hope for our Savior
to rescue us from above when He returns, we
must have the love of the Holy Spirit glowing
in our hearts or His procession of angels will
simply fly by. Holy Spirit The Need 31
Chapter Seventeen
A Prayer
No matter what happens, no matter
the backlash, choosing God and His
Spirit will give you and your church
peace because you know you have chosen the
right side. If you don’t know how to ask right
now, I want to share with you this prayer for
you and your church.
Father in heaven, we know that the
baptism of your Spirit is our most
desperate need. So we’re praying for
what Solomon asked for and for what
Elisha asked for. We’re praying that you
will show us what it was like when the
disciples received your outpouring in the
upper room. Our church needs this more
than anything, Lord. So please come
into our hearts now. We believe this is
something you want to give us even more
than we want to ask, so fill us with your
Spirit that we might walk with Jesus,
that we might love and forgive others,
that we might have the power to be a
great witness. 32 Holy Spirit The Need
Everything in the Christian life is strength-
ened and made possible by having God in us.
If you really want the baptism of the Holy
Spirit in your life, you can expect it because the
Lord wants to give it to you. God will fill you
with His presence and will work great wonder through you.

A Little light Reading. HOLY SPIRIT, The Need. Doug bachelor. An Amazing Fact: Every day approximately 44,000 lightning storms occur throughout the world, with lightning striking the earth 6,000 times a minute. The average lightning stroke is six miles long and travels about 30,000 times faster than a bullet. The temperature of lightning can reach 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit, hotter than the surface of the sun! In addition, lightning has enough power to lift an ocean liner six feet in the air. A “Positive Giant” is a lightning strike that hits the ground up to 20 miles away from the ac- tual thunderstorm. Because it seems to strike from a clear sky, it is known as a “bolt from the blue.” These flashes strike between the storm’s top “anvil” and the earth, carrying several times the energy of a normal bolt. It is also a myth that lightning never strikes twice in the same place. For example, the top of the Empire State Building averages over 20 hits per year. In like manner, the Bible predicts the Holy Spirit will come upon the church again in the last days with the same light and power as the days of Pentecost. Holy Spirit The Need 3 Introduction Baptism of the Holy Spirit S hortly after becoming a Christian, some of my believing friends would ask, “Have you received the baptism of the Holy Spirit?” I wasn’t quite sure how to answer. At the time, I always envisioned the Acts 2 experience where the dead were raised, the sick were healed, and Christians walked around with ethereal glowing tongues of fire hover- ing above their heads. So I never felt worthy to say, “I’m baptized in the Holy Spirit.” As far as I knew, I wasn’t able to raise the dead or heal the sick. So the best answer I could give was, “I have the Spirit, but I’m not sure I have ‘the baptism.’ ” I don’t think we can afford to be confused on this matter, because the church is prophet- ically overdue to receive a major, history-alter- ing baptism of the Spirit. I want to be filled with that Spirit when He comes, and I want you to be filled too. Even more important, our churches need to be baptized with the Spirit. Frankly, this generation hasn’t experienced what a church can do when it is full with God’s Spirit, the way the apostles were filled on 4 Holy Spirit The Need Pentecost. It’s going to happen again, and soon, and we need to be ready for it. So what exactly is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and how do we know if we have it? And if we don’t have it, how can we get it? I’d like to explore the baptism of the Holy Spirit in a little more depth in the hope that you’ll be inspired to seek this wonderful blessing from the Lord. Chapter One Degrees of the Spirit The baptism of the Holy Spirit simply means having the fullness of the Spirit. Before experiencing that fullness, you must already have some of that Spirit residing in you. In other words, you have to have some vital relationship with Jesus to expect to be filled with the Spirit. It wasn’t pagans or gentiles who received the baptism at Pentecost. And it wasn’t the Jews who fought against Christ. Rather it was those who had been walking side by side with Jesus for three-and-a-half years. They were ready for it. Just as you can have varying intensities of relationships with people, you can have a relationship with the Holy Spirit in varying Holy Spirit The Need 5 degrees. Did Jesus have the Holy Spirit before He began His ministry? Of course He did, but the Holy Spirit came down to Him in a special measure