How Do I Receive The Baptism In The Holy Spirit?

.....Peter says in Acts 2:38-39, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.

.....Peter calls upon all to change their opinion of and attitude toward Christ and to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ as public acknowledgment that they have accepted Jesus as Messiah and Lord. "Name" suggests nature and character; therefore, to be baptized "in the name of Jesus" is to confess Him to be all that His name denotes. Baptism in and of itself is not a means of forgiveness and salvation. But for the early Church, however, there was no separation between ritual, and reality. Coming to Christ and being baptized were mutually inclusive. One thing to note is that the gift of the Holy Spirit must be distinguished from the gifts of the Spirit. The former is the Holy Spirit Himself, while the latter are the special abilities granted by the Spirit to equip believers for service, (1Cor 12:1-31).

.....The promise of the Holy Spirit, is a gift for every believer in every generation. All who are afar off includes the Gentiles as well. Every believer in every era and everywhere, have the surety to expect the same resource and experience that was afforded the first believers who received the Holy Spirit at the birth of the Church.

So, How do I receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit?

.....You need to do a number of things in order to receive this blessing. First, you need to be born again. The person who is going to be filled with the Spirit must have the indwelling Spirit and must belong to Jesus, (Romans 8:9).

.....The second you have to do is ask. The Bible says, if we ask for the Holy Spirit, that prayer will be answered, (Luke 11:8).

.....The third thing you have to do is surrender. The Apostle Paul made this need very clear in the Book of Romans when he said, "Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, (Romans 12:1).

.....Fourth, you must be willing to obey the Spirit. God does not give this power to someone and then say, "You can take the parts you like in all this and leave the parts you do not like." If you want to be immersed in the Holy Spirit, you need to be prepared to obey the Spirit, (Acts 5:32).

.....Fifth, you need to believe. The Apostle Paul said, "Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?" (Galatians 3:2). The answer, obviously, is faith. You have to believe that if you ask, you will receive.

.....Finally, you have to exercise what God has given you. Having asked, having received, having been willing to obey, you need to respond in a biblical fashion.

.....The Bible says that those baptized with the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost "began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance," (Acts 2:4). This means they spoke the words that the Spirit gave them. The Holy Spirit gave the words, but the Apostles and the Disciples voluntarily responded. There was action based on faith, not merely passive acceptance of the blessing. That is the way it is with God, yesterday, today, and forever. God is offering the baptism in the Holy Spirit to people who need only to reach out and take it, and then enjoy the blessing.
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Child Rearing - According To The Word Of God!

Everywhere we look, there is an article or book about how to raise children. An author will strongly give one opinion, and another writer will just as strongly give another. Some support old fashioned values, others think we need to loosen up. What are parents supposed to believe? We have the desire to bring our children up well, wanting them to be godly, responsible, productive, and successful adults. We want them to be a joy to us, and not bring us a lifetime of grief. But how do we achieve that? How do we get the wisdom needed for such an awesome responsibility?

Let's look to the Bible as our infallible source of advice. Why not get our guidance from God, who created our children, and knows exactly what they need? Here are a few of the many scriptural guidelines for raising our children.

OUR DUTIES AS PARENTS

1. To love them (Titus 2:4)

2. To bring them to Christ (Matthew 19:13,14)

3. To train them up for God (Proverbs 22:6; Ephesians 6:4)

4. To instruct them in God's word (Deuteronomy 4:9; 11:19; Isaiah 38:19)

5. To tell them of God's judgments (Joel 1:3)

6. To tell them of the miraculous works of God (Exodus 10:2; Psalms 78:4)

7. To command them to obey God (Deuteronomy 32:46; 1 Chronicles 28:9)

8. To bless them (Genesis 48:15; Hebrews 11:20)

9. To pity them (Psalms 103:13)

10. To provide for them (Job 42:15; 2 Corinthians 12:14; 1 Timothy 5:8)

11. To rule them (1 Timothy 3:4,12)

12. To correct them (Proverbs 13:24; 19:18; 23:13; 29:17; Hebrews 12:7)

13. Not to provoke them (Ephesians 6:4; Colossians 3:21)

14. Pray for them (Lamentations 2:19)

RESULTS OF GODLY PARENTING

1. They will not bring their parents shame. (Proverbs 29:15)

2. They will not depart from Christian teaching when they are older. (Proverbs 22:6)

3. They will have great peace. (Isaiah 54:13)

4. They will bring us joy. (Proverbs 15:20)

5. They will give us peace and delight to our soul. (Proverbs 29:17)

6. They will rise up and call us blessed. (Proverbs 31:28)

7. Keeping God's commands will help prolong their lives, bring them prosperity, and win them favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. (Proverbs 3:1,2,4)

Who would not want all these wonderful benefits for their children? Yet, we are only human. How can we accomplish all this? Let's remember these promises.

1. If you lack wisdom, ask God and He will give it to you. (James 1:5)

2. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. (Philippians 4:13)

3. Pray! The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. (James 5:16)

More Scriptures Concerning this.....

Proverbs 3:12
For whom the LORD loves he corrects; even as a father the son in whom he delights.

Proverbs 10:1
A wise son makes a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.

Proverbs 13:22
A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children: and the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just.

Proverbs 13:24
He that spares his rod hates his son: but he that loves him chastens him betimes.

Proverbs 15:20
A wise son makes a glad father: but a foolish man despises his mother.

Proverbs 17:2
A wise servant shall have rule over a son that causes shame, and shall have part of the inheritance among the brethren.

Proverbs 17:25
A foolish son is a grief to his father, and bitterness to her that bare him.

Proverbs 19:13
A foolish son is the calamity of his father: and the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping.

Proverbs 19:18
Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying.

Proverbs 19:26
He that wastes his father, and chases away his mother, is a son that causes shame, and brings reproach.

Proverbs 19:27
Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causes to err from the words of knowledge.

Proverbs 20:11
Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.

Proverbs 20:20
Who ever curses his father or his mother, his lamp shall be put out in obscure darkness.

Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Proverbs 22:15
Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.

Proverbs 23:13-14
Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beats him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.

Proverbs 23:15-16
My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine. Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.

Proverbs 23:24
The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begs a wise child shall have joy of him.

Proverbs 29:15
The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself brings his mother to shame.

Proverbs 29:17
Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.

Proverbs 29:21
He that delicately brings up his servant from a child shall have him become his son at the length.

In conclusion, we don't have to be confused and unstable in our child rearing. By bringing up our children according to the Bible, we will all enjoy the benefits, both now and eternally!

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The 23rd Psalm - Explained!

I pray this day that what is revealed to you after reading this will open the eyes of your understanding, or at least let you look at this in a different light.

The Lord is my Shepherd - That is Relationship!

I shall not want - That is Supply!

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures - That is Rest!

He leadeth me beside the still waters - That is Refreshment!

He restoreth my soul - That is Healing!

He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness - That is Guidance!

For His name sake - That is Purpose!

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death - That is Testing!

I will fear no evil - That is Protection!

For thou art with me - That is Faithfulness!

Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me - That is Discipline!

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies - That is Hope!

Thou annointest my head with oil - That is Consecration!

My cup runneth over - That is Abundance!

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life - That is Blessing!

And I dwell in the house of the Lord - That is Security!

Forever - That is Eternity!

Let's Face It... The Lord is crazy about you.

What is most valuable is not what we have in our lives, but who we have in our lives.

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