06. Receiving the Holy Spirit or being baptized into the Holy Spirit
Receiving the Holy Spirit or being baptized into the Holy Spirit
I also longed to be baptized into the Holy Spirit. I prayed for this for three months, fasting from time to time. I prayed at home, also in nature, in the woods. Once at midnight when I returned from the woods I became sure that God had heard my prayers. I received a great joy and was not sad any more. If God hears our prayers, we can be sure of it, as it is written in 1 Samuel 1:13-18. A week later I was at home alone, singing spiritual songs. Inspired by the Holy Spirit I started to pray. It was 3 o’clock in the afternoon, biblically the ninth hour. I felt the presence of God in my room. A few minutes later I saw a tongue of fire come through the window and fall upon me. I could not continue praying in my natural language, just to be filled by the Holy Spirit and I started to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled me. I spoke in nine different languages, glorifying and praising God. It was like heaven on earth. Also, I was singing new songs in other tongues. It was 6 o’clock in the evening when I finished. Even my elder brother who came home asked me: “What happened to you?” When answering him I also spoke in the other tongue and interpreted the prophecy to him. The Holy Spirit predicted his converting to God. One year later he converted to God and was born-again. In the same evening the Holy Spirit led me outside. As I was walking along streets, I met two boys passing by and one of them said to the other, pointing at me: “Look, this man drank better wine than we did!” They were just leaving the inn. It was the same experience like that of the apostles on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:12-13).
It was the nicest day in my life. We met together every day to pray and praise God in houses. God gave us several gifts of the Holy Spirit, e.g. the gift of revelation, prophesy, interpretation of tongues, singing hymns in tongues... etc. In these ways God was preparing us for spreading the Gospel, at first in our town and then in our country. Later we spread the Gospel also in other countries of Europe. It was as Jesus said: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) I had a great burden in my heart for missions. Many times we have to pray as Jesus said to his disciples: “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field!” (Matthew 9:37-38) I could not stay at home. The Holy Spirit sent me out...