My friend stood at the altar seeking baptism in the Holy Spirit, when a leader with a reputation for “flowing in the Spirit” began to pray for him.

This overconfident altar worker barked rapid-fire orders: “Close your eyes now! Raise your hands! Higher! Open up your mouth!”

The next sensation my friend felt was the other person’s thumb and finger attempting to seize his tongue. My friend’s thoughts abruptly shifted from Jesus to being taken advantage of — along with a sudden urge to rinse and spit.

This over-the-top but true story reflects the possibility of unhealthy interference by others when seekers pray to receive Spirit baptism.

If you or someone you know had a negative experience like this, the problem wasn’t Jesus, who is amazing, but His mid-level managers. As Pentecostals, sometimes we’re our own worst enemies.

There is a better way for Christian leaders to help people experience the Holy Spirit — if we stay in our lane.

For 30 years, it has been my passion to pray with others to receive Spirit baptism, but my feelings are conflicted almost every time. I feel confident because Jesus is the Spirit Baptizer. However, I also feel inadequate because I cannot guarantee the desired outcome.

Maybe you identify with me. If someone asks us to pray with them for salvation, we proceed with confidence. Do they need wisdom or favor or healing? No problem! Let’s pray!

But if someone asks for prayer to receive the Spirit, we panic. We notice the music is wrong, the atmosphere is off, and there’s not enough time.

Praying for supernatural encounters feels risky to our inner image management department. We have spent a lifetime protecting ourselves from embarrassment. But ministering Spirit baptism is not a learned skill or a unique spiritual gift. It is a privilege.

Over the years, I’ve learned helpful lessons about leading others toward baptism in the Holy Spirit, which I want to share with you.

Before I do so, however, let’s define Spirit baptism and review a crucial theological premise.

Spirit Baptism

As Pentecostals, we believe the Holy Spirit indwells every Christian from the moment of salvation. On the night of His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples and breathed the Holy Spirit into them (John 20:22). This is an obvious parallel to God breathing life into Adam (Genesis 2:7).

Paul removed any doubt about the Spirit living inside every Christian when he said, “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ” (Romans 8:9).

And yet, Jesus also promised a later Spirit baptism to the same disciples into whom He had already breathed the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8). In Acts, everyone baptized in the Spirit was already indwelled by the Spirit. This means that Spirit baptism occurs after the moment of salvation and has a different purpose.

Read Acts 1:4–8 again. Jesus explained the purpose of Spirit baptism to a group of believers. The Spirit already dwelled in them, but Jesus promised to pour out His Spirit upon them, dramatically increasing their ability to represent Him.

Consequently, Spirit baptism can be defined as a post-conversion power upgrade to communicate Jesus to others.

The Spirit Baptizer

The theological anchor of Spirit baptism is this: Jesus is the Spirit Baptizer. Every Gospel includes a prophecy declaring this truth within its first three chapters (Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33).

After His resurrection but prior to His ascension, Jesus promised to baptize believers in the Holy Spirit “in a few days” (Acts 1:5), meaning the Day of Pentecost (2:4,33). Years later, Peter continued to affirm that Jesus is the Spirit Baptizer (11:16).

Spirit baptism centers on Jesus more than the Holy Spirit. When we seek it, we pray for Jesus to fulfill His promise to baptize us in His Spirit, so we have more power to tell others about Him. This encounter gives us an experiential understanding of the unique identity of Jesus as our prophesied Spirit Baptizer.

Jesus is Spirit Baptizer 24 hours a day, seven days a week, not just Pentecost Sunday. He never takes a break from pouring out His Spirit.

And Jesus promised Spirit baptism to all believers, not just a few over-caffeinated charismatics. He desires to empower both pastors and church members so that together they reach their fullest ministry potential.

Recognizing Spirit baptism is a divine act, I pray we will approach this gift with anticipation. We should rely on Jesus to baptize us, not traditional Pentecostal techniques. So, when we enter a season of prayer for people to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, we can be sure of acting in accordance with God’s plan.

But what exactly is our role in helping others experience this gift?

Seeker Assistants

Pentecostals should realize our role is not to “do something” to seekers. We don’t shuffle our shoes across the carpet, building up a static charge to zap seekers when we lay hands on their heads. Figuratively speaking, of course.

Spirit baptism centers on Jesus more than the Holy Spirit. When we seek it, we pray for Jesus to fulfill His promise to baptize us in His Spirit, so we have more power to tell others about Him.

Since Jesus alone is Spirit Baptizer, our role is not to assist Him, who doesn’t need our help. Rather, our role is to assist seekers, who do.

