Brief Summary
This YouTube video by Derek Prince focuses on receiving the Holy Spirit, addressing common confusions and misunderstandings within the Christian community. Prince distinguishes between two experiences of receiving the Holy Spirit: the first at the moment of new birth (Resurrection Sunday) and the second, a subsequent empowering (Pentecost Sunday). He emphasizes that while the initial reception brings new life, the latter equips believers with supernatural power for witnessing and ministry. The video also provides practical steps on how to receive the Holy Spirit, highlighting the importance of thirst, faith, and releasing the outflow through speaking in tongues, while also addressing common objections and doubts.
- Two distinct experiences of receiving the Holy Spirit: at new birth and for empowerment.
- The baptism in the Holy Spirit is for power and witness, subsequent to salvation.
- Practical steps to receiving include thirst, coming to Jesus, drinking, and releasing the outflow through speaking in tongues.
You Cannot Be Saved Without Meeting Jesus
Derek Prince introduces the central theme of his message: receiving the Holy Spirit, a vital aspect of the New Testament for every Christian. He addresses the confusion within the church, particularly between different denominations, regarding when and how one receives the Holy Spirit. Prince clarifies that the New Testament speaks of two distinct ways of receiving the Holy Spirit, which he illustrates using two significant Sundays: Resurrection Sunday and Pentecost Sunday. On Resurrection Sunday, Jesus breathed on His disciples, saying, "Receive the Holy Spirit," marking their transition from Old Testament to New Testament salvation by confessing Jesus as Lord and believing in His resurrection. This event mirrors the first creation where God breathed life into Adam, signifying a new creation through the resurrected Christ. Prince emphasizes that a personal encounter with Jesus is essential for salvation, not just doctrinal knowledge or church membership, leading to a transformative and permanent change.
There Is More To Receive From God
Prince explains that while the disciples received divine, eternal life on Resurrection Sunday, they still lacked direction and power for ministry. Jesus, before His ascension, made it clear that there was more to receive, promising the "promise of the Father," which is the baptism with the Holy Spirit. This promise, as described in Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:4-5, is to be endued with power from on high to be witnesses. This second promise was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, where the disciples were not only filled but also immersed in the Holy Spirit, resulting in manifest, supernatural power.
Receiving Supernatural Power From God
On Pentecost Sunday, the disciples received manifest, supernatural power, leading to boldness in witnessing, insight into Scripture, and release into their apostolic mission. This event had a significant impact on Jerusalem, unlike their initial salvation experience. Prince highlights three successive phases of this experience: the Holy Spirit descending like a mighty wind and filling the house (immersion), each disciple being filled with the Holy Spirit (infilling), and the overflow, where they began to speak in new languages as the Spirit gave them utterance. He uses the analogy of Niagara Falls to describe the immersion from above, contrasting it with going down into a swimming pool. Prince encourages believers not to settle for less than the best, emphasizing that both Mary and Peter received the Holy Spirit in this complete way.
THE Proof That You Are Filled In The Spirit
Prince emphasizes that from Acts 2 onwards, the phrase "receiving the Holy Spirit" always refers to the Pentecost Sunday experience. He illustrates this with examples from Acts 8 (Samaria), Acts 10 (house of Cornelius), and Acts 19 (Ephesus), where believers had already been saved and baptized but still needed to receive the Holy Spirit for empowerment. The distinctive seal of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues, which Prince prefers to call the culmination or outflow of the baptism. He notes that while one can be filled without the outflow, it is the visible mark that distinguishes those who have fully received the Holy Spirit, as it was for the apostles and recognized by them in others.
Speaking In Tongues And How Satan Will Try to Restrain You To
Prince provides practical steps on how to receive the Holy Spirit, drawing from Luke 11:11-13 and John 7:37-39. The first step is to be thirsty, acknowledging a need for more of God. The second is to come to Jesus, the only baptizer in the Holy Spirit. The third is to drink, which involves opening oneself up and breathing in the Spirit of God. The final step is to release the outflow through speaking in a new, Spirit-given language. Prince addresses two common objections: the doubt that one is doing it oneself and the concern that the new language sounds silly. He counters that believers do the speaking, but the Holy Spirit provides the language, and that the guarantee of receiving the right thing comes from asking for the right thing in faith.
Receive The Holy Spirit By Doing This
Prince concludes by leading a prayer for those who want to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit or desire a fuller release. He instructs them to pray after him, sentence by sentence, focusing on Jesus as the baptizer and yielding their bodies and tongues to the Spirit. After the prayer, he encourages them to begin drinking in the Spirit and releasing the new language, assuring them that God will never give the wrong thing if they ask for the right thing in faith.
