Pentecostal Sermons and Bible Studies by Pastor Jim Feeney, Ph.D.

17 Biblical Evidences of Receiving/Being Filled with the Holy Spirit

What does it truly mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit? The Bible gives clear, observable evidences that include but go beyond the one single, every-time experience.

In Short:

A Spirit-filled believer is a Christian baptized with the Holy Spirit. This sermon outlines 17 Scriptural evidences of a Spirit-filled (Holy Spirit–baptized) believer from a Pentecostal biblical perspective, affirming that speaking in tongues is the initial evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit and describing many additional manifestations in the life of the believer. These include empowerment for witness, boldness, spiritual gifts, greater ministry fruit, prophecy and visions, hearing God’s voice, Christ-centered living, effective ministry, spiritual discernment, joyful worship, thankfulness, and supernatural enablement for God’s work in daily life.

Key Takeaways:

Speaking in tongues is the initial biblical evidence of baptism in the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit-filled life includes power, boldness, and effectiveness in witness and ministry.
The Holy Spirit may bring prophecy, dreams, visions, spiritual discernment, and direction.
Spirit-filled believers are consistently Christ-centered, fruitful, thankful, and worshipful.
Holy Spirit baptism is not only an experience, but a continuing life of Spirit-empowered service.

Key Scriptures:

Acts 1:4-5, 2:1-4; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:38; Acts 3:6-7, 16; Acts 4:10-12; Acts 8:29; Acts 10:44-46; Acts 19:2, 6

Welcome to Original Pentecostal
Sermons and Bible Studies
by Pastor Jim Feeney, Ph.D.

Brief Bio: Pastor Jim Feeney, Ph.D., is a Pentecostal Bible teacher with more than 50 years of Spirit-filled ministry experience. His sermons and Bible studies are personally written and drawn from decades of service as a church planter, senior pastor, Bible college teacher and Dean, and as a trainer of ministers internationally in the Pentecostal tradition.

Summary: Many preachers and Bible teachers assert that "the evidence" of receiving the baptism with the Holy Spirit, in every instance, is speaking in tongues. This is biblically correct. However, along with this every-time evidence of tongues, there are many additional results and signs of receiving the Holy Spirit baptism, of being Spirit-filled. Many Christians ask, “How do I know if I have received the Holy Spirit?” or “What are the signs of being filled with the Holy Spirit?” In this Bible study, we examine 17 biblical evidences of Holy Spirit baptism and the Spirit-filled life from a Pentecostal perspective.

The following 17 evidences are drawn directly from Scripture and describe both the initial and ongoing results of being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Speaking in Tongues Is Always the Biblical Evidence of the Holy Spirit Baptism/Filling As "Enabled" by the Spirit

Acts 1:4-5; 2:1-4 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit... [2:4] All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

• (1) Speaking in tongues — this is always the evidence of receiving the Holy Spirit baptism/filling. This is universally "the initial evidence" that a believer has been baptized with the Holy Spirit. The identical evidence of tongues occurred also in Acts 10:44-46 and Acts 19:1-6 when believers were filled with the Holy Spirit.

• But there are also other results and evidences of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer who has been baptized in the Spirit. And these are in addition to the every-time evidence of speaking in tongues. A Spirit-filled, tongues-speaking Christian should not stop at the experience of speaking in tongues. The Holy Spirit will also bring other spiritual manifestations into the daily expression of the Spirit-filled life.

• (2) Spirit-enabled utterance — “As the Spirit enabled them ... [KJV] gave them utterance” — To the Spirit-filled Christian there comes an enabling by the Spirit to do things not possible in the natural — for example, as here, the speaking of a language one has not learned.

The Spirit-Filled Believer (1) Receives Power to (2) Be Christ's Witnesses

Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

• (3) Power for ministry — The Spirit-filled believer will “receive power” — in context via the baptism [vs. 5], not the new birth, of the Holy Spirit. Holy Ghost power for ministry comes with and is an evidence of receiving the mighty baptism of the Holy Spirit.

• (4) Effective witness — “be [His] witnesses” — A Spirit-filled Christian grows in the ability to be an effective witness (for example, Peter's dynamic, soul-winning sermon on the Day of Pentecost [Acts 2]!).

Courage to Speak Overcomes Fear in the Spirit-Filled Believer

Acts 2:14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.”

• (5) Courage to speak for Christ — Fear is replaced by courage. Before Pentecost, Peter denied Christ three times. After Pentecost and his personal experience of the Pentecostal infilling of the Spirit, Peter preached boldly in Jerusalem.

The Baptism with the Spirit Opens the Door to Prophecy, Visions, Dreams and the Like

Acts 2:16-17 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: “In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.”

