I. The Word: Luke 11:5-13

⁵ Then He said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; ⁶ for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; ⁷ and from inside he answers and says, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.’ ⁸ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs.

⁹ “So I say to you, ^aask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened. ¹¹ Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? ¹² Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? ¹³ 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?”

II. Reflection Questions:

1. Do you boldly share the gospel with others?
2. Have you been baptized in the Holy Spirit?
3. Have you sought the baptism in the Holy Spirit?

As I mentioned in my prior post, the full process of a spiritual birth is comprised of four steps: 1) repentance toward God; 2) faith in Jesus; 3) baptism in water; and 4) receiving the Holy Spirit. If you have repented and believed on Jesus but have not been baptized in the Holy Spirit, you are like I was for ten years after I became a Christian. I was “saved,” but I didn’t have any power in my life.

Jesus told the disciples when they were baptized in the Holy Spirit they would receive power. See Acts 1:8. Like the disciples in Acts 2, the Samaritans in Acts 8, and the Ephesians in Acts 19, this was an event that followed, but was separate from, conversion. If you are already a Christian but are not yet baptized in the Holy Spirit, there are four things you can do.

Seek. As I studied the Bible I could tell my life experience didn’t line up with that of Jesus’ disciples and first century Christians. So, I began to seek. I began to read the passages in the Bible about the baptism in the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit. When Jesus said that we should seek, He did so in the context of asking for the Holy Spirit. See Luke 11:10-13. He also said we should not just ask once but should keep seeking and keep asking. Luke 11:10.

Believe. As I read the Bible my faith grew and I became convinced the baptism in the Holy Spirit was not just for the first century Church and that spiritual gifts had not ceased. My faith was essential. Paul told the Galatians that, like salvation, the baptism in Holy Spirit is made possible by our faith. See Galatians 3:1-2.

Ask. Jesus said, “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?” Luke 11:13. After I had sought and began believing, I began running into people who asked if I had been baptized in Holy Spirit. My response was “No, but I want to be.” Finally, I asked someone to pray for me, and she put her hand on me (the Biblical default procedure for people to receive the Holy Spirit) and prayed, and I prayed and asked.

Receive The Holy Spirit does not force Himself on anyone. One must be ready and willing to receive. When Jesus breathed on the disciples prior to Pentecost He said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” See John 20:19. If I were to hand a gift to you and you wanted to receive it from me you would hold out your arms ready to receive it.

By the time someone prayed for me, I was ready to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit, and I did. Immediately I felt a power flowing into my belly and moving up into my mouth. My life has not been the same since then. I experienced a boldness I never had before, I began eagerly sharing the Gospel with others, and I began to get victory over sin in my life.

One last bit of advice, lest you believe what I’ve described is some sort of magical formula. The Holy Spirit is not a genie in a bottle that can be conjured. He is the Creator of the universe. Jesus described the Holy Spirit as being like the wind, which blows whichever way it will. See John 3:8. My wife was baptized in the Holy Spirit in college while praying alone in her room. Others have had different experiences. But start with the Biblical pattern, and if you still don’t receive, keep seeking, keep asking. If you know how to give good gifts to your kids, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?