Anointed by the Holy Spirit

Most of us know that Jesus Christ was anointed by God, but we may not fully understand what that means. Let's take a look at this in Scripture to better understand what it means to be anointed.


Anointing the Kings of Israel 
First we'll begin with a little bit of historical background on the practice of anointing. Normally in Israel, when God appointed a man to be their king, then they anointed him, which consisted of pouring sacred, aromatic oil over his head or entire body. Anointing people originally came from the Hebrew practice used to anoint Aaron as high priest, which was later followed to anoint their kings, such as when Samuel the prophet anointed Saul as king.

"Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it on Saul's head and kissed him, saying, 'Has not the LORD anointed you ruler over his inheritance?' " (1Sa 10:1)

After removing Saul, because of his disobedience, God made David their king, but He began by initially having Samuel anoint him with oil while Saul was still reigning in Israel.

"The LORD said to Samuel, 'How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.' " (1Sa 16:1)

Once the Lord indicated to Samuel that Jesse's son David was to become king, "Then the LORD said, 'Rise and anoint him; this is the one.' So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah." (1Sa 16:12-13)

Notice how once David was anointed by the prophet at God's command, then from that day on the Spirit of the LORD came powerfully upon David. It was immediately after David was anointed as king that he defeated Goliath the giant single-handedly by the power of God. There was a direct connection between Samuel anointing David with oil, and the Spirit of the Lord coming upon David powerfully. The anointing with oil was the physical act and the Spirit of God coming upon him was the spiritual act. There is always a link between what happens in the physical and spiritual realms, as I have written about in my article called The Link Between Two Realms.

Another example was when God had Jehu anointed as king.

"The prophet Elisha summoned a man from the company of the prophets and said to him, 'Tuck your cloak into your belt, take this flask of olive oil with you and go to Ramoth Gilead. When you get there, look for Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi...Then take the flask and pour the oil on his head and declare, "This is what the LORD says: I anoint you king over Israel." Then open the door and run; don't delay!'" (2Ki 9:1-3)

The prophet did what Elisha told him to do and found Jehu.

"Jehu got up and went into the house [with him]. Then the prophet poured the oil on Jehu's head and declared, 'This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: "I anoint you king over the LORD's people Israel."'" (2Ki 9:6)

Notice that the Lord God said to Jehu, "I anoint you king." While the prophet anointed him with oil, God anointed Him in the spirit.

Afterward the men that Jehu had been meeting with asked him what the prophet said to him in the house.

"Jehu said, 'Here is what he told me: "This is what the LORD says: I anoint you king over Israel." ' They quickly took their cloaks and spread them under him on the bare steps. Then they blew the trumpet and shouted, 'Jehu is king!' " (2Ki 9:12b-13).

Afterward, Jehu went on to do great exploits for God. It was he who destroyed the whole house of evil King Ahab his master. It was through Jehu that God avenged the blood of His servants the prophets and the blood of all the Lord's servants shed by Jezebel. The Lord used Jehu to cut off from Ahab every last male descendant in Israel in a single event, except for one of them, whom he killed separately. It was Jehu who had Ahab's wicked wife Jezebel assassinated (2Ki 9:7-10), and later had all the prophets of Baal killed in a single event (2Ki 10:19-29). Certainly he was anointed by God to do all of this through the power of the Spirit.

God Anointed Jesus
Just as God anointed Aaron the high priest, and kings like Saul, David, and Jehu, He also anointed Jesus of Nazareth. The apostle Peter said:

"You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him." (Act 10:38, NASB).

Peter taught that God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and power, and this is how He "went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil." When Jesus healed all who were oppressed by the devil, He did so through the power of the Holy Spirit, which indicated that God was with Him. Jesus Himself said that the Lord had anointed Him:

"He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 'The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.' Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, 'Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.'" (Luk 4:16-21).

When Jesus made this declaration at the onset of His public ministry, He read the passage from the prophet Isaiah's sixty first chapter, which had been fulfilled in Him. In short, by reading that passage, Jesus was proclaiming: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me." The reason the Spirit of the Lord was on Jesus was that the Spirit had anointed Him. In other words, the direct result of the Spirit anointing Jesus was that the Spirit of the Lord was upon Him.

The anointing of the Holy Spirit always results in the Spirit of the Lord being upon a person. Moreover, just as happened with David, when a person is anointed and the Spirit comes upon him powerfully, he then goes about doing mighty deeds for God. In the case of Jesus, as I have already said, "He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil."

Jesus was anointed by the Spirit at His baptism when the Spirit came upon Him and remained upon Him.

"When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: 'You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.'" (Luk 3:21-22)

That was the moment when the Spirit of the Lord anointed Him, as He proclaimed later in the synagogue in Nazareth. After He was anointed, He was driven into the wilderness by the Spirit, where He was tempted by the devil for forty days while fasting from all food. Through the power of the Spirit and the Word, He overcame every temptation. After that time, Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit (Luk 4:14a). Thus we see that the Spirit was upon Him in power after He was  anointed, just like what happened to David.

