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Baptism and Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Baptism and Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Baptism and Gifts of the Holy Spirit
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Baptism and Gifts of the Holy Spirit

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Acts 1.8 But you shall receive miraculous power, when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be witnesses to Me ...

Jesus is speaking to His disciples just before His ascension into heaven. He instructed them not to leave and not to start witnessing until they receive the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit. These words could be translated correctly to say: "Witness in the same way as I witnessed".

Jesus went everywhere with the miraculous-power of the Holy Spirit. He performed every kind of miracle that has ever been seen in the history of Israel, and one which the Jews had never before seen - the ability to cast out demons.

It is imperative that followers of Jesus know how to witness in the same manner that Jesus witnessed, so that they can do the works that He did.

This book contains a full description of how to receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit followed by a complete description of each of the gifts of the Spirit, how they were used in the Old Testament, how Jesus functioned in the gifts of the Spirit and how the early church used the gifts.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateOct 9, 2011
ISBN9789549941555
Baptism and Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Author

Stephen Hedges

Stephen Hedges was born into a Jewish family and raised in Kenya (East Africa).Since the turn of the century Stephen Hedges has taught the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament) at an institute in Bulgaria.

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    Baptism and Gifts of the Holy Spirit - Stephen Hedges

    bghs cvr front only

    Baptism and Gifts of the Holy Spirit

    Sofia 2011

    Copyright (c) 2002 Stephen H Hedges

    SmashWords Edition

    Stephen H Hedges

    Baptism and Gifts of the Holy Spirit

    Copyright (c) 2002 by Stephen H Hedges

    All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other – except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the written permission of the author.

    Request for information should be addresses to:

    Stephen H Hedges

    s h h e d g e s @ h o t m a i l . c o m

    (When using this email address, remove the spaces)

    Cover design by:

    Deborah E Crittenden

    First Printed in Bulgaria under the title:

    Кръщението и Дарбите на Свяия Дух

     Издателство Бъдеще и Надежда

    София 1202, ул Веслец 69

    Tel. 02/931 18 20. 02/931 09 22

    ISBN 954-9941-16-7 (Bulgarian original)

    e-mail: sbe@internet-bg.net

    ISBN 978-954-9941- 55-5 (English language electronic edition)

