Baptism, Power, & Other Stuff

After being away from the blog for a week, it's hard to nail down exactly what to share. There was so much that happened during the Fresh Oil ~ New Wine Conference. I witnessed many of our people experience incredible breakthroughs in their spiritual life. We heard some incredible messages and spent the entire week immersed in the presence of God.

Yesterday I shared with our church family The Need for God's Manifest Presence. The text came out of Acts 4 where we find the early church having an incredible encounter with the presence of God. The house they were gathered in shook and each person was filled with the Holy Spirit. The came out of that encounter speaking the Word of God with boldness. Oh, how our churches need to experience this type of shaking & filling. I told the PBC Family that this type of shaking brings an awakening.

We focused a lot of attention on the baptism of Jesus. Jesus went to John to be baptized because He said that it "fulfilled all righteousness." It was this act of obedience that led the Father to open the heavens and send the Holy Spirit upon Him. The ministry of Jesus began after this encounter. He was led into the wilderness to be tempted - He overcame, He went into the cities and towns and preached the Kingdom of God - healing the sick, raising the dead, performing signs and wonders, & delivering those who were oppressed by the devil.

Here's what the Bible teaches us about baptism:

Romans 6:3-4, "Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."

Galatians 3:27, "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ."

Colossians 2:12, "buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead."

Baptism for many people in the Baptist denomination has lost it's meaning. While we may understand the necessity of it, we may not understand the spiritual implications. It is through this act of obedience that we identify with the death, burial & resurrection of Jesus. We die with Him and are raised with Him through a faith filled act. Baptism is circumcision in the Spirit. Just as the Jews were set apart by the cutting away of their flesh, followers of Jesus are set apart through baptism. It links us together with the inheritance of Abraham. God has seen fit to graft us into the vine.

I also believe that just as Jesus encountered the power of God resting upon Him after His baptism that believers today can walk in a greater anointing of God's Holy Spirit upon their lives. When you and I enter into those baptism waters understanding the spiritual implication (rather than just following through with an ordinance of the church), we can come out of those waters under the power of God's Spirit resting upon us. Had I not seen this in action during the following week, I don't know if I would have developed this understanding. I watched as at least 60 people went through baptism waters - some to publicly profess their faith in Christ and others as a step of faith being baptized into their future inheritance. It was amazing.

Jesus being baptized in the Jordan River is significant. It is this same body of water that Israel had to cross to enter into all the promises of God. It was also during the passing through of the Jordan that the ark of God went from leading Israel to following behind them (Read Joshua 3). The glory of God began to follow His people. Jesus tells us that "These signs shall follow them that believe..." After we have experienced His baptism (water & Spirit), we are able to walk in all the promises of God. This is not an act of works but an act of faith!

I could go on...however, I want you to consider if you are walking in all that God's Word promises us. Are you experiencing the "much more" of the Holy Spirit? Have you encountered the power and presence of God? I'm not referring to your salvation experience but something completely separate. Many men and women of faith have had this type of encounter: Charles Finney, Charles Stanley, D.L. Moody, etc. I have also had this type of encounter with the presence and power of God. And what I can tell you from experience is that the Holy Spirit IS the difference maker in our lives. Do you want more?