Question: Pastor, how can I receive the holy spirit baptism?

I’ve been baptized for two years, and I still can’t live a perfectly holy life. There were times when I felt hopeless, but God was there to help me. Now I want to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Could you please explain how?

Answer: Well, the scriptures show us several ways to receive the Holy Spirit baptism or the gifts of the Holy Ghost. The first way is through an act of faith – when we receive the Holy Spirit because He is the giver of the gifts. You see, anyone who receives the Holy Spirit baptism automatically [actually] has certain gifts of the Spirit. So, after you’ve received the Holy Spirit baptism, you may desire other gifts. And the Bible says that those who receive the Holy Ghost and speak in tongues should covet also the gift of interpretation [1 Corinthians 14:13], which means that we can pray to God for the gift of interpretation.

Then He tells us that we should all desire the gift of prophecy because it is important in the Church of God. As a result, he wishes for all of us to have the gift of prophecy, which means you can ask. So you ask as an act of faith.

Remember Jes us’ words: “Ask, and ye shall receive; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”

[Matthew 7:7] Then he says, “Which of you, as a father, would give his son a stone if he asked for bread?” Or, if a son asks for a fish, would you give him a serpent or a scorpion?” Then he says, “If ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them th at ask him? [Matthew 7:9-11].

As you can see, the Father can give us the Holy Spirit if we ask. As a result, you can ask for and receive the Holy Spirit baptism.

If you can ask for and receive the Holy Ghost, you can also ask for and receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit. And you ask in faith, nothing wavering, as James the Apostle instructs us [James 1:6]. When we ask, we must do so with complete faith. How do you ask in faith now? It means that when you ask, you believe – just as Jesus taught about faith prayer. “Whatever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye shall receive them, and ye shall have them,” he said [Mark 11:24].

The other method is through the laying on of hands.

Even in the Old Testament, the Bible mentions Joshua having the spirit of wisdom because Moses laid his hands on him, implying that we can communicate (transfer) the gifts of the spirit through the laying on of hands.

So, what I ask you to do is to find someone who already has the gifts of the Holy Spirit – may be your Pastor, maybe the minister of God with you has the baptism of the Holy Spirit; he can lay hands on you, and you will receive the gifts of the Holy Ghost.