Jerusalem

The first example is found in Acts 2, when the one hundred and twenty disciples were baptized in the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost:

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance (Acts 2:1-4; emphasis added).

There is no doubt that the one hundred and twenty believers were already saved and born again before this time, so they definitely experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit after salvation. It would have been impossible, however, for them to have received the baptism in the Holy Spirit prior to this time simply because the Holy Spirit was not given to the church until that day.

It is obvious that the accompanying sign was speaking with other tongues.

To subscribe to David Servant's periodic e-teachings, click here.

DMM Chapter 11: The Baptism in the Holy Spirit » Jerusalem

Common Fears

Some people worry that if they pray for the Holy Spirit, they might open themselves up to a demon spirit instead. There is, however, here is no basis for such a concern. Jesus promised,

Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him? (Luke 11:11-13).

If we ask for the Holy Spirit, God will give us the Holy Spirit, and we should have no fear of receiving anything else.

Some are concerned that, when they speak in other tongues, it will just be themselves making up a nonsensical language rather than a supernatural language given by the Holy Spirit. If, however, you attempt to invent a credible language before being baptized in the Holy Spirit, you will see that it is impossible. On the other hand, you must understand that if you are going to speak in other tongues, you will consciously have to use your lips, tongue and vocal cords. The Holy Spirit does not do the speaking for you—He only gives you the utterance. He is our helper, not our doer. You must do the actual speaking, just as the Bible teaches:

And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and [they] began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance (Acts 2:4, emphasis added).

And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking with tongues (Acts 19:6, emphasis added).

After a believer has asked for the gift of the Holy Spirit, he should believe and expect to speak in other tongues. Because the Holy Spirit is received by faith, the recipient should not expect to experience any particular feelings or physical sensations. He should simply open his mouth and begin to speak the new sounds and syllables that will make up the language that the Holy Spirit gives him. Unless the believer begins to speak by faith, no utterance will come forth from his mouth. He must do the speaking, and the Holy Spirit will provide the utterance.

To subscribe to David Servant's periodic e-teachings, click here.

DMM Chapter 11: The Baptism in the Holy Spirit » Common Fears

Caesarea

The fourth mention of believers being baptized in the Holy Spirit is found in Acts 10. The apostle Peter had been divinely commissioned to preach the gospel in Caesarea to the household of Cornelius. As soon as Peter revealed that salvation is received through faith in Jesus, his entire Gentile audience immediately responded in faith, and the Holy Spirit fell upon them:

While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who were listening to the message. All the circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also. For they were hearing them speaking with tongues and exalting God. Then Peter answered, “Surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we did, can he?” And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 10:44-48a).

In this case, it seems as if the members of Cornelius’ household, who became the first Gentile believers in Jesus, were born again and baptized in the Holy Spirit simultaneously.

If we examine the surrounding scriptures and study the historical context, it is apparent why God didn’t wait for Peter and his fellow believers to lay hands on the Gentile believers to receive the Holy Spirit. Peter and the other Jewish believers had great difficulty believing that Gentiles could even be saved, much less receive the Holy Spirit! They likely would never have prayed for Cornelius’ household to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit, so God sovereignly acted. God was teaching Peter and his companions something about His marvelous grace toward Gentiles.

What convinced Peter and the other Jewish believers that Cornelius’ household had genuinely received the Holy Spirit? Luke wrote, “For they were hearing them speaking with tongues” (Acts 10:46). Peter declared that the Gentiles had received the Holy Spirit just as the one hundred and twenty had on the day of Pentecost (see 10:47).

To subscribe to David Servant's periodic e-teachings, click here.

DMM Chapter 11: The Baptism in the Holy Spirit » Caesarea

HeavenWord TV Video Devotions

Chronological study through the New Testament

Join David Servant as he teaches chronologically through the New Testament, verse-by-verse. You are sure to appreciate David’s balanced, yet non-compromising teaching of God’s Word. And you’ll gain new insights that will help you as you follow our Lord Jesus.

