TOS008 Baptism of the Holy Spirit (Part 5) ; for Audio
Life in the Spirit Series
Fifth show in the series on Life in the Spirit. Baptism of the Spirit is when the Lord stirs into a flame the Spirit that was given to us in the sacraments. The truth is this, God sent His Holy Spirit to dwell within us to guide us on the Way and to share His love with us. Often this gift lies dormant. This episode shares how you can invite the Holy Spirit into your heart and explains the benefits which includes the awakening to the reality of faith—the purpose of Christianity and the Church as you are given the tools to step forward in faith for your unique purpose.
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Welcome to Truth of the Spirit. I’m Patti Brunner. Today’s episode is about Baptism of the Holy Spirit. It’s Part 5 of the Life in the Spirit series.
“Baptism of the Holy Spirit”—are you wondering: what is that? How is it different from our baptism as a baby or on an Easter vigil? The Greek word “baptism” means immersion. The Latin word “baptism” is translated “washing”. The Baptism by water that we receive as a baby or at the Easter vigil is a total washing away of our sin through the gift of salvation that connects us to God through his Holy Spirit. You confirm this belief with the sign, the sacrament, of Confirmation, that you truly have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit.
When God created man he was one with his creation until man sinned. Baptism of water cleanses this sin through God’s gift of salvation; however, the consequence of sin keeps the fullness of the Holy Spirit from manifesting within the being of man. And concupiscence, that is the yearning to sin again, remains.
The Lord’s grace is sufficient to overcome these desires but only with the cooperation of a choice of mankind’s free will. Receiving the sacrament of Confirmation shows the desire to invite the Holy Spirit to enter and remain.
As the Holy Spirit enters our heart in Baptism and Confirmation He brings with him the gifts of grace that can transform our hearts and minds to Jesus as it conforms our souls to once again allow the fullness of God to dwell within us.
Most people do not experience with awareness this transformation in their heart but accept it as true by faith. This is not bad but there is more. Jesus came to give us not just life but an abundant life. Just as we are immersed in water as we are baptized to cleanse us from all sin, there is available to all baptized Christians an opportunity to be immersed in the holy Spirit and thus those areas left void by removal of sin can be filled with grace and presence of God within us. This choice says, ‘Come Holy Spirit’. Come Holy Spirit and enkindle in me the fire of your love! It is as if we have the fire of the Spirit deep within us after Baptism and even Confirmation but the fire is dormant until it is stirred into flame. Studying the scriptures of the promises of Christ and the Acts of the Apostles show us that there is more—always more—to attain of the kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
Jesus ordered his Apostles to wait for the Promise of the Father after his resurrection. It is written in Acts 1: verse 4-5 “While meeting with them, he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for “the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak; 5 for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the holy Spirit.”” NAB The promise is not something but someone, the actual Holy Spirit, who the glorified Jesus gives.
In Acts 2:39 it says, “The promise that was made is for you and your children, and for all those who are far away.” NAB Those far away—that’s us!
So why is the Holy Spirit promised to us?
1st – For us to be born again – to become a new creature enlivened with the same Holy Spirit (John 3:3 and 2 Cor 5:17) The Holy Spirit is the fountain of the new life. He is indispensable.
2nd To change our hearts–only the Holy Spirit can change our hearts. (Ez 36:26)
3rd For us to be clothed with the Power from on high to overcome our weakness. (Lk 24:49),
4th For us to be witnesses of Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8)
5th To guide us to all truth that will set us free (Jn 8:32 16:13
6th To seal our conversion (Eph 1:13)
And 7th The Holy Spirit is our grand inheritance as the true sons of God that permits us to say to God: “Abba Father”, and also to be heirs of his Kingdom. This is the Father’s promise.
Baptism of the Spirit is when the Lord stirs into a flame the Spirit that was given to us in the sacraments. The truth is this, God sent His Holy Spirit to dwell within us to guide us on the Way and to share His love with us. Often this gift lies dormant yet is always there, ready to be stirred into flame by choice of the “holder”. Ask God to blow away the ash with the wind of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:1-4 says: “When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.” NAB
The Catechism paragraph #152 tells us that “One cannot believe in Jesus Christ without sharing in his Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who reveals to men who Jesus is.” When you surrender your life to the Holy Spirit to live a “Life in the Spirit” you find the true meaning of the relationship with God the Father and the purpose for your life. As we open ourselves more freely to the presence of the Holy Spirit, we will know the Lord –and His kingdom that has already been established on this earth will begin to bless those who become a part of it.
