Empowered By The SpiritBy Harald BredesenThirty years ago a Lutheran minister named Harald Bredesen invented the term "Charismatic renewal." Today he's still offering a straight-forward message on why Christians need the baptism in the Holy Spirit. 
John the Baptist, waist deep in the Jordan, sees Jesus coming toward him to be baptized. No bystander knows who Jesus is. But the Holy Spirit has just told John. Now John tells the world. "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" the Baptist shouts. "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."Like a master of ceremonies, he introduces Jesus on the stage of world history. He foretells His two most important roles: Lamb of God, who meets our need for salvation, and Baptizer with the Holy Spirit, who meets our need for power. In 1946, when I was a Lutheran minister, I went to Pennsylvania's Green Lane Assemblies of God camp meeting searching for the baptism in the Spirit. My experience was somewhat like jumping off a cliff. I knew of no mainline church pastor who had received the baptism and survived in his pastorate. We Lutherans stood on "the Word alone," but we had somehow missed knowing Jesus as the Baptizer, even though all four Gospels introduce Him in that role. "But isn't every Christian baptized with the Holy Spirit?" many ask. "Doesn't I Corinthians 12:13 say, 'For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body'?" Indeed it does, but the baptism of which we speak is not by the Spirit, but by Jesus Christ. The sixth chapter of Hebrews refers to "the doctrine of baptisms"--plural (see v.2). To distinguish between these baptisms, ask four questions. Who is the baptizer? What is the element? What is the baptism's purpose and what is its evidence? John the Baptist said, "I indeed baptize you with water unto, repentance" (Matt. 3:11, NKJV). In this passage, John is the baptizer, and the element is water. Its purpose is to demonstrate repentance. And the evidence is a changed life. In I Corinthians 12:13, the baptizer is the Holy Spirit. He baptizes us into Christ's body to make us partakers of His life. The evidence of this baptism is the fruit of the Spirit who indwells us. Love, joy, peace and all the other fruits express Christ's life and character. When he introduces Jesus, John speaks of a baptism in which Jesus is the Baptizer: "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit" (Mark 1:8). The baptismal element is the Holy Spirit, and the purpose is power. Jesus told his disciples, "After the Holy Ghost has come upon you, you shall receive power" (Acts 1:8). The evidence of this baptism is the gifts of the Spirit, with tongues almost invariably coming first. There are various kinds of tongues. One type--the prayer and worship language--is for private use and personal edification. It does not need to be interpreted. In fact, Paul informs us that although he spoke in tongues more often than all the Corinthians, when he did, his understanding was unfruitful. He describes his use of a prayer language as praying "with the spirit" (1 Cor. 14:15). This prayer and worship language is indispensable for every Spirit-filled Christian. The other most common kind of tongue is for public use, which includes messages that must be interpreted. Paul tells us this type is given so the church can be edified. Why were tongues given first on the day of Pentecost? Was it, as some say, to enable the speakers to preach the gospel in the hearers' own language? No, the disciples weren't preaching; they were magnifying God and worshiping Him. WHY SHOULD I SPEAK IN TONGUES?Another reason He gives the gift of tongues first is to enable us to build our faith for the appropriation of other spiritual gifts. When you receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, you enter a treasure room. There are many other gifts, such as miracles, faith that moves mountains, the word of knowledge, the word of wisdom and discernment of spirits. How are we to appropriate these gifts? Martin Luther tells us, "Faith is the arm that reaches out to take the gift God offers." But our arm of faith is weak and short. So God's first gift is the one that edifies the user. With it, we can build up our arm of faith to appropriate other gifts we may need. That's why when someone with a great need comes to me, I find myself instinctively praying in tongues. "The chief end of man," the Westminster Catechism tells us, "is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever." Because tongues, above the other gifts, is a worship gift, it helps us fulfill our primary reason for being: to glorify God and enjoy Him. Folks always ask me, "Do I have to speak in tongues to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit?" I give them evangelist David Wilkerson's answer: "You don't have to. You get to. It's part of the package." Perhaps you are asking, "How do I receive this baptism?" There is nothing complicated about