Baptism of the Holy Spirit
Rightfully so, they focus on the benefits of marriage, the love, the hope, the satisfaction. Very few talk much about the work, challenge, mundaneness or frustrations of marriage, they know those pieces exist but they always speak through them with hope to overcome and quickly move back to the benefits of marriage.
In the Christian life, Baptism by water is in some ways like the wedding ceremony of a marriage and baptism of the Holy Spirit is like moving in, re-arranging life and daily living.
There is scripture to indicate differences between the timing of baptism of water and baptism of the Holy Spirit - and in our process oriented minds we want to know the mechanics of how this spiritual life is to work. We would like to have a process flow chart or a step by step process with decision gates and certain deliverables in place to go to the next step.
The reality is we are entering into a special and sacred relationship with the living God - His living Son - and his real and living Spirit. He will not be contained to a process flow chart. This is what the ancient Israelites were looking for too and so they built their process around the Law, and God sent his son to say you are missing it if you think that will help you understand and know me.
There is a mirror image of something in the physical world that can help us understand what goes on in the spiritual world and for us today we can consider the marriage relationship to understand the baptism of the holy spirit.
In a marriage, when does the marriage actually take place?
For some it is when they gaze into each others eyes and are captivated by one anothers love, they know they will spend the rest of their lives together - "love at first sight"
Or perhaps that first time they tell each other "I Love" and it is true and real.
Or perhaps when they become engaged, they say "I will" - they commit themselves to "getting married"
Or when they arrive at the alter and say "I do"
Or when they steal away and consummate their relationship and say "I give myself to you"
Or when they move in and live together and say "we are"
In todays Modern - process oriented - scientific age when and how does a person become a follower of Jesus and be baptized, what is that process, and how do I enter into it?
Jesus said right before he left:
Acts 1:5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
Acts 1:7 He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 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."
So some have said "see - it is two separate things that we must do & experience"
But it quickly gets messy from a process perspective:
Before this Jesus said to his disciples:
John 20:21 Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.
Then - the same guys experienced:
Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
No real indication any of these guys were baptized by water, there are inferences in other writings that they were but no indication of times & places.
Then:
Act 8:5 Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. 6 When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. 7 With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. 8 So there was great joy in that city....
Acts 8:14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
So there was baptism by water and then receiving the Holy Spirit when the apostles laid their hands on them and prayed
Then Peter has this experience and says:
Acts 10:47 "Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have." 48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.
These people received the Holy Spirit before being baptized by water.
Jesus earlier in his ministry sets the stage to understand baptism as something on going in a relationship with the Father:
Mark 10:38 "You don't know what you are asking," Jesus said. "Can you drink the cup I drink or be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?"
Mark 10:39 "We can," they answered.
Jesus said to them, "You will drink the cup I drink and be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with,
Luke 12:50 But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is completed!
Eph. 4:5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
Baptism of the Holy Spirit
Acts 1:5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit."
2Cor. 1:18 But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not "Yes" and "No." 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by me and Silas and Timothy, was not "Yes" and "No," but in him it has always been "Yes." 20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. 21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
Eph 1:13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession-to the praise of his glory.
Spiritual Presence in your life - living in relationship
21...He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit
God's Spirit moves into your life - for him to move in means also that he was not previously there.
1Cor. 3:16 Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?
Spirit is ‘reborn' - anointed, sealed and filled
John 6:63 The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.
Rom. 8:11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
We were born dead in our sins, we arrived on this earth physically alive and spiritually dead, the journey of life is to end our time here physically dead and spiritually alive, so we enter eternity with our priorities and perspectives aligned with God's .
Rom. 8:6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace;
Gift by Grace - God in your life is a gift - "anointed" - his goodness over our lives
Spiritual transaction - He becomes your Lord / you become His temple
We speak the "amen" in our lives - "may it be so" He is Lord, and I am His
22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
The province thinks a couple is married when they receive an official document that is signed that says "this couple is married" When the couple, the witnesses and the marriage officient place their signature on the paper, then officially for the governement - they are married. They don't really care if they love one another, if they live together, if they have consummated their marriage, but the seal is there - it is a legal and official transaction.
"8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you;"
He changes things - "the transformation begins"
He effects People,Places, circumstances
God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
God does this...it is his power...
Spiritual Possibilities through your life - living purposefully by faith
Fruit begins to show up - Gal 5:2
Gifting appear - He begins to do things only He does
Possible growth - multiple manifestations
1Cor. 12:7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
Baptism of the Spirit is an ongoing responsive living reflecting the reality and relationship of God in my life.
Baptism by water is
Like a wedding ceremony signifies the loving, special and sacred relationship between a man and a woman
Baptism of the Holy Spirit is like getting up every morning kissing my wife and committing myself to love her in this day, doing what I must to take care of her, resolving in my heart to make things right when we have a fight and kissing her again before I go to sleep.
Baptism of the Holy Spirit is living in relationship with God, being in his family, responding to the things on His heart, committing myself to making things right with him and his people