Jesus was also anointed with actual oil, but this came later on, shortly before His crucifixion, when a woman named Mary anointed him with very expensive ointment, which He said was to prepare for His burial (Matthew 26:6–13; Mark 14:3–9; Luke 7:36–50; John 12:1–8).

Because Jesus was anointed by the Spirit, He was called the anointed One (Ac 4:6), or the Messiah, which comes from the Hebrew word Maschiah, meaning "anointed One." The English Word "Christ" comes from the Greek word Christos, which is a translation of the Hebrew word Maschiah.

There were many prophecies about Christ all throughout the Old Testament Scriptures, as I have written about in my article Yeshua Ha'Maschiah in the Tanakh. Many of those refer to Him as the Messiah, which is usually translated as the Lord's "anointed One" or "Anointed" in English (e.g., Ps 2:2; 1Sa 2:35; Psa 89:38, 51; 132:17; Dan 9:25-26). But He is also referred to in other passages by different titles as well, such as "the Branch" (Isa 4:2; Zec 3:8; Zec 6:12), "My Firstborn," (Ps 89:27), and "My Servant" (1Ki 11:36; 2Ki 19:34; 20:6; Psa 89:3, 20; Isa 22:20; 41:8-9; 42:1, 19; 43:10; 44:1-2, 21; 49:3, 6; 52:13; Eze 34:23-24; 37:24-25; Hag 2:23; Zec 3:8).

There are many other titles for Him, but let's just focus for a moment at that last one, "My Servant." As you can see from the Scriptures I have referenced above, it is used extensively throughout Scripture, especially in Isaiah, who wrote the Servant songs (also called the Servant poems or the Songs of the Suffering Servant). These are four songs, which include Isaiah 42:1-4; Isaiah 49:1-6; Isaiah 50:4-7; and Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12. I want to call your attention to one particular verse in the opening line of Isaiah's first Servant song, which says:

"Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, My chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on Him, and He will bring justice to the nations." (Isa 42:1)

This verse is clearly referring to the Lord's anointed Servant, who is the Jewish Messiah, Jesus Christ. I specifically want to call your attention to the way that God says, in the context of speaking about His Servant, "I will put my Spirit on Him..." This is a key aspect of being anointed by God. When God put His Spirit on His Servant Jesus, He anointed Him with the Spirit, as it says later in Isaiah's prophecy:

"The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners..." (Isa 61:1)

In this verse the Lord clearly says that the reason the Spirit of the Lord was upon Him was that He had anointed Him. And for what purpose was He anointed? He was anointed to serve, since He was the Lord's Servant. In what ways did the Spirit anoint Him to serve? He anointed Jesus to proclaim good news to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. Keep that in mind as we now look at how this same "anointing to serve" applies to the disciples of the Lord's Servant.

Anointed Disciples of Christ 
We get the word Christian from the word Christ, which I have already explained means Anointed One. At Antioch the disciples of Jesus Christ were first called Christians (Acts 11:26), which in Greek is Christianos. The disciples of Christ are supposed to follow in His steps, since He has given us an example to do so (1 Pe 2:21). That means that just as He was anointed by the Spirit, we must be anointed by the Spirit. Just as the Spirit came upon Him and remained upon Him, we must ask for and allow the Spirit to come upon us and remain upon us. Only those on whom the Spirit comes and remains are anointed. This is the true biblical meaning of being anointed, as we have seen from Scripture.

This is what happened to the first disciples on the day of Pentecost, just as Jesus had promised that they would receive power when the Spirit would come upon them (Ac 1:8; 2:4). And as I pointed out in my article Holy Spirit Baptism, the same thing happened to all subsequent disciples who received the baptism with the Holy Spirit. They all received power when the Spirit came upon them. Therefore, the baptism with the Holy Spirit is the event whereby the Holy Spirit anoints a person, coming upon him just as the sacred oil would be poured upon a person in the traditional sense, and remaining upon him in such a way that he receives power in his personal life. This anointing of the Spirit enables every anointed disciple to proclaim good news to the poor, to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God, and to comfort all who mourn. It enables the disciple who receives it to do the works that Jesus did, and even greater works than these, just as He promised to all who believe in Him (Jn 14:12). This is what it means to receive power to be His witnesses when the Spirit of the Lord comes upon you, as Jesus promised us in Acts 1:8.

The apostle Paul wrote about the anointing saying: "He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." (2 Cor. 1:21b-22)

The apostle John wrote about this anointing by saying: "But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth." (1Jn 2:20)

This teaches us that those who have received the baptism with the Holy Spirit have an anointing from the Holy One, and through that anointing we know the truth, because the Spirit of Truth always guides us into all truth (Jn 16:13). John further added:

"As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him." (1Jn 2:27).

This means the anointing that we receive from the Holy Spirit, which is a real anointing, remains in us and teaches us about all things.

