But seek first God’s Kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things will be given to you as well.
Jeff Leake on Holy Spirit Baptism, Church Power, and Supernatural Partnership
About this episode
Pastor Jeff Leake of Allison Park Church in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, joins Philip Cameron for a compelling conversation about the Holy Spirit baptism and why the church desperately needs it today. Jeff, who has pastored Allison Park Church for 31 years and has directly planted 32 churches since 1996, draws on decades of Spirit-led ministry to explain why so many Christians are living far below their potential. Citing a George Barna organization study revealing that over 60% of self-identified Christians in the United States don't believe the Holy Spirit is even a person, Jeff makes the case that doctrinal confusion about the Spirit is at the root of the church's diminished cultural influence. He unpacks the critical distinction between salvation and Spirit baptism using John chapter 20 and Acts chapter 1: "When you get saved, you get the Holy Spirit — when you get baptized in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit gets you." He also shares how his son David witnessed cataracts miraculously disappear after praying for a man in Nicaragua, a moment that transformed David's faith from obligation to passion. Jeff's book, Gateway to Supernatural Life, is available at shoptheword.com.
Part of our Holy Spirit collection of conversations.
Quotes worth sharing
“When you get saved, you get the Holy Spirit. When you get baptized in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit gets you, and then he begins to use you in ways that are supernatural, beyond the natural, and he equips your life for all the things God's called you to do.”
“We often want to do things for God. What he's wanting to do is do things with us. We like for him to follow us. We want to say, God, here's my idea, come over and bless it for me. Really, he wants to be in there from the start with us.”
“The Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, this is not the time for that. I want you to focus on your city. If you put the needs of your city ahead of the needs of your church, I'll take care of everything for you.”
What's Discussed
In this episode, Philip Cameron speaks with Pastor Jeff Leake about the crucial role of the Holy Spirit in the church today. They discuss the alarming statistic that over 60% of self-identified Christians in the U.S. do not recognize the Holy Spirit as a person, highlighting the need for doctrinal clarity. Jeff explains the difference between salvation and Spirit baptism, emphasizing that while salvation brings the Holy Spirit into a believer's life, baptism allows the Holy Spirit to take control. He shares a powerful testimony of his son's faith journey and promotes his book, 'Gateway to Supernatural Life.'
- The Importance Of Holy Spirit Baptism
- Crisis Of Understanding The Holy Spirit
- Difference Between Salvation And Baptism
- Testimony Of Healing In Nicaragua
- Partnership With The Holy Spirit
- Impact Of Holy Spirit On Church Growth
- Promoting 'Gateway To Supernatural Life'
Scripture in this episode
Episode Transcript
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Intro
Philip:Hello. My name is Philip Cameron. This is Daily Faith. And God has you tuned in today because I believe there are words coming from his heart into your life. Maybe in your Christian experience you've never known the power of the infilling of the Holy Spirit. You've never known what the baptism — you wonder, what's the baptism of the Holy Ghost? We're gonna talk about this today, and I believe God's gonna use my guest to speak clarity into your spirit, to let you know that that gift is for today, more now than ever before. And I love anyone that promotes the infilling of the Holy Spirit — I believe that is right in the heartbeat of God for today, and I'm excited.
Philip:Let me say this: every Monday night on CTN from Clearwater, Florida, we have a program. This program, or another program like this, is seen at nine o'clock in the evening, and you can watch that on DirecTV channel 376, Dish channel 262, Glory starters channel 117. We're also seen on — well, Daily Faith is like a home base. DailyFaith.tv — you can go back and check out programs from the past. You can also watch us on Integrity Network, which is a brand new network. Dale Hill — he was the man that built the PTL Network and also most recently Victory for Ken Copeland for decades, and he's just started a new network — all the Integrity, Destiny Television, TCT.
