Baptism: Water and Spiritual - Part 2

In Part 1, I wrote about my personal experience of Water Baptism and Baptism in the Holy Spirit. It is my hope that my testimony will encourage others who are considering or in the process of preparing to enter into either or both of the baptisms.  In part 2, I am more academic in my approach and have made a presentation as a brief summary of the role of the Holy Spirit in the believer.

Role of Holy Spirit in the Life of a Believer
 
1.) Conviction
 
     a.) The Sin of Unbelief ... a person is living in denial that they are living under the influence of sin which leads to eternal death. (Rom. 3:23; 5:12; 6:23; 2 Co. 3:14-16; 4:3-4; 1 John 1:8-9)
 
     b.) The Righteousness of Christ ... the Holy Spirit works to convince a person that Christ Jesus is the righteous one of God and the only means to eternal life. (John 3:14-15; 10:27-28; 17:3; Rom. 6:23; 1 Co. 1:30-31)
 
     c.) Justification ... a person comes to admit that they have sin in their life.  They acknowledge that they are guilty and condemned. Yet this person is acquitted and declared righteous through confessing Christ Jesus as their Savior and Lord. (Acts 13:38-39; Rom. 3:24-26; 5:15-17; 10:8-10)
               
2.) Regeneration
 
     a.) Born-Again, New Creation ... occurs at the moment that the person responds positively to conviction and confesses Christ Jesus as their Savior and Lord. (2 Co. 5:17; 1 Pet. 1:22-23)
               
     b.) It is through this process that the person, now believer, will go through a spiritual cleansing or washing from the things that separate them from God. (2 Co. 7:1; Titus 3:4-7)
               
     c.) This process "comes suddenly, appears mysteriously, and develops progressively."
               
     d.) It is also through this process that a believer is now adopted into the family of God (... by which we can call Him Abba Father.) (Rom. 8:14-17; Gal. 3:26-28)           
 
3.) Indwelling
 
     a.) The Holy Spirit now occupies the believer’s body as a temple.
               
      b.) The Holy Spirit, in conjunction with the believer, now works to maintain the temple holy.
               
     c.) The Holy Spirit holds a personal relationship with the believer in searching their heart for the unholy, and things that are not of God. He continues to bring sin into the light so that it can be identified, confessed and the believer receives forgiveness ... restoring holiness of the temple. (1 Co. 6:19)
               
     d.) The Holy Spirit helps us stay in active communication with Christ Jesus and God the Father; this work allows us to be able to approach God in prayer but also worship Him. (John 4:23-24; Rom. 8:26-27; Eph. 6:18)
               
      e.) It is the presence of the Holy Spirit that marks or seals a believer as now belonging to God.  (2 Co. 1:20-21; Eph. 4:30)
 
4.) Sanctification
 
     a.) It is a continual and progressive process where the Holy Spirit works with the believer in making them holy and renewing them. (Rom. 12:1-2; 2 Tim. 2:20-21; Heb. 2:11; 1 Pet. 1:13-16)
 
     b.) The Holy Spirit helps the believer separate themselves from the unholy and to dedicate themselves to the service of God; now considered to be saints or a royal priesthood.  (Rom. 8:27; 1 Co. 1:2; Eph. 2:19-22; 1Pet. 2:4-5, 9-10; Rev. 14:12)
                               
     c.) Through The Word of God, the Holy Spirit continues to nourish and bring into maturity the life of a believer. (John 17:17; Acts 20:32)
                               
     d.) The Holy Spirit works with the believer's character to produce the Fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23)
                ... love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control
 
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Brief Notes on the Baptism in the Holy Spirit
 
1.) Having gone through the process of regeneration and sanctification, the believer now holds a stronger testimony of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit through the manifestation of the Fruit of the Spirit. 
 
     a.) Because of the Fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23), the believer may now begin to work within the church and ministering to other believers or evangelizing to non-believers as the Holy Spirit leads them to do so.
 
     b.) However, it is preferable that the believer is in God's service after having received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit with empowerment (filling and anointing).  Yes, that the believer is working through the Gifts of the Spirit (Rom. Chp. 12 and 12:4-11 and 1 Co. 12 and 12:4-11) as the Holy Spirit designates them to the believer in accordance to God’s will for that believer.
 
2.) The Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a gift of promise that is available for all believers (Acts 2:38-39).
 
     a.) The believer who receives this gift manifests it in the initial manner of "speaking in tongues", typically a language not learned by the believer who is speaking it (Mark 16:17-18; Acts 2:5-12). For some people, the manifestation of this gift can be a one-time experience; God did not choose it as one of the "Gifts of the Spirit" for that particular believer. 
 
     b.) For other believers, "speaking in tongues" may be a short-term or continual gift throughout their lifespan.  It is often encouraged for these believers to also seek the "Gift of Interpretation" (1 Co. 13:14-17) so that they can be more effective in working within the church as well as in ministering to non-believers.
 
     c.) The gift is not intended for self-edification, self-glorification, or set a believer as being superior or weaker to others (1 Co. 12:20-26).  It is for His service.
 
3.) The believer who is seeking the Baptism in the Holy Spirit should be one who is continually working on walking in the spirit (Gal. 5:25) by maintaining an active relationship with the God-head. 
 
     a.) Such maintenance should be done by spending time in studying the Word of God, praying and interceding for and with other people, being in fellowship with other believers, striving to live out the Word of God through collaboration with the Holy Spirit.
 
     b.) The Baptism in the Holy Spirit may occur during a believer’s personal or corporate time with God. It may occur during a time of prayer, worship, or studying the Word of God.
 
     c.) God could present the gift quickly or take His time in presenting it.  Yet if the believer holds a sincere and genuine desire for this gift and its use in God's service, they should remain persistent in presenting the petition to God for the desire of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.