    Table of Contents

    Introduction

    Notes

    Chapter One: The Baptism in the Holy Spirit

    A. Jesus the Baptiser

    B. How to Receive

    C. Purposes of the baptism in the Holy Spirit

    D. Review:

    Footnotes for Chapter One

    Chapter Two: Charisma

    A. The Greek Words for Gift

    B. New Testament Usage of Charisma

    .1. The Gifts that all Believers Have

    .2. Diversity of Gifts

    ..a. Gifts of Ministry

    ..b. Gifts of Activities

    ..c. Gifts of Manifestations

    ..d. Other Usage

    C. Review of the uses of the word charisma

    Footnotes for Chapter Two

    Chapter Three: The Nine Gifts of the Holy Spirit

    A. Why Do We Need the Gifts of the Holy Spirit?

    B. Gifts of Revelation:

    .1. A Word of Wisdom

    ..a. Definition of a Word of Wisdom

    ..b. A Word of Wisdom in the Ministry of Jesus

    ..c. A Word of Wisdom in the Hebrew Scriptures

    ..d. A Word of Wisdom in the Ministry of the Apostles

    ..e. Application of a Word of Wisdom

    .2. A Word of Knowledge

    ..a. Definition of a Word of Knowledge

    ..b. A Word of Knowledge in the Ministry of Jesus

    ..c. A Word of Knowledge in the Hebrew Scriptures

    ..d. A Word of Knowledge in the Ministry of the Apostles

    ..e. Application of a Word of Knowledge

    .3. Discernings of Spirits

    ..a. Definition of Discernings of Spirits

    ..b. Discernings of Spirits in the Ministry of Jesus

    ..c. Discernings of Spirits in the Hebrew Scriptures

    ..d. Discernings of Spirits in the Ministry of the Apostles

    ..e. Application of Discernings of Spirits

    C. Gifts of Power:

    .1. The General Subject of Faith

    ..a. Saving Faith

    ..b. The Fruit of Faith

    ..c. A Word of Faith

    i. A Word of Faith in the Life of the Believer

    ii. A Word of Faith Spoken at Creation

    ..d. A Word of Faith in the Ministry of Jesus

    ..e. A Word of Faith in the Hebrew Scriptures

    ..f. A Word of Faith in the Ministry of the Apostles

    ..g. Application of the Word of Faith

    .2. Gifts of Healings

    ..a. Definition of Healing

    ..b. Gifts of Healings in the Ministry of Jesus

    ..c. Gifts of Healings in the Hebrew Scriptures

    ..d. Gifts of Healings in the Ministry of the Apostles

    ..e. Application of the Gifts of Healings

    .3. Workings of Miracles

    ..a. Definition of Miracles

    ..b. Workings of Miracles in the Ministry of Jesus

    ..c. Workings of Miracles in the Hebrew Scriptures

    ..d. Workings of Miracles in the Ministry of the Apostles

    ..e. Application of the Workings of Miracles

    D. Vocal Gifts

    .1. The Gift of Languages

    ..a. General Subject of 'Language'

    ..b. Language – Singular

    ..c. Languages – Plural

    .2. Interpretation of Languages

    .3. Prophecy

    ..a. Definition of Prophecy

    ..b. Prophecy in the Ministry of Jesus

    ..c. Prophecy in the Hebrew Scriptures

    ..d. Prophecy in the Ministry of the Apostles

    ..e. How to Judge Prophecy

    i. Who Must Judge Prophecy

    ii. Scriptural Principles for Judging Prophecy

    ..f. Application of Prophecy

    E. Review

    Footnotes for Chapter Three

    Chapter Four: The Correct Motive for Exercising Spiritual Gifts

    A. The relationship between gifts and love

    B. Truths that build faith

    C. Practical Directions

    D. The Realm of War

    E. Review

    Footnotes for Chapter Four

    Appendix: Miracles in the Book of Acts

    Footnotes for the Appendix

    Bibliography

    End Notes

    Other Titles by Stephen H Hedges

    Introduction

    This examination of the baptism and gifts of the Holy Spirit will be divided into four sections. The first section is titled The Baptism in the Holy Spirit. This chapter will focus on each of the New Testament references to the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and show the similarities and differences between water baptism and Holy Spirit Baptism.

    The second section will be an in-depth look at the use of the word charisma in the Greek New Testament. The use of this Greek word establishes what gifts are available to believers.

    The third section is a look at the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit that are listed in 1 Corinthians. Included in this section are examples of which gifts Jesus and the Apostles used, and how they used these gifts. Also in this section there is an examination of Old Testament examples for many of the gifts.

    In the fourth section there are instructions on how to exercise spiritual gifts, what we need to know in order to determine which gifts the Lord wants us to have, and how to judge prophecy.

    Notes:

    Special Note for eBook readers:

    Clicking on any ‘heading’ in the manuscript will take you back to the ‘Table of Contents’.

    In the print version of this book there will be numerous footnotes and endnotes. Whereas these are easy to access in a print version they are somewhat more difficult for eBook readers. The footnotes and end notes can be accessed by using the link following the word (in much the same way that you would in a print format). The footnotes are all numbered consecutively, and the endnotes are alphabetised. Some electronic formats have a ‘back’ button (to take you back to your original place in the text), others do not. Therefore, all footnotes and endnotes are hyperlinked in both directions (so that you can ‘click’ on the number at the beginning of the footnote and it will take you back to your original position in the book). However, since the superscript numbers (for the footnotes) and superscript letters (for the endnotes) in the original text are quite small it may be difficult for many people to ‘click’ on them. So I have gathered the footnotes for each chapter and placed them at the end of each chapter. At least you will know where to look for them if need them, and by the time you reach the end of the chapter you may still remember what the footnote refers to.

