The Baptism of the Holy Spirit is the divine outpouring of God’s Spirit upon a believer who has confessed and accepted Jesus Christ as Lord. The prophet Joel foretold such a time when the Holy Spirit would be available to all who seek Him. The Lord declared through Joel:

“And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days”

Joel 2:28-29

The Significance of Getting Baptized in the Holy Ghost:

It was a rare privilege; now it is a gift for all who desire it.

This prophecy above tells us so many things about the gift and outpouring of the Holy Spirit: first off, God tells us that there shall come a time when He shall pour out His spirit upon all flesh i.e. all humans. This tells us that at the time God spoke through the prophet Joel, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all flesh was an uncommon event. Our good Lord only poured out His Spirit upon a select few such as Moses, the seventy elders selected by Moses(Numbers 11: 10-25), King David, Samson, Bezalel, Oholiab, and Mary just to mention a few. When He did, the contrast between these people and others was clear.

I. Moses who was a stutter, afraid to contend against the King of Pharoah once transformed by the Holy Spirit- became bold all of a sudden, was able to challenge the Pharoah about ten different times, led thousands of stiff-necked Israelites through the Red Sea, through the wilderness, and numerous similar experiences.

II. When it was time to carry out the skillful art of organizing and building up the tabernacle of the Lord – God poured out His Spirit on a select few with Bezalel and Oholiab leading park – Exodus 35:30-31.

III. Samson was a distinct man way before conception; God’s plan and purpose for him was to deliver the Israelites from the hand of their oppressors – the Philistines (Judges 13:4-6).

IV. There were millions of women when Jesus was conceived however Mary was a woman hand-picked by God to carry baby Jesus to term as well as care for Him till He was able to care for Himself.

V. Furthermore, of all the Kings that Israel had, King David was one of the select few if not the only one who enjoyed sweet communion with the Lord. Most, if not all the Kings of Israel relied on prophets to hear from or speak with God. While King David enjoyed sweet fellowship and communion with the Lord by the power of the Holy Spirit. One of the greatest prayers King David prayed was for the Holy Spirit to remain with Him till His death. “Cast me not away from Thy presence, and take not Thy holy Spirit from me”, he prayed in Psalms 51:11.

The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ marked the beginning of the times prophet Joel spoke about. The day of Pentecost was remarkable in the history of the Christian church; it marked the beginning of the manifestation of God’s word through the prophet Joel. In the upper room, God poured out His Spirit upon 3120 people in total. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the game changer in the life of every believer! It is great to confess your sins and accept Jesus into your life but continuing your faith journey without the outpouring of the Holy Spirit would only leave you frustrated and exhausted.

Jesus Christ spoke about and encouraged it.

Jesus Christ spoke about this baptism extensively to His disciples, He encouraged and advised them to wait for the baptism of the Holy Spirit before doing anything in His name – John 16:5-15. Adhering to the Lord’s instruction: they all gathered in one accord in the upper room, waiting and praying for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit – Acts 2:1-4. The Bible records and shares with us that the Holy Spirit came down upon them as a rushing mighty wind and rested upon their heads as tongues of fire. This event was followed with signs and wonders that left onlookers in awe. Jesus’ disciples who had just been baptized began to speak in diverse tongues that they had never spoken before. These were men and women who were in deep sadness, mourning the death and departure of their beloved Jesus Christ. I can only imagine the rush of adrenaline, joy, and ecstasy that would have flowed through those men and women on that day. Similar to every believer who first comes to Christ; there might be that initial regret and deep sorrow about past ways of life. There might be that doubt about the forgiveness Jesus offers, and there might be doubt about the possibility of a new life after your water baptism but here lies the excitement and confirmation – the baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit poured upon us, resident inside us bears us witness that we are truly children of God – Romans 8:16. This is pure joy, to know without a doubt that you are a child of God and no sin from your past can separate you from the love of God.

The Enabling Power of the Holy Spirit

Even more beautiful and exciting is the fact that the Holy Spirit enables us, energizes us, and empowers us to do so much more than we could ever imagine. I listened to this sermon by Dr. Arome Osayi and it just brought so much light to the significance of Holy Ghost baptism. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the enabling power to live and be like Jesus Christ here on earth. You see all of the things Jesus did while He was here, He said it is unto us to do even much more than He did – John 14:12. The day of Pentecost did not stop at just speaking of diverse tongues, this baptism emboldened Peter who once denied Jesus Christ to three different people at different times to openly declare and speak about the gospel of Jesus Christ to over three thousand people. Peter went from being ashamed of having one-on-one conversations about Jesus to speaking in public about our Lord and Savior. This was the working of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit which did not stop there.

And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

Acts 2:46-47

That is the power of the Holy Spirit right there – the above verse is giving unity, it is giving abundance, giving, love, joy, excitement, giving fullness, it’s giving extremely God-focused and conscious. This right here is what the outpouring of the Holy Spirit did and this is what the ideal church given to the outpouring and working of the Holy Spirit should look like.

Reviving the Church Today

Many lament the shortcomings of the modern church, but at its core, the church is made up of individuals like you and me. The issue is not just structure, but the lack of genuine salvation and Holy Spirit baptism. When we study scripture, we see how Spirit-filled believers lived radically different lives. They were sold out for Christ, embodying His nature and purpose.

A Call to Action

If you have read through this, I hope you recognize the immense significance of the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life. My encouragement to you is this:

• Pray for the gift of the Holy Spirit
• Wait expectantly for the baptism of the Holy Spirit
• Be the change you desire to see in the church

By the power of the Holy Spirit, we can walk in the fullness of Christ and transform the world around us.