Closing Words

Just as the priests, kings, and prophets of Israel that were appointed by God were anointed with oil, so the Lord's Servant Jesus was anointed by the Spirit of the Lord to serve with supernatural power. That meant that the Spirit was on Him and remained upon Him. In the same manner, every disciple must receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit, so that he may be anointed by the Spirit, receiving supernatural power to serve and to be a witness for Christ. Each one of us needs to have the Spirit of the Lord come upon us and remain on us, in order to live an empowered life. If you have never received that anointing, then I encourage you to seek it today from the Lord, who gives the Spirit without limit.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the Holy Bible NIV, copyright Zondervan, used by permission. "Anointed" image may be subject to copyright, used according to Fair Use Act for non-profit educational and commentary purposes only.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the other posts in this blog available through the Main Directory for this blog at Home, such as Baptized with the Spirit, Ten Divine Expressions for Spirit Baptism, Supernatural Power for All Disciples, Holy Fire Baptism, The Spirit Without Limit, The Gift of Speaking in Tongues, The New Wine, Gifts and Fruit of the Spirit: What's the Difference?, and The Bodily Form of the Holy Spirit. You may also enjoy By the Spirit of God Alone and Coronation of Christ as King. You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

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Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

Holy Fire Baptism

I was first introduced to the holy fire baptism through a book by brother Yong-Doo Kim, called Baptize by Blazing Fire.  I encourage you to read all five books, as I have described in another blog (see here).  There you will see from one church's experience how we receive it, why it is so important, and some of the practical aspects of it in the life of the disciple of Christ.

I have personally experienced this and it has changed my life.  But sometimes I meet people who say that the holy fire is not found in the Bible.  I realize this is controversial, but I want to ask you to be very careful not to deny the Holy Spirit's work.  Consider this matter reverently in fervent prayer to the Lord, searching the Scriptures and seeking to know whether it is truly from God.

In order to help you, I would like to first show you the Scriptures about God's holy fire.  And then I would like to share some people other than brother Kim, who have had divine revelations regarding the holy fire that further corroborate this teaching, and confirm my own experiences.  Lastly, I would like to explain what usually happens when a person receives the holy fire.

Jesus Baptizes in Holy Blazing Fire
John the Baptist said, "As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (Mat 3:11)

John answered and said to them all, "As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. (Luk 3:16)

Some people make the mistake in thinking that when you are baptized in water, you simultaneously receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit. This is an incorrect belief.  There is a second experience in which the Lord baptizes the believer with the Holy Spirit.  Those who refuse to acknowledge this are missing one of the greatest blessings God has for His people.  For more about the Holy Spirit baptism, you can read my blog about that (see here).

However, some people who have received both water baptism and the baptism with the Holy Spirit also fail to realize that the Lord has a third baptism.  They assume that the fire baptism is one and the same as the Holy Spirit baptism.  This too is error.  The Lord truly has a third baptism for us.  And John the Baptist made that clear when he said, "He [Jesus] will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."

God a consuming fire
For our God is a consuming fire. (Heb 12:29)  Therefore it should not surprise you that the Lord is able to baptize His people with fire.  In this same passage, He says that He is once again going to shake both the heavens and the earth, so that everything which can be shaken will be shaken.

Since God is holy, we know that He is a holy fire, as well.  And when He baptizes you in fire, it is a holy fire.

Refiner's Fire
The Lord says that before He comes, He will send His messenger to prepare His people.  We know that He did this through John the Baptist before His first coming, and He is doing it again now right before His second coming.  "He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the LORD offerings in righteousness." (Mal 3:3; cf., Zech 13:9)

When a refiner purifies gold or silver, he places it in a vessel and then puts intensely hot fire beneath it.  The precious metal melts, and the worthless material inside of it comes to the surface, where it is scooped off and removed.  Then the metal is cooled, and the process is repeated again later as many times as necessary until the gold or silver is pure.

I, for one, desire the refiner's fire to burn up all the worthless dross within me.  I hope you do also.

A Burning Coal Purified the Prophet Isaiah

Then I said, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts." Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, "Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven." (Isa 6:5-7)

When the prophet Isaiah saw the Lord, he was ruined.  He sensed his own uncleanness.  But when he cried out in repentance, a seraphim took a burning coal in his hand and touched Isaiah's lips with it.  When this flaming coal touched his lips, it purified him.  The holy fire has a purifying effect, because it is from heaven where Jesus serves as our Great High Priest.

Now for a moment, I would like to share some extra-biblical testimonies that further corroborate this Biblical teaching.  These are people who have had divine revelations.  If you believe the Lord gives divine revelations like dreams, visions, prophecies, and visitations, according to Joel 2 and Acts 2, then you must acknowledge that this is one of the works of the Holy Spirit.  Of course, we need to test these experiences.  But if they are genuine, then we need to heed their message.