Philip:Let me stop for a second and say something. TCT is founded by a friend of mine called Garth Koontz — a great man of God, tremendous, very successful before he started Christian television. He built within the TBN Network the largest network within the TBN Network. I believe it's like 50 or 60 stations that he has. And last week the Lord challenged me to go visit him. I knew he'd been having health issues, and we flew down in our plane and met with him and went to the hospital, spent the whole afternoon praying with him and loving him, and it was a great day we had. And two days ago he went home to be with Jesus. And so we pray for his family, and this man's legacy will live on in the gospel being preached across the airways of this country. His sweetheart Tina, and his daughter Julie, and grandson Tom, and granddaughter Natalie are whole lifelong friends. I might have watched them all grow up. And so if you could please pray for the Koontz family, that God would comfort them in this amazingly deep valley they're walking through without him.
The Importance Of Holy Spirit Baptism
Philip:So we want to mention that right now. Those of you who know our program know that we are involved in mission work. 33 years ago I adopted a wee boy from an orphanage in Romania, and that set me off on a crazy adventure that has lasted for 33 years. I love what I do. I love what I do. And we have been in the war zone. Our kids have been in — we have a home in Ukraine. We've had that for years and years, long before the war broke out. We haven't just gone there because it's the latest hot thing to do. We were there a long time before anyone thought there would be a war. In fact, my wife was in Ukraine in our home with the girls the night before the war broke out, and she had to get out of the country before the missiles flew.
Philip:And we're working just now to buy a home. The home we've leased for years is now up for sale and we want to buy it. We moved our girls from Ukraine down to Moldova for safety. They're gonna have to go back to Odessa pretty soon, and at the moment, with this house being sold, unless we can buy it, they won't have anywhere to go. So that's a battle we're fighting, and we're winning. Out of $200,000 we're about $70,000 short of having this thing bought, in the name of Jesus, and we speak that it's gonna happen in Jesus' name. But our kids go up to Ukraine, go around the border, feed refugees. I've never seen anything like it. Every young person you see in this video were once orphans, abandoned by their own, lost in orphanages. And we bring them out of the orphanage and tell them, if you're born, God has a plan — you're not a mistake. The experience of your life has made you tougher than anybody else I've ever met.
Philip:And whenever this thing exploded, our kids went up to the border and literally sat in a freezing cold tent in a blizzard and cooked food days and nights on end. And the moms ran with our kids, but the dads couldn't get out of the country — they stayed and fought. And these moms would be standing shell-shocked, and our kids — these orphan kids — taking their babies in their arms and praying with them and loving them and just giving their moms a break. It's just been the most amazing thing. And our kids do their own video. This is not professional video. This is our kids doing their own video. The voice you're gonna hear is Jasmine. She's one of the house parents, and this is what they just sent me the other day from Ukraine. I think you'd be blessed by this — watch.
A year ago their world was a happy place. They had jobs, their kids were in school, the corner shop sold bread and cheese and everything else. Their world was just like yours.
Until, through the mist and snow, monsters came. The tracks rattled on the ice-packed fields. The guns pointed towards the world they lived in. It takes less than a second to obliterate everything that they had spent their lives building. There are no accurate numbers of how many have died. The end is nowhere in sight. We have been in Ukraine for years. From the first explosion we were involved. We took this assault personally. We could not stand on the sidelines and do nothing. Our amazing group of young men and women did the unimaginable once again.
They drove into a war zone. Once war's friends themselves, they have felt personally the hand of grace and redemption. To go to this devastated world seems to them as normal as having a meal or going to church. They drove for hours, unable to stop and stretch their legs, as inches on each side of the vehicles were live mines. Every few miles they were stopped at checkpoints by nervous soldiers. They were running along the line between the Russians and Ukrainians. Our team finally reached Kherson, a recently liberated city still held in the grip of desperation.
Crisis Of Understanding The Holy Spirit
They had brought food and burning stoves that will save lives in the bitter, deadly cold that is to come. They brought blankets that, to many, is the only barrier between survival and death. On a dreary day, within the sound of guns and bombs, the most astonishing thing took place — the rescued became the rescuers.
Hundreds waited in the rain, shuffling along in a line that ended up in love — smiles, bread, fish, and words of care from the heart of the redeemed. As they traveled they came across bombed-out villages, scarred by the strife of bullets, destroyed by the instruments of death. Their water, electricity, and everything else was gone.
