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  (CLIP) SEEKING THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
  by Zac Poonen
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Summary: This sermon emphasizes the importance of seeking a genuine
baptism and fullness of the Holy Spirit, highlighting personal
experiences of encountering the Holy Spirit and the transformative power
it brings. The speaker shares how their life changed after being filled
with the Holy Spirit, the need for continuous filling to avoid
backsliding, and the distinction between true anointing and counterfeit
experiences in the Christian faith.

Topics: "Holy Spirit", "Transformation through Faith"
Scripture References: Acts 2:4, Luke 3:22, Ephesians 5:18, Acts 1:8, John 14:26

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DESCRIPTION
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This sermon emphasizes the importance of seeking a genuine baptism and
fullness of the Holy Spirit, highlighting personal experiences of
encountering the Holy Spirit and the transformative power it brings. The
speaker shares how their life changed after being filled with the Holy
Spirit, the need for continuous filling to avoid backsliding, and the
distinction between true anointing and counterfeit experiences in the
Christian faith.

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CONTENT
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Now there's a lot of controversy about the Holy Spirit in Christendom
today. I grew up in the early days in the Brethren Assembly about 50
years ago, where they never talked about the Holy Spirit. We studied the
Word of God, but we didn't depend on the Holy Spirit.

And my life was dry, discouraged, depressed. So people told me I must go
to the Pentecostal Church. I said okay, I'll go there.

And I went there and I heard all the noise and all that. I met the
pastors who loved money so much. And I came back to my room in the naval
base.

And I knelt down and I said, Lord, I don't want that. That's not the
real thing. That is a painted fire, not a real fire.

It's a lot of noise. Not power. So I said, Lord, I want what Peter,
James and John got on the day of Pentecost.

I want what Jesus got in the river Jordan. I want the real anointing and
if it takes 10 years to get it, I'm willing to wait 10 years. It's no
use accumulating counterfeit 500 rupee notes and thinking you're very
rich.

It's all paper. One genuine 500 rupee note is worth all those
counterfeit notes. There's a lot of counterfeit of the baptism in the
Holy Spirit today.

And that proves that the real thing is very precious. And I want to tell
you my brothers and sisters. When the Lord filled me with the Holy
Spirit, my whole life changed.

But I found after some years I could backslide. So I learned that this
baptism in the Holy Spirit is not just once. I experienced it and there
was a lot of joy and anointing.

And then 10 years later I began to backslide. Inwardly, I backslid
because I didn't have fellowship. And I was so desperate.

I said, Lord, you got to fill me with the Holy Spirit again. And I began
to seek God again. And God filled me with the Holy Spirit.

And I looked back now over that incident which was 36 years ago. I can
say the whole direction of my life changed after that. So I want to say
to all of you.

You must seek for a genuine baptism and fullness of the Holy Spirit. And
I received this in my own house, not in some meeting. That is why in
CFC, I always encourage people to pray for this in their own house.

Don't go for a meeting because you may get some emotional experience
which is not real. Everybody else is shaking and crying and you think
there is something there. I did not shake, I did not cry, but God filled
me with the Holy Spirit.

And the result was power in my life and ministry. From that, I learned
that I must be continuously filled with the Holy Spirit.

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Video: https://sermonindex2.b-cdn.net/z27bIH97PrU.mp4
Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/zac-poonen/clip-seeking-the-baptism-of-the-holy-spirit/
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