Holy Fire of God – from Anna Rountree’s books
The first one I will share is that of Anna Rountree.  In the mid-1990's she visited heaven.  During one visit, the Father said to her:

"The fire of My holiness, the fire of My love, the fire of My compassion, the fire of My wisdom, the fire of My understanding, the fire of My knowledge, the fire of My zeal, the fire of My purity, the fire of My mercy."

This fire will burn all that is wood, hay, and stubble in the lives of His children (1 Co 3:15). They must desire the fire and long for His holiness. His heart is turned toward them, and the fire of His love will reveal this. The hearts of the children will long to turn toward Him, to walk through the fire of purification, and to rest in His arms. As the enemy hates the fire, so must God’s children love it, for in and through the fire, they will see God. She went on to say that we must learn to live in the fire by allowing it to burn away all that will not pass through it as purely of the Lord.  Learn to love the fire of God.

In her vision of judgment, she saw a plumb line being let down to earth.  "As the plumb line reached earth, great rejoicing began in heaven. It was as though every created being there was singing, and the sound began to shake the celestial realms: 'His righteousness is from everlasting to everlasting. His judgments are sure and will be withheld no longer.' As the thunderous rejoicing increased, fire came out of heaven and traveled the plumb line, passing before us and sweeping down the line to the earth. Suddenly the whole world was aflame."

Her books are available online (see here and here).

Holy Fire -- from Yong-Doo Kim’s books
As I mentioned earlier, I first heard about the holy fire through brother Yong-Doo Kim in his books called Baptized by Blazing Fire.

In his book, he and other learned the following lessons:

• Shout, “Holy Fire” whenever unnecessary or hindering thoughts come to you during prayer.
• If you are having a bad day, feeling sick, or anxious, then shout out, “Holy Fire!”
• The Fire that you long to receive is the power that the evil forces are most afraid of and fear. Therefore, once you receive it, you have to continuously accumulate it daily. Charge it up everyday!
• One of the most powerful weapons used in Spiritual Warfare is Blazing Fire.  When this gift is granted to a saint, their entire Spiritual Body is fully engulfed in holy fire, with a blazing intensity.   The fire is so intense, that a mere touch of a demonic spirit will incinerate it to ashes.
• The Holy Blazing Fire is enormously, unimaginably powerful and can be used as offensive weapons.
• The Fire that the Lord grants us can completely devastate the forces of evil. In fact, it is more than just fire. The fire is a powerful layer of light that can burn up all kinds of diseases on earth, which can heal.
• Any person who prays diligently and persistently will receive the power of fire.
• The fire ministry is a ministry that has the greatest reward in heaven, as well as on earth, but also the trials and testings are highest.
• Even though we once confessed and accepted the Lord as our Savior -- even though we believed in Him -- if we cannot get out from our sinful habitual lives, then our lives are not completely holy. The only way to save ourselves is to repent. If you repent and shout out, "Holy Fire," the evil spirits will have to leave and healing will come.

Holy Fire – from Howard Pittman’s testimony
Then there is a pastor named Howard Pittman, who was raised from the dead.  You can listen to his complete testimony online (see here).  But one of his conclusions is this.  He says, "He’s going to shake this world one more time.  These things He did, you will do greater than these.  But the church must be without spot or wrinkle or blemish.  He’s getting ready to cleanse the church.  How will He do it?  He will baptize you with the Holy Ghost and fire, according to Matt 3:11.  You’ve been baptized in water.  You’ve been baptized in the Holy Ghost.  But now He’s going to baptize you with fire.  Get ready.  Yonder comes the fire!  The third and final baptism with which He’s going to clean up His church is the baptism of fire.  He’s going to take a blow torch!  He’s going to scorch us up one side and down the other to make us ready to turn loose this world.  But if you think God can do this with carnal-minded Christians, you’re mistaken.  God’s got enough fire to get rid of all the chaff.  If you don’t want the fire, get rid of the chaff."

Holy Fire – from James Agboola
In my article, James Agboola Revelation of Heaven and Hell, I wrote about how this brother was shown the international conference of the kingdom of darkness, presided over by the devil himself.  Here is an excerpt of James Agboola's testimony about what he heard in that conference:

"Now, as they were saying all these things where I was seated, I was not happy at all.  One demon said something that gave me a little joy.  He said, 'Master, we are having some problems in the world.'  The devil said, 'What is it?'  The demon said, 'Master, we have discovered there are some end-time evangelists and they are just appearing.'  He said there are some end-time evangelists and they are just appearing, and they are clothed with clothes of fire.  He said, 'Master, these end-time evangelists, we find it difficult to talk to them.'”

Holy Fire – from a woman named CJ
A woman named CJ, who saw Jesus in person and was born again, testifies to her experience in an interview online (see here).  It's a very powerful testimony.

She had searched for the Lord all her life.  And on the night she saw the Lord in her friend's living room, He spoke the following things to her: “Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (Lk 13:5); “You must keep the commandments” (Mt 19:17; Jn 14:15; 15:10); and “I will not share My temple with idols” (2 Co 6:16).  She then repented and gave her life to Jesus.