But the wooden stove had become the guardian against the deadly cold. We know it is impossible for most to even imagine this world. But by giving and praying together for this unfolding tragedy, we can join our hearts and hands to bring the hope that was sent to earth by a loving God. If it were us, we would wait in line hoping that someone, somewhere, was thinking of us. We must go back. Will you send us? Every gift you give allows us to be his hands.
Philip:We must go back, and we do. We have stoves that we give away in these villages. I mean, some of the ruins there — there's nothing. There's no water, there's no electricity, no heat. Putin's plan is to take away the basics of life and let Mother Nature do the rest of the work. And these stoves we're giving out — they can put wood in there and keep alive. At least there's enough lumber — God knows from bombed-out buildings — they can go and salvage and reburn.
Philip:So we need you to pray with us and ask God to help us. The most critical need we have is this home. It's a beautiful little house — 24 girls. We've been using it and leasing it for six years. There it is right there. And we're believing God to buy this house. I was hoping to have it bought by January but it didn't happen, so we've asked for some more grace. Please pray with us and help us. If I would say to you, I can buy this whole house and rescue 24 girls for $1,000 — how many would say, if you can give $1,000 I can rescue 24 girls, most would say I'll find that. If I can get 70 more people thinking that thought, that house is bought. Let God speak to your heart. If it was your daughter about to be put back on the streets — they've got to go back to Ukraine because all of their educational background is in Ukraine. They don't speak Romanian when they're living in Moldova just now, and so there's this pressure for us to put them back to Ukraine, and I just can't do it without having somewhere for them to go.
Philip:And one of these girls to a trafficker — listen to me — one of these girls to a trafficker is worth $300,000. One. So surely to the church we can all get together and say, I'll help. If you'd like to help us with a smaller gift, whatever you can give will help us fund our vans. You see our Orphan's Hands vans driving through the rain. In fact, I don't know if you saw it or not, but there's a bomb literally stuck in the road and they drive past the unexploded bomb on the way to Kherson. These kids are taking their lives in their hands to do this, and I think if they're brave enough to do that, we should be honorable enough to help them. Real simple. Orphan's Hands, PO Box 25, Clinton, Tennessee 37716. You can also go to DailyFaith.tv — there's a giving button right there — or you can call us at 833-Daily-Faith. And by being a part of this today, you can change your world. You will change your world by changing someone else's, and I ask you to do that and pray with us in the name of Jesus.
Philip:I'm delighted to have Jeff Blake with us today. He is pastor of Allison Park Church in Pittsburgh — a great city. I've spent many, many hours there on CTV and go way back with Russ Bixler and his wife. And this great man of God has planted churches. He is an apostle, and one of the things I love when I learned of him is the fact that he is focused on what the power of the Holy Spirit can do in the church today. And he's written a book, Gateway to Supernatural Life, and I want you to get a piece of paper and a pen — if you still do that — and order one of these. Get one of these for your pastor. If you're in a home group, buy them for your home group. And I think by the time you hear what brother Jeff is going to say today, you'll be hooked on this thing. Jeff, thank you so much for coming to Daily Faith. I apologize for taking so long to get to you, but I appreciate you taking the time to share with us what God is doing in your life. Give us a background — tell us what's up in your world.
Difference Between Salvation And Baptism
Jeff Blake:Yeah, well, the vision that you have to reach that nation and the people that are there — the girls, amazing, incredible rescuing. So yeah, I've been at my church for 31 years. I'm married to my wife for 35 years, five kids, seven grandkids, in love with Jesus and in love with my wife, and just loving the opportunity to help people rediscover the power and person of the Holy Spirit. You know, the Barna organization did a study last year and they discovered that over 60% of people who call themselves Christians in the United States don't even really believe that the Holy Spirit is a person, let alone understand that the Holy Spirit is the very source of power that we need to live this daily life. I think we're kind of in a crisis in our country where we need good biblical doctrine and especially good understanding around who the Holy Spirit is.