    At the end of each chapter, but before the footnotes for that chapter, there is a link that will allow you to skip the footnotes and go to the beginning of the next chapter.

    The footnotes belong to three different types. If a footnote follows a Scripture reference the footnote will indicate the correct Scripture reference in different Bibles (Catholic vs. Orthodox vs. Septuagint vs. Hebrew). Most of the other footnotes deal with the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English word in the text. Some of the footnotes will give you additional Scripture references where the Hebrew or Greek word is used.

    Most of the endnotes have to do with definitions of Hebrew or Greek words or sources for additional study.

    Some eBook readers do not have the ability to handle non-latin characters. If you have ones of those readers the Hebrew, Greek and Cyrillic words in the text may be represented by question marks. You might see something like ‘????’. This is unfortunate, but this electronic technology is still in its infancy and there are many problems yet to be solved. However, if you have that problem you can send me an e-mail (the address is above) and I can send you a PDF that has the original Hebrew and Greek words.

    Note concerning spelling and grammar

    This book was originally written for the European market, the grammar and spelling is based on UK English. Therefore many words are spelled differently than they would be for the American market. Also the references made to Bible verses are designed to handle the four different chapter and verse enumeration systems that are used in Europe. The Roman Catholic Church (and most Western Protestants) use the system invented by the Catholic Church. The Orthodox churches (and many Protestants in countries dominated by orthodox churches) use the Septuagint system in the Old Testament. The Hebrew Scriptures have a different system (though it is based on the Catholic system). Some Protestant Bibles in Eastern Europe have a unique verse numbering system in the Psalms which tries to find the mid-point between the Hebrew and Orthodox systems. The footnotes will give the alternative chapter and verse numbers for the different systems.

    I write with an emphasis based on my Jewish roots. Please do not be offended by this. Although it is unconventional in this day to write as a Jew, I am comforted by the fact that Paul wrote that way, even when he was writing to the Gentiles.

    In the footnotes there are many Hebrew and Greek words. It is not necessary to read or understand Hebrew or Greek to be able to understand the footnotes. Those who do read Hebrew or Greek will notice that the transcribed lettering of these languages will not always match the spelling in the original language. This is because I have spelled the original words as they appear in the referenced text, but I have written the transcribed text based on the root word in the original Hebrew or Greek. This makes it easier for those who are not familiar with the grammar of these two languages to understand the words. Those who do know the original languages can look at the Hebrew and Greek words in the original script and see the grammatical nuances of the words.

    If the word LORD appears in the text in capital letters, it indicates that the original Hebrew word is YHVH.

    The abbreviation LXX stands for the Septuagint, which was the first authorised translation of the Hebrew Bible. It was translated into Greek about three hundred years prior to the first New Testament writings. Since the LXX functioned as the proper way to express Hebrew thoughts and words in the Greek language, it is the second most important text after the original Hebrew, but the most important when trying to identify the meaning that New Testament writers attached to any Greek word.

    Within quotations from the Bible any word that is not in the original text is shown in non-italics and in a smaller size font. Any words joined by a hyphen indicate that they are translating one word in the original text. If a passage quoted from the New Testament contains a citation from the Hebrew Bible that citation is shown in Arial italic font.

    The basic outline for this material comes from the twelve cassette tape series by Derek Prince titled The Nine Gifts of the Holy Spirit (identified in the Derek Prince Ministries Catalogue as NG1 and NG2).

    Chapter One: The Baptism in the Holy Spirit

    A. Jesus the Baptiser

    There are seven passages in the New Testament where the words baptise and Holy Spirit occur in the same verse. The first four passages are in the four Gospels. This is significant in itself because there are very few stories that occur in all four Gospels. So when the Holy Spirit chooses to emphasise a story by placing it in all four Gospels we are obligated to pay careful attention to that story.

