Volume 7

Evidences Of The Holy Spirit’s Infilling

By K.D. Anderholm

Although every Christian has the ability to be led by God’s Spirit, divine guidance comes more easily and frequently to Christians who are FILLED with the Spirit. The INFILLING of the Holy Spirit means that you are FILLED with the Spirit to full measure—IN FACT YOU ARE FILLED TO OVERFLOWING. The Spirit of God does not just dwell within you, He has now filled every part of your being to full capacity and your "cup runneth over." (Ps 23:5) The number one evidence of this "FULLNESS" is the ability to speak with other tongues! (Act 2:4)

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There is more to the Christian experience than just being born again! There’s a free gift available called the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking with tongues! If you’re hesitant to receive this wonderful gift, it’s probably because you don’t understand it or value its significance.

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The Limited Old Testament Measure

Under the Old Covenant, only certain individuals received the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was imparted in partial measure to prophets, priests, kings, judges, psalmists, minstrels and gifted artisans on the basis of the Abrahamic covenant. The Old Covenant "anointing" did not supply the Holy Spirit as plentifully as the New, but it produced earth-shaking signs and wonders nonetheless. The Holy Spirit's anointing fell upon certain individuals and His power was evidenced by mighty deeds, miracles, divine revelations and/or supernaturally empowered speech.

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In the New Testament, Zacharias, Elizabeth and John the Baptist were anointed with the Holy Spirit, but not in the New Testament sense of the word. Zacharias, Elizabeth and John were operating under the Old Covenant "anointing" because Jesus’ blood had not yet been shed and the Holy Spirit had not yet been "poured out" in His fullness upon all flesh. In all three of these cases, their speech was in some way supernaturally empowered. (Luke 1:41; Luke 1:67; Luke 3:3-4) They manifested the gift of prophecy in the same way their Old Testament contemporaries did.

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The New Testament Infilling

If the ministry of the Holy Spirit under the Old Covenant was glorious, then the ministry of the Spirit under the New Covenant is even more glorious. The Apostle Peter writes:

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…if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?

2 Cor 3:7-8 (NKJ)

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The New Testament INFILLING of the Holy Spirit is based on a better covenant, therefore, its manifestations are more magnificent and far-reaching. Many of the Old Testament prophets and kings searched the scriptures diligently to understand this New Testament phenomenon. Peter tells us that even the angels desire to understand this most glorious ministry.

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Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven — things which angels desire to look into.

1 Pet 1:10-12 (NKJ)

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The New Covenant infilling of the Holy Spirit is far more glorious in many ways. First of all, it includes the INDWELLING (being born again) of the Spirit which the partial Old Covenant anointing did not. In fact, a person cannot experience the FULLNESS of the New Testament INFILLING until he or she has first been "born again," or, INDWELLED by the Holy Spirit. (John 3:3-5; 14:16-17)

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Secondly, the Holy Spirit’s anointing is no longer received on the basis of the Old Covenant laws, therefore it is no longer for the Jew only. It has been opened to all nations, tribes and peoples through the blood of Jesus Christ. As the prophet Joel declared, "…it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh…" (Joel 2:28)

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Thirdly, the anointing of the Holy Spirit is no longer only available to special prophets and priests like it was in the Old Testament—it has been made available to every member of the Body of Christ, only now without measure. (John 3:34; 14:12; Eph 3:16-19; 5:18; 1 Pet 4:10-11)

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Fourthly, the New Testament INFILLING of the Holy Spirit is accompanied by the supernatural evidence of speaking with other tongues. No one functioning under the Old Testament anointing was privileged to experience this marvelous gift.

Tongues—The Number One

Evidence of the Spirit’s Infilling

The manifestation of tongues on the day of Pentecost elevated God’s people to an entirely new level of communication. Never before had anyone prophesied or supernaturally magnified God in a previously unknown language. Jesus didn’t even partake of this wonderful gift because He was still operating under the Old Testament. Speaking in tongues was the crowning miracle of Pentecost. It signified the birth of the Church and it marked the commencement of the Holy Spirit’s end-time ministry.

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Today, speaking in tongues is still the number one evidence of the Holy Spirit’s INFILLING. When you’re FILLED with the Holy Spirit, His fullness will bubble-up from within your belly and roll off your tongue in the form of an intelligible language. Sometimes you will speak in earthly languages and other times in heavenly languages, but in either case, you will speak supernaturally  in a language you have never learned or previously spoken in before.