In 1981, after she saw Jesus and had become born again, she had another experience where she had about 40 days of tests and trials.  At the end of that time, Christ was really pleased with her obedience.  He came and laid His hands on her and His fire went all through her. This is consistent with the experiences of many others who have received the holy fire.

She also gave warnings the Lord has given her in 2008 or 2009 about coming judgment against the United States (video 33:39).  The Lord also gave her two Scriptures from Ezekiel and Jeremiah to confirm this: And say to the land of Israel, 'Thus says the LORD, "Behold, I am against you; and I will draw My sword out of its sheath and cut off from you the righteous and the wicked. "Because I will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked, therefore My sword will go forth from its sheath against all flesh from south to north. "Thus all flesh will know that I, the LORD, have drawn My sword out of its sheath. It will not return to its sheath again."'  (Eze 21:3-5) "Perhaps their supplication will come before the LORD, and everyone will turn from his evil way, for great is the anger and the wrath that the LORD has pronounced against this people." (Jer 36:7)

Holy Fire in the Arctic

Pond Inlet is a small, predominantly Inuit community in the Qikiqtaaluk Region of Nunavut, Canada and is located at the top of Baffin Island.  On February 28, 1999, in Pond Inlet, believers had gathered for a week of revival meetings at the Anglican church, hungry for God and troubled by new reports of community drug use.  They decided to add a special Sunday afternoon youth service.  An invitation was offered for youth who wanted to come closer to God.  The worship leader was praying over youth who had gathered around the altar.

Something started to happen that was out of their control.  A sound like a jet started softly and gradually became very loud.  It was so strong!  The whole place was shaking and everything in it.  The youth leader says that fire went right through him and he started to shake.  He began to shout, "Fire!! Fire!! Fire!! Hallelujah!"

All of this was recorded on a dual cassette deck used to record the service.  In fact, it continued to record the event, even after the sound board was turned off.  You can watch and listen to a short, three-minute video about this event, which includes the original recording of it (see here).

Holy Fire - from Charles and Frances Hunter
Charles and Frances Hunter "spent nearly forty years leading 'healing explosions,' where they prayed for the sick and taught Christians about the ministry of healing. Known as the Happy Hunters for their ready smiles and quick humor, the couple wrote more than 50 books about divine healing, including the best-seller How to Heal the Sick." -- Charisma Magazine, July 14, 2009. "Charles and Frances Hunter were the most effective couple I ever saw among healing evangelists," said Pentecostal historian Vinson Synan, dean emeritus of the Regent University School of Divinity.

In their video series, "How to Heal the Sick," Frances talked about the time when she saw liquid fire coming forth from the hands of her husband Charles in a meeting.  It appeared like blue flames about four inches long, coming off his finger tips.  Although the flames were not visible to him, she could see it.  He prayed for the sick at that meeting, and they were powerfully healed.  Many of them fell under the power of God.  You can watch the three-minute section of that video (31:30 - 34:15), where she shares this wonderful testimony (see here).

On October 16, 1984, the Happy Hunters ministered at a church in Rotterdam, Holland, called Kom en Zie.  On the final day of the conference, they ministered the baptism with fire. Let me encourage you to read what they said at that meeting on my other post called The Happy Hunters on Fire (see here).

Holy Fire - from Neville Johnson
A minister from Australia by the name of Neville Johnson, who has gone to be with the Lord, has an excellent testimony about being baptized in fire in the audio clip below:

  

If you would like to read more of Neville's preaching on the baptism of fire, you can find it on my post called "The Burning Ones."

Experiential Evidence
When people receive the holy fire, they usually sense some sort of tangible evidence.  I have personally experienced this and witnessed it in others.  It is not the same for everyone.  Some people feel warmth or heat in their hands.  It sometimes feels like heavy fireballs in their hands. Others get a stinging feeling in their hands, as if they have just clapped them together.  Still others feel the fire on their lower back and a tingling sensation over their entire body. Others feel the presence of the Lord or a peace that passes all understanding. Still others find it difficult to stand straight.  Some find it difficult to hold out their arms or even to stand.   Some are completely unable to stand under the glory of God. Others begin to shake beneath the power of God. Some people begin sweating. Others feel the great joy of the Lord inside. The glory of God falls upon many who receive the fire. Most people have wonderful experiences receiving the holy fire.

It should be noted that if the person has any demons in their life, they cannot stand the holy fire and sometimes manifest themselves, so sometimes there can be demonic manifestations when the holy fire is imparted. Once the demons are cast out of their life, they will experience a wonderful freedom they did not know before.

Here is an article I've written containing Testimonies of People Who've Received the Holy Fire after I've prayed for them, as well as a video playlist of some more amazing testimonies like that.

Other Scriptures:
Now let's continue with more Scriptures about the holy fire.