The enemy draws each person into selfishness—to live your life for yourself—for your own ‘empire’, for your own satisfaction. This can be difficult to surrender. But, dear people, you are living in the shadows if you are living in selfishness. Our Lord God has created each person for a unique purpose as a unique creation. When ‘Life in the Spirit’ is accepted and allowed to manifest—even though for some the manifestation itself becomes a lifelong process—you shall enter a joy and peace that surpasses the understanding of the world at large.
The benefit of ‘Life in the Spirit’ is the kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. With the fullness of the Holy Spirit you can do the things Jesus did—without the same limitation of time and space. Jesus taught only in a small part of the world. Jesus’ three years from start to finish of his ministry was a perfect beginning of the Church infused by the Spirit upon Jesus’ departure to return to the Father.
Jesus tells us in the Gospel of John 14:12 “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father.” NAB As Jesus went to the Father they sent the Holy Spirit to us. This is amazing: With the fullness of the Holy Spirit we can do the things Jesus did. The Church continues because it was infused by the Spirit upon His departure to return to the Father. Through the Holy Spirit His Church has ministered for 2000 years throughout the world.
When you are ‘infused’ by the Holy Spirit at Baptism and confirm this belief with the sign of Confirmation truly you have the Spirit to spirit connection re-established that was lost when Adam sinned. Remember, salvation is a gift of the Holy Spirit.
God created us with reason, certainly, but He also created us with at least five senses that he desires us to use to be aware of his presence within us and among us. We read in the scripture how the people recognized the presence of Jesus after his resurrection such as when the disciples returning from Emmaus back to Jerusalem proclaimed, “Were not our hearts burning within us?” And as the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles and the 120, they began to speak in tongues and proclaim the Gospel. Others, like Ananias who was sent to Paul, heard the voice of the Lord who directed their actions as they listened with ears with the gift of prophecy to the presence of God within them through gifts of grace by the Holy Spirit.
Some churches, who have broken away from the Catholic Church, profess that these manifestations of the Holy Spirit existed only for the time of the early Church, but the Catholic Church knows that these gifts of the Holy Spirit have continued these last 2000 years as evidenced by the testimony of many saints and blessed holy men and women recognized and documented by the Church.
On January 1, 1901, in St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Leo XIII chanted the Veni Creator Spiritus, invoking the Holy Spirit over all Christians, Pope Leo XIII who had spiritual phenomena himself by the power of the Holy Spirit, had asked his bishops to invite the Holy Spirit to come upon the current generation as part of the great Jubilee. When his bishops failed to follow through, the Holy Spirit manifested in the unlikely place of a small church—not a Catholic Church—Bethel Bible College in Topeka, Kansas who had been fasting and praying for the Holy Spirit to come at the same time. Wouldn’t it have been marvelous if the outpouring had happened to both Catholics and Protestants at the same time! We are one in the Spirit!
Since that time many Christians have been filled with the Holy Spirit. This awareness began a grass roots explosion and eventually Catholics in the 1960’s also began to invite the fullness of the Holy Spirit to enter their hearts. Pope John XXIII and Pope Paul VI asked for a springtime in the Church to welcome the Holy Spirit, and Pope John Paul II and Pope Frances have been very open to the manifestations of the Holy Spirit available through the request for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit either formally by specific prayer or just a prayer from the heart “Come Holy Spirit! Vene Sancte Spiritu!
“A benefit of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is the stirring of the flame so brightly that it burns the dross and self-centeredness from your heart and instead prepares it to yearn for the presence of the Word to dwell within you through the sacraments, through praise, through scripture, through obedience to the will of the Father, through the fruits of the Spirit including generosity, sharing and kindness, through the evangelization of yourself and others, through the gifts of the Holy Spirit especially tongues, healing and prophecy. A benefit of the Baptism of the Spirit is the awakening to the reality of faith—the purpose of Christianity and the Church as you are given the tools to step forward in faith for your unique purpose. The Lord created each person as a unique creation for a unique purpose.
There are many benefits to receiving the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit allows us to be aware of God’s love and experience God’s love in a deeper and unique way. It’s like we start out recognizing God’s love in black and white and through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit we recognize it in Technicolor! There is no way to fully describe it to someone who only sees it in black and white.
The choice to forgive is a preamble to the choice to invite the Spirit to come. If you need to forgive or be forgiven a great place to start preparing for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is with the sacrament of Reconciliation. I have an episode that will focus on this that will be published after the end of this series. Healing and repentance prepares us to receive the Holy Spirit. But remember, just like the question: “which came first the chicken or the egg?” the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, in turn, leads us toward healing, repentance and metanoia.
