There are two baptisms named in Hebrews 6:2. Water baptism pictures the believer’s union with Christ. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is the believer’s empowering for witness, life, and ministry. At Grace Fellowship Church in Sarasota, we believe every Christian is meant to walk in the fullness of the Holy Spirit — and we pray for it, teach it, and receive it.
“You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” — Acts 1:8
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a distinct, powerful work of God in the life of a believer — an immersion into the fullness of the Spirit for life, witness, and service. Jesus Himself promised it: “John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:5). It came on the day of Pentecost, and it has never stopped.
Every Christian receives the Holy Spirit at the new birth — “if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His” (Romans 8:9). But the New Testament describes a further work, in which the believer is filled, baptized, clothed with power from on high (Luke 24:49). One is about indwelling; the other is about outpouring.
At Grace, we do not pretend these are the same thing, and we do not force them to happen on the same timetable. We simply teach what the New Testament teaches, and we pray for every believer to experience both.
Jesus tied the baptism of the Spirit directly to gospel proclamation (Acts 1:8). The Christian who has been filled with the Spirit finds a new boldness to speak the name of Jesus — in the workplace, in the family, in the hard conversation. Timidity yields to courage.
“To one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge… to another faith… to another gifts of healings… to another prophecy…” (1 Corinthians 12:8–10). The fullness of the Spirit brings the gifts of the Spirit. They are for the church, not for show.
“The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16). The baptism of the Spirit often brings a deeper, more settled assurance of being loved by the Father — not as a theological idea, but as felt reality.
The Spirit is holy. When He fills a believer, He does not leave sin undisturbed. Sanctification accelerates. Old patterns break. The Christian walks “in the power of the Spirit” (Romans 15:13), and what used to master him no longer does.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is not earned through spiritual maturity, emotional intensity, or a particular prayer posture. It is received by faith, on the basis of the promise of God (Galatians 3:14).
The pattern in the New Testament varies. Sometimes it came at conversion (Acts 10:44). Sometimes after conversion (Acts 8:14–17; 19:1–6). Sometimes through the laying on of hands by elders or apostolic leaders. What is consistent is that every believer who asked received. “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” (Luke 11:13).
At Grace, we pray with people for the baptism of the Holy Spirit — often with the laying on of hands — and we trust the Lord to give what He has promised. This is not emotionalism. It is obedience to a plain New Testament invitation.
“Do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit.” — Ephesians 5:18
We teach the baptism of the Holy Spirit because the Bible does. But we also reject the abuses of it. The baptism of the Spirit does not produce spiritual elitism. It does not always look the same in every person. It does not rescue the Christian from the need to walk in the Word, die to self, and submit to the church. And it never replaces the cross as the center of the Christian life.
The Spirit Himself is shy about Himself. His job, Jesus said, is to bear witness to Christ (John 15:26). Wherever the Holy Spirit is really moving, people are not exalting the Spirit — they are exalting Jesus. That is the test.
If you have never experienced this, and you long to, talk to an elder. Come forward at the end of a Sunday service. It is ordinary, not mystical. And it is for you.
— Sundays at 10:00 AM · 4350 17th Street, Sarasota, FL.