You need the total in-filling of the Holy Spirit

The Lord Jesus Christ Himself needed to be filled with the Holy Spirit

The Lord Jesus Christ Himself only started preaching and demonstrating the power of God after being filled with the Holy Spirit.

The disciples of Jesus Christ exhibited qualities of being fearful, powerless, timid, weak, immature, carnal minded, full of strife and impotent in spite of having been with Jesus Christ for three and half years

When filled with the Holy Spirit- that all changed- they became bold, fearless, powerful witnesses of Jesus Christ who demonstrated His power with undeniable miracles.

Even ordinary disciples like Stephen, Philip and others demonstrated the power of God after being filled with the Holy Spirit.

There were visible external signs of being filled with the Holy Spirit- situations, people etc never remained the same

You need to have a passionate desire to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 5:21 declares: Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

You need to be filled with the Holy Spirit to live a victorious life as a child of God

Remember even the Lord Jesus had to be filled with the Holy Spirit- we read in Matthew 3:16-17 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. 17 And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.”

The Lord was able to declare after that:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” Luke 4:18-19.

Even the Lord Jesus started preaching and demonstrating the power of God after He had been filled with the Holy Spirit.

The disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ needed to be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Remember even Simon Peter denied the Lord Jesus three times just before the crucifixion. The scriptures records how a servant girl came to Peter and said “You also were with Jesus of Galilee.” Peter denied with an oath “I do not know the Man” and he even began to curse and to swear “I do not know the Man”. When Peter realised His mistake he went out and wept bitterly. Matthew 26:69-75

The same Peter on the day of Pentecost after being filled with the Holy Spirit, stoop up and boldly proclaimed the gospel in Acts 2:1-46. Three thousand people were added to the church on one day. The difference was that the same disciples who often exhibited qualities of being fearful, powerless, timid, weak, immature, carnal minded, full of strife and impotent in spite of having lived with the Lord Jesus Christ for three and half years being taught by Him and seeing the miracles He performed, when filled with the Holy Spirit became bold and fiery preachers who could demonstrate the power of God openly without fear or compromise.

We read in the Scriptures about the men chosen to serve tables were full of Holy Spirit and wisdom, among them was Stephen who even as he was being stoned by the Jews, continued to declare to them the word of God with power- to the point of death. Acts 6:1-15, 7:1-60. We also read of Philip the deacon, who went and preached in Samaria, demonstrating the power of God. Acts 8:5-8. He was not one of the 12 apostles but he was filled with the Holy Spirit.

You also need to be filled with the Holy Spirit with outward manifestation of the power of God.

In Acts 1:4-5 and verses 7- 8 the scriptures tells us how the Lord Jesus commanded His disciples not to leave Jerusalem as He was ascending to heaven, but to wait in Jerusalem until they were baptised with or immersed into and filled with the Holy Spirit.

“For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Acts 1:5

And He said to them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 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 1:7-8.

 His word says in Luke that we can ask for the Holy Spirit in faith and receive baptism with the Holy Spirit. You need to have a desire for Him, for His working and for His manifestations in your life. We read:

 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 give 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! Luke 11:11-13

 You can receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit through being prayed for with laying of hands by church elders.

Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them, who when they had come down, prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For as yet He had not fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. Acts 8:14-17

Here we notice that being baptized with and being filled with the Holy Spirit is a distinct experience from believing and calling on the Lord Jesus Christ for you to be saved. We also notice that when people were baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit, there were some outward manifestations which people observing saw and were convinced that something had happened. In the same portion of scripture, a certain Simon, “saw” that through laying of the apostles hands the Holy Spirit was given, and he offered money to the apostles to buy the gift from them. Peter the apostle, rebuked him and asked him to repent. (Acts 8:18-24).

The point is that when true in filling or baptism with the Holy Spirit happens, there will always be outward manifestations. The most common outward manifestation of the in filling of the Holy Spirit described in scripture is speaking with other tongues.

This was the case on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-11).

In Acts 10 we read a fascinating story about Cornelius, a highly decorated and high ranking soldier in the Roman Army, but one who feared God. An angel of God appeared to him and asked him to go and look for Apostle Simon Peter who was two days journey away. When Simon Peter arrived and preached Jesus Christ to them, the Holy Spirit fell on them:

While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard the word. And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they heard them speak with tongues and glorifying God.

Acts 10:44-46.

Here we notice that Peter preached the gospel and people believed and there was an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon them with outward manifestations- one of which was – people were heard speaking with other tongues.

 Mark 16:17-18 declares: And these signs shall follow those who believe: In my name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it shall not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.

We notice therefore that every believer needs to be filled with or baptized with the Holy Spirit.

Without being in filled and baptized the Holy Spirit a believer is weak, impotent, fearful, powerless, timid, immature, carnal-minded and full of strife.

The Holy Spirit gives you power, boldness, effectiveness, authority and might as a witness of Jesus Christ.

The Holy Spirit enables you to manifest the power of God in healing, deliverance and the manifestation of other gifts. (1 Corinthians Chapters 12, 13 and 14)

You must desire to be filled and baptized with the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 14:1)

The Holy Spirit is received by faith on the promises of God.

To receive the Holy Spirit you must ask God to fill and baptize you with the Holy Spirit.

You will in most instances need to be laid hands by the elders in the church.

When you are filled and baptized with the Holy Spirit there will be outward manifestations including speaking in new tongues.

In Summary: When you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and the sacrifice He did for you when He suffered and died on the cross and rose again from the dead on the third day, you need to repent from your sins, that is align with the word of God in the way you think, speak and act. You then need to call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and invite Him to be Lord of your life.

When you do this you receive salvation, you are given the gift of eternal life, you become an  adopted child of God, your sin is forgiven, you become a new creation, you are born again, you are redeemed from eternal damnation, you receive redemption from the power of Satan, redemption from poverty and lack, you receive the blessing of Abraham through Jesus Christ.

You need to have assurance of your salvation, by believing God’s promises and His promises alone.

You need to belong to a church congregation where you meet regularly with fellow believers.

You need to develop a relationship with Jesus Christ through prayer (talking to God) and reading the word of God regularly. The word renews your mind to think and act like the Lord Jesus Christ.

You need to put on and grow up in Christ as you manifest more and more of the attributes of Jesus Christ and put away the “old man”.  Rebel from and leave your former way of life, former conducts, behaviours, attitudes and way of talking.

Be baptized under water which symbolises, the washing away of your sins by the blood of Jesus Christ, the putting away and burying of your “ old man” and the resurrection of the new man,  a declaration of your new life with Jesus Christ

Be filled and baptized with the Holy Spirit who will give you power, boldness, effectiveness, authority and might as a witness of Jesus Christ.