CHAPTER THREE

IT’S SUPERNATURAL!

Jesus gives us the gift of the Holy Spirit, yet when the Spirit comes, He is loaded with packages! He desires to release much more in us and through us than we could ever imagine. These gifts are given for delivery, not for accumulation. We receive them to pass them on to others.³

— JACK HAYFORD

For Johannes Amritzer, childhood wasn’t easy by any stretch of the imagination. His father was a criminal, in and out of prison. His mother often moved from one abusive boyfriend to the next looking for a place to find refuge. Due to this dysfunctional home life, Johannes bounced from foster home to foster home or by necessity lived for months with grandma, aunts, and uncles.

Johannes grew up fighting for his life. He turned to alcohol, sex, and crime to cope and survive. But deep in his spirit he sensed that he was built for something more. He describes one quiet moment when he was on a platform getting ready to catch a train in Germany.

Early one morning, he stood overlooking the train station and all he could see where drug addicts, homeless people, and the prostitutes who were waking up to a new day of misery. At that moment he heard a voice say to him, “One day, I will use you to reach people just like this.” Johannes admits, “Now I know that voice was the Holy Spirit. But at the time, I had no idea what was happening to me. I thought it might be God talking to me, but I assumed I wasn’t worthy of a visitation like that.”

Eventually, Johannes’ older brother became a Christian. Because of his salvation experience, he did his best to convince his younger brother to give his life to Jesus as well. “It was a joke to me,” Johannes recounts. “I thought he had lost his mind, and I consistently let him know about it.” After refusing to attend church many times, one Sunday Johannes finally showed up.

During that service, his first time to be in church in a long time, Johannes sensed the same presence he had experienced on the train platform in Germany. By the end of the evening, Johannes had prayed to give his life to Christ.

Shortly after this moment of decision, a youth leader explained to him about the baptism in the Holy Spirit. The leader shared that being baptized in the Holy Spirit would enable God to use Johannes in a supernatural way. So they prayed. Right there, Johannes experienced the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in his life. Out of his lips came the release of power and praise, and he was changed.

No one could have predicted the degree to which Johannes would be used by God. Within a year he was preaching on the streets and winning to Jesus hundreds of skinheads, drug addicts, and other troubled youth in the regions of Sweden, Poland, Germany, and the Czech Republic through Teen Challenge, a youth rehab ministry. The gift of evangelism was obvious in his life, and the Holy Spirit was using him to prove that Jesus is alive and active in the world to rescue us from sin.

As Johannes ministered, supernatural things began to occur. Sick people were healed. Those tormented by demon spirits were set free. The crowds he ministered to continued to grow as word spread about the young evangelist God was using in supernatural ways.

My friendship with Johannes began in 2002. He and I met when he spoke at a conference I attended in Hampton, Virginia. I sat mesmerized as I listened to him recount how God was doing extraordinary miracles through his ministry overseas. After preaching in Sweden and around Europe, God had called Johannes to focus his energies on sharing the message of a risen Jesus with people groups that had never heard of Jesus. Mission S.O.S. was born out of this calling.

One of my favorite miracle stories took place at one of his festivals in Bulgaria. A crippled Muslim woman was attending the festival. For the first time, she heard how Jesus, who is God in the flesh, had come to earth on a mission to save us. She heard how He died on the cross for her sin and how He rose from the dead. She heard how He was healing people, right there in Bulgaria.

Johannes explained, “She had been crippled for so long, that all the muscles in her legs had atrophied. They hung from her body like spaghetti strands, limp, skinny, damaged legs. Her Muslim friends lifted her out of her wheel chair and literally threw her up on stage, demanding: “Heal her in Jesus’ name if you can!”

“I saw in her eyes the faith to be healed,” Johannes continued. “And all of a sudden, I felt a rush of faith within me. The Holy Spirit was shouting to my mind that He was going to heal her body. So before I knew it, I had picked her up, holding her under her arms. I heard myself say, ‘I will not let you down until you walk!’”

“As soon as I said it,” Johannes confessed, “I thought to myself, that’s crazy! What are you saying? Now you’re really on the spot! What if nothing happens? How long can you hold this woman up in front of this enormous crowd of people? But I felt the prompting to say it again, so I repeated, ‘I will not let you go until you walk.’ Then all of a sudden the woman put her feet on the ground and began to take steps. Her legs were so weak she couldn’t walk without wobbling and without support. But as she stepped out in faith, her legs grew stronger. Right before the eyes of this Islamic crowd, Jesus showed Himself to be alive by healing this woman’s broken body.”

Over the years of our friendship, I have heard Johannes tell hundreds of such stories. After a few years, I decided to go with him on one of these trips to see some of this for myself. I wasn’t disappointed. Deaf people began to hear. Blind eyes were opened. Demon possessed people cried out as they were set free. It was just like the moments I had read about in the Bible, but now I was living them firsthand. With every trip, I grew more and more hungry to see God’s power released in my own life.

The baptism in the Holy Spirit is for every believer.