at His baptism. Still, “God gives not the Spirit by measure unto him” (John 3:34). This means that Jesus had a limitless supply of the Holy Spirit. Likewise, did the apostles have the Holy Spirit before Pentecost? Yes, because Jesus sent them out to preach. Would He have done that if they didn’t have the Spirit? However, they received a special fullness of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2, often called the baptism of the Holy Spirit, at the time of Pentecost. John the Baptist prophesied this in Matthew 3:11: “I indeed baptize you with water … but there is One coming after me who is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” Chapter Two A Repeatable Blessing The Holy Spirit not only comes in different degrees, but His baptism can come more than one time. For 6 Holy Spirit The Need instance, in Acts 2, the Holy Spirit is poured out on the disciples, and then again in Acts 4 and 5. We’re told that it was so powerful that the places in which they spoke the Word shook at the foundations. In the parable of the 10 virgins, half of them were not prepared for the great wedding feast. What distinguished those who were ready from those who were not ready? The amount of oil in their vessels. Every virgin had oil, which represents the Holy Spirit. But some had more than others, and those others simply didn’t have enough. It’s not enough to have the Holy Spirit in your life. Instead, you must have enough of the Holy Spirit in your life. Some Christians are satisfied to have a thin relationship with the Lord, but the Lord longs for us to be filled with the Spirit. Indeed, as we approach the end of time on this planet, the filling of the Holy Spirit is our most desperate need. Right now, the vast majority of the membership in our churches are groping spiritually in the dark because they don’t have an adequate presence of God, the Holy Spirit. Think about how many problems we bring on ourselves because we don’t have Holy Spirit The Need 7 enough Spirit. Those five virgins ended up in the dark and outside the feast because they sim- ply ran out of oil. Chapter Three Evidence of the Holy Spirit I n 1 Thessalonians 4:4, Paul enjoins, “That every one of you might know how to pos- sess his vessel in sanctification and honor.” Our bodies are temples to be filled with God’s Spirit. Out on the ocean, sailboats can be blown around by the winds. They go whichever way the wind goes. But an iceberg is sort of a paradox in that it might be heading south while the wind is blowing 50 miles an hour north. That’s possible because 90 percent of the mass of an iceberg is not seen and the current it’s in is not seen either. It’s going a different direction. Likewise, something deeper for the Christian is controlling them when they have the Holy Spirit. If we are being controlled by whichever way the wind blows, our carnal na- ture is prevailing, that’s not the Holy Spirit leading your life. When you are rooted in God and led by His Spirit, you don’t go whichever 8 Holy Spirit The Need way the wind blows. In fact, you’re being led against the wind, but you’re going with the cur- rent of God’s Spirit. Chapter Four The Latter Rain According to the Bible, Jesus is the sower of the seed. In the Hebrew agricultural economy, they depended on a regular climate and seasons to water the crop. When the time was right they would sow the seed, and in the fall they would get what they called the former rain, which would sprout the seed and enable it to grow through the winter months. Then in the springtime they would receive the latter rain. This would fatten and ripen the crop, and it would be harvested shortly after. The apostles in Acts 2 were experiencing the former rain, the time when God launched the New Testament church. He poured out His Spirit and thousands were baptized. The seeds that Jesus had been sowing through His life sprouted and began to grow almost uncontrollably. We have yet to see the latter rain, which is the special outpouring of the Spirit that prepares the last-day church for the great harvest when Holy Spirit The Need 9 Jesus comes again. In Revelation, Christ is pic- tured not only with a sword in His mouth, but with a sickle in His hand. This shows that He is coming to harvest the believers of the world. So we need this second outpouring to prepare the world. In the same way that the former rain fell on those who already knew about Christ and had a relationship with Him, so the latter rain is going to fall on God’s people. Chapter Five Seeding the Cloud Now that we know what it is and how much we need it, how do we prepare our bodies, hearts, and minds to re- ceive the baptism of the Holy Spirit and not be left out? How are we going to be ready for the latter rain? For one, we need to “seed the clouds.” It is said that a technology exists today that enables humans to make clouds rain. Pilots fly a plane through an existing cloud over lands experienc- ing drought. While in the cloud, they emit a gas laden with sodium particles into the atmo- sphere. Moisture droplets in the cloud attach to these sodium particles and form a raindrop. 