Empower the believer with revelation concerning prayer and its power to impact life circumstances in order to stay constantly connected to God
Prayer – The Supernatural activity of communing with God, whereby I share my intimate thoughts and feelings and God shares His intimate thoughts and feelings and gives instructions to me.
But you shall receive power (ability, efficiency, and might) when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria and to the ends (the very bounds) of the earth. —Acts 1:8 (AMPC)
Growth Spurt – an occurrence of growing quickly and suddenly in a short period of time.
Experiencing “Within” and Experiencing “Upon”
The
Experience
Rebirth of the human spirit (“born again”; getting “saved”)
- This is the point where an individual receives Jesus as Lord and Savior and the Holy Spirit comes within.
Evidence of the Within experience
- The Born Again Experience
- The well of water springing up into eternal life
- Deposit of the fruit of the spirit into your regenerated spirit
Jesus answered, “Nicodemus, listen to this eternal truth: Before a person can perceive God’s kingdom realm, they must first experience a rebirth —John 3:3 (TPT)
Jesus answered, “If you drink from Jacob’s well you’ll be thirsty again and again, but if anyone drinks the living water I give them, they will never thirst again and will be forever satisfied! For when you drink the water I give you it becomes a gushing fountain of the Holy Spirit, springing up and flooding you with endless life!” —John 4:13-14 (TPT)
But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law. —Galatians 5:22-23 (AMP)
The
Experience
Baptism (immersion) in (or being filled with) the Holy Spirit
- This is the point when a believer becomes equipped and power comes upon them to do the supernatural.
- Samson was able to do unimaginable things by the Holy Spirit being upon him
- By the Holy Spirit, God performed special miracles through Paul
- Even Jesus’ power was described as from the Holy Spirit being upon Him
Then on the most important day of the feast, the last day, Jesus stood and shouted out to the crowds—“All you thirsty ones, come to me! Come to me and drink! Believe in me so that rivers of living water will burst out from within you, flowing from your innermost being, just like the Scripture says!” Jesus was prophesying about the Holy Spirit that believers were being prepared to receive. But the Holy Spirit had not yet been poured out upon them… —John 7:37-39 (TPT)
Examples of the Upon experience
As Samson and his parents were going to Timnah, a young lion attacked Samson in the vineyards on the outskirts of the town. At that moment the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him and since he had no weapon, he ripped the lion’s jaws apart and did it as easily as though it were a young goat! —Judges 14:5-6 (TLB)
God kept releasing a flow of extraordinary miracles through the hands of Paul. Because of this, people took Paul’s handkerchiefs and articles of clothing, even pieces of cloth that had touched his skin, laying them on the bodies of the sick, and diseases and demons left them and they were healed.—Acts 19:11 (TPT)
From the moment of his baptism, Jesus was overflowing with the Holy Spirit…Then Jesus, armed with the Holy Spirit’s power, returned to Galilee, and his fame spread throughout the region. He taught in the synagogues and they glorified him.
—Luke 4:1a,14 (TPT)
Just before he ascended into heaven, he left instructions for the apostles he had chosen by the Holy Spirit…Jesus instructed them, “Don’t leave Jerusalem, but wait here until you receive the gift I told you about, the gift the Father has promised. For John baptized you in water, but in a few days from now you will be baptized in the Holy Spirit!” But I promise you this—the Holy Spirit will come upon you and you will be filled with power. —Acts 1:2a, 4b-5, 8a (TPT)
How I Receive My Gift of the Holy Spirit
1. I
And I myself will send upon you what my Father has promised. But you must wait in the city until the power from above comes down upon you.” —Luke 24:49 (GNT)
Our brothers, what should we do? Reconsider your lives; change your direction. Participate in the ceremonial washing of baptism in the name of Jesus God’s Anointed, the Liberating King. Then your sins will be forgiven, and the gift of the Holy Spirit will be yours. For the promise of the Spirit is for you, for your children, for all people—even those considered outsiders and outcasts—the Lord our God invites everyone to come to Him. —Acts 2:37b-39 (VOICE)
2. I
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. —Galatians 3:13-14 (NKJV)
3. I
“And so I say to you: Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For those who ask will receive, and those who seek will find, and the door will be opened to anyone who knocks. Would any of you who are fathers give your son a snake when he asks for fish? Or would you give him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? As bad as you are, you know how to give good things to your children. How much more, then, will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” —Luke 11:9-13 (GNT)
4. I
I assure you that whoever tells this hill to get up and throw itself in the sea and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. For this reason I tell you: When you pray and ask for something, believe that you have received it, and you will be given whatever you ask for. —Mark 11:23-24 (GNT)
5. By faith,
And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. —Acts 2:4 (KJV)