Lynne Little Ministries - Higher Realm

The Present-Day Ministry of the Holy Spirit - Part 8 - Unleashing Divine Power: Receiving the Baptism

• Lynne Little

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The supernatural power that transformed the early church remains available to every believer today. But there's a profound difference between having the Spirit within us at salvation and experiencing the full baptism in the Holy Spirit that unlocks miraculous dimensions in our Christian walk.

Drawing from Scripture and personal experience, this episode illuminates the distinct nature of Spirit baptism as the divine catalyst that ignites supernatural living. Like dynamite containing all the necessary components for an explosion but requiring a match to activate its power, Spirit baptism releases the dormant potential within every believer. The key lies in surrender—completely yielding to the Spirit's work without placing limitations on how God might move in and through us.

Most revelatory is the intimate connection between the Holy Spirit and God Himself. Just as your human spirit knows everything about you—your deepest thoughts, desires, and needs—the Holy Spirit knows everything about God. Through Spirit baptism, believers gain access to divine wisdom that transcends human understanding, transforming Bible reading into revelation, prayer into power, and ordinary lives into extraordinary testimonies. The episode concludes with practical guidance for receiving this gift through faith, not feelings, with a simple prayer of invitation. Whether you've been curious about Spirit baptism or seeking deeper dimensions in your spiritual journey, this teaching provides biblical clarity and a pathway to experience God's presence in unprecedented ways.

Ready to move beyond religious routine into supernatural reality? Join us in discovering how complete surrender to the Holy Spirit opens doors to the miraculous that no human effort could ever achieve. Share your experience or questions with us at lynnelittleministries@gmail.com.

Lynne:

You are listening to Higher Realm with Lynne Little. Our program highlights biblical strategies for moving through life's difficulties and finding your path to healing. We tackle issues particular to those who have experienced painful loss in any form. Lynne is the founder and president of Lynne Little Ministries and the author of Missing Lisa: A Parent Grieves and Finding God in Death and Life: A Passage Through Grief. Now here's Lynne.

Lynne:

Hello and welcome to the concluding segment of our series on the present-day ministry of the Holy Spirit. Our journey through the scriptures has traced the Spirit's role beginning at creation. We've discussed the ways in which the Spirit of the living God interacted with men and women of old, we've described how the Holy Spirit began working with believers in a new way, beginning on the day of Pentecost, and we've shown how the Spirit has consistently been on the side of humanity. Last week we touched on the gift of speaking in tongues as the evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Today we're going to discuss how to receive this lovely, matchless gift of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. But first I would like to point out a very key factor in these discussions, and the factor is this: no man, woman or child can come to Christ except through the agency of the Holy Spirit and the conviction that he brings. Jesus spoke of this in John 16: 7-11. "Nevertheless, I tell you the truth it is to your advantage that I go away. You the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the helper will not come to you, but if I depart, I will send him to you and when he comes, he will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment of sin, because I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when he, the Spirit of Truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth, for he will not speak on His own authority, but whatever he hears, he will speak and he will tell you things to come, because the Spirit of God convicts. It is he who has the responsibility to overshadow human beings and guide them into the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. In John 3, 5, jesus says Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. We know that at salvation, the Lord comes to live within us. Every believer has the Spirit living inside of them already. It's written in 1 Corinthians 6.17,. But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit. So what exactly is this Spirit baptism referring to? Is this spirit baptism referring to?

Lynne:

A strong dividing line exists between two camps, those who believe that Spirit baptism comes at salvation and that a separate experience is not necessary, and those who believe there is a separate experience in the Spirit. While it's true that the Spirit resides within believers, that does not necessarily mean they are empowered in the way the Book of Acts represents. The evidence of a separate experience is presented throughout the Book of Acts. No one would question the validity of the apostles' conversions. Yet they required something more to carry out their missions and to walk in the realm of the supernatural. Picture for a moment the analogy of a stick of dynamite. It holds all the components needed to create an explosion, but nothing happens until the match is lit. This describes what happens in the Holy Spirit baptism. The match is lit, and the miraculous follows.

Lynne:

Between the two points of view lies a widely divergent set of experiences. One camp witnesses spiritual gifts such as speaking in tongues, the working of miracles, gifts of healings, deliverance from demonic influences and numerous conversions. The other, not so much. Why? The key word is surrender. One group, by an act of their will, has completely surrendered to the Spirit. The spirit can therefore work unhindered in them and through them. Those denying this experience place a barrier between them and the Holy Spirit, as if to say this far and no further!

Lynne:

Acts, chapter 2, verses 16 through 18, present a picture of this supernatural walk. Peter, in his sermon at Pentecost, said this, "his is what was spoken by the prophet Joel In the last days. God says I will pour out my spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions. Take note of the fact that none of these things just named are naturally occurring phenomena. They instead represent a renaissance or a brand new way of living that God planned for us eons ago. So let's take a minute to reiterate the many advantages of knowing the Holy Spirit intimately.

Lynne:

Who exactly is the Spirit of God? 1 Corinthians, chapter 2, verses 9 through 14, elaborates on this and provides the answer that we seek. As it is written, "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard. Neither has entered the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love him, but God has revealed them unto us by his Spirit, for the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. Whose Spirit? His Spirit? Pause and hold that thought for a moment while I explain something before we go on. Remember we have a spirit and a soul and we live in a body, but our spirits are the real person, the eternal person. In this we resemble a microcosm of the Trinity and according to verse 10, which we've just read, the Holy Spirit is God's Spirit.

