The Purpose of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit

Why do I need the Baptism in the Holy Spirit? There are three reasons as to why I need the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

1. Power Acts 1:8 "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you..." We need the Holy Spirit in our lives because He gives us power we don't have. There are three areas we need power.

• Power to overcome sinful habits Romans 8:10-12 "10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you." God has given us His Holy Spirit so that we can overcome sin. If you are struggling with sin then you need to have power in your life to break sinful habits. When you are filled with the Holy Spirit that same power that raised Jesus from the dead is living inside you. Now that's power! If we only knew the power that is in us. If you are filled with God's Spirit and have sinful habits in your life then you need to understand God's power that is in you. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit will give you power over sin.


• Power to be a witness Acts 1:8 "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me" If you are shy, then being Baptized in the Holy Spirit will give you boldness to be a witness for God. The Holy Spirit will help you to not be ashamed of the gospel. Peter was an example of being a bad witness for Christ when he denied the Lord three times. He was afraid to stand up for Christ. But after he was filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost he stood up boldly in front of a large crowd witnessing for Christ.


• Power to do what Jesus did John 14:12 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father." Before Jesus began His public ministry, he was baptized in the Holy Spirit (Matt. 3:12-14). Before the disciples were to go and do ministry Jesus said they were to be filled with the Spirit (Acts 1:4). Do you want a powerful ministry? Then you need the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

2. Possession Eph. 1:13-14 "In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory."

God called Israel his treasured possession. Duet 7:6 "For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession." The word possess has a since of ownership. He has been looking for a people He can call his own. When someone is "demon possessed" they are owned by the the Devil. When I am Baptized in the Holy Spirit I am possessed by God. I need to be "God Possessed!" 1 Cor 6:19-20 says, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body."

We all are controlled by something. It maybe alcohol, drugs, lusts or addictions. David said in one of the psalms, "God you are my Stronghold!" If we are going to be controlled or possessed by something, it might as well be God! I need The Baptism in the Holy Spirit to remind me that I am owned by God. I am His.

3. Prayer Life 1 Cor 2:10-11 "But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God." If you want to go deeper with God then you need the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit deepens your worship of the Lord through giving you a language of praise that we have not learned - speaking in tongues.

Tongues is a personal language of prayer. 1 Cor 14:2,4, 14 "For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries..... 4 He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself,...14 for if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays,..." When we pray in tongues the Spirit of God is praying through us. Paul said in Romans 8:26,27 that there are difficult times when we don't know how to pray as we should. But the Spirit intercedes for us with groanings that cannot be uttered, that are too deep for words. If you want to go deeper with God then you need the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

Why do you need the Baptism in the Holy Spirit? You need the Baptism so you can have power, know that you are God's possession and have a prayer language that will help you go deeper.

Have you received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit?

What are your thoughts on The Baptism in the Holy Spirit?

Are there any other reasons for having the Baptism in the Spirit?

Winning the War against Sin

Do you struggle with sin?

Galations 5:16-17

16So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. 17For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.

There is a battle that is raging inside of every person. The opponents are: the flesh and the Spirit. They are at war against each other. The struggle is whether we will surrender to the sinful nature’s desires and submit to sin’s control, or whether we will yield to the Spirit’s demands and continue under Christ’s dominion.

Jesus knew about this struggle between flesh and Spirit. In Matt 26:41 Jesus told the sleeping disciples to watch and pray...why because...the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Paul himself battled against the flesh and Spirit. Romans 7:15f he says, "15I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
21So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22For in my inner being I delight in God's law; 23but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. 24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! " If the disciples and Paul struggled with the sinful nature, I believe you and I will battle ourselves aginst the sinful nature.

The question is how do we win the war against our sinful nature and the Spirit? In Galations 5:16-25 Paul gives us three weapons to help us win the war against our sinful nature. I will talk about the first weapon in this blog.