10 Holy Spirit The Need Once it gets started, it ignites a chain reaction throughout the cloud to form a downpour. Jesus has given us the promise of the Holy Spirit and the latter rain, but we must seed the cloud to make it rain. We must ask for it through fasting and prayer because God’s Spirit won’t force himself on anybody. But looking through the lens of the latter rain, Zechariah 10:1 speaks volumes: “Ask ye of the Lord rain in the time of the latter rain.” It is the time of the latter rain; we’re due, so God is telling us we need to be asking now. Chapter Six Seeking the Spirit Earnestly I f our most desperate need is the Spirit, then how deeply, earnestly, and sincerely should we seek after it? Christ taught, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.” When Solomon said “that I might have wisdom,” he was asking for the Spirit, whose gifts include wisdom. When Elisha asked for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, what was he really asking for? It wasn’t as though Elijah had a special brand name of the Spirit. No, Elisha was asking for the Holy Holy Spirit The Need 11 Spirit, seeking even a double portion with all of his heart. The writer Ellen White explained, “A reviv- al of true godliness among us is the greatest and most urgent of our needs. To seek this should be our first work. There must be earnest effort to obtain the blessing of the Lord” (Selected Messages, Vol. 1, p. 121). It takes an effort to seek after God, not because He isn’t willing to bestow His blessing upon us, but because we are unprepared to receive it. So when we pray for the Holy Spirit, we’re really asking God to prepare our vessels to receive Him. White adds, “Our Heavenly Father is more willing to give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him than our earthly parents to give good gifts to their children, but it is our work by confes- sion, humiliation, repentance, and earnest prayer to fulfill the conditions upon which God has promised to grant us his blessing. A revival need be expected only in answer to prayer.” Would you like a revival? You can only expect it in answer to earnest seeking, fasting, and prayer. Historically every revival can be traced to somebody or a group praying. When Pentecost took place, the disciples were praying together in the upper room. 12 Holy Spirit The Need Chapter Seven Be Willing, Be Humble There is more we can do to be filled with the Holy Spirit. We should prepare our vessels, our minds, and bodies for the glorious honor. We also need to have a will- ingness to obey God in all things. Peter says, “And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him” (Acts 5:32). This isn’t to say that we have to be perfect. “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes” (Ezekiel 36:27). You can’t teach some- one that they’ll receive the Spirit only if they’re perfect, because it’s God Spirit that teaches you to obey Him. However, you must be willing to surrender your will to His. I imagine that when the disciples received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, they were on their knees in the upper room confessing their faults and praying for one another. By doing that, they made room in their hearts and humbled them- selves, and God filled them with the Spirit. Jesus also said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” This is a very well-known verse, but I want you to read a few more lines in: Holy Spirit The Need 13 “I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He might abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth” (John 14:15). We must be willing to obey Jesus to receive the Spirit. It can’t be put any clearer. We must also humble ourselves. People who boast that they have the Spirit while they’re walking in high-handed disobedience to God are liars. “He who says, ‘I know him’ and keepeth not his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him.” It’s a dangerous thing to be found a hypocrite. It was embarrassing to the church when, many years ago, a number of televangelists got into moral trouble with vari- ous vices. It was made very public, circulating in all the newspapers and on television. Every one of them spoke in tongues dur- ing their programs as evidence that they had the Holy Spirit, and then the media pulled back the veil and we all found out that they had disobe- dient lives. It made me wonder, Was that really the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is a very pow- erful person, and God cannot trust that power to those who will abuse it because of pride. Samson certainly had the Holy Spirit, but he ultimately abused that power and paid a price. 