The whole reason Christ died for us was to reconnect our spirit with the Holy Spirit– to repair the connection that was severed by sin. Baptism of the Holy Spirit takes that relationship towards a new depth that was intended by God from the beginning of creation.
Various gifts of the Spirit are available after the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. As we enter into the fullness of the Holy Spirit we are empowered with Gifts to follow Jesus who has shown us the Way. The Gifts of the Spirit that the apostles and the early church received also manifests in our lives. In Acts we are told that a sign that the people had received the Holy Spirit was the manifestation of signs especially speaking in tongues.
In Acts 10:44-48 we hear “While Peter was still speaking these things, the holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the word. The circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were astounded that the gift of the holy Spirit should have been poured out on the Gentiles also, for they could hear them speaking in tongues and glorifying God.” NAB
Right before Jesus ascended into heaven, Jesus told us in the gospel of Mark his expectation for his followers. Mark 16:17-18 “These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents [with their hands], and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” NAB It is not man’s power but God’s power given through the Holy Spirit that makes this possible for all believers.
God loves you, no matter if you are good or bad, that love is the Holy Spirit and when you say yes to accept that love by saying yes to Jesus, to the Father, to the Holy Spirit, then that love begins to change us. The Holy Spirit in us reproduces the pattern of Jesus in us. Jesus entered the desert and was confronted by Satan. We too are more aware of evil spirits through the gift of discernment of spirits and how to deal with them; we have authority and weapons to engage in that battle.
Baptism of the Holy Spirit pours gifts and power to build up the Church, to exceed our human abilities for the purpose of announcing the salvation of Christ. Baptism of the Holy Spirit gives us a gift of praise that is powerful so that when we are tempted to discouragement—we praise God and as we do that our whole heart changes and the atmosphere changes. Evil spirits flee, clouds part, and people become more able to see truth. There are also gifts of healings, miracles, and faith that God is going to act—good gifts of evangelization. He calls us to the new evangelization and empowers us to do it.
Dare to believe the promises of Jesus in scripture. Jesus commissions us to go forth to spread the good news and to heal using these signs of power and truth. Jesus said in Acts 1:8 “you will receive power when the holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” NAB
God does not withhold his gifts from anyone and the greatest gift he has is the Holy Spirit. And this gift of the Holy Spirit given in Baptism and Confirmation is intended to fill your entire life. This gift is intended for everyone. Remember the effect of God’s gift of salvation. When you are ‘infused’ by the Holy Spirit at Baptism truly you have the Spirit to spirit connection re-established that was lost when Adam sinned.
I will have an episode about the gifts or charisms of the Holy Spirit that are listed in 1st Corinthians, Chapter 12, but know this, the Lord the Holy Spirit is the Giver of Gifts and each of the gifts of the Holy Spirit are given out of love for us to help us to grow in our relationship with God and to attain the fullness of the kingdom of God.
One of the more unusual gifts is the gift of tongues. It sets aside logic. The Holy Spirit gives us an utterance of a language—usually a heavenly language to which there is no earthly interpretation—to use to pray with. Why would God do such a strange thing? If you are speaking to a foreigner and you need to communicate it might make sense, but a heavenly language that is more like babbling? God, in his great wisdom and love, gives us the opportunity to surrender to him our voices to pray the perfect prayer without any interference on our part—interference of fear, judgment or pride. In the Acts of the Apostles this speaking in the gift of tongues was a sure sign of the conversion of hearts by followers of Jesus and the Presence of the Holy Spirit.
Why wouldn’t you want the fullness of the Holy Spirit? Why wouldn’t you want the gifts of grace to penetrate your heart? Why wouldn’t you want the manifestations of the Holy Spirit to be your constant companions? Right now you can choose to totally surrender. Even if you are a little concerned about what it means to accept the fullness of Life in the Holy Spirit, even if you don’t yet understand about the charisms and gifts—did you know that the apostles didn’t either when they received them?—even if you didn’t comprehend the scriptures that were shared—these and more can become more meaningful to you as the Holy Spirit is invited to come.
Some at first are afraid of the power of the Holy Spirit. But perfect love casts out fear. The Lord gave me a moment of total love. This moment, that we know that we know God loves us, gives us a foretaste of heaven. It was then I told the Lord that I would accept whatever he wanted to give me. The Lord wants you to receive his love, too.