“How is this possible?” I asked Johannes early in our friendship. He replied, “For me, the journey into the supernatural began when I was baptized in the Holy Spirit. None of this would be possible in my life without that first experience.” That’s what so amazing about God’s plan for His people. The baptism in the Holy Spirit isn’t just for the super-Christian who travels the world and speaks to thousands in a festival. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is for every believer.

Listen to what Simon Peter said just after his experience with the baptism in the Holy Spirit, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:38–39 ESV, emphasis added). This promise is for you! It’s for your children!

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE BAPTIZED IN THE HOLY SPIRIT?

Jesus challenged His disciples and made them a promise. “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:4–5). He was warning them, “Don’t try to accomplish the mission without the power. Wait … receive … then take this message into every part of the earth.” Then He made the promise: “You will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

To understand this statement we need to see the comparison. When Jesus referred to John, He was talking about the man known as John the Baptist. John came prior to Jesus. He announced to the people of his day that the kingdom of God was coming to the earth. He challenged his hearers to repent (turn from) their sinful selfish ways and surrender to God. Those who heeded his teachings submitted to a symbolic initiation rite called baptism. They were immersed in water, often in the Jordan River.

By being baptized in this way, these people declared that they were leaving their former way of life to follow after God. They went down into the waters as sinful persons, and came up out of the water, washed, clean, and new. Baptism was all about beginning something new. It was about being dipped under and enveloped by the waters of the river.

The word baptize means “to dip under the water.” We use a similar word in the English language. The word capsize means for a boat to turn over and sink in the water. Every water baptism we see in the Bible involves a person being submerged in a body of water and coming back up completely wet. Jesus was saying to the disciples, “In a few days, you’ll be dipped under, totally submerged in, and completely enveloped by the Holy Spirit. And when that happens to you, you’ll be filled with the power necessary to prove and witness to My resurrection.”

Think about it! Dipped under and enveloped, not by a substance like water, but in a relationship with the Holy Spirit. We haven’t talked much about exactly who the Holy Spirit is up until this moment, but we need to do so now. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead. God is three persons in one being: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Just prior to His crucifixion, Jesus introduced the Holy Spirit to the disciples.

WHO IS THE HOLY SPIRIT?

Just before Jesus died, He encouraged His disciples with this, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you” (John 14:16–17 ESV).

1. The Holy Spirit is just like Jesus.

Jesus said the Father “will give you another Helper.” The word another in the Greek implies, “someone who is just like me—who is taking my place.” Can you imagine if you could do life with Jesus walking beside you physically, at every moment? You could consult Him about issues at home or at work. You could ask Him to teach you what to do in a confusing relationship. He would be there to help you when you had a need or didn’t know how to pray.

Having the Holy Spirit with you gives you the same benefit. He is the same in essence as Jesus. He is a part of the Godhead just like Jesus. He knows everything God knows, because He is part of the Godhead. You might not be able to see Him, but He is as present with you as anyone ever could be and more. He can advise you, equip you, comfort you, and empower you for life.

2. The Holy Spirit adds life into me.

Jesus called the Holy Spirit the “helper,” which in the Greek is paraclete. The best way to define this word is by contrast. You understand the word parasite. It’s a living entity that attaches itself to you to suck the life from you. That’s not even fun to think about. Once when I traveled out of the country on a mission trip I came back with a parasite in my stomach. I was super sick and weak. I felt like the parasite was literally draining the life out of me!

The Holy Spirit strengthens me. He infuses His thoughts into me.

In contrast, we can define a paraclete as a living entity that attaches Himself to me to add life into me. The Holy Spirit strengthens me. He infuses His thoughts into me. He releases to me His emotions: joy, peace, love, patience. He shares His power with me. He gives me what I need at the moment I need it.

3. The Holy Spirit walks with me through life.

Jesus said the Holy Spirit, “the Spirit of truth,” will “be with you forever.” The Holy Spirit teaches and instructs and reminds us of who Jesus is and what the Bible says. He reinforces us in every way.

Every person who believes in Jesus receives such companionship from the Holy Spirit. He begins to dwell within your life at the moment you confess Christ as your Lord and Savior. In fact, the Holy Spirit is like the “welcoming committee” into God’s family. As soon as you pray to receive Christ, the Holy Spirit ignites life on the inside of you. He takes your dead soul and makes it alive. The instant He does that you know it. Romans 8:16 says, “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”

So hear this now. The moment you are saved, you receive the Holy Spirit. He lives in you from the moment you become a Christian. And since He lives within you, He immediately begins to give you the capacity to be a better person than you were before. He releases all that He is to you. This moment happened for the original disciples just after Jesus’ resurrection. John 20 records the moment when Jesus appeared to the disciples in His resurrected body. “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:21–22).

At that moment, Jesus imparted to them the Holy Spirit; just like it happens for us when we pray for salvation. The Holy Spirit took up residence in the disciples’ hearts. They received the Holy Spirit as Jesus breathed the Spirit into them.

You might think that would have been enough!

But just a few days later, Jesus told these same disciples, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised… . For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:4–5).)