Here are ways to do that.

Guidance. Seekers are looking to others for assurance that they are moving in the right direction.

We get our physical bearings from the five senses, but spiritual encounters don’t rely only on those senses. Spiritual experiences can feel vague to our normal ways of processing things mentally.

Consequently, seekers find it helpful when a trusted voice affirms their progress.

Encouragement. What we say to seekers can affect their experience positively as well as negatively.

I remember observing an altar worker sternly wag an index finger in a seeker’s face and say, “You ain’t gonna get anything from God just standing there like a bump on a log.” The seeker looked like a scolded puppy.

Stepping in, I relieved the altar worker, saying, “I’ll take over praying for this person.”

Finding fault with others is not a spiritual gift, but it sometimes takes supernatural insight to find something to praise or encourage in a seeker.

Comments such as the following give seekers a burst of confidence: “You’re doing great!” “See how deeply personal it is to surrender to God!” “God loves to hear that from you.” “You’re doing everything right; just keep drawing closer to Him!”

Demeanor. Facial expressions, body language, and general demeanor can speak louder than our voices. They reveal our inner state.

I have seen altar workers pray for others with what can only be described as “angry” eyebrows and unchecked intensity.

Our demeanor as Christians should express the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23).

For altar workers specifically, joy, patience, and gentleness are imperative. Our goal is to decrease seekers’ stress or frustration, not to increase them.

Seekers’ faces also reveal their inner state, whether they are joyful or frustrated, peaceful or stressed out.

In my experience, seekers struggle to receive Spirit baptism when they experience those negative emotions. So watch their faces. When you notice them expressing negative emotions, try to put them at ease.

Asking, “Are you OK?” or saying, “Just slow down and draw near to Jesus” often resets the inner state of frustrated seekers.

Vulnerability. Personal vulnerability seems to be the key to receiving anything from God.

Prayer is vulnerable, as we cry out to God for help. Salvation requires vulnerability, because we must confess our sins. Seeking healing is vulnerable, whether pleading directly to God or asking elders to pray for our physical needs.

Being vulnerable permeates every biblical encounter of humans with God. It requires trust in and surrender to God.

Vulnerability is more like a dimmer than an on-off switch, however. It happens incrementally as we allow ourselves to trust and surrender a little, then a little more.

If I asked church members to raise their hands and say out loud, “Jesus is Lord,” they would do it. But would it be an act of vulnerability or compliance? Unfortunately, in social settings, compliance can be a greater motivator than authentic confession.

I have watched well-meaning altar workers approach seekers and say, “Raise your hands!” “Pray out loud!” “Louder!”

After a while, the seekers get frustrated and leave thinking something is wrong with them. Could it be that the seekers were not the problem at all?

By demanding that seekers perform specific acts, altar workers can mistake social compliance for heartfelt vulnerability. Our demands may prematurely deplete the ways seekers can express surrender, so that when they come to feel authentically vulnerable, they have few ways left to express it.

By demanding that seekers perform specific acts, altar workers can mistake social compliance for heartfelt vulnerability.

Only seekers can express authentic vulnerability. However, altar workers can invite seekers in a non-manipulative way to enter this place at their own pace.

For example, rather than demanding immediate action, we could say, “I’m so excited as you seek this gift from Jesus. You may find that the longer you pray, the more you want to give yourself to God. That’s beautiful. Respond to Jesus with as much freedom as you can!”

Speaking in tongues, which is the confirming sign of Spirit baptism, is another form of vulnerability. We say out loud something we cannot understand intellectually simply because we trust the Word of God and our Spirit-given ability to discern His leading.

Altar workers should assist seekers on their journey toward becoming more vulnerable as they increasingly open their hearts to Jesus.

Barrier Removal. In Luke 3:5, John the Baptist used four images to define his ministry of preparing the way for Jesus: “Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth.”

In a nutshell, John’s ministry consisted of removing barriers between others and Jesus. Even if ministry involves more than barrier removal, don’t John’s images resonate with you?

We should remove barriers so people can encounter Jesus. This doesn’t mean bending on doctrine or accommodating sin, of course. It does mean we should measure the purity of our motivations and actions as we lead others, however.

Could the reverse be true as well? Does anti-ministry insert barriers between people and Jesus that weren’t there before? Or even just distractions?

Many years ago, I attended the conference of a famous minister. The music and preaching were exceptional. Along with thousands of others, I rushed to the altar to pray and seek the Lord at the end of services.