Philip:The thing is this — the crisis of the Holy Spirit not being given place in the church is a direct mirror of the mess within us as a country, because as the church goes, so goes a nation. So a backslidden church will inevitably lead to a backslidden nation, and that's where we are. The Holy Spirit — he's the one, he's the attractor, he's the guider. And when you cut that avenue out of the church and you go to, you know, lights and smoke machines, that will not substitute for the Holy Ghost.
Jeff Blake:Yeah, you know, new methods, new technology is great, but powerless without the Holy Spirit's operation. And he's got so much to share. I mean, the Holy Spirit is our best friend. He is smarter than we are, he's better than we are, he has more joy than we have, and we can learn to tap into his presence in our life. He becomes — really, you know — we were never intended to live out of our own strength. We were always intended to live as believers out of the presence of the Holy Spirit and his operation in our life.
Philip:And that's what Jesus said — go back to Jerusalem and wait. I don't trust you guys the way you are right now. You run away when someone says boo. You abandoned me in the garden. You abandoned me when the young girl says, are you one of them? I mean, Mark ran away naked. Go back to Jerusalem and wait, and I'm gonna send you something that will transform you from insipid, scared scaredy-cats — as we say in Scotland — into men and women that will change the world. And that is why the Holy Spirit is as necessary today as it was in the very early days.
Testimony Of Healing In Nicaragua
Jeff Blake:Yeah, in fact, if you think about that statement Jesus made, he basically was telling his disciples, you are not enough as you are right now. I've told you to do something amazing, to change the world, but you don't have enough with your own strength right now. So wait for the Holy Spirit to come, and when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you have power to change the world, to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, Ukraine — right — wherever we go. We need the power of the Holy Spirit to be effective.
Philip:So true. When I saw your book, I thought, thank God someone has articulated what has been troubling my spirit. Because as I said in the beginning, when we came to America first, you knew when you were in a Spirit-filled church — you just knew it because he was given place. You can't tell anymore if you're in a church that gives place to the baptism. And if you're watching just now and you're a pastor of a Baptist church or a Methodist church or whatever, and you're hungry for more power, you need to get this book. You remind me — I was friends — my dad more than I — but with John Osteen, Joel's dad. And he was a Baptist pastor who was transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. And I watched him speak to Baptist pastors and Methodist pastors about the change that this gift had given him. And that voice, sadly, has been lost, and we need this voice back in the church.
Jeff Blake:Yeah, and I especially long for this for people that are my kids' age, you know, the young adult population. I grew up in an era where I was in revival movements where I knew the presence of God was there — it changed me, I felt called into ministry, I became a different person. And yeah, you know, we want to see the next generation reached, but we never give them an opportunity to taste what it is to be in the presence of God, that transformative presence of power. How can we ever disciple and release the next generation without the presence and power of the Holy Spirit in our midst?
Philip:One moment of manifestation of the presence of God — I've been in church services where the power of the Holy Spirit has been so powerful. We used to start church in Scotland, and when the Holy Ghost hit, the service was started at six o'clock in the evening and we'd be totally lost in God at eleven o'clock at night. We would call all-night prayer meetings and I'd just lie under the seats, and that's what I go back to. I was baptized in the Holy Ghost when I was four, spoke in tongues, changed my life. Born again, baptized in the Holy Ghost. And we just don't have that experience anymore. We talk about it sometimes, but it's the experience our kids need to feel.
Jeff Blake:Yeah, and you know, when that happens it isn't just about being in a great church service or feeling the presence of God and getting Holy Spirit goosebumps. It's about having the power then to go on mission where you are. My son David — he's now 31 years old — one of the most important moments in his life was when he went to Nicaragua on a trip, prayed for a man who had cataracts on both eyes. When he prayed for him in the name of Jesus, those cataracts disappeared — he watched them just clear before his eyes. He came back — I mean, he was no longer saying, dad, do I have to go to church? He was saying, how can I do this again? And so he had been baptized in the Holy Spirit as a young man and was prepared because he had been taught how the Holy Spirit operates through us.
Jeff Blake:And that's what I long for. It's not just being in a Holy Spirit move in a church service, but it's where we have the opportunity then to take the Holy Spirit's presence and power and go to a broken world where people desperately need to know about Jesus — where you then can preach the gospel with signs following, because that's really what the Holy Spirit was sent for. Not just so that we would feel alive when we are in church, but to send us out to change the world.
