HomeFree89
Oct 5, 2007
Do you have to have someone who's filled with the Spirit lay their hands on you and pray? That seems to be the example in Acts, but I'm not sure if that's the only way.
Jordan
Do you have to have someone who's filled with the Spirit lay their hands on you and pray? That seems to be the example in Acts, but I'm not sure if that's the only way.
Jordan
No, you do not have to have anybody lay hands on you.
You get filled with the spirit of God when he fills you...
some get filled when they accept Jesus as lord and saviour. (it would depend on whether it was real or not)
Some would argue that were filled with the Holy Spirit at conversion, which I would agree.
And others who claim that you get an infilling when were baptized with the Holy Spirit, I would also agree. one for salvation the other for service in his mininstries.
That statement will probably open a worm can but thats how I see it at this time.. someone fix me if im wrong.. :-)
Many people I know and in scripture were infilled with the Holy spirit without the laying on of hands.
Some in scripture were with the laying on of hands. either way people were prayed for or they prayed and God answered.
God is good and will fill you to what ever point he needs you filled, for service, salvation, faith.
no one should ever have to depend on someone laying hands on them to receive from God.
God bless.
To be baptized with the Holy Spirit is only to be overwhelmed with the Spirit or filled with the Spirit.Do you have to have someone who's filled with the Spirit lay their hands on you and pray? That seems to be the example in Acts, but I'm not sure if that's the only way.
poet wrote:
No, you do not have to have anybody lay hands on you.
You get filled with the spirit of God when he fills you...
some get filled when they accept Jesus as lord and saviour. (it would depend on whether it was real or not)
Some would argue that were filled with the Holy Spirit at conversion, which I would agree.
And others who claim that you get an infilling when were baptized with the Holy Spirit, I would also agree. one for salvation the other for service in his mininstries.
It is the Lord Himself who does the work.when genuine repentance occur in a man,such an one is given the Spirit to help him turn from all unfruitful works of darkness.It is not by our own strength or will to forsake evil,it is the Spirit that does this.Just like when the LORD said in Ezekiel,
I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes.
Although some people receive the Spirit by the laying on of hands,this of course is made possible by the Lord Himself and not by the vessel being used.
poet said
It also depends what difference you expect it to make to your life, and what you want it for... I mean, have you already decided to give upopen a worm can
I'm not asking frivilously. Nor is this a personal question to poet and osasbright who have replied. In fact, I'm asking myself the same questions most earnestly.
HomeFree89 asked
When Seeking the Baptism of the Holy Spirit... Do you have to have someone who's filled with the Spirit lay their hands on you and pray?
Let me ask you some counter-questions:
"Is there anything God cannot do?"
"If you faithfully ask the Father, in Jesus' name, to give you a gift, and you ask in accordance with His will, will He, or will He not give you what you asked?"
If you answered "no" to the first question, and recognize the fact that Almighty God, the Supreme Creator, Lord, and Authority of all things in Heaven above, Earth beneath, and Hell below can do anything...
And, if you answered "yes" to the second question, that the Lord will answer every prayer you ask faithfully, so long as it is in accordance with His will...
Then you might have determined that you don't require a mere man's presence or touch to be filled with the Holy Ghost.
The Holy Ghost is a person, so a man or woman may have introduced you to Him when they presented you to Jesus, and Jesus to you. Now that you know Him, it's up to you to call Him up and tell Him your daily elations and troubles, and you greatest hopes and darkest thoughts.
Once I've introduce you to my friend Jim, if you like him and he likes you, it's up to you two to get to know one another.
If you don't need me to hold your hand while you go to the game with Jim, why should you need a mere man to accompany you while you take a walk with the Holy Ghost?
On a more serious level, though - if you desire a physical, visual, auditory revelation of the Holy Ghost, beware. The devil loves it when we young Christians desire a sensuously spiritual experience of getting filled with the Holy Ghost - his ministers of darkness leap at the opportunity to "fill you".
Therefore, be forewarned of what is of God and what is of Satan:
God wants your cooperation as a free agent to share, and fulfill, His will on Earth. Abraham was His friend, not His slave. Jesus, His son Who sits on His right hand, calls us, "friends". God wants you alert, using all your powers of mind, soul, and spirit, reading the Bible, "testing all spirits" (I JOHN 4:1) to see if they're from God or from the enemy. God doesn't seek your surrender; He seeks your rational cooperation in fulfilling His Divine Will.
Satan, on the other hand, wants you as his slave. He wants you to surrender all your powers of mind, soul and spirit to his demonic will. He wants you to be passive, unthinking, and malleable. He will feed you 99 truths to plant one lie in your heart. He knows your sentiments and your sensitivities - and he'll capitalise on them. His demons will flood your body with a warm feeling - which you might mistake as "love". They'll terrorize you to make you think you're experiencing "awe". If you surrender to sensations (the sensual side of spirituality), you are giving ground to the devil and his minions.