While I was encountering Jesus in a powerful way, this famous minister suddenly appeared in front of me and grabbed my head in what Star Trek fans might describe as a “Vulcan death grip.” The minister’s fingertips dug painfully into my temples as he rocked my head back and forth, again and again.

Whereas I had been thinking about Jesus, now I was dealing with this minister’s manipulative tactics. (I also wondered where I could buy a whiplash collar that late at night.)

Sometimes we don’t realize we’re hindering seekers. Here are simple questions we can ask ourselves to develop better self-awareness:

• Are things better or worse for this seeker since I showed up?
• Am I removing distractions or introducing them?
• Are they experiencing Jesus, or am I getting in the way?

Leading Response Times

The Lord first called me to teach others about the Holy Spirit when I was 14 years old. My personality was nothing like the caricature of a fire-breathing Pentecostal evangelist. I wrestled with God in prayer about this for some time.

My assumption was I needed to mimic others who seemed to be effective evangelists, but that thinking was wrong.

I will never forget the day the Lord spoke to my heart and said my responsibility was just to teach the Bible, then ask people to pray. If I did so, Jesus would pour out His Spirit upon people who prayed in response to God’s Word. He has faithfully done so ever since.

Invite God to free you from wrong assumptions that limit your ministry paradigms, as He did for me.

Even so, here are some suggestions about how to lead Spirit baptism response times more effectively based on many years of personal experience.

1. Teach simply. Know your message so well that you could explain it to a 7-year-old. Answer questions seekers are asking, such as: What is Spirit baptism? Who is it for? How can I receive it? What do I do with it afterward?

2. Train prayer partners. When was the last time you trained leaders how to pray with others to receive Spirit baptism? If it wasn’t recently, you probably don’t know what practices prayer workers think are acceptable.

Common practices to avoid include asking seekers to repeat what we say, physically pushing them so they fall over, not respecting their personal space, and offering counseling or conversation when we should be praying.

3. Plan space logistics. Does the physical space of your ministry insert or remove barriers for seekers? If it has a concrete floor, people typically will not stand and pray very long. Is there a place for some to sit while others stand or kneel? Is adequate space available for altar workers to pray with others?

I usually ask seekers to stand at the front edge of the platform. That way altar workers can know who needs assistance. Those who have already experienced Spirit baptism or desire a fresh anointing can stand a few steps back.

When was the last time you trained leaders how to 
pray with others 
to receive Spirit baptism?

4. Be aware of your time frame. Unless seekers experience a “suddenly from heaven” moment, I have found that seekers usually are filled with the Holy Spirit after 20–30 minutes of prayer. In my experience, this is true regardless of age, culture, or other variables.

So if you are planning a Spirit baptism response time on Sunday morning and hold multiple services, you will probably need to abbreviate time allotted to worship music and other elements on your run sheet to accommodate time for seeking that day.

5. Plan the spiritual atmosphere. Some assume this detail just falls into place — it’s church, after all — but I have found that the spiritual atmosphere requires forethought and planning.

Do you dim the lights for prayer? If so, you dramatically limit the participation of senior citizens, as well as others who are not confident of their vision.

Will the worship team lead singing? I have found that not much happens when you bring people forward for Spirit baptism and then just sing songs. Singing someone else’s lyrics is not as vulnerable as creating your own prayers.

I prefer the band to play instrumental music but not sing. At some point, seekers will try to express an utterance from the Holy Spirit. Filling the atmosphere with English-lyric worship songs can confuse the moment.

Most worship leaders rightly feel the need to engage everyone in the room. However, Spirit baptism response times should cater to seekers, not observers. It’s all right if those who remain in their seats don’t appear engaged as they were during the previous time of worship singing.

Try to limit distractions during prayer. For example, consider asking those who are not seeking Spirit baptism to go to the lobby for fellowship. Ask hosts or ushers to kindly monitor the doors.

6. Frame expectations accurately. I prefer telling typical examples of people being filled with the Spirit, as opposed to more exotic stories. This helps seekers have a better sense of what may happen.

Remember, the experiences of “a sound like the blowing of a violent wind” and “tongues of fire” only happened once, in Acts 2:2–3.

7. Give clear instructions. Seekers want to know what to do. Thankfully, Acts gives us a simple, consistent outline to use. You can find these three elements in Acts 2, 10, and 19:

• Draw near to Jesus in prayer. Prayer precedes every Spirit baptism recorded in Acts.
• Jesus will pour out his Holy Spirit upon you.
• Speak what you sense the Holy Spirit urging you to say, instead of your own words.

8. Offer periodic encouragement. You don’t need to say much, and you only need to speak when it feels like the right time.