14 Holy Spirit The Need Chapter Eight Empty Yourself Apart of humbling ourselves for the bap- tism of the Spirit means emptying our- selves of self. We are never further from God than when we feel self-sufficient. Jesus said to the church of Laodicea, “You think you’re rich and increased with goods. You have no room in your hearts for me.” God cannot fill those who are already full. Recognizing this need goes a long way to prepare our hearts. When Elijah prayed down the rain, the people humbled themselves when the fire came down and consumed Elijah’s sacrifice. They didn’t just kneel on a knee or even two knees. They fell on their faces before God. They cried out, “The Lord, he is God!” It is the most ab- ject form of humbling yourself, like when David fell on his face to seek forgiveness for his sin. If we humble ourselves, God will lift us up. If we empty ourselves, He’ll fill us up. When we acknowledge our emptiness, humbling our- selves low, the Lord will send in the rain. If you remember, the disciples were full of them- selves during the Last Supper, arguing who was Holy Spirit The Need 15 greater than another. They didn’t get the Spirit that day, even though they really needed it. Jesus prepared His vessel. He emptied Himself of His royalty and washed His inferiors’ feet. Instead, the Spirit only came to them in the upper room when they recognized their need, put aside their pride, and emptied their vessels. Their hearts were prepared for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Once you are empty, you’re going to be hungry. One of the most important ways to prepare your vessel is a need to hunger and thirst for God. “O God, You are my God; early I will seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and a thirsty land where there is no water” (Psalms 63:1). Do you know that you’re thirsty? You ought to know that you are parched dry. If you do recognize your need, He’ll satisfy it in ways you can’t imagine. Isaiah adds, “For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground” (44:3). We need to empty ourselves and know that we’re hungry and that we thirst for the Spirit of God. “He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty” (Luke 1:53). 16 Holy Spirit The Need Chapter Nine Found in the Word The filling of the Spirit often happens in concert with the proclamation of the Word. If you want to be filled with the Spirit, you need to connect with the Bible. “While Peter was speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word” (Acts 10:44). The Holy Spirit will come in answer to prayer, and He’ll also come when you hear or study the Word. It could potentially happen here right now, as you read these Bible verses. As our hearts are stirred by God’s Word, they’re also being pre- pared. The Bible is a cultivator, a holy tiller that breaks up the fallow ground and prepares us to receive the seed. It can happen in public set- tings, like in Acts 10, or it can happen privately in study and prayer. Have you ever felt the Holy Spirit come upon you while you were studying on your own? You hear or read a passage of Scripture and, all of a sudden, the presence of God becomes so real to you. Jesus says, “The words that I speak to you they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). Christians miss a lot of opportunities Holy Spirit The Need 17 to experience the filling of the Holy Spirit be- cause we’re so often not reading about Him. Someone said, “If you have the Spirit without the Word, you’ll blow up. If you have the Word without the Spirit, you’ll dry up. If you have both the Word and the Spirit, you’ll grow up.” The Word of God in connection with the Spirit nurtures us. We need the two of them together. Chapter Ten Gather Together and Forgive This is probably going to sound like a commercial for church, but the fact is, a practical prerequisite for the filling of the Spirit is getting together in God’s name in God’s house. Hebrews 10 says that we shouldn’t forsake the gathering of ourselves, “all the more as we see the day approaching.” Again in Acts 2, it says that the disciples were all in one accord and “in one place.” God waited to fill them not when they were out at the market or in their separate homes, sepa- rated from one another. He waited until they were collected in one place, honoring and wor- shiping Him. Obviously, this doesn’t mean that 18 Holy Spirit The Need God cannot pour His Spirit on you as an indi- vidual wherever you happen to be, because that has been documented in the Bible. But if I read my Bible right, the latter rain experience is going to come down much like the former rain, in a time and place where God’s people are assembling together to hum- ble ourselves, and praying and putting aside our differences. They may be small groups; they may be big groups. In Acts 2 it was 120 people, but they were all together. “And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness” (Acts 4:31). We