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Tongues As Evidence Vs. The Gift of Tongues

There are two basic manifestations of tongues found in the Bible. One is the initial evidence of the Spirit’s INFILLING and the other is the gift of tongues for public ministry. Not everyone is endowed with the gift of tongues for public ministry, but everyone who is FILLED with the Spirit will speak in tongues as the evidence of the Spirit’s INFILLING. In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul writes:

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For he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him; however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries. But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church.

1 Cor 14:2-4 (NKJ)

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Notice Paul says, "he who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God…" and, "He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself…" Here Paul is speaking about tongues for personal edification. The person speaking in tongues for edification is speaking directly to God and the end result is that he is edified. The opposite occurs when someone operates in the gift of tongues for public assembly—when they speak in a tongue, they are speaking to men and not to God. When their "tongue" is accompanied by a Spirit-prompted interpretation, it edifies the church not just the individual who is speaking.

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Tongues for personal edification is a form of prayer and it should be exercised daily throughout the life of the believer. (1 Cor 14:4,15,18; Jude 20)

 

The gift of tongues for public assembly is for the edification of the Church. It should be allowed to manifest whenever the Spirit wills. As the Apostle Paul put it:

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Therefore, brethren, desire earnestly to prophesy, and do not forbid to speak with tongues.

1 Cor 14:39 (NKJ)

The Gifts Of The Spirit

Tongues is not the only evidence of the Spirit’s INFILLING. When a Christian receives the baptism in the Holy Spirit, they will also begin to operate in the nine gifts of the Spirit as the Spirit wills. Paul writes:

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For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

1 Cor 12:8-11 (KJV)

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When Christians received the baptism in the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts, many spoke in tongues and prophesied. (Acts 19:6) They flowed in the gift of tongues and interpretation. (1 Cor 14:27) They moved in the word of wisdom and the word of knowledge. (Acts 11:28; 21:10) They operated in the gift of discerning of spirits. (Acts 16:16; 8:23) They displayed supernatural faith. (Acts 3:16; 6:8) They worked miracles. (Acts 3:6-7) They manifested gifts of healings. (Acts 5:16) They cast out demons, received divine protection and worked special miracles. (Acts 16:18; 28:3-5; 19:11-12)

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Out of all these gifts and manifestations, only two were not in operation under the Old Covenant anointing: tongues and the interpretation of tongues. This is yet another proof that tongues is the primary evidence of the New Testament INFILLING.

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Under the Old Covenant, the gifts of tongues and interpretation were not necessary because God was dealing directly with the Jewish people. Since they all spoke the same language, only the gift of prophecy was needed. Tongues and the interpretation of tongues was added on the day of Pentecost as a sign from God that the Gentiles were now going to be "grafted" into the covenant of Abraham. That’s why the Apostle Paul wrote:

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Therefore tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers…

1 Cor 14:22 (NKJ)

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Without a doubt, the operation of tongues is one of the most powerful and significant miracles of God in all of human history. It is the foremost proof that Jesus has been raised from the dead and that His Spirit has been poured out. It is a heavenly sign given to prove that the gospel message is truly divine. To be completely effective as a witness for Christ, every Christian needs to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking with other tongues.

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Footnotes:

1. A few references of a "partial anointing" of the Holy Spirit under the Old Covenant: Joseph (Gen 41:38), Aaron & Moses (Ex 4:29-31), Bezalel (Ex 28:3; 31:3; 35:31), Joshua (Numb 27:18), David (Psalms 51:10-13), Ezekiel (Ezek 2:2; 3:24; ), Daniel (Dan 4:8-9; 18; 5:11-14; 6:3), Micah (Mic 3:8), The Children of Israel under Moses (Isaiah 63:10-12), Zacharias (Luke 1:67), Elizabeth (Luke 1:41) John The Baptist (Luke 1:15). The scriptures seem to indicate that Jesus received supernatural wisdom as a boy about twenty-five years before He was baptized with the Holy Spirit (Luke 2:40), Mary was partially anointed with the Spirit about 35 years before she was born again and received the baptism in the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost (Luke 1:46-56), The disciples were partially anointed with the Holy Spirit about three years before receiving fullness of the Spirit’s indwelling and baptism. (Mat 10:1) As powerful as the miracles were during their lives and ministries, these were all still operating under the partial  and limited anointing of the Old Testament. The New Testament INDWELLING and INFILLING together should prove to be far more glorious, especially as the day of Christ's return draws near.

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