Jesus My Lord and My God   Ajit Leons Ministries

How do we do baptism with the Holy Spirit?

In this second part of the Born Again in the Spirit series, Brother Ajit Leons speaks on how we do the baptism with the Holy Spirit:

The Baptism with the Holy Spirit is effected through the ritual of baptizing in the name of Jesus Christ and/ or by those who have received the Holy Spirit placing their hands on the people, as given in the readings below. As one can give only what one has; those who had the Holy Spirit could give the Holy Spirit to others. Anyway, even when such baptism is done in this manner, Jesus Christ is the one who causes it through the persons placing their hands.

On receiving and being filled with the Holy Spirit, the apostles (Acts 2.1-13) become empowered and boldly begin their mission of spreading the Good News and preaching Jesus Christ, and praising God, speaking in strange tongues, healing, and so on; like a powerful spiritual awakening.

 Acts 2.38:Peter said to them, “Each one of you must turn from his sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins will be forgiven; and you will receive God’s gift, the Holy Spirit…”

 Acts 8.14-17: The apostles in Jerusalem heard that the people of Samaria had received the word of God, so they sent Peter and John to them. When they arrived, they prayed for the believers that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For the Holy Spirit had not yet come down on any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Acts 9.1-19 (The Conversion of Saul to St. Paul):
A Christian in Damascus named Ananias had a vision in which Jesus tells him that Saul had a vision in which a man named Ananias placed his hands on him so that he could see again, therefore, Jesus asks him to go to Saul. Although Ananias expressed his apprehensions in going, Jesus told him of his purpose of making Saul his witness. So Ananias went and placed his hands on Saul saying, “…the Lord…sent me…so that you might see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”…he was able to see again…he …was baptized…

Acts 10.28-29, 34-35 (Acts 11.1-10) & 44-48 (Acts 11.15-17) (Peter’s education and Gentiles receive the Holy Spirit): 
When Peter was unwilling to go to Gentiles, God corrects him. While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit came down on all those who were listening to his message. The Jewish believers…were amazed that God had poured out his gift of the Holy Spirit on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speaking in strange tongues and praising God’s greatness…Peter spoke up: “These people have received the Holy Spirit, just as we also did. Can anyone, then, stop them from being baptized with water?” So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ…

 Acts 19.1-4, 5-6:  Paul … arrived in Ephesus…found some disciples and ²asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?”

“We have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit,” they answered.

“Well, then, what kind of baptism did you receive?” Paul asked.

“The baptism of John,” they answered.

Paul said, “The baptism of John was for those who turned from their sins; and he told the people of Israel to believe in the one who was coming after him – that is, in Jesus.”

When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Paul placed his hands on them, and the Holy Spirit came upon them; they spoke in strange tongues and also proclaimed God’s message.

Another way of receiving the Baptism with the Holy Spirit is directly through faith in Lord Jesus Christ or the words of Jesus Christ, i.e. the Word of God as noted under.

 Acts 11.17: It is clear that God gave those Gentiles the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ…

Jn 6.63; What gives life is God’s Spirit; man’s power is of no use at all. The words I have spoken to you bring God’s life-giving Spirit.

Acts 5.29, 32: Peter and the other apostles replied, “We must obey God not men…We are witnesses…we and the Holy Spirit, who is God’s gift to those who obey him.”

The process of “Being Born Again”

“Each time you succumb to temptation, ‘Sin is born in you’; but each time you overcome temptation, you are ‘Born again in Spirit’.”

Jesus gave me a story which will make this concept simple and clear. It is the story of  “The Pearl and the Oyster”

An oyster may be described as consisting of two shells closed at one end and the other end opens and shuts as and when it wants to take in fresh water to breathe. The inner part of the shells has flesh fused to them. They are usually found, in nature, on the floor of the seas.

When it needs to take in fresh water and breathe, it opens the side of the shells which is shut. Along with fresh water sometimes a grain of sand or the like may enter the space between the flesh in the shells.. After it shuts its shells, according to its nature in creation, the oyster will try to reject and remove the irritant sand or whatever. To do so, the oyster produces fluids/juices which in time solidify and become pearls. Depending on various factors oysters will produce pearls of different sizes, colour and quality.

In other words, in the process of resisting /rejecting an irritant, as per its nature in this regard, an oyster produces a pearl; a thing different from itself that it did not have initially, and that is of great value, more beautiful than itself  and which will live even after it dies. Pearl-fishers bring up the oysters from which they take the pearls and throw away the oysters which die. Although the oyster is thrown away, the pearl is kept as a precious thing of great value; the cost of each will depend on the quality, colour and size.

If this is what an oyster does, as per its nature in creation; then, what should man be able to do as per his nature in creation? No doubt man is also supposed to resist/reject irritants, which for him will be temptations, and thereby produce/ grow in his spirituality/ holiness. In fact, man has a distinct advantage because he need not produce something that is not within him already like the poor oysters, since God has made him in His own image and given him the gift of His breath and a soul. Man need only to increase the purity/holiness of his soul which, like the pearl, will live after his body dies. Man can do so only if he is controlled by the Spirit, which is why Jesus says that one cannot enter the Kingdom of God unless he is born again in the Spirit.

And just as each pearl will find the way to a place/position of value according to its quality, size and colour, so also, each soul will attain its place/position in heaven according to its state of being sinless or its purity/holiness/magnificence, i.e. its state of being born again in Spirit.