You can view any of our 30-minute weekly episodes below:

Podcast Archive
Week	Title
Week 0001	The Beginning
Week 0002	Gaining Guidance from God
Week 0003	God Guides the Faithful
Week 0004	What Happened to John the Baptist’s Gospel?
Week 0005	John Predicts and Baptizes Jesus
Week 0006	Jesus’ First Temptation
Week 0007	Jesus’ Second and Final Temptation
Week 0008	Should we be like Jesus?
Week 0009	Boat Loads of Blessings
Week 0010	The Beginning of the Beatitudes
Week 0011	The Beatitudes Continued
Week 0012	Salt, Light, and Good Works
Week 0013	Pivotal Points in Jesus’ Sermon
Week 0014	Loving the Saints
Week 0015	If We Don’t Get Along…
Week 0016	What Constitutes Adultery, Part 1
Week 0017	What Constitutes Adultery, Part 2
Week 0018	Divorce and Remarriage
Week 0019	Making Vows and Taking Revenge
Week 0020	An Eye for an Eye
Week 0021	Loving Your Neighbors and Enemies
Week 0022	Jesus on Alms Giving
Week 0023	Jesus on Prayer
Week 0024	The Lord’s Prayer, Part 1
Week 0025	The Lord’s Prayer, Part 2
Week 0026	Fasting, Part 1
Week 0027	Fasting, Part 2
Week 0028	Jesus on Money, Part 1
Week 0029	Jesus on Money, Part 2
Week 0030	Jesus on Judging
Week 0031	Spiritual Pigs & Dogs
Week 0032	Incredible Prayer Promises
Week 0033	More on Prayer
Week 0034	God’s Golden Rule
Week 0035	The Broad & Narrow Ways
Week 0036	Knowing Them by Their Fruits
Week 0037	Jesus Summarizes His Sermon
Week 0038	A Mind-Blowing Messianic Miracle
Week 0039	The Roman Centurion’s Great Faith
Week 0040	Incredible Encouragement for Healing
Week 0041	More Encouragement for Healing
Week 0042	Jesus Expects Our Highest Allegiance
Week 0043	Flush Out Fear, Fill Up on Faith
Week 0044	Jesus Drowns the 5,000, Part 1
Week 0045	Jesus Drowns the 5,000, Part 2
Week 0046	Jesus Drowns the 5,000, Part 3
Week 0047	The Faith of Five, Part 1
Week 0048	The Faith of Five, Part 2
Week 0049	Jesus, Friend of Sinners
Week 0050	New Tricks and Old Dogs
Week 0051	A Miracle Within a Miracle, Part 1
Week 0052	A Miracle Within a Miracle, Part 2
Week 0053	Two Blind Men and Their Faith
Week 0054	The Waiting Harvest
Week 0055	Jesus Instructs the Twelve
Week 0056	Taking Back Your Blessing
Week 0057	Sheep, Wolves, Snakes and Doves
Week 0058	More Than Sparrows
Week 0059	The Highest Allegiance
Week 0060	Christian Atheists
Week 0061	A Beautiful, Big Package
Week 0062	Jesus’ Favorite Preacher
Week 0063	Jesus’ Love-Hate Relationship
Week 0064	Come to Me and Find Rest
Week 0065	The Fence Laws
Week 0066	Goats with Logs
Week 0067	The Second Messianic Miracle
Week 0068	The Hardest of Hearts
Week 0069	Amazing Facts from Nineveh and Sheeba
Week 0070	Devilology 101
Week 0071	Parable of the Sower and the Soils, Part 1
Week 0072	Parable of the Sower and the Soils, Part 2
Week 0073	Parable of the Wheat and Tares
Week 0074	A Little Different Look at Hell
Week 0075	Three Little Parables
Week 0076	Jesus Goes Home
Week 0077	A “Killer” Sermon
Week 0078	Getting Through Grief
Week 0079	Is Jesus in Your Boat?
Week 0080	Wavering Faith on the Waves
Week 0081	Evil Deeds from Evil Hearts
Week 0082	When God Ignores Prayer
Week 0083	Three Days of Miracles
Week 0084	Peter’s Blessing
Week 0085	Five Metaphors
Week 0086	Destination: Death
Week 0087	Jesus’ Calling to Self-Denial
Week 0088	A Mountain Top Experience
Week 0089	Coming Down the Mountain
Week 0090	All Things Are Possible to Believers
Week 0091	Tax-Exempt Jesus Pays a Tax
Week 0092	Twelve Selfish Fellows
Week 0093	Woe to Stumbling Blocks
Week 0094	Guardian Angels?
Week 0095	Leaving the Ninety-Nine
Week 0096	A Closer Look at Forgiveness, Part 1
Week 0097	A Closer Look at Forgiveness, Part 2
Week 0098	The Little Church That Jesus Attends
Week 0099	The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant
Week 0100	More on Divorce and Remarriage, Part 1
Week 0101	More on Divorce and Remarriage, Part 2
Week 0102	More on Divorce and Remarriage, Part 3
Week 0103	Kids of the Kingdom
Week 0104	The Rich Young Ruler, Part 1
Week 0105	The Rich Young Ruler, Part 2
Week 0106	The Rich Young Ruler, Part 3
Week 0107	The Rich Young Ruler, Part 4
Week 0108	The Parable of the Laborers, Part 1