Philip:I know there are folks watching this now who love Jesus, who are born-again believers. The only thing that gets you to heaven is the blood of Jesus. And listen to us talking and they're saying, what's the difference then? I'm a Christian, I love Jesus. Tell me — what's the difference between the baptism in the Holy Spirit and salvation?
Jeff Blake:Yeah, so when you are saved you get the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit enters you — you can't actually be saved without the regenerative spark of the Holy Spirit on the inside of you. And in John chapter 20 we see the moment Jesus is resurrected. He shows up to his disciples as they're still hiding in a room somewhere, and he breathes on them and they receive the Holy Spirit. So when we end up in Acts chapter 1, the disciples have already received the Holy Spirit like we do at salvation, but Jesus said, you still lack something. You need something more. You need to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. That word baptized means to dip under — you need to be dipped under the power of God.
Partnership With The Holy Spirit
Jeff Blake:So when you get saved, you get the Holy Spirit. When you get baptized in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit gets you, and then he begins to use you in ways that are supernatural, beyond the natural, and he equips your life for all the things God's called you to do. So if you're a Christian, yes, the Holy Spirit lives on the inside of you, but you still need the power of the Holy Spirit through the Holy Spirit baptism to be all that God's called you to be.
Philip:And what happens when you receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit — a partnership is formed, isn't it? Because what happens is, in my life, all that we do — and we're so thankful for God's grace that allows us to do what we've done — but it's not me doing it. The spark, the revelation, the thought processes that I get in the middle of the night — I wake up and I'll say to the guys here, hey, we're just giving away 15,000 coats to Ukraine. I mean, churches from all over America sent these coats, and that came from me just sitting and saying, look, what else can I do? And it just came into my spirit — this voice, the Holy Spirit saying, you need to get them coats by Christmas. And out of that revelation, the human element of Philip Cameron becomes a partner with the divine element of the Holy Spirit to create. As God created through the Spirit of God — he moved when he moved upon the face of the deep — it's the same creative force. But it can only really be expressed when you give him his place.
Jeff Blake:Amen. I love the word partnership — that's the way it is. We often want to do things for God. What he's wanting to do is do things with us. We like for him to follow us. We want to say, God, here's my idea, come over and bless it for me. Really, he wants to be in there from the start with us.
Philip:Yeah, do things for God and he's like, I hope that works out for you. But when you come to me, it's just so much better when he's in charge and you are actually following. And then out of obedience, all of a sudden you step back and you say, I can't believe God just did that through me. Like, wow — was that me? I was involved in this? And that's the joy of what it is to be operating in this partnership with the Holy Spirit.
Philip:This partnership with the Holy Spirit has allowed you to plant and parent how many churches?
Jeff Blake:So we have directly planted 32 since 1996. And honestly, the reason why we did was because the Holy Spirit gave me a word. We were trying to build a bigger building and the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said, this is not the time for that. I want you to focus on your city. If you put the needs of your city ahead of the needs of your church, I'll take care of everything for you. So Matthew 6:33 — seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you as well. That was actually breathed to me because the Holy Spirit spoke to me, just like you're saying with the coats or the work that you're doing around the world — it starts with him. And when it's his idea, he empowers it. And so there's just — I would not have planted a church, let alone 32, if it wasn't for the Holy Spirit's leading in my life.
Impact Of Holy Spirit On Church Growth
Philip:People come to me and say, you know, how do you do what you're doing? And how do you keep all these plates spinning and all the stuff you're doing? And I'll say, it's easy. I've got no stress. I'm not a stressed-out guy, as you can tell. I love what I do because I'm watching his hand doing it. And when I walk towards a wall, I know somehow God's gonna take the power of the Holy Ghost and turn a door somewhere in that wall, and I'm just gonna keep walking in faith towards it. And that's what it's all about.
Philip:Your book — I really think it's important that everyone watching today, especially, get one for your pastor. If you go to a non-Spirit-filled church, find a good Spirit-filled church. But this book here is a book that I want you to go and get. It's available on Amazon, or you can go to — what's the website?
