Pentecost – Baptism of the Holy Spirit

Sermon - Pentecost – Baptism of the Spirit

Acts of the Apostles 2:1–4Repent,Receive forgiveness of sins,Then you will receive the gift.

Prayer: O Father, the foundation of all creation! Fill our human hearts with Your Holy Spirit. Then we shall experience the joy of the Spirit, the stirring of the Spirit, and the zeal of the Spirit. Fill our human understanding with the knowledge of Your glory, with the wisdom of the Spirit, and with prophetic insight. Then we will be able to comprehend all the things hidden within Your depths. We will be able to understand all that You have revealed for this present time. Father, fill our human conscience with Your perfect Spirit, so that we may walk in the way You have taught and revealed. Holy Spirit, purify our hearts, Father. Your love is ever constant and unchanging. Father, even in times when the outpouring of the Spirit was opposed, Your disciples always triumphed. O Father who dwells in all our hearts—thank You! You live in the houses of the wealthy and in the humble homes of the poor alike. If one calls upon You, You will dwell in their hearts as well. Grant us today that same blessedness, we pray in Jesus' name, Father. Amen.

O people who have come to be filled with the Holy Spirit! Among our Christian festivals, the first is Christmas, the second is Easter, and the third is Pentecost. These festivals recur every year, often in different months. For a long time, we have been hearing sermons about these holy days. But what truly makes a day a festival? It is not merely our gathering, talking, and going home. Rather, the real festival is when something is spiritually discovered and revealed. The Spirit spoke because someone discerned and discovered. Thus, Pentecost is a festival of outpouring—a festival of spiritual discovery. Until then, those who already had the Spirit experienced an overflow, and the new ones received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. This is the essence of the Pentecost celebration. On Christmas, we give thanks to the Father; on Good Friday, we give thanks to the Son who gave His life; and on Pentecost, we give thanks to the Holy Spirit, who gave Himself completely to us. The Father gave us His Son, and He also gave us the Spirit. These two divine gifts—the Son and the Spirit—were given by the Father. And to help us know this truth, He gave us the Holy Scriptures. Without the Bible, we would never have known that the Father gave His Son, or that the Spirit was given to us. The threefold gift of the Triune God is this: the gift of the Son, the gift of the Spirit, and the gift of the Bible. To God be many praises! Of all the righteous acts God has done, which one is the greatest? Which one is first? All are first, and all are great; each is complete in its own way. It is only through the Bible that we come to know about the Son, the Spirit, and the Father. And it is only through the Holy Spirit that we receive full understanding of these truths.

Now concerning the baptism of the Holy Spirit: ministers (pastors) give baptism with water, but Christ the Lord, after ascending to heaven, gave the baptism of the Holy Spirit. What did Christ say? "I will send the Comforter." It is He who gives this baptism. Those who belonged to Christ received both baptisms together—water baptism and Spirit baptism—at the same time. They received it immediately, not later. According to spiritual order and justice, we too are meant to receive both baptisms at once. But the reason why this does not always happen now is unknown to us. We know how Christ received it, but we don’t always realize that we too are supposed to receive in the same way. That is why many are receiving it only afterward.

What we have come to understand is that both baptisms—water and Spirit—are meant to be received together. Therefore, there is only one baptism. In that one baptism, both experiences are united. They are not meant to be separated. Christ the Lord received water baptism from John, who was a human like us, administering it publicly. But Christ also received Holy Spirit baptism directly from the Father. In the same way, we too must receive the Spirit baptism from Christ Himself. Water baptism comes in the one name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Within that one name, both experiences—of water and Spirit—are jointly present, though we may not recognize it clearly. Because of sin, we are on the left (outside), and so we are immersed in water, in a river, to symbolically and spiritually cross over.

Then when does the Spirit baptism take place? Scripture says: "He who believes and is baptized will be saved." So, if salvation comes through belief and baptism, then why is the Spirit baptism given after receiving salvation? In the name of the Triune God, salvation is offered. At that moment, we begin to know the Father and the Son—but we do not yet know the Spirit Father personally, fully, and experientially. Only when we come to know Him in that intimate way can we enter from the outer fellowship of name-based Christianity into the inner fellowship of the Spirit.

In the early days, those who were saved in the name of the Triune God were gathered into the upper room by the Lord Himself. But was that the end of their journey? No. After being gathered, the 120 people received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, declaring the gospel. Before this, they had not proclaimed the full gospel. They had spoken of Christ’s birth, His miracles, and their personal experiences of walking with Him. But they had not yet proclaimed the gospel of the Lord’s death, His resurrection, or His ascension, for those events had not yet taken place. Only after these core events occurred, and after they received the Spirit, were they able to boldly proclaim the complete message of salvation—the message of the cross, resurrection, and ascension. These are the most essential elements of the gospel.

