Baptism and the Holy Spirit

Ultimately, when an individual responds to their baptismal call, a community of Christian believers are united under the goal of guiding the initiated. Thus, this attained unity allows the faith to prosper like a living religion. Furthermore, re-birth from sin is intrinsically connected to the death and resurrection of Jesus. This is a fundamental belief throughout Christianity, though it is practiced differently. “Baptism is the sacrament of regeneration through water in the word.” (CCC, 1213). Regardless of the denomination, all baptism rituals symbolise beliefs in the Christian faith, all involves water. Some denominations, like Lutheran practice the sprinkling of water over the head of an initiate, while Pentecostals, practice immersing the head of the initiate in the water. Thus a reminder that, “Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.”, for individuals who have been initiated that they made a commitment to the teachings, practices and life of of the community. The baptised should live a life of faith as modelled on the example of Jesus, who forgave their sin. The last belief derived from Baptism, is the believed in the Trinity. Through the guidance and support of the Holy Spirit, an individual's is able to carry out God’s word, and evangelise and spread the message of Jesus. “One will come more powerful that I, and he

Acts of the Apostles chronicles the rapid advancement of the Gospel by way of the gift of the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit in the Acts of the Apostles: The Charismatic Community in Mission” takes into account the narratives succeeding Pentecost including Spirit Baptisms from Samaria to Ephesus (Acts

Tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the

Often held as a rite of passage and entrance into the Christian church, baptism is much more than just symbolic ritual. Baptism was commanded by Jesus Christ in the Great Commission recounted in the book of Matthew. Even though we are simplistically called to be obedient by being baptized the Christian church has long debated the aspects of this ordinance. Denominations are divided on the basic meaning, types and modes of baptism even two thousand years after the founding of the Christian church. Just as the other ordinance, the Lord’s Supper, congregations find themselves at odd with tradition, biblical interpretation and even individual understanding. However, the simple message of this awe inspiring act can be explained out of the

It is also important to see their obedience Then the apostles returned to Jerusalem (acts 1:12) Jesus told them to return to Jerusalem and wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit, and that is exactly what they did. They heard what he had sad and responded to what Jesus told them to do, even though He was no longer physically present with them. This was major key in ushering in the power of the holy Spirit.

The fact that those who are connected to Christ are indwelt by the Trinity and empowered by the Spirit of God remains true for Christians today. In Acts 1:8 Jesus had promised the disciples power when the Holy Spirit came upon them and in Acts 2:38 Peter, having preached Christ crucified and raised from the dead, made it clear that those who, by faith, were baptized into Christ would receive the gift of the

In Acts 2:1-4, Paul recounts Pentecost as the ultimate outpouring of the Holy Spirit to all believers, indwelling and granting them with spiritual gifts. Ephesians 4:11-12 explains that these Spirit-given

It was first revealed at Jesus’ Baptism where: “And Jesus being baptized, forthwith came out of the water: and lo, the heavens were opened to him: and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him. And behold a voice from heaven, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. [sic]” (Matthew 3:16-17). Then in His ascension Jesus commands them to go forth baptizing in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. At the Last Supper also Jesus tells His Apostles that He will ask the Father to send the Spirit upon

And in terms of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, Jesus is the baptizer. He places you into the Holy Spirit's power. Jesus, is the baptizer in the Spirit . And you seek Him. You don't seek the Spirit. You seek the Lord and ask for His power, and He places you into the Holy

Baptism in (or with) the Holy Spirit is a very important, distinctive Christian experience in the life of the believer. The basis is found in the book of Acts, specifically the event of Pentecost.

All Christians know about the Great Commission, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20, English Standard Version). In that command, Jesus tells us to baptize in the name of the Trinity. What does the word “baptism” mean? Baptimsa and sometimes baptismos, the Greek word origin of “baptism”, can translate to “immersion” or “bathing” without any religious implications (McGowan, 2014). Nearly every Christian church practices baptism with a religious implication; however, they do not agree on God’s activity in, the qualifications for admitting a person to, and methods of administering baptism. For instance, many churches do not baptize people until they become adults and make a profession of faith, while others encourage baptizing an infant soon after they are born. The practices and philosophy for baptism changed throughout its use in the New Testament, the Early Church, and the Medieval era.

In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit is the source of life and creation. The Holy Spirit worked in the lives of men that God placed His Spirit upon such as prophets and kings to perform His service. Therefore, the Holy Spirit was not given universally in the Old Testament but selectively and temporarily for service. However, in the New Testament, the Spirit grants life to God’s people and believers are brought to faith, in Jesus, through the sovereign work of the Spirit.

Paul told his followers to do this after commanding them to be Spirit filled in Ephesians 5 18-19 it states.

Spirit baptism has been an important topic in the Church for a really long time and while we discuss this topic we always have several questions rising about this issue. Churches have different perspective about the way they address the issue. The common question which arises with this topic are that, some of the Churches claim that spirit baptism is demonstrated after receiving the gifts of tongues and the other issues which often raises is that its relation with the word.

THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT: OUR FRIEND, COMFORTER, TEACHER, AND PART OF THE TRINITY