Week 0109	The Parable of the Laborers, Part 2
Week 0110	The Way to Greatness
Week 0111	The Healing of Blind Bartimaeus and His Blind Buddy
Week 0112	The Donkey Whisperer Gets Violent
Week 0113	Jesus Curses a Fig Tree
Week 0114	The Essential Key to Faith
Week 0115	Table-Turning Teacher
Week 0116	Unwitting “Prophets”
Week 0117	A Wild Wedding
Week 0118	Some Tricky Questions
Week 0119	Those Sad Sadducees
Week 0120	Not Far from the Kingdom of God
Week 0121	Self-Exalting Ministry Titles
Week 0122	Religious Liars
Week 0123	Is All Sin the Same in God’s Eyes?
Week 0124	What Should We Expect?
Week 0125	The Great Falling Away
Week 0126	70AD or Not Yet?
Week 0127	The Abomination of Desolation
Week 0128	How to Survive the Tribulation
Week 0129	When Jesus Returns
Week 0130	Will Jesus Return Today?
Week 0131	Stay Ready
Week 0132	The Parable of the Ten Virgins
Week 0133	The Parable of the Talents
Week 0134	The Salvation Equation Includes “Works”
Week 0135	The Sheep and the Goats
Week 0136	More Sheep and Goat Stuff
Week 0137	Hidden Insights into John 3:16
Week 0138	Jesus and Some Perfume
Week 0139	The Last Supper
Week 0140	Satan’s Sifting of Peter
Week 0141	Christ’s Conflict and Consecration
Week 0142	Heads Almost Roll in the Garden
Week 0143	God on Trial
Week 0144	Judas’ Remorse
Week 0145	You and Barabbas
Week 0146	It Wasn’t the Nails…
Week 0147	Saved by Grace
Week 0148	Jesus’ Final Moments
Week 0149	Jesus Disembodied
Week 0150	So Glad They Sealed the Tomb
Week 0151	What Really Happened on Resurrection Sunday
Week 0152	A Burning-Heart Bible Study
Week 0153	A Big Sunday Night Appearance?
Week 0154	The Greatest Lie Ever Told
Week 0155	Thank God for Doubting Thomas
Week 0156	An Encouraging Encounter
Week 0157	The Important End of Matthew
Week 0158	Why the Power?
Week 0159	Time to Replace Judas
Week 0160	They Were All Filled with the Holy Spirit
Week 0161	Speaking in Other Tongues
Week 0162	Empowered for What?
Week 0163	Peter’s Pentecost Sermon
Week 0164	Life in the Early Church
Week 0165	The Main Reason the Early Church Was Different
Week 0166	Who are the Poor?
Week 0167	He Asked for Alms But Got Legs
Week 0168	The Period of Restoration of All Things
Week 0169	Peter and John on Trial
Week 0170	How to Pray When You Feel Overwhelmed
Week 0171	God Can Make You Bolder!
Week 0172	Smart Stewardship
Week 0173	Ananias and Sapphira’s Fatal Sin
Week 0174	Cessationists and Their Skeptics
Week 0175	A Prison Break and a Trial
Week 0176	The Sanhedrin Suppresses the Truth Again
Week 0177	Widows, Widows, Widows
Week 0178	Stephen Skewers the Stiff-Necked Sanhedrin
Week 0179	Jesus Stands in Heaven
Week 0180	The Constantian Shift
Week 0181	The Holy Spirit Falls in Samaria
Week 0182	Every Evangelist’s Dream
Week 0183	Special Grace at Saul’s Salvation
Week 0184	For God So Loved the World, that He Clobbered Saul
Week 0185	What Ever Happened to the Fear of the Lord?
Week 0186	Hearts of Clay and Wax
Week 0187	A Momentous Meeting
Week 0188	Who is Welcome to God?
Week 0189	Peter on Trial
Week 0190	Tests and Trials
Week 0191	Asking With Faith
Week 0192	Temptation’s Source
Week 0193	A Huge Delusion
Week 0194	Think You Are Spiritual
Week 0195	The Law of the King
Week 0196	The Reformers Wiggle
Week 0197	Useless Faith
Week 0198	James Vs. Paul
Week 0199	Was Paul Purely a “Faith Man”?
Week 0200	The Bridled Tongue
Week 0201	The Wisdom Test
Week 0202	When Greek Seems Greek
Week 0203	Grace: Unconditional or Conditional?
Week 0204	Finding Faults
Week 0205	In the Last Days You Have Stored Up Your Treasure
Week 0206	The Latter Rain
Week 0207	Two Sins, Two Judgments
Week 0208	One Means of God’s Discipline
Week 0209	Reasons Christians are Sick
Week 0210	A New Testament Church Without the New Testament
Week 0211	Two Ways to Judge Prophecy
Week 0212	Sweet Dreams for Peter
Week 0213	Herod Reaps What He Has Sown
Week 0214	Another Filling of the Holy Spirit
Week 0215	Harvests That Aren’t Really Harvests
Week 0216	The Galatian Gentile Revival
Week 0217	Healed by His Faith
Week 0218	A Fickle Crowd and a Tough Apostle
Week 0219	The Church’s First Doctrinal Controversy
Week 0220	An Important Conference in Jerusalem

To subscribe to David Servant's periodic e-teachings, click here.

The Disciple-Making Minister

For Ministers and Christian Leaders

All of the links below will take you to consecutive chapters of a book by David Servant entitled The Disciple-Making Minister. Although written primarily for ministers, The Disciple-Making Minister can benefit anyone who desires to serve in the body of Christ. The second two chapters deal primarily with the subject of house churches, and would be of interest to anyone wanting to learn more on that subject.

Introduction

Over the past twenty-five years, I’ve had the privilege of traveling to over forty nations of the world to speak to tens of thousands of ministers at three- to five-day conferences. Those conferences have been attended by dedicated Christian leaders from many different denominations and streams within the body of Christ. Every trip has confirmed that three- to five-day conferences are simply not sufficient to meet the needs that exist. So much more needs to be done to equip Christian leaders, and this book is an effort to fill the gap a little bit more.

I’ve also had the privilege of experiencing twenty-or-so years of pastoring churches. Although I was “successful” by some measurements, much of the time I found myself struggling because I lacked understanding of some very foundational principles of biblical ministry. I consequently have a deep concern for the millions of sincere ministers who are missing what I missed and who need to be better equipped for the task set before them. Some of the principles of which I lacked understanding are so significant that once they are understood, they set the course of ministry for the rest of a minister’s life. They become the standard by which every aspect of ministry is measured. Those principles are found in the initial chapters and should not be overlooked by any reader, as all later chapters are practically useless without their foundation.

This book has particular application to pastors, as they are certainly the most common Christian leaders. But everything I’ve written also applies to evangelists, teachers, missionaries, church planters, Sunday-school teachers, and so on. There isn’t anyone in the body of Christ who couldn’t benefit from reading this book, because every member of the body of Christ has been graced with a God-given function.

I’ve written primarily to ministers who live outside of the United States, Western Europe and Australia/New Zealand. This is not to say, however, that what I’ve written has no application to ministers in those parts of the world. Indeed, I think what I’ve written could help them considerably, but few seem to be interested in listening. In any case, depending on your knowledge, experience and nation of ministry, you will find certain chapters more helpful than others. Chinese pastors, for example, will find the chapter on house churches to contain very little that they don’t already know. Yet pastors who are unfamiliar with the house church model should find that chapter extremely helpful.

It is highly unlikely that every reader will agree with everything I’ve written on every topic in the book. Don’t let that stop you from learning something from every chapter.

As Jesus taught us, no one puts new wine into old wineskins, otherwise the stiff and inflexible old wineskins burst. It is only new wineskins that are flexible enough to withstand the pressure of fermenting new wine. Although some of what I’ve written might be considered to be new wine, it is actually wine that is quite old—at least as old as the New Testament. So any bursting of old wineskins is not the fault of the wine poured from the pages that follow! Jesus rejoiced that God reveals His truth to babes and hides it from “the wise and intelligent” (Matt. 11:25). Likewise, God gives grace to the humble, but He resists the proud (see Jas. 4:6). Thank God for the multitudes of humble Christian leaders all over the world. May God bless them as they read.

– David Servant

Chapter 1: Setting the Right Goal Unless a minister sets the right God-given goal, he is destined to fail from the start. God has given the same general goal to every minister, and that is to make disciples who obey all of Christ’s commands.

Chapter 2: Beginning Rightly Christ expected new believers to immediately be His disciples. This stands in contrast to the modern practice of trying to persuade “believers” to commit themselves to Christ and become His disciples, which only results in frustration for ministers. This chapter shows how to begin rightly.

Chapter 3: Continuing Properly The biblical and modern cultural role of the pastor are compared in this chapter. According to Scripture, what does a minister need in terms of education and facilities to successfully make disciples?

Chapter 4: House Churches House churches are a biblical alternative to institutional churches with buildings, and they have many advantages for making disciples as Christ commanded.

Chapter 5: Church Growth There are right and wrong ways to grow your church, and there are limitations to church growth that this chapter addresses. Are you building with wood, hay and straw, or with gold, silver and precious gems?

Chapter 6: The Ministry of Teaching Many ministers are unwittingly undoing their own teaching by their own example. This chapters takes a look at the disciple-making minister’s goals, motives, methods, audience and subject matter as it relates to his teaching.

Chapter 7: Biblical Interpretation To be effective, a minister must be able to interpret scripture rightly. This chapter considers the three most important rules of Bible interpretation and offers many examples of the application and misapplication of those rules.

Chapter 8: The Sermon on the Mount This chapter is offered as an example of how to teach by exposition (verse by verse) and to help disciple-making ministers teach their disciples to obey all of Christ’s commandments, many of which are found in the Sermon on the Mount. According to what Jesus said repeatedly in this sermon, only the holy will inherit God’s kingdom.

Chapter 9: Jesus’ Favorite Preacher Jesus’ favorite preacher was not a Methodist, Lutheran, Pentecostal, Anglican or Roman Catholic. He was a Baptist! Discover why he was Jesus’ favorite and how you can imitate him.

Chapter 10: The New Birth Jesus said, “Unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God” (John 3:3). What did He mean? How can one be born again? What happens when someone is born again?

Chapter 11: The Baptism in the Holy Spirit Scripture teaches that being baptized in the Holy Spirit is an experience that is subsequent to being born of the Spirit. It is when God empowers us to be His witnesses. How is this baptism received? What does speaking in other tongues have to do with this?

Chapter 12: Women in Ministry Can women be leaders in the body of Christ? Can they teach or preach the gospel? Can they serve as pastors? In this chapter, David considers a wealth of scriptures that bring needed balance to this controversial topic.

Chapter 13: Divorce and Remarriage

Chapter 14: Fundamentals of Faith

Chapter 15: Divine Healing

Chapter 16: The Healing Ministry of Jesus

Chapter 17: The Gifts of the Spirit

Chapter 18: The Ministry Gifts

Chapter 19: In-Christ Realities

Chapter 20: Praise and Worship

Chapter 21: The Christian Family

Chapter 22: How to Be Led by the Spirit

Chapter 23: The Sacraments

Chapter 24: Confrontation, Forgiveness and Reconciliation