These three great eternal events had not taken place earlier, so they were not spoken of then. But now, since they have received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, they are able to proclaim the full gospel. They can also speak of new revelations. They are now capable of declaring the history of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. We ourselves have received it now — so you too must receive it. Therefore, what was done on the Day of Pentecost is the full gospel. Only when we say, “We too must preach the full gospel,” does it truly become the complete gospel.

Just as every aspect of the Lord’s life and ministry is important, so is the receiving of the Holy Spirit. It is equally significant. This, too, is the work of the Triune God. The disciples were able to grasp this truth. In our times, we are saying that something new is approaching — the Second Coming. Therefore, we must boldly declare that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a present reality.

Here is an example: If someone asks you at 4 p.m., “Did you have lunch at 12?” and you say yes, it implies that you completed everything involved in the meal. In the same way, when someone asks, “Have you received baptism?” it should mean — have you received both the water baptism and the Spirit baptism? Christ Himself received both in one experience: water and Spirit. In addition to these, there is also the baptism of fire. These three — water, Spirit, and fire — together constitute one complete baptism. When someone says they’ve eaten food, it includes rice, curry, and water. Similarly, when we say baptism, it should imply all three.

So when should water baptism and Spirit baptism be received? Should they happen at the same time? Or should there be a gap? Christ received the Holy Spirit just one minute after completing John’s baptism. But in our case, there often seems to be a delay. However, the baptism of the Holy Spirit is something that continues to be received until the last days.

The Scripture says, “He who believes and is baptized shall be saved.” (Acts 2:38). According to Peter’s message, the sequence is clear: first, repentance; second, the forgiveness of sins; and then third, the gift of the Holy Spirit. Thus, water baptism comes first, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit follows.

Now, is there a long gap between these two? Not at all. For Christ, there was only a one-minute gap between the two. In Peter’s statement, the word “then” (or “after that”) contains just three letters — it takes only a moment to say. Likewise, the baptism of the Holy Spirit should ideally be received immediately — right then and there.

The 120 disciples received the Holy Spirit after quite a delay. Christ had spoken about it a long time before. Even John had mentioned it earlier. It was only after Christ ascended into heaven that they fully understood the matter of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Yet, even if it happens after a delay, receiving it at some point is still essential.

John preached the Old Testament message. He declared that it was for everyone. He prophesied about it. Before John, there were prophets like Abraham, Samuel, and Joel. John was the last prophet among them. He said that Christ would soon baptize with the Holy Spirit. What Joel prophesied, John confirmed, and Christ reiterated in Acts chapter 1 — that “in a few days, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” As foretold by all three, it happened.

Although years, months, or days had passed, the prophecy was eventually fulfilled. Between Joel and John, there is no record that anyone received the Holy Spirit. From the time of John until the ascension of Christ — and until the day of outpouring — no one received the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

It was on the Day of Pentecost that they received it. The promise was made to them — and the same promise is for us. It did not happen before Pentecost. It was appointed to take place after Christ’s ascension.

If you ask someone today, “Have you received the baptism of the Holy Spirit?” many will say they don’t know. Some even say, “It’s not needed.” Others claim, “Only those who want it should receive it.” But once it is received, shouldn’t it be declared? The disciples received it and openly said they did.

They said:

So, have you received all three? Then pray and receive it.

The 120 disciples prayed for ten days, discovered the truth, and received it. They received it only after doing those three things. If we also do the same three things, we too can receive it. Since the Lord’s return is near, everyone must receive. May the Holy Spirit Father bless us all today with such great blessedness through His outpouring. Amen.

Lord! When our eyes are opened to look toward the heavens, we begin to realize how great Your wisdom truly is. You have placed the sun, moon, and stars in their places. When we look upon the earth, we see animals, rivers, and human beings — all of these You have set in order. Everything is placed exactly where it should be. In the house called Creation, You have perfectly arranged every part in its proper place.

We praise You as we reflect on this divine wisdom of Yours. In the Bible, no one was born at the wrong time — each person was born exactly where and when You appointed them. You have caused them to be born in such a way. You have established a good order for everything. You have done nothing in a haphazard or careless manner. Likewise, You also ordained a redemptive plan to save fallen humanity. Even that had a precise order. You knew when to give promises, when to separate a chosen people from the mixed multitude — all these divine arrangements reveal Your great wisdom.

Make our hearts, our understanding, and our consciences submit to the power of Your wisdom. Today, we humbly ask You to explain to us the truths we need to learn. In Jesus’ name, we give thanks and worship You, Father! Amen.