Baptism in the Spirit and Filled with the Spirit: Power for Holiness and Mission

This article is part of my ongoing series on the Holy Spirit. If you are just joining in, I encourage you to begin with the earlier articles for context. Links to all posts in the series can be found at the end of this article.

I’ve sat and listened with awe and conviction as church leaders from Africa and Asia shared about how God was working in their hometowns. They told stories of demons cast out, marriages restored, and whole neighborhoods transformed by the gospel. These weren’t missionary highlight reels—they were normal, everyday testimonies.

Their expectations and ministry goals were outrageous and illogical. How in the world could they plan to accomplish such things? And then, as I listened, I realized—they didn’t plan to accomplish them. They expected God to show up (often through them) and accomplish supernatural, God-sized things. Oh, how small my own expectations for God’s power had become in my life and ministry.

When I compared the goals of my church under my leadership to the fruitful reality of the church in Acts—and the global church I had come in contact with—I couldn’t help but notice the contrast. Our goals were achievable and depended on our ability. We knew how to accomplish them and could mostly do it on our own. But they weren’t the kind of goals that led to demons being cast out, addictions broken, or neighborhoods turned upside down by the gospel and mass movements of disciples making disciples and churches planting churches.

In Acts, power encounters with darkness were normal. People were set free from sin and demonic oppression, marriages were healed, entire cities were transformed, and disciples multiplied by the thousands. Today, those same stories are alive in the global church. I’ve seen them firsthand. But in many of our local churches, those stories are rare.

There is a power missing in much of the Western church. We’ve reduced holiness to a private moral choice instead of a Spirit-empowered reality that breaks chains and confronts evil. Larry Walkemeyer once said, “Jesus taught his disciples to cast out demons. We teach our people to pass out bulletins.” That stings because it’s true.

But the Spirit was given for more than church programs. The Spirit is God’s power in us to overcome sin, drive out darkness, and join God’s mission of healing the world. Without the Spirit’s fullness, we cannot live free—and we cannot live on mission.

There is a power missing in the local church. There is a power missing in our own personal discipleship. That empowerment comes from being filled, continually, with the Holy Spirit.

Power Over Sin – My Struggle

I remember sitting in church week after week, trying so hard to be a good Christian. I knew I was forgiven, but I felt powerless over the same struggles—like sin still had its grip on me.

It wasn’t until I began to understand the Spirit’s role—not just at my conversion, but in filling me daily—that things began to change. God doesn’t just want to forgive us; He wants to empower us. The Spirit’s filling is what breaks sin’s grip and gives us freedom.

Bottom line: You cannot live the Christian life without the power of the Spirit.

The Witness of the Holiness Movement

This isn’t just my story. Phoebe Palmer, a 19th-century holiness preacher, used to say that the Spirit’s fullness was available to every believer who would simply trust God’s promise. She didn’t believe holiness was for a few spiritual elites—she believed it was God’s gift for every ordinary Christian.

And when she prayed for the Spirit’s filling, lives were transformed. Addictions were broken. People were set free. Whole movements of discipleship and mission spread out from these encounters. That vision of Spirit-filled living still challenges me today: what if God wants to do the same in us?

Filled and Baptized – What’s the Difference?

The New Testament describes both baptism in the Spirit and being filled with the Spirit. Baptism in the Spirit is the once-for-all gift of empowerment poured out at Pentecost and shared with every believer at conversion. Being filled with the Spirit is not a one-time event but a repeated reality. In Acts, the same disciples are filled again and again (Acts 2, Acts 4).

The baptism of the Spirit anchors us in the Spirit’s life; the filling of the Spirit sustains us in holiness and empowers us for mission. To live sent is to be continually filled.

How Can People Be Filled With the Holy Spirit?

Surrender Fully
The Spirit fills what we yield. Phoebe Palmer used to say, “Place all on the altar.” The more we release control—our habits, relationships, and ambitions—the more space the Spirit has to fill.

Ask in Faith
Jesus said, “How much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13). Receiving the Spirit’s fullness begins with expectancy and prayer.

Trust God’s Promise
The filling of the Spirit is not earned; it is received by faith. Holiness leaders like Palmer and Wesley emphasized that believers should claim God’s promise now, not wait for years of striving.

Obey Promptly
Spirit-filled living is a continual cycle of listening and obeying. Each step of obedience creates more room for the Spirit’s empowering presence.

Stay Connected
Ephesians 5:18 uses a present continuous tense: “Be being filled.” This means renewal is ongoing. Practices like worship, prayer, and Scripture aren’t just duties; they are the spaces where the Spirit fills us again.

Live Sent Practices

If being filled is about Spirit-empowered life, then living sent is about Spirit-empowered mission. Some practical ways:

Start Each Day with Surrender
Pray a short prayer: “Holy Spirit, fill me today. Guide my words, actions, and encounters.”

Look for Divine Appointments
Instead of pushing through your schedule, ask, “Lord, who do You want me to notice today?” Then act on the Spirit’s promptings—whether that’s a word of encouragement, a prayer for someone, or a gospel conversation.

Practice Holiness in the Ordinary
Living sent isn’t just mission trips; it’s refusing gossip at work, reconciling with someone who wronged you, or choosing integrity when it costs you. The Spirit makes holiness possible in everyday life.

Engage in Power Encounters
Don’t shy away from praying boldly for healing, deliverance, or breakthrough. In the global church and the book of Acts, the gospel advanced because people trusted the Spirit to show up in supernatural ways.

Live Simply, Give Generously
The Acts church shared everything so that no one had need. Spirit-filled disciples live with open hands, using time, money, and possessions for God’s mission.

Multiply Disciples and Leaders
Living sent means pouring into others. Pray for one or two people you can intentionally disciple, teaching them to hear the Spirit’s voice and live sent themselves.

Series on the Holy Spirit

This post is part of my ongoing series on the Holy Spirit. You can read the other posts here:

• The Spirit in Creation and New Creation
• The Spirit and Salvation
• Spirit Baptism: Power for Holiness and Mission (this article)
• Upcoming: The Gifts of the Spirit and the Mission of the Church