    1. Matt. 3.11 I baptise you in ¹ water on-account-of  ² repentance. But He who is coming after me is more-powerful ³ than me, of whom I am not worthy to remove the sandals. He will baptise you in ⁴ the Holy Spirit and fire.

    2. Mark 1.8 I baptise you, but He will baptise you in ⁵ the Holy Spirit.

    3. Luke 3.16 John answered everyone saying, "I baptise you, but the one who is more-powerful ⁶  A  than I is coming. I am not worthy to untie the strap of His sandals. He will baptise you in ⁷ the Holy Spirit and fire."

    4. John 1.33 And I did not recognise Him. But the One who sent me to baptise in water, said to me, "Upon whomever you see the Spirit descending and remaining on Him, this is the One baptising in ⁹ the Holy Spirit."

    John the Baptist was the one chosen to introduce Jesus to the world, and this is the New Testament account of that introduction. The traditional approach most of us would take if we were to introduce Jesus to someone would be to sermonise about His sinless life, His death upon the cross, the resurrection, and the offer of eternal life. But, when John the Baptist was given the task of introducing Jesus to all of humanity, he chose to introduce Jesus as the One who would baptise in the Holy Spirit!

    The responsibility to introduce Jesus as the baptiser was given to John by G-d, ¹⁰ and the proof of this is that the Holy Spirit inspired the four gospel writers to record the same introductory statement about Jesus. This leads to the conclusion that John was correct in introducing Jesus in this manner, and that the baptism in the Holy Spirit must be an essential part of any teaching about Jesus and His purposes.

    It is important to point out that, even after more than three years of travelling with Jesus, His disciples did not know that Jesus would die for their sins, be buried and resurrected. But, they knew that He would be the one who baptised in the Holy Spirit from the very beginning of their relationship with Him.

    The fifth passage in which the words baptise and Holy Spirit both occur is found in Acts:

    Acts 1.5, 8

    5 "On the one hand John water baptised, but you will be baptised in ¹¹ the Holy Spirit not many days from now."

    8 "But you will receive miraculous-power ¹² when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses..."

    Jesus is speaking here to His disciples just before His ascension into heaven. He instructs them not to go out and start witnessing because as of yet they do not have the miraculous-power of the Holy Spirit. The words in verse 8 could also be accurately translated to say, and you will be witnesses as me which means witnesses in the same manner that I was a witness.

    Jesus went everywhere in the miraculous-power of the Holy Spirit. He performed every type of miracle that had ever been witnessed in the history of Israel, plus one miracle that the Jews had never seen before - the ability to cast out demons. It was imperative that Jesus' disciples receive the Holy Spirit so that they could operate in the same manner that He had. While Jesus was with His disciples they had shared in His miraculous-power. Now with His departure to Heaven, the disciples needed their own encounter with the Holy Spirit so that they too could witness effectively.

    It is a significant fact to note that Jesus did not begin His ministry until after the Holy Spirit had fallen upon Him. There is a prevalent attitude among some contemporary Christians that receiving the Holy Spirit is directly connected with the new birth. Jesus did not need a new birth. He certainly did not receive the Holy Spirit as an outward indication that He had repented from some sin! Yet even He needed the miraculous-power of the Holy Spirit in order to fulfil His work on this earth.

    In Acts chapter 11 we have the sixth occurrence of the two words baptise and Holy Spirit in the same passage.

    Acts 11.16 "And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He was saying, ‘John water baptised, but you will be baptised in ¹³ the Holy Spirit.’"

    Peter is giving an account of the first outpouring of salvation upon the Gentiles. It must be remembered that prior to this time only Jews and those Gentiles who had converted to Judaism had received salvation (the Ethiopian eunuch had just returned from worshipping at Jerusalem when he met Philip [Acts 8.26-38] so he was a convert to Judaism).

