Written by Mark Driskill:
Thursday November 18, 2010
Read Acts 2:3
The church was born when the first believers were baptized in the Holy Spirit. As a believer in Jesus Christ this is your birthright. Have you stepped into it? There is a great deal of confusion and uncertainty among us about this. But we cannot afford to neglect this crucial element of our Christian lives.
What is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and what does it look like? Without wanting to be too religious and create a legalistic formula I think we can see here in Acts 2 some common evidences of this baptism.
- “Tongues of fire” - I have no idea what a tongue of fire would look like. To me this is a strange image. Whatever happened it was clear that they were receiving new tongues, figuratively if not literally. They did not get just an improvement on their own tongues. They received new tongues from heaven. When the Holy Spirit baptizes you, he gives you something more than an improvement on what you have, he gives you something divine you did not have. There may be a gift or ability that was as foreign to you as a language you have never learned that suddenly is granted to you. Or it may be a greater depth of love or faith.
- “Appeared to” - Somehow these disciples literally saw tongues of fire. When the Holy Spirit baptizes you there is often some sort of visible or tangible evidence. Some report visions while others report new languages, and others a feeling of divine presence that is unmistakable. Let us not fall into the trap of prescribing specific experiences. But understand the Holy Spirit often manifests in a noticeable and unmistakeable way.
- “Rested upon” - The tongues of fire rested upon the believers. I get the image of a crown resting on the head, or a mantle resting upon the shoulders. The Spirit does not come for a visit but to rest upon us and give us a new authority and power that remains as we walk in it. This resting implies more than a fleeting experience but a lasting empowerment. I once had such an experience of baptism in the spirit and noticed a greater boldness in my preaching and teaching than I had had before.
- “Each of them” - This is the exciting part. This upper room was filled with men and women, and likely a few children. Each and every one of them received this anointing. There were no gender restrictions or age requirements. There was no degree required or rejected. The spirit came in power upon every believer with no apparent distinctions between one or the other. When the Holy Spirit baptizes a person they receive no less than anyone else. The preacher doesn’t get more than the usher, nor the teacher more than the attender.
The church was born a congregation of anointed believers set on fire by the power of God. How dare we think we can get by with anything less?
Mark Driskill and his wife Mary are homeschooling community ministers in Breathitt County Kentucky. They have four children. They co pastor Emmanuel fellowship Church, serve as Camp Pastors at Bethel Mennonite Camp, and Mark Teaches at Oakdale Christian Academy. Mark is web minister for Begotten by the Word , a ministry of Helping Hands Christian Resources. Once a month he preaches on the local radio station through the “Lion of Judah” program.
Mark also preaches in youth rallies and revivals upon request at no charge. Their vision is to see true spiritual awakening come to the mountains of Eastern Kentucky and to the nation.
Contact information:
Email: driskill@hillbillymail.com
Facebook: Mark Driskill
Address: PO Box 1159 Jackson KY.
