Sharing with you our Sunday Reflection about our Baptism of the Holy Spirit Online Experience.
We experienced our Baptism of the Holy Spirit as part of the Brotherhood Christian Life Program (Batch 49), BCBP (Brotherhood of Christian Businessmen and Professional) Alabang Chapter last 2019. This experience is part of the Catholic Charismatic traditions to unleash the Spiritual Gifts of the Holy Spirit of Knowledge, Wisdom, Discernment, Prophecy, Healing, Faith and Gift of Tongues.
Yes, this tradition is not only limited to Born Again Christian communities but also in Catholic Communities as part of the Life in the Spirit Seminar or in BCBP, known as the BCLP program.
Our 2019 pre-pandemic face-to-face BCLP Baptism experience was overwhelming and felt like you were transported to the Upper Room during the Pentecost where the Apostles experience their own Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Imagine that! So we had doubts if the same experience will still be achieved when the BCLP was done online last 2020.
But alas, the experience was also one of a kind for each and every participant thus, BCLP was repeated again last Saturday. And what’s so special about it? We, Rache and I, were appointed to be a table discussion leaders for the BCLP51 and experienced the online BCLP Baptism of the HS! We got the chance to pray-over our Table 8 members to activate the gifts of the HS in their own lives.
What happens next was all Holy Spirit led and here are our personal reflections:
Anton’s Baptism of the Holy Spirit Experience
There’s no such thing as social distancing for the Holy Spirit because He is all around us helping us in our earthly journey specially in this pandemic as promised by Jesus Christ.
The zoom session was just really for us humans to see and hear our participants in different locations all at the same time while the HS is present in all of those locations. As I think about it, you don’t really need a Zoom Session to ask the help of the Holy Spirit to bless your family and friends in remote location.
People in the BCBP community always say how rewarding it is to pray and intercede for other people’s intentions but I never really experienced it until last Saturday. When I was praying for my members’ intention and innermost prayers, I can’t help but cry because I felt their burden and what their heart longs for. I literally felt being in their shoes and asking for God’s help on their behalf.
I was excited but also scared about the experience. Thoughts of: “How do you know if it is the Holy Spirit and not just an evil spirit pretending to be one?” entered my mind.
We learned that you need to be in a State of Grace to do this activity to protect you from the evil forces. For Catholics, this would mean going to a face-to-face Confession with a priest during the Delta surge in this pandemic.
I now appreciate the Prayer of Deliverance and Cleansing Prayers to fight this invisible Spiritual Battle and would not go on without reciting this. Always ask Mama Mary for her powerful intercession to fight the evil spirits attacking you.
It is important to have prayer partners who help you pray-over other people but also pray-over you as you perform the pray-over. Yes – it is a complicated web of prayers of intercession, protection and praise for our Awesome God.
Finally, hearing and praying in tongues was literally a heavenly experience. Having the grace to praise God in the beautiful heavenly prayer used by angels and saints will transform you.
Rache’s Baptism of the Holy Spirit Experience
As I look back, the past days were hectic for me. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday just came and suddenly, it was Saturday. It has come. Everything was a FIRST for me that Saturday. Creating unique prayers for my 7 ladies on the morning of the Baptism of the HS.
Last minute! Argghhh!!! I do not work so well with last minute tasks, it gives me the jitters. I am the person who wants to be prepared and done by Saturday but so many harassments came. Cramming time!!! So many things to say yet little time.
Thank God that I was able to finish and print my prayers by 12nn. Thank you Lord for the push You have done to me. I could not have made it without the Holy Spirit behind me.
Oh and by the way, thank you Lord for the chance to do the face-to-face confession. It was also completed on the morning of Saturday. Meant to be.
So now, I am ready but why was my heart beating so fast during our 1pm pray-over meeting. I could not explain it. Then, I cried. I could not explain it either. And then, the time came. It is THE time. I was nervous yet, confident (bihirang mangyari un akin sa totoo lang!).
I do not know what came over me but as my ADL Rem said, I was Calma Queen all the way which also surprised me after realizing that. I know I cried but I just cried silently as I vocally say every prayers for my 7 ladies. I needed to be strong. Saying all the prayers I made coming from my heart, feel na feel ko, guyz. It gave me goosebumps as I read the prayers but I remained calm and firm because in my heart, I know I needed to say all those without me breaking down as well.
Maybe because this is not my time, but their time to shine. I am proud I made it through and this was also made possible with the support and prayers of my ADL Rem and prayer partners, Tita Ging and Tita Minnie. Endlessly and powerful for 3.5 hours.
I am proud that my 7 ladies had a great unexpected unique experience with the Holy Spirit. And guess what? I had also my own special baptism of the HS as well. How wonderful is to receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit! AMEN. I am glad to have said YES blindly and question later.
If I will be asked, will you recommend this to everyone, YES, YES, YES! No answer but YES! Because I know this enriching and uplifting experience will help a lot of people ease their troubles and burdens especially at this time.
Final Thoughts
Thank you for listening and let me end this with a prayer.
Awesome God, please bless every person reading this post so that they may too experience your unconditional love here on earth. Thank you for sending your Holy Spirit to guide us and shower us with your spiritual gifts. Please protect our awesome planet readers from physical, emotional, financial and spiritual harm brought about by the pandemic.
For those without a Catholic community to support them during these trying times, may they find their way to a Christian community like the BCBP to help them grow and enrich their spiritual lives. We pray that more people get to know you more deeply, Lord.
Thank you for leading us to do meaningful work for you, our Awesome God. What made it extra special was experiencing this together with my wife. As I woke up and lay beside her this morning, she was more beautiful than ever with an angelic beauty indescribable with words.
Thank you for granting us the grace to pray with the gift of tongues, to praise you in the same language as your angels and saints.
Now repeat after me… Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah!
Live an Awesome Life with Christ,
Founder & Digital Creator, Our Awesome Planet
Disclosure: Thanks to Nikkei Team for the experience. I wrote this article with my biases, opinions, and insights.
Great Job Anton and Rache, as much we wanted to work together with you, We knew you will do well and succeed in serving the Lord as a DL. We see you guys are flourishing and the participants are in good hands with you. Good Job to you two! We pray that you will continue to guide your participant in being closer to our AWESOME LORD! Really happy for you guys. Congrats on the successful baptism!
Thank you so much for the support and for believing in us. It was really scary when from ADL we were invited to be DL immediately. Nagaaway pa kami ni Rache. Looking back we should not have doubted and you guys believe in us at the start.
Love our earlier discussion. Salamat Earle and Tammy!