    Although Cornelius was not a convert to Judaism he was not a heathen person. He was living in Israel and was quite familiar with some of the events and also some of the details of the Torah of Moses. ¹⁴ This is evidenced by the fact that Peter says to Cornelius (Acts 10.28), You know that it is unlawful for a man that is Jewish to keep company or come unto a foreigner. Most of those who call themselves ‘Bible believing Christians’ would not know the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures (the Torah of Moses) well enough to realise that there is a prohibition in those Scriptures against Jews entering into the house of a Gentile. ¹⁵ But Peter assumed that Cornelius was aware of this prohibition. Peter had provided overnight lodging to the servants of Cornelius and had accompanied the servants of Cornelius on the journey from Jaffa to Caesarea. Peter would have asked these men a lot of questions during this time since the request for Peter to come to Cornelius was quite contrary to all that the disciples would have expected. The Bible says that Cornelius was a G-d fearing man who regularly prayed and gave money to the poor, something that most people who call themselves ‘Christians’ don’t often do. Cornelius had been visited by an angel who gave to Cornelius the name and address of Peter and told him that Peter would instruct him and his household as to what they must do to receive more from G-d. Although Cornelius was not a convert to Judaism he was what the Jews classified as a ‘righteous Gentile’. B

    From this account it seems clear that Peter must have introduced Jesus to these people in the same manner that John the Baptist had – as baptiser in the Holy Spirit. Because they received the Holy Spirit and spoke in other languages just like the disciples had on the day of Pentecost.

    The seventh and final passage is found in 1 Corinthians:

    1 Cor. 12.13 For also in ¹⁶ one Spirit we were all baptised into ¹⁷ one body. Whether Jews or Greeks, whether slave or free, and all of one Spirit were given to drink.

    From looking at these seven passages we are able to draw the following conclusions: First, there is a direct comparison made between water baptism and the baptism in the Holy Spirit. In each of these passages water baptism is mentioned first. Water baptism is a deliberate act on the part of one who has repented and is the outward sign of the inward spiritual change that has taken place. In the same way the baptism in the Holy Spirit is the result of a deliberate act on the part of the one who repents. It is the outward sign of membership in the body of Christ (for in one Spirit, we were all baptised into one body). The baptism in the Holy Spirit does not make you a member of the body of Christ, but it is the sign of what has already taken place in your spirit, in the same way that water baptism does not produce repentance but is the outward sign of the repentance that has already been accomplished in you.

    It is also clear that another purpose of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is to bring unity to the body of Christ. Remember that it was the fact that the Holy Spirit was poured out upon the Gentiles that convinced Peter that they could receive salvation without first embracing the Law. It was Peter's testimony to this occurrence that convinced the early church that Gentiles could receive salvation. Later we will revisit this concept that the baptism in the Spirit produces unity.

    That six of the seven passages directly compare baptism in the Holy Spirit to baptism in water shows that baptism in the Holy Spirit is just as necessary as water baptism, and also that it is equally available to all believers.

    As mentioned before, water baptism is a definite act that takes place after repentance, so also the baptism in the Holy Spirit must be a definite act in which the believer actively participates and must be subsequent to repentance. Water baptism does not come automatically when you believe; neither does the baptism in the Holy Spirit. But, just like water baptism is freely available to all believers, so also the baptism in the Holy Spirit is freely available to all believers.

    It is clear from John chapter 7 that Jesus expects that all those who believe in Him will receive the Holy Spirit.

    John 7.37-39

    37 Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out saying, "If anyone thirsts let him come to Me and drink.

    38 The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Rivers of living water will flow out of his belly’.

    39 But this He said about the Spirit, which the ones believing in Him were about to receive. For the Spirit was not yet, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

    When this passage is viewed in light of the statements of John the Baptist concerning the ministry of Jesus it is evident that Jesus is talking about the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Jesus says that those who receive the Spirit will have rivers of living waters flowing out from them. So, one purpose of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is so that one can be so full of the miraculous-power of G-d that they become a source of life to others. The Holy Spirit gives the believer the miraculous-power to obey the final commands of Jesus:

    Mark 16.17-18

    17 "And these signs shall follow them that believe in My name:

    they shall cast out demons;

    they shall speak with new tongues;

    18they shall take up serpents.