Lynne:

The passage continues in verse 11. "For what man knows, the things of a man, except the spirit of man which is in him? Even so, the things of God knows no man but the spirit of God. Let me ask you this question who knows you best? Who is privy to your innermost thoughts, your deepest longings, your heart of hearts? It's you. More specifically, it's your spirit. Right In that same manner, the Holy Spirit knows the heart of God, because he is the heart of God, just as your spirit knows everything about you, what's going on in your life, your circumstances, how you really feel, what you know or don't know. God's spirit holds all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge found in himself. Found in himself.

Lynne:

Let's continue reading in verses 12 through 14. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us, which things we speak, not in the words of men's wisdom, but which the Holy Ghost teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, they are foolishness to him. Neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned." The passage refers to wisdom that comes from a spiritual source other than a source in the natural world, which includes our own thinking and experiences and even our five physical senses. Now imagine being able to tap into a source of knowledge that is limitless, a source not restricted to our own experiences or perceptions. Everything we've ever needed an answer to, yearned for or dreamed about can be ours, because we have access to the very Spirit of Almighty God, who is, needless to say, the source of all wisdom and every bit of knowledge in the universe. Pause and think about the ramifications of this. The Spirit of God who lives in believers has all the knowledge of God himself. The active no-transcript. Please pray that God will reveal to you in a deeper way what we've just learned about the precious Holy Spirit.

Lynne:

My experience in desiring and then receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit began with the search of the scriptures and spending time in the company of Pentecostal Christians. These people lived the Spirit-filled life. I witnessed their joy and confidence, their passionate prayer lives, the miraculous moves of God and their zeal for souls. They bubbled over with such life.

Lynne:

This life, Zoe life in the Greek, denotes the divine, spiritual life, not the human, soulish life or even the physical life. One way to put it would be living a lively life. It was infectious, compelling, effervescent and something that I wanted. Romans 10: 17 tells us. "So, then, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. The more I searched the scriptures, the more faith rose to receive this experience, and I knew it had to be received by faith. It wasn't anything that could or should be worked up, as Galatians 3.2 states. This only I want to learn from you Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith? So we can see that faith is essential for this experience.

Lynne:

But will seeking the baptism open the door to being deceived? Jesus spoke these words of assurance in 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. Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 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? Keep in mind this analogy concerns Father and Son. Therefore, it is clear Jesus to speaking to those who are His children. to those who are asking in faith.

Lynne:

Studying all of this on my own, I assumed, incorrectly as it happened, that I needed to find someone to lay hands on me to receive this gift. During a prayer meeting, the leader asked me whether I wanted to be filled with the Spirit. The prayer group circled around me, placed their hands on my head and prayed for me to receive. To my intense disappointment, I did not receive the gift of tongues. Although I believed in faith, I had no evidence. However, an incredible feeling of joy did overwhelm me. It lasted for days and became almost comical when I couldn't stop smiling.

Lynne:

The next thing I noticed was that scripture began to come alive to me as never before. Words and passages rich with meaning seemed to jump off the page. With it grew a passion to teach and communicate what I was learning. Worship was infinitely more meaningful. As the weeks progressed, however, I lost the glow

Lynne:

I would go into my room after school, shut the door, and sit there with my mouth open, expecting the Spirit to take my tongue and move it. How young I was and how little I understood. Then I found a scripture in Acts 2-4 which stated this, "nd they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance or ability. The Spirit was not going to take my tongue or force me or make me speak. I saw then that I had a part to play and speak by an act of my will. Knowing this, I grew more confident that I could receive. Weeks later, while worshiping, strange syllables began to float through my mind. My mind was shouting oh, this is just you. Oh, you're just making this up Not to be deterred by faith. I began to verbalize the syllables, first hesitantly and then fluently. It was as if a dam broke. What a joyful moment, to say the least.

Lynne:

Not everyone's experience will be the same. Some receive tongues instantly, others not for a while. Some feel raptures in the baptism, others feel nothing. It's important to keep our focus on Jesus, the Living Word. As a wise person once said, "eek the giver, not the gift. Anything worth having is worth pursuing. In short, everything we receive from God is based on faith, not feelings. Faith enables us to receive, but first the Lord Jesus tells us in John 3.3,. Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. See the kingdom of God unless they are born again.

Lynne:

Remember, the Spirit baptism is for believers. So if you haven't yet prayed to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior and become born again, pray this prayer with me right now." Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Jesus to die on the cross as payment for my sins. I believe he rose again and is seated at your right hand. Jesus, come into my heart and give me a brand new life. I confess you as Lord In your name. Amen.

Lynne:

For those of you who know the Lord or just accepted him and are ready to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit, ask God right now. Remember we receive the baptism just as we received Jesus by faith and by believing God's word. You are his child and he is your father. God is ready to baptize you in his Holy Spirit the moment you ask him. Simply repeat this prayer out loud, "Dear Heavenly Father, I come to you in the name of Jesus. In the name of Jesus, I desire to be baptized with your Holy Spirit, with the evidence of speaking in other tongues. Your word says that I can have it and I believe what you said. I receive this gift now by faith in Jesus' name. Amen, that's it. Beloved, you have received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Please write to us and tell us all about it. Lynnlittleministries at gmailcom. Until next week. Thank you so much for listening, and may God bless you and yours richly this week.

Lynne:

Thank you so much for listening. Lynn Little Ministries is a 501c3 whose mission is to assist those who have suffered loss and to help them discover hope, peace and restoration. For books, resources or to make a tax-deductible donation go to lynnlittleorg.