also find examples in the Old Testament. In Numbers 11:24, God was getting ready to baptize the leaders of Israel with the Spirit. “So Moses … gathered the seventy men of the el- ders of the people and placed them around the tabernacle. Then the Lord came down in the cloud, and he spoke unto him, and the Lord took of the Spirit that was upon him, and placed the same upon the seventy elders.” God said, “Gather the people together” to the tab- ernacle, and He took the Holy Spirit that He Holy Spirit The Need 19 had given Moses and gave it to the people as a corporate body. It bears mentioning that two individuals, Eldad and Medad, didn’t feel worthy to come with the 70 elders. They stayed in the camp, thinking that Moses’ spirit was too good for them. But the Holy Spirit fell on them too. So it can happen to individuals that might be separated, but they also were humble; in fact, I believe their humility is the reason why Moses documented them individually. But don’t miss the point: We need to not forsake the assembling of ourselves because that is one way God will baptize us with His Spirit. Besides, wouldn’t it be a tragedy to have the latter rain experience fall upon your church on the day that you stayed home? Wouldn’t you feel awful? I’d feel terrible if I missed it! Trust me, you want to be there, so take every oppor- tunity to go to church and fellowship with your Christian family. While we’re together, we need to forgive one another if we’re ever going to expect the filling of the Spirit. We often have unsightly blisters in our vessels that render us unfit to re- ceive the Holy Spirit. When we harbor, cherish, 20 Holy Spirit The Need and feed the anger and resentment that we have for other people, we grieve the Holy Spirit. As Jesus forgave us, so we ought to forgive one an- other. It’s important to have an attitude and the mind of Christ. When Acts 2 says that the dis- ciples were in one accord, it means they might have been divided before. They had put aside their differences, forgave one another, and be- came one. Chapter Eleven Expect the Promise J esus promised, “If I go to the Father, the Comforter will come.” In the days of Elijah, a terrible famine raged for three-and-a-half years. People were dying from starvation, and they were in desperate need of rain—another symbol of God’s Spirit. Elijah prayed for rain just like the apostles prayed for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. And he prayed earnestly on his knees until it came. But he did more than that. In faith, he ex- pected the rain to come. He sent his servant out and asked, “Do you see anything yet?” When they didn’t see anything, Elijah prayed again, and he kept on praying seven times until Holy Spirit The Need 21 they finally saw the cloud coming. It was just a little cloud in the beginning, but that little cloud was all he needed to be sure. According to Luke 11:13, if we ask earnest- ly and sincerely, we should expect to receive the gift: “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to them that ask.” One of the last things Jesus said was, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22). For John, the great commission is to “Receive the Holy Spirit,” for that will lead to preaching of the gospel in a way you can’t imagine. Christ breathed on those who were there with Him, and He wants to breathe on you. The Lord wants you to have the Holy Spirit. Jesus died to purchase you that great gift, so the promise to receive the baptism is sure. Chapter Twelve The Good Storm When we pray for the Spirit, we’re re- ally asking for a storm. And God is going to send a storm, so you need to be sure you really want it. When Elijah 22 Holy Spirit The Need prayed for rain, the storm grew so big that he got drenched. “Now it happened in the mean- time the sky became black with clouds and the wind, and there was a heavy rain” (1 Kings 18:45). Elijah got caught in a storm and could barely see his way. When God sends His Spirit, you might get caught in the storm. That could be a good thing; it just depends on what your plans are. If you’ve just planted some seeds and it rains, that’s good news. If you’re planning a wedding, it’s not so good. If you’re praying for the Holy Spirit to be poured out, you better be prepared for your plans to change. What else happened when the disciples re- ceived the outpouring of the Spirit? They were praying in the upper room when the Spirit came to them in the form of tongues of fire. A fire burns; it’s a hot, purging element. The bap- tism of the Spirit does not come like a gentle wind, but as a loud noise and a fierce fire. Being filled with the Spirit can also be expensive in terms of the world. After the Holy Spirit was poured out on the disciples, the Bible reports, “Now all who believed were together they had all things in common, Holy Spirit The Need 23 they sold their possessions and goods, and di- vided