The first weapon is found in v. 16. It says, "So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature." The first weapon in winning against the sinful nature is....The Spirit. If I am going to "win against sin," then I've got to "walk in the Spirit." God has given us His Spirit to overcome sin. Romans 8:11 "11And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you." As long as you are under the guidance and government of the Holy Spirit, and of the spiritual nature he has put in us, we will win the war. God's Spirit in you is the key to overcoming your fleshly, sinful desires.

What does it mean to Live in the Spirit? If this is one of the keys for us to win against sin then we better have a good understanding of what it means to Live in the Spirit. We are going to look at Romans 8:5-11 and Galations 6:8 to give us an understanding of what Living by the Spirit means.

1. A Person Who Lives by the Spirit will have the Spirit Living in Them (Romans 8:9-11) "9You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if any one does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you." The word "if" tells me that God's Spirit is or is not in you. How do I know if God's Spirit is in me? God's Word suggest two ways I know His Spirit is in me.

a. The moment I believe Eph 1:13
"...Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit." If you have received Jesus as your Savior than you have His Spirit living in You.

b. The moment I recieve the Baptism in the Holy Spirit Acts 10:44-46
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. 45 And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. 46 For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. How did everyone know they were filled with God's Spirit? The evidence was speaking in an unkown language. I believe the initial evidence of having God's Spirit in you is speaking in tongues. It is a sign that God's Spirit is living in you. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is the entry into the Spirit-filled life. And it is key in overcoming the sinful nature in us.

2. A Person Who Lives by the Spirit will have their Mind Set on the What the Spirit Desires(Romans 8:5) "5Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires." The key to living in the Spirit is setting our minds on what the Spirit desires. Are you thinking on carnal pleasures, worldly pursuits, sinful desires or on Godly desires?

What we think on will determine if we live by the sinful nature or by the Spirit. The Bible says as a man thinks in his heart, so is he. Rom 13:13-14 13Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature. The person who is led by the Spirit will have his mind set on things like Paul describes in Philippians 4:8, "8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things." If you are constantly setting your mind on sinful desires you will eventually act out sinful desires.

Change your thinking. Rom 12:2 "2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind."

3. A Person Who Lives By the Spirit will Feed His Spirit (Galatians 6:8)
“For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life”
John 3:6
“6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.”
Whatever you feed is what grows.
ILL: Two wolves - - One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson a bout a little battle that goes on inside of people. He said. "My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all. One is evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, lies, superiority, and ego. The other is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy, truth, compassion and faith. The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?" The old cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."
Feed your Spirit and starve your flesh. The believer must learn how to walk in the Spirit so that their Spirit is predominate over their flesh.

How feed my Spirit? Spiritual Disciplines
a. Reading God’s Word – Spiritual Food
Matt 4:4
4Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'
How Jesus overcame the sin temptations by knowing God’s Word

b. Prayer Life
Matt 26:40-41
40Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. 41"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."
The disciples neglected to keep watch and pray, the only thing that could save them from failure.
Failure in our Christian life is absolutely certain without prayer.
There can be no real power in our battle against sin without much daily prayer.

c. Fasting and Prayer
I have learned through the years that when I draw aside from television, media, and all the activities of eating and satisfying my flesh, my Spirit begins to hear from God

d. Praying in the Spirit
1 Cor 14:2
2For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit.
4He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself,… 14For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 15So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.

How do you walk in the Spirit? Feed your spirit. Spiritual disciplines of Bible Reading, Prayer, Fasting, and Praying in the Spirit

There is a battle that is raging in us between the flesh and the Spirit.
If we are going to win the war against the sinful nature than Paul instructs us to Walk in the Spirit. God has given us his HS so that we can have power over sin. If I am going to Walk in the Spirit….
· I need to have the Spirit of God
· I need to have my mind set on the Spirit of God
· I need to feed my Spirit

When we do these things we will win the war against sin.

Indianapolis Indians Baseball Game and Pics

I took the baseball team that I coach to an Indianapolis Indians ballgame . Here are some pictures for your enjoyment.

By the way the Lost 12 -1. The fans started "booing" the pitchers because they walked so many batters.