• (6) Prophecy, visions, and dreams — even among the young people, these may be experienced by those living the Spirit-filled life

The Holy Spirit-Filled Believer Increasingly Hears Insights from the Lord

Acts 2:36 "Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."

• (7) Spiritual insight and revelation — The Spirit-filled believer can experience greater sensitivity to hearing insights from God. For example, the newly Spirit-baptized Peter here makes the first mention in the Bible of the full name of the Lord ... Jesus ... Christ.

• I can picture the surprised Bible teachers and students reaching right now for their concordances. Please do; there you will find that never in the four Gospels is the full name — "Lord Jesus Christ" in any order of those three words — revealed. It is not disclosed until its revelation to Spirit-filled Peter in Acts 2:36!

• A delightful result and further evidence of the Spirit-filled life is an enhanced ability to sense and hear the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Spirit-Baptized Christians Are Likely to See Increased Fruit in Their Ministries

Acts 2:41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

• (8) Greater fruit in ministry — Spirit-filled believers begin to see greater fruit in their work for the Lord. Prior to Pentecost, the apostles had never borne fruit of this magnitude. Then here, on the very day of their Pentecostal baptism, Peter preached a sermon that won 3,000 converts to the Lord and to water baptism.

Some May Begin to Move in the Realm of the 'Power Gifts' of the Spirit

Acts 2:43 ...and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles.

• (9) Manifestation of the Spirit's power gifts — Some Spirit-filled believers — not necessarily all — begin to be used in what have been called the “power gifts”.

Some Spirit-Filled Believers Manifest the Gifts of Healing (1 Corinthians 12:7-10)

Acts 3:6-7 Then Peter said, "Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." [7] ...and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong.

• (10) Some are used in healing — To some are given gifts of healing by the Holy Spirit.

The Believer Filled with the Holy Spirit Will Be Very 'Christ-Centered'

Acts 3:16; 4:10, 12 “By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.... [4:10] ...it is by the name of Jesus Christ... [12] Salvation is found in no one else..."

• (11) A strong focus on Jesus — The baptism with the Holy Spirit makes you Christ-centered, not Holy-Spirit-centered. As Spirit-filled Paul said, "We preach Christ!" One of the Holy Spirit's works is to make us effective in pointing people to Jesus Christ.

The Spirit-Filled Believer Is Empowered to Speak the Word of God Boldly

Acts 4:29-31 Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness... [31b] And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

• (12) Bold proclamation of God's Word — One sign of being filled with the Holy Spirit is a divine enabling to speak the Word of God boldly.

• I was baptized with the Holy Spirit, with the evidence of speaking in tongues, in Anchorage, Alaska, in 1971. Immediately I sensed a stronger prompting from God and a greater enablement to articulate God's Word to people.

Ministries Are Most Effectively Accomplished by Those Who Are 'Full of the Spirit'

Acts 6:2-5 ...[3] choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom.... [5b] They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip [and 5 others]...

• (13) Spirit-empowered service — The original seven deacons — and all deacons then and now — can fulfill their serving ministries best when they are "full of the Spirit".

• Every ministry — deacons, elders, pastors, or any other — is most effectively accomplished in the fullness of and leading by the Holy Spirit.

Being Full of the Holy Spirit Helps Us to Hear the Spirit's Voice Clearly

Acts 8:29 The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it."

• (14) Sensitivity to the Holy Spirit's voice — A remarkable result of the Spirit-filled life is the ability, as determined by God according to the need, to hear the Holy Spirit's voice directly.

• In Anchorage, Alaska, in the early 1970s, my wife and I were called in to pray to cast out demons from a woman in the throes of demon possession. For hours we prayed and invoked the Lord's Name, but without apparent victory. Then we stopped and asked the Lord for wisdom. I distinctly heard the Holy Spirit speak within me: "She thinks she has committed the unforgivable sin!" I declared to her, by the Lord's Word, that she had not done this. Then, as we commanded the devils once again in Jesus' name to come out, four of them came out of her. Within minutes the young woman was born again, then was filled the Spirit, speaking in tongues and praising God. Our hearing a specific "word" from the Holy Spirit had illuminated the situation and given us the wisdom and direction to see the exorcism completed with great victory for her.

The Spirit Might Steer You Away from Ministry That Might Not Be God's Plan for You

Acts 16:7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.

• (15) Spirit-led restraint at times — Spirit-filled, Spirit-led Christians are sensitive to the Holy Spirit's prohibiting of ministry that may be man's sincere idea, but is not God's.

• I had a personal experience of this in 1971, when I was a new, Spirit-filled believer in a Pentecostal church in Anchorage, Alaska. I had gotten it into my mind that I should travel about the country in evangelistic ministry. I meant well; my heart wanted to serve God. But the Spirit of God, in a series of divine interventions, restrained me and revealed to me that His intent was that I stay there, learn and grow, then serve in the ministry of Bible teaching. And, as one might expect, I quickly saw many proofs that the evangelistic ministry had been my idea, but that the Bible teaching call was from the Holy Spirit. How gracious of Him to gently restrain me from following my sincere, but man-originated and erroneous, direction.

