The baptism in the Holy Spirit is the greatest gift ever given to the church while salvation was the greatest gift given to the world. As vital as it is for the world to receive salvation, it is also vital that the church receives this earth-shattering experience of the baptism in the Holy Spirit. A sinner can’t get to Heaven apart from salvation, and the church can’t be effective in winning the lost without the baptism. So, what is this baptism in the Holy Spirit? We know that when we are saved, we receive the spirit in a measure but there is a subsequent experience that we can have the Spirit without measure.
“To illustrate, if we drank water from a glass, then the water would be inside us. However, if we went to the beach and stepped into the ocean, then we would be in the water. We receive, as it were, a drink of the Holy Spirit when we are saved, but when we are baptized in the Spirit, it is as if that initial drink becomes an ocean that completely surrounds us.
Just as the indwelling Spirit that Christians receive when they are saved reproduces the life of Jesus, so the outpoured, or baptizing, Spirit reproduces the ministry of Jesus, including miracles and healings.”[1]
Luke
24:49 (KJV)
49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.
The
word translated “endue” means to be clothed or covered. This reveals to us that
it was necessary to be baptized in the Spirit BEFORE going out to represent
Christ to the masses. If a person goes out into the world to preach the Gospel
without being endued with power to effectively carry out the mission, will be
embarrassed. It’s just like a person who leaves their house without putting
clothes on will be embarrassed being brought on by their nakedness. No one will
take the naked person seriously no matter what the person says or claims. They
will be laughed at, and no honor will be given. I am afraid the church today is
being embarrassed because of the nakedness of powerlessness. Instead of
tarrying until power clothes us, the church is changing the Gospel to accommodate
its weakness and excuse its nakedness. The pulpits are being filled with psychological
babble in the attempt to cover their nakedness with the fig leaves of self
instead of being covered by God through sacrifice.
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