Let us start with a look at John 3: 3-8, ”

³ Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

⁴ Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?

⁵ Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

⁷ Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

⁸ The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.”

When we receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, we begin a process of change in our lives, for the Spirit works in us to will and to do his good pleasure, God seeks to help us become more and more Christlike in our behavior. We know that we receive power when the Holy Spirit descends upon us, but there is more to it than simply receiving power. The Holy Spirit works and presses upon us, writing the law on our hearts. When a Christian receives the Holy Spirit they do not simply gain some supernatural force, but they are truly reborn. They find tehmselves changed, no longer desiring the same destructive and sinful behaviors of the past, but rather becoming more and more focused on the things of God. Now there are many Christians manongst the world today who deny the power of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, denying the some of the gifts that we receive, or even failing to understand what it is like when the Holy Spirit descends upon an individual. When you are baptized in the fire of the Holy Spirit God begins to live in you, and whether reading the old or the new testament the pattern remains that a change occurs to an individual when the Holy Spirit comes upon them, they are filled with power, it is no small thing to receive the Holy Spirit, and it is not something that one can say they are not sure of, beucase the Holy Spirit is the spirit of God, and this is a tremendous force that shapes us. For those who have not received the Holy Spirit, pray to God and seek out His Spirit that it may dwell in you, and that you may be born again. Even Jesus received the baptisim of the Holy Spirit before begining the work of the ministry. Jesus makes it clear how important it is that we recieve the Holy Spirit, for he is our comforter, and it is this Spirit that will help us when we are faced with persecutions, and it is the Holy Spirit that teaches us what to say. It is more than miracles and tongues, and it is certainly not a force that stopped being given after teh first apostolic church, but rather each believer is to receive the Holy Spirit. So seek God and ask to receive the Holy Spirit if you have not already received it.

Amen.