Jeff Blake:You can go to shoptheword.com, which is Whitaker House's publishing site, which is probably the place to get it with the best price. But yeah, it's available in all the places.
Philip:Gateway to Supernatural Life — I want you to get it, brother. We're out of time, as usual. This thing flies way too fast. Will you promise to come back again and we can just keep on preaching back and forth?
Promoting 'Gateway To Supernatural Life'
Jeff Blake:I would love that, and I honor you for the work that you're doing around the world. Keep it up — it's an incredible thing.
Philip:We're having a blast. And his church — the main church is Allison Park Church on Duncan Avenue in Allison Park, Pennsylvania. Go there, meet this great man of God, and receive the infilling of the Holy Ghost. Thank you again, my brother Jeff. God bless you for watching Daily Faith. Remember to help and pray with us for that place in Ukraine. Bye-bye.
For over 25 years the Cameron family has been changing the lives of orphans in Romania and Moldova — from providing running water, flushing toilets, and clean wells, to cool air, heat, new windows, as well as food and clothing. They champion the physical needs of the orphans in these broken and desolate countries. Many of Moldova's orphans are saved from the horrors of trafficking through homes founded by the Camerons, and in the process orphans become daughters and sons. They come to know their heavenly Father and are forever changed by the love of Jesus. God helped the Camerons lift these amazing young men and women out of darkness. Now, no longer orphans, they want to return and invade that very same darkness with the light of Jesus Christ.
Orphan's Hands equips these daughters and sons to become missionaries. Your monthly gift of $31 will allow us to rescue and take in more girls and boys, saving them from the hell of human trafficking. Your monthly partnership will allow us to care for those in the Orphan's Hands homes in Moldova and Ukraine. If you want to join Philip and Krissy in taking care of these precious young people, please contact us today by calling 833-Daily-Faith. You can also give by going online to www.DailyFaith.tv, or by writing to Post Office Box 25, Clinton, Tennessee 37716. So many lives depend on what we do. Thank you for loving the lost.
Common questions
What's the difference between being saved and being baptized in the Holy Spirit?
Jeff explains that when you're saved, you receive the Holy Spirit — you can't be saved without that regenerative spark. But Holy Spirit baptism is a second, distinct experience: 'When you get saved you get the Holy Spirit, but when you get baptized in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit gets you.' He points to John 20, where Jesus breathes the Spirit on the disciples at the resurrection, yet in Acts 1 he still tells them to wait for something more — the power of the baptism.
Why does Jeff think so many Christians don't understand the Holy Spirit?
He cites a Barna organization study showing that over 60% of self-identified Christians in the United States don't even believe the Holy Spirit is a person, let alone understand that the Holy Spirit is the source of power needed for daily life. He sees this as a genuine crisis requiring better biblical doctrine around who the Holy Spirit is.
How did Holy Spirit baptism change Jeff's son David?
David had been baptized in the Holy Spirit as a young man and was taught how the Holy Spirit operates through believers. On a trip to Nicaragua, he prayed for a man with cataracts on both eyes and watched them clear before his eyes. Jeff says that after that moment, David stopped asking whether he had to go to church and started asking how he could do it again.
How did the Holy Spirit lead Jeff to plant 32 churches?
Jeff says it started when his church was planning to build a bigger building and the Holy Spirit spoke to him clearly: 'This is not the time for that — focus on your city. If you put the needs of your city ahead of the needs of your church, I'll take care of everything for you.' He ties it to Matthew 6:33 and says he would not have planted a single church, let alone 32, without that specific leading from the Holy Spirit.
What does Jeff mean when he talks about 'partnership' with the Holy Spirit?
Jeff describes it as God wanting to do things with us rather than just blessing our own ideas after the fact. He says we often want God to follow us and bless our plans, but real partnership means the Holy Spirit is involved from the start — and when it's his idea, he empowers it. The result, Jeff says, is that you step back and think, 'I can't believe God just did that through me.'
Topics
holy spirit baptismsupernatural powerchurch plantinggateway to supernatural lifespirit-filled livingrevival