Fola Komolafe

Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high. Luke 24:49 (NKJV)

In the Bible we see two distinct experiences of the Holy Spirit. The indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit when we get born again (John 3:5-8) and the infilling presence of the Holy Spirit when we receive the baptism of the Spirit mentioned by Jesus with the evidence of speaking in tongues (Acts 1,2). However people sometimes sit on extremes on the baptism of the Holy Spirit and both are not helpful. As believers we should always find the balance, driving down the middle of the road and not in the ditches on either side.

God has given His church a wonderful gift which should always be submitted to the more excellent way described in 1 Corinthians 12:31 which is love. Speaking in tongues should not be abused or misused in the church and it is not an indication of superiority over another believer, on the contrary it is what Jesus said it is the promise of the Father (Acts 1:4). It is an awesome promise that allows us to fully participate in and see the manifestations of the gifts and power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, in the church and most importantly in the world around us as it was for the early disciples in the book of Acts. Paul described this saying, “in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ (Romans 15:19).”

I was explaining this great and timely desire some have to see the Holy Spirit move more mightily in our time to someone the other day, and I said that sometimes when I hear people express this desire, it is like having one of the most expensive cars in the world  (Lamborghini, Ferrari, Porsche or whichever one you prefer) parked in your driveway but it is not going anywhere. Why? Because you need to put in the fuel for it to move swiftly displaying the wonders of its magnificent engine (lol). In this case the most expensive car is what we have when we get born again and receive the awesome indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit described in Matthew 13:44 as a treasure a man finds and sells all that he has to buy the field). It is so lovely in itself and complete leading to our salvation.

The fuel however is the extra over, so important that Jesus told his born again disciples (John 20:22) to still wait for the promise of the Father. The fuel is what is poured in when we receive the incredible baptism of the Holy Spirit, the infilling of the Holy Spirit. Both are necessary to see the manifestation of the full experience of the Gods Spirit. No wonder Paul, not discouraging the infilling of the Holy Spirit but the extreme that was happening in the church at Corinth said the following, “For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding (1 Cor. 14:14-15)

I pray we all receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit by asking God for His promise to fill us in Jesus Name. Ask and you will receive. Amen!

Note – For more teachings visit ‘The Fresh Inspiration’ podcasts on iTunes, Spotify and Soundcloud:

iTunes/Apple Podcasts: ‎Fresh Inspiration Podcast on Apple Podcasts

Spotify: Fresh Inspiration Podcast | Podcast on Spotify

Soundcloud: Fresh Inspiration | Free Listening on SoundCloud

If you are not yet a partner with Fresh Inspiration, we would like to ask you to consider supporting our work in delivering hope to millions of people around the world. If you would like to become a partner kindly setup a standing order for your donations to Fresh Inspiration using the account details below and please let us know by completing our  'become a partner form' on our website. Thank you.