Fire will devour Your enemies
Isaiah said, "O LORD, Your hand is lifted up yet they do not see it. They see Your zeal for the people and are put to shame; Indeed, fire will devour Your enemies." (Isa 26:11).  So we know that God's holy fire will consume His enemies.  It does not consume His people though.   But in warfare against spiritual forces of wickedness, the holy fire certainly consumes God's enemies.

Fire consumed the 250 rebels
Fire also came forth from the LORD and consumed the two hundred and fifty men who were offering the incense. (Num 16:35)

The holy fire of God consumed the 250 rebels that came against Moses and Aaron.  They are an example to us not to rebel against the Lord.

Fire consumes Sabbath breakers
"But if you do not listen to Me to keep the sabbath day holy by not carrying a load and coming in through the gates of Jerusalem on the sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates and it will devour the palaces of Jerusalem and not be quenched."'" (Jer 17:27)

The Lord hates it when His people don’t listen to Him and make money on Sundays.  In doing so, they fail to keep the Sabbath day (now Sundays) holy.  So He will kindle a fire in the gates of their city that will not be quenched.  It’s the judgment of God against the disobedient.  You can read more about keeping Sundays holy at my blog on the topic (see here).

Elijah commanded holy fire to consume the captain and his fifty
Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him, and behold, he was sitting on the top of the hill. And he said to him, "O man of God, the king says, 'Come down.'" Elijah replied to the captain of fifty, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty." Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. So he again sent to him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he said to him, "O man of God, thus says the king, 'Come down quickly.'" Elijah replied to them, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty." Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. (2Ki 1:9-12)

In this passage, we learn that the holy prophet of God was able to command holy fire to come down out of heaven and consume the enemies of God, which in this case were soldiers.

Shouting, "holy fire!"
The disciples of Jesus knew that Elijah had called down fire on the Lord's enemies, and they were ready to do the same.  When His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them (even as Elijah did)?" (Luk 9:54).  The Lord did not tell them that this is impossible.  He simply told them that they were operating in a wrong spirit to think they should do such a thing to people.

Yet this is something we can do to our invisible, spiritual enemies. When we have genuine faith and desire a weapon against the enemy (demons), we can call for it aloud and it will be given to us.  We simply shout “Holy fire!” or "Fire of the Holy Spirit!"

How is that possible?  The word is near you, even in your mouth.  I believed therefore I spoke.  When you speak what you believe, and you do it in genuine faith, there is spiritual power.

Your fire or God’s holy fire
“Who is among you that fears the LORD, That obeys the Word of His servant, That walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely on his God. Behold, all you who kindle a fire, Who encircle yourselves with firebrands, Walk in the light of your fire And among the brands you have set ablaze. This you will have from My hand: You will lie down in torment.”  (Isa 50:10-11)

If you fear the Lord and obey His Word, you must trust in the name of Jesus, rely on Him, and walk in His Light. But if you kindle your own fire and surround yourself with it, then the Lord says to go ahead and walk in the light of your own fire.  He will let you do that, if you choose your own light, your own fire instead of His holy fire.  Here is what you will receive from His hand: in the end, you will lie down in torment.

God’s holy fire or strange fire
And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not. (Lev 10:1)

And Nadab and Abihu died, when they offered strange fire before the LORD. (Num 26:61)

The punishment upon these two newly inaugurated priests was very severe.   Their sin was that they offered unauthorized incense with fire that was not holy.  This is why we must be very careful that we receive God's holy fire and do not operate with strange fire.

Fire to consume gates of Nineveh, the bloody city of lies
Behold, your people are women in your midst! The gates of your land are opened wide to your enemies; Fire consumes your gate bars. (Nah 3:13)

This verse speaks of the gates of the city of lies consumed by holy fire.  Lying spirits cannot stand before the holy fire of God.  They are consumed by it just as the gates of the city of lies were.

Fire to burn and devour God’s enemies
Therefore the Lord, the GOD of hosts, will send a wasting disease among his stout warriors; And under his glory a fire will be kindled like a burning flame. And the light of Israel will become a fire and his Holy One a flame, And it will burn and devour his thorns and his briars in a single day. (Isa 10:16-17).

His holy fire terrifies the sinners in Zion.  As the Holy Spirit said through Isaiah: "The sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling grips the godless: 'Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?' Those who walk righteously and speak what is right, who reject gain from extortion     and keep their hands from accepting bribes, who stop their ears against plots of murder and shut their eyes against contemplating evil..." (Is 33:14-15). 

One commentator says, “The same God that is a rejoicing Light to those that serve him faithfully will be a consuming fire to those that trifle with him or rebel against him.”  Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?  The righteous who serve Him faithfully.

"Fire goes before Him And burns up His adversaries round about." (Psa 97:3)

God will repay our enemies with flaming fire when Jesus returns
"For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire," (2Th 1:6-7)

We know that when the Lord returns, he will be revealed from heaven with His angels in flaming fire.