Please don't mistake this "warm feeling" with the feeling you get when you do a good deed, or when you're with your family. I'm speaking of spiritual matters here.
The Holy Ghost will speak via your conscience, therefore, the best way to know your "filled with the Holy Ghost" is if you're bearing fruit in your life, and especially in the lives of others, by doing Jesus' will (feeding the hungry, visiting the sick, praying for those in need, giving generously to the poor... what Jesus taught us to do during His Sermon on the Mount). If you are in full cooperation with the Will of God as presented in the scriptures, patiently led by your conscience, not making rash decisions, praying regularly, and reading your Bible... the Holy Ghost will be evident both to you and to those around you.
The enemy will speak via auditory, visual, or physical hallucinations. If you "surrender" to be filled with the Holy Ghost, the devils may flash images into your mind, make you fall to the ground, "prophecy" incoherant nonsense, yell, cry, laugh hysterically, be "slain in the spirit", and other nonsense so prevelent in Babylon today... But the Holy Ghost will have no part of that type of filling because you valued gifts, signs and wonders instead of freedom, character, and, most importantly, [i]fruit
"Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. [i]Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
"For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." (MATT 24:24)
"Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe." (JOHN 4:48)
There's a great deal more to be said on this issue. But I caution you to never surrender for an experience (don't "tempt the Lord") and that you "test all spirits".
Do you have to have someone who's filled with the Spirit lay their hands on you and pray? That seems to be the example in Acts, but I'm not sure if that's the only way.
When the Gentiles received the Spirit, no one was touching them. They were listening to a sermon.
Act 10:44While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
Act 10:45And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
PreachParsly wrote:Do you have to have someone who's filled with the Spirit lay their hands on you and pray? That seems to be the example in Acts, but I'm not sure if that's the only way.
When the Gentiles received the Spirit, no one was touching them. They were listening to a sermon.
Act 10:44While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word.
Act 10:45And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.
moe wrote: Paul and the Apostles did lay hands on people and they received the Holy Spirit. They also were given the gift of writing God's Word under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Do we have both those gifts, either or neither?
Jesus is the baptiser, It's Him that we want.
He can do it directly, or though part of his body, Fix your eyes on Him, He is the author and the finisher of our faith.
love IN CHRIST tom
OK, I think I'm beginning to see, God can do it any way He chooses, but the example of the apostles was that of laying on of hands. Right?
Jordan
HomeFree89 said
This is what they did when the Holy Spirit had neither been preached nor received.OK, I think I'm beginning to see, God can do it any way He chooses, but the example of the apostles was that of laying on of hands. Right?
I don't think there's any evidence they laid hands on the 3000 people in Acts 2, before they were born again... is there?
I only scan/read the other comments but here is my experience with God about this topic.
According to the Bible, the Baptism of the Spirit happened 2 ways. Through the upper room and through the laying on of the hands.
Also, from my time with God. Pentecostals/Charasmatics aren't good with terms. They use a term in the bible and make it mean something else. Or twist scripture. In this case, not 'too terrible' but still bad enough to cause some confusion.
**I'm not God, I'm not perfect nor is my doctrine, but this is my time with God and how all of this has related to me**
Now, 'filled with the Spirit' and 'baptised in the Spirit' are NOT the same. One represents the inside of one's spirit and the other is the power in one's life.
Non-pentecostals/charasmatics CAN be filled with the Spirit, just like ANY child of God. It's the character of one's life and the infilling of Goodness of God's character.
The Baptism of the Spirit is one of ministry and empowerment. A transfer from being a 'child in the kingdom' to being 'a leader in God's kingdom'.
Jesus/God said 'WAIT till you receive POWER'. Not character.
Power was expressed in Tongues, interpretation, healing, signs, wonders, knowing the future and other supernatural things.
If you look at all the 'ask, knock, seek' scriptures and compare them. It's simply refering to the HOLY SPIRIT and the receiving of it. Not of conversion but of empowerment.
It's persistance.
My personal experience took 3 weeks of prayer and groaning to God. I had a few people pray for me and say "You have it" but deep inside my heart I knew that they were wrong. Finally, one night in my room, I received it through expressing in Tongues (which is my gift). I had an 'upper room' experience. No one 'gave me the baptism' through laying on of hands. I was alone in my room in prayer.
Wesley, Spurgeon, Moody, and many others even though they aren't like today's "typical pentecostals" they were BAPTIZED in the Spirit.
But!! A word of warning.
You can have one without the other. Character without power. Power without character. It's not a need of "one or the other" it's a need of BOTH. Seek both. Seek them with all your heart.
Let's live GODLY and POWERFUL lives of the kingdom.
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