Therefore
leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection;
not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith
toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms,
and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal
judgment. (Hebrews 6:1-2)
There is a time in our
spiritual walk when we are just saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8)
and are in that sweet spot where we tangibly feel the love of God embracing us
each and every day of our new lives (2 Corinthians 5:17). At this point Peter
explains that we are to desire the pure milk of the Word. Here we learn the
basics; the foundations of perfection from dead works (freedom from the Law
Galatians 3:13), of faith toward God (the righteousness that is available
through faith 2 Corinthians 5:21), of the doctrine of Baptisms (Yes!! There are
two Baptisms) and of laying on of hands (for healing the sick and for imparting/receiving
the dorea gift of the Holy Spirit)
and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgement (a time will come
when the dead will be raised, given eternal bodies and the unjust will be
judged).
Now concerning the “doctrine of baptisms and laying on of hands”,
many remain in a state of confusion and unbelief. Jesus said that the Holy
Spirit would convict the world of ONLY ONE sin. That is the sin of UNBELIEF
(John 16:8-9). And I am sure that the Spirit of Truth will shine this light
through His word and clear every unbelieving thought from your minds and tear
down every stronghold that is hindering you from grasping this life changing
truth. Amen!
John the Baptist declared, “As for me, I baptize you with water for
repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit
to remove His sandals; He will baptize
you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Matthew 3:11 NIV) In Ephesus Paul
asked the disciples of Apollos, “ “Did
you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" And they said to him,
"No, we have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit." And he
said, "Into what then were you baptized?" And they said, "Into John's baptism.” (Acts 19:2-3
NIV) Then Paul went on to explain, “John
verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that
they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ
Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and
they spake with tongues, and prophesied. (Acts 19:4-6 KJV)
Jesus said, “And behold, I am sending forth the promise
of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed
with power from on high.”(Luke 24:49 NIV) And in another place it is
written, “Gathering them together, He
(Jesus) commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father
had promised, "Which," He said, "you heard of from Me; for John
baptized with water, but you will be
baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” (Acts 1:4-5 NIV)
Beloved the bible says, “Every matter must be established by the
testimony of two or three witnesses” (Deuteronomy 17:6, 2 Corinthians 13:1).
I have now presented you with three witnesses regarding the Baptism in the Holy
Spirit, the account of Matthew, that of Luke and of the Lord Himself. And two
or three more come to mind which I am not mentioning here. This is one of the
founding principles and an indispensible part of our spiritual lives. My dear friends
seek the baptism in the Spirit with all your hearts. Jesus said, “If you then, though you are evil, know how
to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give
the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13 NIV) Amen, Amen and Amen
to this eternal truth. Praise the Lord!!
Who
baptizes us with the Holy Spirit?
Beloved, John (the Baptist)
made it clear that it is Jesus who would baptize us with the Holy Spirit and
With Fire (Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, John 1:33). Wow!! I just realized
that all the four gospels speak of this baptism and the One who baptizes.
Imagine the importance of this wonderful baptism now. Hallelujah!! Isaiah 4:4
says, “The Lord will wash away the filth
of the women of Zion; he will cleanse the bloodstains from Jerusalem by a
spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire.” Jesus is the one who baptizes you
with the Holy Ghost and with fire (Luke 24:49)
When
can we get baptized? Do we need to tarry like Jesus asked to in Acts 1?
Beloved, this is the best part.
The answer to the above mentioned question is that God can baptize you RIGHT
NOW. We will discuss this in the next study but as Jesus explains in Luke
11:13, the Father will in no way withhold this Gift from you, and you are to
ask in Jesus’ name (John 14:13, John 16:23).
Some might erroneously say that
you need to wait, to tarry.
Yes, Jesus did ask the
disciples to wait in Jerusalem in Acts 1:7-8 but they were only to wait till
the day of Pentecost had fully come (Acts 2:1-4). After the Pentecost, NO ONE
had to tarry to receive the dorea gift
of the Holy Spirit. Paul received the gift as soon as Ananias prayed for him
(Acts 9:17), the fellowship at Cornelius’ house received the gift as Peter was
speaking to them (Acts 10:44), the disciples of Apollos received when Paul laid
hands on them (Acts 19:6). There you have it, three witnesses who disprove the
erroneous message that we still have to tarry. Hallelujah!
Beloved, the household of
Cornelius was not even baptised unto repentance, yet the Father poured out the
Holy Spirit on them. Pastor Randy Clark speaks of a woman who heard a group
singing in tongues and simple told God that she liked it and she wanted it, she
was IMMEDIATELY filled with the Holy Ghost. I know someone who has recently received the
Holy Spirit in the same manner. Hallelujah, we serve a wonderful God.
John’s baptism was unto
repentance, unto metanoea, the
changing of the mind and the way we think, for the kingdom of God was at hand.
This change occurs by the washing of water by the word.
Jesus once told His disciples,
“You are already clean because of the
word I have spoken to you.” (John 15:3 NIV)
Paul says that the bridegroom
(Jesus) will make His bride (the Church) holy “cleansing her by the washing with water through the word”
(Ephesians 5:26)
The baptism in water is a
symbolic expression of the metanoea,
the change in the way we perceive the Kingdom, which in truth happens ONLY and
ONLY by the washing of water through the Word. Paul therefore urges the Romans,
“Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of
this world, but let God transform you into a new person BY CHANGING THE WAY YOU
THINK. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and
pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:2 NLT)
Hallelujah!!
To be continued…..
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