I opened my heart to the Lord and He has given me so much! I didn’t comprehend that the Holy Spirit was in me—even as the Spirit’s gifts began to manifest—but I knew it was from God. He gave me gifts that I didn’t know anything about—including the gift of healing. He poured into me so much! I invite you to trust God and ask him for the fullness of his gift of the Holy Spirit, to ask for and accept whatever God wants to give.
Listen to these scriptures:
Acts 8:14-17 “Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who went down and prayed for them, that they might receive the holy Spirit, for it had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.” NAB
Acts 19:1-7 “While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior of the country and came (down) to Ephesus where he found some disciples. 2 He said to them, “Did you receive the holy Spirit when you became believers?” They answered him, “We have never even heard that there is a holy Spirit.” NAB
Maybe that’s how you feel right now. ““When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul laid (his) hands on them, the holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. Altogether there were about twelve men.” NAB
Does your heart burn with a fire? Do you want it to? Come with me and surrender to God! Let’s pray together the Holy Spirit Prayer:
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
O, God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations, through Christ Our Lord, Amen.
We pray “Come Holy Spirit”, “Veni Sancte Spiritus”. When we are docile and invite the Holy Spirit we can be just like Mary; we can respond to Jesus “Let it be done to me according to thy Word”. Luke 1:38 NAB Romans 8:14 says, “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.” NAB
“Are you willing to give your life to Jesus? We can all pray ‘Come Holy Spirit’ because there is always a fuller coming that is possible, a deeper coming of the Holy Spirit capacity.” If you want to be led by the Spirit of God, please pray this prayer with me:
Prayer for Baptism of Holy Spirit
“Jesus, I know my life is missing something and I want that special place in my heart filled with Your love. I invite You now, Jesus, to come into my heart and be my way home. I reject Satan and all his lies. Jesus, I want You to be the Lord of my life. I believe in my heart that God raised You from the dead for me and I want to spend eternity with You.”
Next, let us together ask the Father for the Gift of the Holy Spirit:
“Father, I have received Jesus as the Lord of my life. I now ask in the name of Jesus that You fill me with a strong outpouring of Your Holy Spirit. You tell me in Your Word that if I ask I will receive, so Father, right now I’m asking, in Jesus’ name. Fill me with the Holy Spirit.”
If you are not driving, close your eyes. Picture the Lord giving you the most beautiful gift. You can even reach up to receive it or to say “I surrender!” If you truly desired for the Holy Spirit to come, know that the Holy Spirit is with you! As long as you have made the choice to surrender, to ask and to receive, you can receive the Holy Spirit with or without emotion. Emotion just ties the heart with the experience. A lot of times people we pray for- experience the presence of the Holy Spirit by a profound feeling of peace. Some people get “goose bumps”. Emotion is not required but he wants to give you a personal experience of his love. The peace of God is also a sign of the release into your hearts.
If you are willing to step into the ocean of God’s presence, take a small step right where you are standing. Are you willing to surrender your life to Jesus? Pray ‘Come Holy Spirit’. When the desert is dry for a long time the ground becomes very hard; even a flood runs off but the steady drizzle softens the ground. These past episodes have been a steady drizzle sharing stories and teachings to prepare you for a deeper encounter with the Living God.
“Right now you can choose to totally surrender. Even if you are a little concerned about what it means to accept the Fullness of the Holy Spirit, even if you don’t yet understand about the charisms and gifts. Only you can make the decision; only you can choose. We cannot say, “I’ve received everything there is to receive of the Holy Spirit”. We’ve received the Holy Spirit if we’ve been baptized and confirmed but we received him according to our capacity. God wants to expand our capacity. So that’s why we pray for the baptism of Holy Spirit.
We’re not asking for a new sacrament—we’re asking for the gift that’s already been given to us to be actualized, to come to life, to be manifest in its full power in our lives. God loves you; that love is the Holy Spirit and when you say yes to accept that love by saying yes to the Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit, then that love begins to change us.
Join me now to ask for a spiritual Communion through our Lord Jesus with his most holy Spirit as I pray to God in his gift of tongues for you.
“Father, I have received Jesus as the Lord of my life. I now ask in the name of Jesus that You fill me with a strong outpouring of Your Holy Spirit. You tell me in Your Word that if I ask I will receive, so Father, right now I’m asking, in Jesus’ name. Fill me with the Holy Spirit! Amen! Thank you Lord for filling us with the Holy Spirit. Praise you now and forever!
Join me for the next episode where we will discuss the Gifts of the Spirit. You’ve been listening to Truth of the Spirit with Patti Brunner.
