Baptism Of The Holy Spirit (Part 1)

On Sept. 12, 2011, I went to church with the girls near where they live. Whenever I’m in town I try to attend church with them on Sundays. I enjoy going for several reasons and this particular Sunday was no exception. Pastor Jason preached on the need for the Church to get back to being moved by the the Holy Spirit, to receive a Pentecostal movement as in years past, to not be so tied to rituals and doctrines so as to lose the Holy Spirit. I was moved by his sermon and came forward when asked if anyone wanted to experience a greater sensitivity to the Holy Spirit. As I was standing, praying, weeping, Pastor Jason came up to me and asked if I had received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. I thought he was referring to regular baptism so I immediately said, “yes.” He told me that God was with me on the road and Pastor Jason walked on to someone else. After the service was done I realized that I had misinterpreted “Baptism of the Holy Spirit”. So I went to Pastor Jason and explained to him just that. He and Shannon (a member and a good friend of Pastor Jason) took me into another room and explained the difference between the two baptisms. He asked if I wanted to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit and I responded with a yes. He and Shannon prayed with me and I began to weep. I don’t know the exact reason why, maybe to release some pain, maybe to acknowledge that I needed God and wanted to be closer to Him. Maybe it was a heartfelt expression of a simple love for Him; maybe all three. I felt God’s presence and His simple message, “It will be ok, I love you, even though you don’t understand everything I do.” When we finished I have to admit I didn’t feel much different then when we first started praying. I explained to Pastor Jason and Shannon what areas I felt needed improvement in my life, how I’ve seen God’s hand direct me to do His work for the Kingdom. Shannon explained that in our daily walk with God we have little moments to serve Him. It’s a journey and most of the time we don’t have what I call “Moses moments”; grand events of colossal change for the Kingdom. Both stated that I will receive greater strength and power from the Holy Spirit. I have to admit I didn’t feel different after we were through and I don’t feel much different now. And at times I’m as much confused about where God is leading me as before. All I can fall back on is just continuing to trust Him more and more. I hold onto believing that He has a special purpose or purposes for me, that He’s preparing me in some way and that He will reveal His intentions in His time. – JSS