Baptism with the Holy Spirit
Afterward, Jesus began his ministry and displayed his power by casting out demons, healing the sick, and teaching with authority (Luke 4:16–44).
A crowd gathered and was addressed by the Apostle Peter who stated that the occurrence was the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel 2, "And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy".
Peter then explained how the Spirit came to be poured out, recounting Jesus' ministry and passion and then proclaiming his resurrection and enthronement at the right hand of God.
He responded, "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
While the apostle Paul was in Ephesus, he found disciples there and discovered that they did not know of the existence of the Holy Spirit and had only received John the Baptist's baptism.
In the early Church, the laying on of hands on the newly baptized to impart the gift of the Holy Spirit was the origin of the sacrament of confirmation.
[22][23] John Fletcher, Wesley's designated successor and Methodism's systematic theologian, called Christian perfection (entire sanctification) "baptism in the Holy Spirit".
[25]In mid-19th century America, the Wesleyan holiness movement that had adherents both within and outside mainline Methodism began to emphasize the instantaneous aspect of Wesley's doctrine of entire sanctification (second work of grace), which one received by faith at a definite moment in time.
"[27] Synan traces the influence of Catholic and Anglican mystical traditions on John Wesley's doctrine of Christian perfection or entire sanctification.
[23] Furthermore, theologian James Dunn notes early Methodist beliefs can be directly linked to Puritan teaching on the Holy Spirit.
[20] After his conversion in 1821, Presbyterian minister and revivalist Charles Grandison Finney experienced what he called "baptism in the Holy Spirit" accompanied by "unutterable gushings" of praise.
[28] Finney and other Reformed writers, known as Oberlin perfectionists, agreed that there was a life altering experience after conversion, but unlike their Wesleyan holiness counterparts, they conceived of it as an ongoing process enabling believers to devote themselves wholly to Christ's service.
Wesleyan teachers emphasized purity while Oberlin and higher life advocates stressed power as the defining outcome of Spirit baptism.
He argued in his books Pentecost (1891) and Bible Doctrines (1909) that the baptism in the Holy Spirit was not synonymous with the second blessing but was actually a third work of grace subsequent to salvation and sanctification that empowered the believer for service.
[29] Charles Fox Parham would build on this doctrinal foundation when he identified speaking in tongues as the Bible evidence of Spirit baptism.
[38] The rite of confirmation orients toward mission, and many liturgical texts remind the initiate that the gift of the Holy Spirit should be used for service to the church and the world.
John Fletcher, the systematic theologian of Methodism, articulated this Wesleyan doctrine,[1] and held that this second work of grace was the "full measure of the spirit, which perfects Christian believers.
Through faith in Jesus Christ this gracious gift may be received in this life both gradually and instantaneously, and should be sought earnestly by every child of God.
Those who teach that some special phenomena such as speaking with unknown tongues constitutes a witness to the Baptism with the Spirit expose themselves and their hearers to peril of dangerous fanaticism.
[49] Entire sanctification (as opposed to growth in grace) is an act of God in which a believer is made free from original sin and able to devote themselves entirely to God: It is wrought by the baptism with or infilling of the Holy Spirit, and comprehends in one experience the cleansing of the heart from sin and the abiding, indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, empowering the believer for life and service.
[51] John Wesley laid emphasis upon the second work of grace—entire sanctification—as "a personal, non-ceremonial experience of sanctifying grace", which distinguishes Methodism.
[53] The early Quakers, following Fox, taught that as a result of the New Birth through the power of the Holy Spirit, man could be free from actual sinning if he continued to rely on the inward light and "focus on the cross of Christ as the center of faith".
[56][57] Christianity • Protestantism In classical Pentecostalism, the baptism with the Holy Spirit is understood to be a separate and distinct experience occurring sometime after regeneration.
They then cite biblical examples in the Book of Acts 2, 8, 10, and 19 to show that it was common in the New Testament for Spirit baptism to occur after conversion.
In following the biblical pattern, they argue, Christians today should also pray for this baptism which results in greater power for ministry and witness.
They gladly and thankfully recognized His gracious operations in their regeneration and sanctification, but their own personal reception of the Holy Spirit was an intensely vivid experience.
Nothing reveals this more than Paul's searching question to certain disciples whom he immediately sensed to be spiritually lacking in a vital part of their Christian inheritance—'Have ye received the Holy Ghost?'
And even the skin on my face was jerked and shaken, and finally I felt my lower jaw begin to quiver in a strange way.
This continued for some little time, when finally my throat began to enlarge and I felt my vocal organs being, as it were, drawn into a different shape.
[62]In some accounts of Spirit baptism, Pentecostals report receiving visions, such as the account of Lucy Leatherman, an Azusa Street participant: While seeking for the Baptism with the Holy Ghost in Los Angeles, after Sister Ferrell [sic] laid hands on me I praised and praised God and saw my Savior in the heavens.