Fire from the mouths of the two witnesses
And if anyone wants to harm them, fire flows out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. (Rev 11:5)

This is how the two end-time witnesses will function.  They will have a gift to be able to devour their enemies with holy fire that comes forth from their mouths.  Notice there are only two who will do so against human enemies.  But the idea is the same when dealing with evil spirits. This should not seem strange to anyone acquainted with the Word of God and spiritual warfare.

The Lord appeared as a fire
At the burning bush. “The angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed.” (Exo 3:2)

The angel of Lord appeared to Moses in a blazing fire.  Just as the bush was on fire but was not consumed, when a child of God is baptized with holy fire, they are not consumed.  Only the chaff in their lives and the demons are consumed by it.

The Lord's Fire is in Zion
The Holy Spirit spoke through the prophet Isaiah, saying that the Lord is the One "whose fire is in Zion" (see Is 31:9b).

Putting it All Together
The Lord is going to shake this world one last time.  He is coming right away.  Only the ones who are truly seeking the Lord with all their heart will be spared from the coming judgment.  The Lord is coming only for a holy people, ready, without blemish, without wrinkle and without defilement.  He is not coming for those who have walked away from Him.

The only way we can have purity in our lives in these last and evil days is through repentance and the holy fire.  The third and final baptism with which He’s going to clean up His church is the baptism of fire.  He’s going to make us ready to turn loose this world. 

It is a holy fire, because it is not produced by man. It is produced by the one, true, holy God.  It is a promise for the believer, according to Mt 3:11.

Attribution notice: Most Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.

Author's note:  If you enjoyed this post, you may also enjoy Songs of the Holy Fire, The Refiner's Fire, The Three Elijahs, The Burning Ones, Living Sacrifices in Consuming Fire, The Fiery Sufferings of the Believer, and Restored Truth. You can access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master." Revival painting © 2012 Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist.  Now I'd like to ask a very important question.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.

The Person of the Holy Spirit

Evidence of the Holy Spirit is found throughout Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. He is not simply a force, nor energy, nor is He merely the mind of God, nor the presence of God, but He is actually a Divine Person. So grab your Bible and let's have a look at this together today in God's Word.



Personal Attributes
The Holy Spirit has many personal attributes, as noted by "Got Questions". Consider the fact that He has insight (1 Corinthians 2:10-11). This means that He knows things. For example, He knows the thoughts of God. It requires intellect in order to know things. He has a will (1 Corinthians 12:11). He convicts of sin (John 16:8). He performs miracles (Acts 8:39). He guides (John 16:13). He intercedes between persons (Romans 8:26). He is to be obeyed (Acts 10:19-20). He can be lied to (Acts 5:3), resisted (Acts 7:51), grieved (Ephesians 4:30), blasphemed (Matthew 12:31), even insulted (Hebrews 10:29). He relates to the disciples of Christ (Acts 15:28), as well as to Jesus and the Heavenly Father (John 16:14; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14). It's impossible to speak this way about an impersonal force. All of these attributes are evidence of His personal nature.

Names of the Holy Spirit
Amazingly, there are over a hundred names and emblems representing the Holy Spirit in the Bible. Here is a list of His names, titles and emblems, created by Elmer Towns:

The Anointing (1 John 2:27)
My Spirit and My Blessing (Isa. 44:3)
O Breath (Ezek. 37:9)
The Breath of the Almighty (Job 33:4)
The Breath of God (Job 27:3)
The Breath of Life (Rev. 11:11)
The Breath of the LORD (Isa. 40:7)
The Breath of Your Nostrils (Ps. 18:15)
A Deposit (2 Cor. 1:22)
Like the Dew to Israel (Hos. 14:5)
Divided Tongues, as of Fire (Acts 2:3)
The Eternal Spirit (Heb. 9:14)
An Excellent Spirit (Dan. 5:12)
The Finger of God (Luke 11:20)
Floods on the Dry Ground (Isa. 44:3)
A Fountain of Water (John 4:14)
The Gift of God (John 4:10; Acts 8:20)
The Gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38)
God (Acts 5:4)
Your Good Spirit (Neh. 9:20)
The Guarantee of Our Inheritance (Eph. 1:14; cf. 2 Cor. 5:5)
The Hand of God (2 Chron. 30:12)
The Hand of the LORD (Job 12:9; Isa. 41:20)
The Hand of the Lord GOD (Ezek. 8:1)
He/Himself (John 14:16,26)
Another Helper (John 14:16)
The Helper (John 14:26)
The Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13)
His Holy Spirit (Isa. 63:10)
Your Holy Spirit (Ps. 51:11)
The Holy Spirit of God (Eph. 4:30)
The Holy Spirit of Promise (Eph. 1:13)
The Holy Spirit Sent from Heaven (1 Pet. 1:12)
The Holy Spirit Who Is in You (1 Cor. 6:19)
The Holy Spirit Who Dwells in Us (2 Tim. 1:14)
The Lord (2 Cor. 3:17)
The Oil of Gladness (Ps. 45:7; Heb. 1:9)
One Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13; Eph. 2:18; 4:4)
The Promise (Acts 2:39)
The Promise of My Father (Luke 24:49)
The Promise of the Father (Acts 1:4)
The Promise of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:33)
The Promise of the Spirit (Gal. 3:14)
Rivers of Living Water (John 7:38)
The Same Spirit (1 Cor. 12:4,8,9,11)
The Same Spirit of Faith (2 Cor. 4:13)
The Seal of God (Rev. 9:4)
The Seal of the Living God (Rev. 7:2)
Seven Eyes (Zech. 3:9; 4:10; Rev. 5:6)
Seven Horns (Rev. 5:6)
Seven Lamps of Fire Burning Before the Throne (Rev. 4:5)
The Seven Spirits Who Are Before His Throne (Rev. 1:4)
The Seven Spirits of God (Rev. 3:1; 4:5)
The Seven Spirits of God Sent Out into All the Earth (Rev. 5:6)
A Sound from Heaven, as of a Rushing Mighty Wind (Acts 2:2)
The Spirit (Num. 27:18)
The Spirit like a Dove (Mark 1:10)
His Spirit (Num. 11:29)
My Spirit (Gen. 6:3; Joel 2:28,29)
Your Spirit (Ps. 104:30)
The Spirit of...