them among all, as anyone had need. No man said that ought that he had was his own.” The disciples had to leave many things behind when the Spirit fell on them, some giving up all they had. Peter, James, and John—no record that they ever went fish- ing again. Andrew, Matthew—they didn’t go back to the tax-collecting booth. Paul lost a promising career in the Sanhedrin. It was ex- pensive for all of them to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Of course, to them it was a worth- while sacrifice, but you need to be prepared for some struggle. Chapter Thirteen God’s Purging Spirit When the Holy Spirit is poured out, there is very little toleration for even the “smallest” sin in a life and in a church. As soon as someone began to teach inappropriate theology in the newly estab- lished, Spirit-filled church, he or she was called on it. When Simon said, “Let me pay for the Holy Spirit,” the apostles came down on him. They asked, “Do you think the Holy Spirit can 24 Holy Spirit The Need be bought as though it’s a commodity? It’s the person of God! God forbid!” When the church was Spirit-filled, Ananias and Sapphira told a little half-truth about their offering and they dropped dead. They were ac- tive members of the church, but that’s what happens when the Spirit of God is present. Accountability soars. Frankly, we’d be having a lot more funerals if God showed that kind of accountability right now—for people robbing Him, being dishonest, and the little things we often wink at now in the church. One of the signs that our church isn’t yet Spirit-filled is that we tolerate so much sin in our ranks. Jesus said, “The Holy Spirit, he will con- vict you of sin.” Your sensitivity regarding sin is heightened when you receive the baptism (some might call you a fanatic for that). You’ll recognize your complete unworthiness before God, and that can be a difficult, humbling ex- perience. However, your love will be intensified too, but you won’t wink at sin as though it’s not something offensive to God. So make sure that you know what you’re asking for. Are you prepared to have the Lord do a purging work in your life? Holy Spirit The Need 25 Chapter Fourteen The Devil’s Fury But more than that, being filled with the Holy Spirit will attract the anger of the devil. When the disciples began to preach, they were immediately mocked. As soon as the Holy Spirit came upon them, so did the ridicule. Acts 2:13 records, “Others mocking said, ‘They’re full of new wine.’” Of course, you don’t have to roll around on the ground to be mocked. You don’t have to babble in tongues to be mocked. You live a holy life, a Spirit-filled life, and you’ll be mocked. They were also imprisoned and persecuted when they received the Holy Spirit. By Acts 3, just one chapter later, they’re already in jail. Are you ready to pray for the Holy Spirit and go to jail for it? In Acts 4, angry men “laid hands on them, and they put them in custody.” In Acts 8, “At that time a great persecution arose against the church.” Just when the church is filled with God’s Spirit, persecution comes. That should be ex- pected. Most of us have easy sailing because we are no threat to the devil. Wouldn’t you rather have the smooth sailing that comes from the 26 Holy Spirit The Need approbation of the world? Jesus said, “Woe unto you when all men speak well of you for so they did of the false prophets.” If you’re Spirit- filled, you are going to rile up the resistance of the enemy. For the disciples, that meant a death sen- tence. They were killed after the outpouring of the Spirit. Steven was stoned to death, and James was killed by King Herod in Acts 12. Indeed, it became a life-and-death issue. Of the 12 apostles, only one died of old age. But to them it was worth it to be one with God and be filled His Spirit. Chapter Fifteen Make Your Stand Would you pray for the baptism of the Holy Spirit knowing that it is going to bring a storm in your life? That fact is, you only have two choices. If you’re going to pray for God’s Spirit, be prepared like Elijah to get caught in the storm. I want the baptism of the Holy Spirit, because what else are my options? “He that doesn’t have the Spirit of God is none of His.” It’s either filled with the Holy Spirit or separated from Christ and Holy Spirit The Need 27 flowing with the world to oblivion. You choose which one is better in terms of eternity. “And it will come to pass afterward in the last days that I will pour out My Spirit” (Joel 2:28). God doesn’t sprinkle, He pours. And what happens when He does that? Just keep reading: “and your sons and your daugh- ters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Also on My menservants and on My maid- servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: Blood and fire and pillars of smoke.” The part about the Spirit is certainly beau- tiful, and it’s amazing that sons and daughters will