HE WILL BAPTIZE YOU WITH THE HOLY GHOST

“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:” — Matthew 3:16 KJV

John the Baptist was the forerunner of Christ.  That means that his job was to point to Jesus, who was soon to come on the scene in Israel.  It’s interesting to note the way He introduced Jesus.  

First impressions are important. When you think about it, it seems to make sense that the first thing you say about someone when you’re introducing them is extremely important.  When introducing a friend to a new acquaintance you might say, “He is in the military,” or “She is a real estate investor,” or “He is from Hawaii.”  You would probably want to say something about the person that your introducing that 1) is a very important fact about them; 2) reveals what you think about when you think about them; 3) describes what they do that makes them unique; 4) is the most relevant thing about them.  

When John the Baptist introduced Jesus, He pointed people to Jesus as the one who would baptize them in the Holy Spirit.  The Gospel of John also introduces Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).  But all four gospels introduce Jesus as “The One who will baptize you in the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33).  The fact that Jesus is described as the heavenly Baptizer in the Holy Ghost in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John is staggering.  It must be vitally important to God the we encounter Jesus in this way.  It is imperative — not optional — that we are baptized in the Holy Spirit.  

What is the baptism in the Holy Spirit?  Well, think about what a “baptism” is.  The word “baptism” means “immersion.”  John the Baptist used water baptism as an illustration of the baptism in the Holy Spirit.  In other words, the experience someone has when they’re immersed in water is a picture of what happens to someone who is baptized in the Holy Spirit.  They are completely “all in.”  They are submerged.  Their whole being is taken over and placed into a different substance.  

The baptism in the Holy Spirit is an immersion into the life in the Spirit.  It’s not just a one-time encounter.  It’s not just for youth camp or a revival service or something you do so you can say you’re a “Spirit-filled” Christian.  Yes, it is an encounter— but it’s an encounter that’s really an invitation to an immersion in the Spirit.  

You can life your Christian life trying to do it on your own, or you can live by the Spirit.  We are invited to an immersion.  We are invited not just to live for God — but to live with God.  And that happens when we are immersed in His presence.  

Have you been immersed in the Spirit? And if so, are you taking full advantage of being immersed in the Spirit?  Let me encourage you today — and everyday — to set aside time to pray in the Spirit, be filled with the Spirit, be led by the Spirit, and walk in the Spirit.