I often say something like, “I can see each of you seeking Jesus sincerely. Continue to press in.”

Corporate encouragement also can help lift the atmosphere.

9. Lead. Leaders set the tone. I encourage you to be visible and present.

Keep your eyes open for circumstances that may require you to take preemptive action. Pay attention to how altar workers are treating the people they’re praying with. Look at the faces and body language of the seekers.

Most importantly, listen for the Spirit’s wisdom and guidance. He will help you!

—————

As leaders, God calls us out of our comfort zones.

Early in ministry, we operate with more faith than skill. But as we gain experience, our tendency is to operate more on learned skill than faith. Somewhere along the way, we devote the lion’s share of our attention and effort to things with guaranteed outcomes.

Leading biblical, healthy, safe, and satisfying moments for people to experience Spirit baptism can feel risky. It never comes without fears and concerns. But over time we can become more comfortable doing so as long as we stay dependent on Jesus.

Jesus is the Spirit Baptizer. He has promised a gift to everyone we are entrusted to lead. Will you give Jesus the opportunity to fulfill His promise?

Sidebar 1: Introverts and Spirit Baptism

Not everyone seeks or responds to Spirit baptism in an outwardly emotional way. Introverts often express themselves more quietly, even as God works profoundly in their lives.

I frequently see people displaying classic introverted body language around noisy, crowded altars. These individuals look out of place, distracted, discouraged, overstimulated, and sometimes a bit panicked.

To help calm introverted seekers, I will say something like, “I’m so proud of you coming up here in front of everyone. That is a beautiful act of surrender to Jesus. I encourage you not to compare your responses to others around you, but just get as close to Jesus as you can.”

Some people are so introverted they will not permit themselves to become vulnerable enough to begin speaking in tongues publicly.

We shouldn’t assume energetic church services are the only venues for receiving Spirit baptism.

Before giving an altar call for Spirit baptism, I often say, “Many will receive at the altar in a few minutes, but others will need to pray privately afterward.”

That is not a plan B. Some people just need less distraction and social pressure.

I regularly hear reports of people being filled with the Spirit during a personal time of prayer while driving home from church, lying in bed, or even doing chores.

If people feel more comfortable seeking Spirit baptism privately, we should encourage them to do so.

I tell people to seek as much of Jesus as they can at the altar and then pick up where they left off later in a quiet place.

God created each person and deals with them as individuals. Baptism in the Holy Spirit is for introverts, too.

Sidebar 2: Eight Seeker Fears

In my experience, there are at least eight common reasons why people seem to struggle to receive Spirit Baptism. Each is associated with a common fear.

1. Anti-Pentecostal baggage

Underlying fear: Accepting a counterfeit experience

Help needed: Reassure the seeker with Scriptures (e.g., Luke 11:11–13, Acts 2:39).

2. Shy, introverted personality

Underlying fear: Humiliation or public attention

Help needed: Encourage the seeker to pray in his or her own way and/or seek Spirit baptism privately.

3. Hyper-analytical mindset

Underlying fear: Inability to understand or intellectually process the experience

Help needed: Encourage the seeker to put processing on hold — receiving Spirit baptism now and reflecting on it afterward. Acknowledge that some spiritual realities are simply beyond our complete understanding.

4. Passive approach to seeking

Underlying fear: Erroneous belief that Spirit baptism is passive or automatic

Help needed: Talk about Spirit baptism as a cooperative partnership. The believer speaks in response to the Spirit’s prompting.

5. Overwhelming feelings of unworthiness

Underlying fear: Rejection

Help needed: Reassure the seeker with Scripture, explaining that only Jesus is worthy. By grace, Christ supplies all the worthiness in every spiritual transaction.

6. Hyper-respectful worldview or cultural background

Underlying fear: Being presumptuous about God’s gift

Help needed: Pointing to Scripture, explain that this is indeed God’s will for every believer, but we must be willing to receive.

7. Focus on physical responses like shaking, jumping, or falling

Underlying fear: Not knowing what to do

Help needed: Explain the verbal, prophetic nature of Spirit baptism in the Bible. Scripture consistently portrays tongues as the initial physical evidence of baptism in the Holy Spirit. While they are not a replacement for tongues, other physical expressions are not problematic as long as the main pursuit is yielding to the Spirit.

8. Waiting for an idealized awareness of power

Underlying fear: Lack of intensity may indicate a low-grade or counterfeit experience

Help needed: Offer reassurance that Spirit baptism confers power for witnessing, even if we don’t feel powerful.

This article appears in the Spring 2026 issue of Influence magazine.