    And if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them;

    they shall lay hands on the sick,

    and they shall recover".

    Jesus expected His disciples to: heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead and cast out demons. ¹⁸

    The words that Jesus spoke in John 7.37-39 were spoken at the feast of Succoth. ¹⁹ This is a week long feast where all Jews are required to live in temporary shelters to remind us of the years that we spent in the wilderness. C During that forty year period we were miraculously supplied with all the food and water that we needed. Our clothes did not become old and our shoes did not wear out. We had a daily provision of food, water, health and protection. It was during our time in the wilderness that the rock followed us providing us with water.   What a miracle that was! A rock that could supply water for 2.5 million people and all their herds; that would be a least 20 million litres of water each day. Yet this rock followed us where ever we went in the wilderness for thirty-eight years and we say that the water that flowed from this rock was living water. It did not leave us until we entered the cultivated territory of Moab. On the last day of the feast of Succoth (after a week of eating and drinking and remembering the miraculous water from the rock) Jesus stands up and offers living water that would flow out from Him. Clearly for the Jews at this feast Jesus was identifying Himself with that rock, and with the miraculous provision that we had lived in while we were in the wilderness.

    In conclusion we see that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is an experience that all believers are expected to enter into. It is just as available and just as necessary as water baptism. Also, like water baptism, it is an experience that is subsequent to repentance, and it is received as the result of an act of our own will. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is the miraculous-power that allows us to fulfil the commands of Jesus, and it is what allows us to be the same source of life to others that Jesus was. Finally, the baptism in the Holy Spirit is compared to the provision of G-d that sustained and blessed the Jews during the wilderness journey.

    B. How to Receive

    Matt. 7.9-11

    ..9 Or what man among you whom his son requests of him bread – a stone he will not hand him?

    10 Or also a fish he is requesting – a serpent he will not hand him?

    11 Therefore, if you, being evil, have known to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in the Heavens give good things to those asking Him.

    Luke 11.9-13

    ..9 And-I say to you, Ask, and-it-shall-be-given you; seek and you-will find; knock, and it-shall-be-opened to-you.

    10 For all askers, receive; and seekers, find; and to knockers, it-shall-be-opened.

    11 If a son shall ask bread of you that-is a father, will-he-give him a stone? If he asks for a fish, will-he-give a serpent?

    12 Or if he-asks for an-egg, will-he-offer him a-scorpion?

    13 If then, you being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to-them-that ask Him?

    Two things are notable about these scriptures: first, you must ask for the good gift that your Heavenly Father has for you. Second, if you do not ask for the Holy Spirit, you will not receive the Holy Spirit. It is interesting to note that Jesus compares the Holy Spirit to bread, fish and an egg. In the basic Jewish diet of Jesus’ day, these three items were so common that it would almost seem strange that a child would need to ask for them. Bread was an item that was part of every meal that was eaten. Even to this day it is considered almost necessary for religious Jews to have bread at every meal. Fish was very abundant and a normal part of the Jewish diet in Jesus' day. Many of the disciples were originally fisherman, and there are many stories about fish, fishing and fisherman in the gospels. Finally, anyone who has been raised in an agrarian society will testify to the ever-present chickens and their eggs. But the point that Jesus is making is that it is inconceivable that a father would want his child to be without these items. They are basic and essential to the normal diet, yet we must ask the Father to provide us with the Holy Spirit, who is just as basic and essential to our spiritual diet as bread, fish and eggs.

    Acts 2.2 And suddenly from heaven there was the sound of a mighty rushing spirit and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.

    It must be remembered that the disciples spoke Hebrew. In Hebrew the word for spirit is ruah ²⁰ which is also the word for wind and breath. D So when they heard this sound from heaven, although they were hearing the sound of a wind, in their minds the word that they thought was the word for "wind,

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