The disciples had received the Holy Spirit in John 20. But they had not yet been baptized in the Holy Spirit. Jesus was promising to “dip them under” the Holy Spirit. There is a difference between these two experiences. Having received the Holy Spirit at salvation is the main thing, but if we are to function in the supernatural, we need something more.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE CLOTHED IN POWER?

This is where it helps to consider different gospel histories. We can hear the words of Jesus from several observers; each account adding value to the overall picture. Luke wrote of the post-resurrection moments that Jesus spent with His disciples. (Remember that Luke penned both the book of Luke and the book of Acts). Here’s what Jesus said:

“I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49, emphasis added)

The word clothed means “to sink into or be plunged into one’s clothing; to be arrayed in a garment; to be endued with or placed within.” The word power is the same word that we saw used in Acts 1. It’s the Greek word dunamis, which is the root of our our English word dynamite.

Jesus promised to give His disciples some “power clothes” to wear. They were to walk around clothed in and surrounded by the explosive, life-giving power of the Holy Spirit. Everywhere they went and everything they touched would be impacted by these “power clothes.” This experience was something more than what happened to the disciples in John 20. They had already received the Holy Spirit when Jesus promised to give them even more. He breathed on them, and then He wanted to clothe them with power.

CAN I REALLY BE “ON FIRE”?

Let’s look at another Bible passage. The apostle John recorded the words of John the Baptist when he introduced Jesus to the world:

“I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come [Jesus], the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie [He is so much greater than I am that I am not worthy even to untie His sandals.] He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Luke 3:16, emphasis added).

So let’s put it all together:

•The disciples had already received the Holy Spirit (just like we do when we are saved).

•Jesus promised them something more.

•He promised to dip them under or into the Holy Spirit so they would be completed covered by and immersed in His presence.

•When they came out of that baptism experience, they would be clothed with power.

•It would be as though they had been baptized in the fire of God.

I love how Johannes puts it, “When you are baptized in the Holy Spirit, God dresses you in the ‘fire clothes’ of Jesus.” In other words, you walk around wearing the fiery power of God on your life. And just as Jesus did the supernatural through the power of the Holy Spirit, so you can expect to see the supernatural through that same Holy Spirit power. It’s as though Jesus went to heaven and left behind His fire clothes for every believer to wear.

There’s a great story in 2 Kings about the powerful old prophet Elijah and his spiritual son, Elisha. God used Elijah to do amazing miracles. This prophet experienced incredible answers to his prayers. Once, God answered his prayer and raised a boy back to life who had died. When God took Elijah to heaven, the prophet left behind his mantle or outer cloak for the younger man Elisha to wear. The cloak was filled with the sweat and aroma of Elijah.

[Elisha] took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water [of the Jordan River] with it. “Where now is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” he asked. When he struck the water, it divided to the right and to the left and he crossed over. The company of the prophets [bystanders] from Jericho, who were watching, said, “The spirit of Elijah is resting on Elisha.” (2 Kings 2:14–15)

Can you see the parallels here? As Elijah left his mantle for Elisha, so Jesus left behind His “mantle” for us. He wants us to carry the same Spirit upon us that was upon Him. He wants to clothe us in power. He wants to baptize us in the Holy Spirit and in fire. He wants us to put on His fire clothes and walk around as instruments of Holy Spirit explosiveness.

Do you long for this?

Do you want the Father to clothe you in power?

Do you want to wear the fire clothes of Jesus?

As we are baptized in the Holy Spirit, we can enter the challenging places of life and say, “Where now is the power of Jesus?” And as we step out in faith to be used by God, He will release miracles through us to the world.

One of the great moments for me as a father happened a few years ago. My oldest son, David, felt a call into the ministry. He gave his life to Christ at a young age, and when he was a teen, he was baptized in the Holy Spirit. When he graduated from high school, he went on a mission trip to Tanzania where he prayed for the sick during the meetings.

I’ll never forget his report of that trip. “Dad, I prayed for a man who was blind. His eyes were all cloudy. And as I prayed in the name of Jesus, I could see the cloudiness disappear. He started waving his arms, and we both knew what had happened: He could see!” Then David added, “It was totally awesome!”

Once you have had an experience like that, you will never view the Christian life in the same way. No longer is it a philosophy of life or a set of moral teachings. No longer is being a Christian just about going to church and trying to be a good person. When you are baptized in the Holy Spirit and you step out to see the power of God released through your life, the Christian life becomes an adventure of following a risen Jesus and showing the world that He is alive and still doing miracles in the world today.

 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR CHAPTER THREE

1.Have you ever worn special equipment or a uniform for a job or a sport? If so, why was it necessary to be clothed like that?

2.Read Luke 24:49. How would you explain this promise to someone?

3.If we really believed we were “clothed” in the power of God, how would we act and react in life?

4.Read 2 Kings 2:14. Elisha picked up the miraculous cloak or mantle of Elijah and then acted in faith. What would it mean for you to take hold of the “mantle” or fire clothes of Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit?