How do you receive the Holy Spirit?

In the accounts in the Bible, there are three ways that a person might receive the Holy Spirit.

Contrary to some beliefs, you do not automatically receive the Holy Spirit when you first believe or when you are first baptized in water. There is only one instance in the Bible where a person received the Holy Spirit automatically and immediately after being baptized, and that was the example of Jesus Himself. For all the rest of us, it’s a bit different.

I should make the point here that Jesus DID receive the Holy Spirit. No one can say they do not need to receive the Holy Spirit because Jesus didn’t receive it. The Holy Spirit came upon Jesus in the form of a dove as He arose from the waters of baptism. But His experience was somewhat unique.

For the rest of us, there are three main ways to seek and receive the Holy Spirit, and even these three overlap.

First, there are instances where God just gives a person the Holy Spirit. This was what happened at Pentecost with the early disciples and also when the Gentiles first received the Holy Spirit in the house of Cornelius.

If we were to examine those two instances in Acts chapters 2 and 10, we find there were specific reasons for God giving the Holy Spirit in such dramatic ways. At Pentecost, it was to prove that it was the work of God by which the disciples were able to speak in tongues and prophesy. In the house of Cornelius, it was to prove that the promise of the Holy Spirit was for all people, not just the Jews.

The second method to receive the Holy Spirit, which was the most common then and also today, is through the laying on of hands and prayer. This was how the people in Samaria, the people in Ephesus, and indeed the Apostle Paul himself received the Holy Spirit. You can read these accounts in Acts chapters 8, 9, and 19.

The third and final method, which is usually also done in conjunction with the laying on of hands, is to simply ask God to give you the Holy Spirit. This is what the scripture says.

If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11:13)

Call to Action

If you don’t believe or don’t know if you have received the Holy Spirit, do this. First, ask the Father to give you this gift, and then seek out someone who has received the Holy Spirit and ask them to lay hands on you, praying to God for you to receive the Holy Spirit.