Spirit-Filled Believers Will Have Thankfulness and Worshipful Music in Their Hearts Toward the Lord

Ephesians 5:18-20 ...be filled with the Spirit. [19] Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, [20] always giving thanks to God the Father for everything...

• (16) Worshipful joy and spiritual songs — Spirit-filled believers will find their hearts stirred with music to the Lord. To be sullen and downcast is contrary to that which the Holy Spirit does in our hearts as we live the Spirit-filled life.

• (17) Continual gratitude to God — Finally, the Spirit-filled life will be characterized by a continual attitude of thankfulness to God.

Frequently Asked Questions About Being Spirit-Filled

Below are clear, Bible-based answers to some of the most common questions about being filled with the Holy Spirit.

What is the evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit?

The Bible teaches that the initial evidence of being baptized in or filled with the Holy Spirit is always speaking in tongues, as seen in Acts 2:1–4, Acts 10:44–46, and Acts 19:6. In addition to this initial evidence, there are many ongoing evidences in the believer’s life, such as power for ministry, boldness in witnessing, spiritual gifts, and increased fruitfulness. A Spirit-filled life is not limited to one moment, but continues in daily dependence on the Holy Spirit. These evidences reflect both an experience and a transformed lifestyle.

Is speaking in tongues the only evidence of the Holy Spirit?

Speaking in tongues is always the initial, consistent biblical evidence of receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit. However, it is not the only evidence of a Spirit-filled life. Scripture shows many additional manifestations, including boldness, spiritual insight, effective ministry, worship, thankfulness, and the operation of spiritual gifts. A believer should not stop at the initial experience but continue growing in the fullness of the Spirit. The Christian life should increasingly reflect these ongoing evidences.

How can I know if I have received the Holy Spirit?

You can know you have received the Holy Spirit by the biblical evidence described in Scripture, beginning with speaking in tongues as the Spirit enables. Beyond that initial evidence, you will also see ongoing signs such as greater boldness, spiritual sensitivity, effectiveness in ministry, and a deeper Christ-centered life. The Holy Spirit brings both assurance and transformation. As you walk with God, these evidences will become increasingly clear in your life.

What are some signs of a Spirit-filled life?

In addition to speaking in tongues, some signs of a Spirit-filled life include power for ministry, boldness in witnessing, spiritual gifts such as healing or prophecy, increased fruitfulness, and sensitivity to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Spirit-filled believers are also characterized by Christ-centered living, joyful worship, and continual thankfulness. These evidences go far beyond a single experience and reflect an ongoing relationship with the Holy Spirit. The Bible presents many such signs, as seen throughout the Book of Acts.

Is being filled with the Holy Spirit a one-time experience or ongoing?

Being filled with the Holy Spirit begins with a definite experience — called the baptism in the Holy Spirit — but it is also meant to be an ongoing, continuing reality. Scripture encourages believers to “be filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5:18), indicating a continual filling. The initial experience empowers the believer, and the ongoing life in the Spirit sustains and increases that empowerment. A Spirit-filled Christian should continue growing in the Spirit’s power and guidance throughout their life.

In Closing:

In our very first comment — (1) at the top — we reaffirmed the biblical truth that the initial evidence in every case of being biblically filled with/baptized with the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues. That said, God has delighted to add many further blessings to the Spirit-filled believer. We have seen in Scripture 16 more evidences of the Spirit-filled life that God provides in addition to the every-time evidence of tongues. There are very likely more that I have not listed. In conclusion, I encourage you to open your heart and your life to greater and greater expression of the mighty baptism of the Spirit and all of its powerful, God-given results. Your ministry for our Lord Jesus Christ will rise to new levels of fruitfulness.

Summary: 17 Biblical Evidences of Being Filled with the Holy Spirit

The Bible reveals many evidences of the Spirit-filled life. These include:

• Speaking in tongues (initial evidence)

• Spirit-enabled utterance

• Power for ministry

• Effective witness

• Courage to speak for Christ

• Prophecy, visions, and dreams

• Spiritual insight and revelation

• Greater fruit in ministry

• Manifestation of the Spirit’s power gifts

• Gifts of healing

• A strong Christ-centered focus

• Bold proclamation of God’s Word

• Spirit-empowered service in ministry

• Sensitivity to the voice of the Holy Spirit

• Spirit-led direction and restraint

• Worshipful joy and spiritual song

• Continual thankfulness to God

These biblical evidences show that the Spirit-filled life is both a definite experience and a continuing walk in the power of the Holy Spirit.