Receiving Holy Spirit

Matthew 3:11 (NKJV)

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

So what is this Holy Spirit and Fire. With the carnal mind I can’t see it. It’s so far from me. But after being born-again I heard about it, read about and wanted so bad I was so hungry for the fire. When I understood what it was.

It is the only way to truly walk in holiness. after living the way I was living my life, I wanted to be closer with Him. I wanted so much more of The Lord in my Life. So what ever it takes. or what ever I have to give up I’m in. I want more of God in my Life.

The Revival Study Bible (Matthew)

You cannot choose between the Spirit and the fire. They are inseparable, one and the same. There are not two baptisms, one “in the Spirit” and the other “in fire.” There is one baptism only in the Spirit and fire. When the Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost, He arrived with tongues of fire. One hundred and twenty men and women were divinely empowered and supernaturally endued. Heaven’s power invaded the earth, and those one hundred and twenty then shook their whole world. Today, we have got plenty of fanfare, but very little fire; plenty of formulas, but very little flames. We are high on utterance, but low on unction. Where is the holy heat of His presence? What has happened to the “mighty baptism from on high”? How many have been immersed—soaked, saturated, dunked, and virtually drowned— Where is the overwhelming flood tide of His waves in our nation today? (MLB)

The Revival Study Bible (Matthew)

The Baptism with Fire

Matthew 3:11

Fire Illuminates

Fire illuminates, but no fire illuminates like “the baptism in the Holy Spirit and fire.” When a man is baptized with the Holy Spirit and fire, truth that was once dark to him becomes instantly as bright as day; passages in the Bible that he could not understand before become as simple as ABC; and every page of God’s Holy Word glows with heavenly light. This kind of baptism will do more for taking the infidelity and skepticism and false doctrine out of a man than any university education.

Fire Makes Warm, It Makes Us Glow

You and I are cold—oh, how cold we are! And the Lord Jesus takes us and He plunges us into the fire of the Holy Spirit. We begin to grow warm, and soon we glow, glow with love for God, glow with love for Christ, glow with love for the truth, glow with love for perishing souls. Men and women, the great need of the day is men and women on fire.

Fire Imparts Energy

Science tells us that every form of energy can be transmuted into fire. When a baptism with fire comes, then comes power. That was the principal manifestation at Pentecost. The fire of God fell, and with the energy of that fire men went out from the Upper Room and three thousand people were converted.

Fire Spreads

Nothing spreads like fire!

Fire Reveals

1 Corinthians 3:13—Each man’s work shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. The night I prayed to God to baptize me in the Holy Spirit, the first thing that came to pass was that I had such a revelation of myself as I had never had before. A revelation of yourself as God sees you!

Fire Refines

Malachi 3:1–3 speaks of the purifying power of fire. Water will not cleanse as fire does. What we need is the fire of the Holy Spirit penetrating into the innermost depths of our being, burning, burning, burning, cleansing.

Fire Consumes

Ezekiel 24:11–13 illustrates the consuming power of fire, fire of judgment that will consume the filth of Jerusalem. And the baptism of fire consumes, in fact cleanses by consuming; it burns up all dross, all vanity, all self-righteousness, all personal ambition, all ungovernable temper. (RT)

Luke 11:11-13 (NKJV) 11 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? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 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!"

Mark 16:17 (NKJV) 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;

Acts 1:4-5 (NKJV) 4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."

Acts 1:8 (NKJV) 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

Acts 2:1-4 (NKJV) 1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Acts 2:38-39 (NKJV) 38 Then Peter said to them, "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. 39 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."

The Passion Translation Chapter 16

19 After saying these things, Jesus was lifted up into heaven and sat down at the place of honor at the right hand of God! 20 And the apostles went out announcing the good news everywhere, as the Lord himself consistently worked with them, validating the message they preached with miracle-signs that accompanied them!

The New King James Version (Chapter 16)

19 So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. Amen.