prophesy, but don’t miss that the blood and the fire and the smoke all come in concert. “The sun will be turned to darkness, the moon into blood before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.” The great and terrible day of the Lord is not far off. Would you choose to prophesy for God, or be consumed by the tempest to come? We urgently need to have the Spirit poured upon us. “And I’ll show wonders … and it will 28 Holy Spirit The Need come to pass that whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” The filling of the Holy Spirit is there for the asking, but we need to ask. Chapter Sixteen What About Your Church? Achurch without the filling of the Holy Spirit is a church with a form of reli- gion but no power. Some churches are like a bus that has run out of gas. With all the events they have to get to, the passengers don’t want to stop. So a number of them will get out to push. Sure, the bus will move, but it won’t go far. People get tired of pushing. Churches are likewise being pushed by members rather than fueled by the Spirit. The bus needs gas; the church needs the Holy Spirit. Churches are designed not to run on people power, but with God’s power. Too many churches have people pushing, because we all have our precious programs. Those programs are making progress, but to what effect? It’s like going to a convention where they have new ideas to get members in- volved and devise new ways to raise money for Holy Spirit The Need 29 church needs. It’s good stuff. But the church doesn’t really need all that. What it needs is men and women filled with the Spirit. The baptism of fire is the most desperate need of the church. John Taylor said, “I’ve never heard of a committee being adjourned because those present were waiting for the arrival of the Holy Spirit.” I’ve never seen a project abandoned for lack of the Holy Spirit. We will abandon a project for lack of funds, but when have you ever seen a church program dismissed be- cause of the lack of Spirit? We’ll always wait to start a project until we have enough funds, but we’ll move forward even if the Holy Spirit is lacking. We’ll go forward Spiritless because, “Well, we’ve made the plans. We need to move ahead.” But how much better off we’d be if we could have the baptism of the Holy Spirit in all our projects? A church that is filled with the Spirit is an unstoppable bus that will plow through road- blocks. Even if it has a flat or a little oil leak, it can still do its mission. With the baptism of the Holy Spirit, we’d get a lot further in spreading the gospel than where we get with media. The 30 Holy Spirit The Need disciples did much more without media than we’re doing with television. What did they have that we’re lacking? The fullness of the Spirit. They turned the Roman Empire upside down, uneducated fishermen without college degrees. But they did have the baptism of the Spirit. What separated the wise from the foolish virgins? Some had full vessels, some were only partially full. Today rescue workers have infrared detec- tion equipment to use when they’re searching the countryside for someone who is missing. A living person puts off a heat signature that helps them locate the lost child or a missing hiker. But for the equipment to work, the per- son being sought after must be alive. Once their bodies grow cold, nothing is detected. Jesus said that when He comes, iniquity will abound and the love of many will grow cold (Matthew 24:12). If we hope for our Savior to rescue us from above when He returns, we must have the love of the Holy Spirit glowing in our hearts or His procession of angels will simply fly by. Holy Spirit The Need 31 Chapter Seventeen A Prayer No matter what happens, no matter the backlash, choosing God and His Spirit will give you and your church peace because you know you have chosen the right side. If you don’t know how to ask right now, I want to share with you this prayer for you and your church. Father in heaven, we know that the baptism of your Spirit is our most desperate need. So we’re praying for what Solomon asked for and for what Elisha asked for. We’re praying that you will show us what it was like when the disciples received your outpouring in the upper room. Our church needs this more than anything, Lord. So please come into our hearts now. We believe this is something you want to give us even more than we want to ask, so fill us with your Spirit that we might walk with Jesus, that we might love and forgive others, that we might have the power to be a great witness. 32 Holy Spirit The Need Everything in the Christian life is strength- ened and made possible by having God in us. If you really want the baptism of the Holy Spirit in your life, you can expect it because the Lord wants to give it to you. God will fill you with His presence and will work great wonder through you.

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