“Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” Acts 1:4,5. We are baptized in the Spirit in a similar way to being baptized in the Jordan river.
One of the highlights of my times in Israel has been the baptisms in the Jordan river. Bob Derksen and I had the privilege of baptizing Joyce Massey that day – it was a profound experience for her.
John the Baptist used the Jordan to baptize many people for repentance and the forgiveness of sins. Jewish people were familiar with this concept, as they ritually cleansed themselves before worship and before entering the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. It was a confrontation with personal sin and the need for spiritual cleansing. Jesus was baptized by John, not for His own cleansing, but to model to us the value of baptism. But before He ascended to the Father, He spoke of a superior baptism to come.
“Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” Acts 1:4,5. We are baptized in the Spirit in a similar way to being baptized in the Jordan river.
Baptism speaks of symbolically dying to self, identifying with Jesus, and rising to experience his resurrection life in our own life. When we are baptized in the Spirit, we die to self and let Him run things.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his uncomfortable but profound book “The Cost of Discipleship” said: “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die…only the man who is dead to his own will can follow Christ.”
Jesus told His disciples that the Holy Spirit would bring glory to Him by taking from what was His and making it known to the disciples. As we read on in the New Testament, we see that the fullness of the Holy Spirit results in telling the good news of Jesus to our world; He replicates the character traits of Jesus in our life (fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5); and gives spiritual gifts for the building of the Kingdom (I Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4).
The baptism of the Spirit results in God living His life in and through us. What a concept! Why not take a moment today to invite the fullness of the Spirit afresh into your life – let Him do what He wants to do!
Pastor Leon Throness