• Adoption (Rom. 8:15)
• Burning (Isa. 4:4)
• Christ (Rom. 8:9; 1 Pet. 1:11)
• Counsel (Isa. 11:2)
• Elijah (2 Kings 2:15; Luke 1:17)
• Your Father (Matt. 10:20)
• The Fear of the LORD (Isa. 11:2)
• God (Gen. 1:2)
• Our God (1 Cor. 6:11)
• Glory (1 Pet. 4:14)
• Grace (Zech. 12:10; Heb. 10:29)
• Him Who Raised Up Jesus (Rom. 8:11)
• His Son (Gal. 4:6)
• Holiness (Rom. 1:4)
• The Holy God (Dan. 4:8,9,18; 5:11)
• Jesus (Acts 16:7, NIV)
• Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:19)
• Judgment (Isa. 4:4)
• Knowledge (Isa. 11:2)
• Life (Rom. 8:2)
• The Living God (2 Cor. 3:3)
• The LORD (Judg. 3:10)
• The Lord GOD (Isa. 61:1)
• Love (2 Tim. 1:7)
• Might (Isa. 11:2)
• Power (2 Tim. 1:7)
• Prophecy (Rev. 19:10)
• The Prophets (1 Cor. 14:32)
• Revelation (Eph. 1:17)
• A Sound Mind (2 Tim. 1:7)
• Supplication (Zech. 12:10)
• Truth (John 14:17)
• Understanding (Isa. 11:2)
• Wisdom (Exod. 28:3; Deut. 34:9)

His Spirit Who Dwells in You (Rom. 8:11)
The Spirit Who Is from God (1 Cor. 2:12)
The Spirit Whom He Has Given Us (1 John 3:24)
My Witness (Job 16:19; cf. Heb. 10:15; 1 John 5:7-10; Rom 8:16)

I hope you will take time to look up these verses in the Bible. I realize that some of these are emblems, symbols, or metaphors that represent or describe the Holy Spirit, such as wind, water, and oil. But many of these are actually His names or titles, which are usually intended to refer to the nature or work of a person. These are Scriptural evidence of the Personal-hood of the Holy Spirit. Each one reveals to us something about His personality. For example, He is eternal and He is God.

I have already explained in my blog on the Deity of Christ that He is God. Now we see that the Holy Spirit is also God. Though God is One Divine Being, He exists in three Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It's no wonder Jesus taught us, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit." (Mat 28:18-19).

Putting it All Together
As we’ve seen, the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Godhead. He is not an impersonal force. He has many personal attributes and emotions. And there are over a hundred names given to Him in Scripture, which help us to better understand His ministry and know Him. There are no recorded instances in Scripture where the Holy Spirit ever brought glory to Himself. He always glorifies Jesus Christ.

If you are already a disciple of Christ, I encourage you to take a few moments to ask the Heavenly Father to fill you with His Spirit. Then wait upon the Holy Spirit to come with all His omnipotent and enabling power.

Author's note: If you enjoyed this post, you may also like the other posts in this blog available through the links in the side bar, such as Baptized with the Spirit, Ten Divine Expressions for Spirit Baptism, and The Holy Spirit Speaks. You may also access my complete blog directory at "Writing for the Master."  The "Holy Spirit" painting © 2012 Danny Hahlbohm, all rights reserved by the artist.

Do You Want to Know Him?
If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus.  Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15).  He preached that we must repent and believe.

Please see my explanation of this in my post called "Do You Want to Know Jesus?"

_________________________________________________

Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International.  He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org.