it. You must approach Jesus as your Baptizer exactly the way you approach Him as the Lamb of God--by grace through faith. Because it's by grace, you don't have to look at yourself and ask, "Am I spiritual enough?" The reasons Satan will give you why you are not a worthy candidate are the very reasons you need Jesus as your Baptizer. Praise God for grace! A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE HOLY SPIRITDuring their first morning at the house, a nun told them: "We're sorry you couldn't get water for your bath this morning. The plumber tells us there's no water in the well." "If Jesus were here--and He is here," one of the professors said, "He'd fill this well for us." They went into the chapel and asked Jesus to fill the well, then thanked Him for doing it. When they turned on the faucet, the water gushed out. With that miracle, the revival began that has influenced millions of Catholics worldwide. Was the well filled when they turned on the faucet or when they believed? When they believed, of course. Turning on the faucet and receiving water was the privilege the full well gave them. Is a person filled with the Spirit when he speaks in tongues or when he believes? When he believes. But speaking in tongues is the privilege a full well gives the believer. One of my favorite Scriptures about the baptism in the Spirit is Luke 11:11-13: "If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" To whom will your heavenly Father give His Spirit? To all those who ask. Jesus gave you His word. He promised. When some people come to this step, they fear they might receive something evil. But if you ask the Father for the full-ness of His Spirit, Jesus says you don't have to worry that He will give you anything else. Are you willing to ask Him? You can do it right now. I suggest a prayer like this: Heavenly Father, I thank You for the promise of Your Spirit. Jesus, You are my Savior. I trust You now by grace through faith. You are the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. I'm not waiting for any sign or feeling to believe that You have baptized me with the Holy Spirit. I receive your gift. Thank You that I am now a Spirit-filled child of God. Amen. Notice that in this prayer you didn't ask God to give you the gift of tongues. Yet whenever the baptism in the Spirit is mentioned in the Bible, speaking in tongues accompanies the experience. How did Jewish believers know the Gentiles in Cornelius' household had received the infilling of the Spirit? "They heard them speak with tongues" (Acts 10:46). Nevertheless, I'm not going to ask God to give you tongues. Why ask for what is already yours? Instead of telling people to ask for the gift of tongues, I urge them, with the words of the apostle Paul, to "stir up the gift of God which is in you" (2 Tim. 1:6). "Stir up?" you say. "You mean I have to do something? I thought when I spoke with tongues it would be all of God, nothing of me." "All of God, nothing of me." That's a lovely phrase, so spiritual, so humble. But it's heresy! That's the way demons operate. Unclean spirits come into a medium, violate her personality and speak through her. The Holy Spirit doesn't come to violate your personality, but to liberate it; not to possess you but to fill you; not to drive you but to release you. The Holy Spirit doesn't want mediums, robots or zombies. He wants partners. PRACTICAL STEPSYou make the sound by furnishing the raw material. God helps you with the utterance. He helps you shape the sound of your voice into words. Acts 2:4 says, "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (emphasis added). Don't speak words your mind understands. As long as you do, your mind will remain in control. Don't listen to yourself. Can you imagine a little child learning to talk? Does he say, "Ma-ma-ma-ma," and then stop with: "I can't say that. That's not a language"? No, he just hugs his daddy's neck and prattles away. When Jesus was going to feed the 5,000, He didn't say: "Folks, stand over there and watch Me do My thing. This miracle will be all of Me, nothing of you, and God will get all of the glory." Instead, He said, "Lay on the line what you've got. You're going to furnish the raw material. You're going to be a partner with me in this miracle." They gave him what they had--a little bread and fish. From that small lunch He fashioned a feast for thousands. Jesus' glory is not in doing it all by Himself. His glory is in bringing us into a partnership with Himself. As you walk in this partnership with Him, remember that speaking in tongues affects many other areas of your life as well. Give Him what you have, and let Him fashion the feast. Harald Bredesen helped introduce Pat Boone, Pat Robertson and many others to the baptism in the Holy Spirit. He is the former pastor of Mount Vernon Dutch Reformed Church in New York City and now resides in California. This information is from Charisma Magazine, August 1994 Edition |
