John the Baptist said,
with the Holy Spirit."
Mark 1:8
When John said this, most people probably didn’t understand what he meant … at least not fully.
Before John, baptism was already a Jewish rite. Mainly it was for conversion. It was a final step in foreigner becoming Jewish.
John’s baptism had a similar and yet totally different focus! John’s was a baptism of repentance. But the thrust of that baptism of repentance was almost like a conversion. You were converting from a life of dead faith to become more fully Jewish … or really, more fully devoted to God! (Indeed, with the coming of the Messiah, faith in God was become less about your ancestral heritage – how Jewish you were – and more about a living faith in God and his Son).
Based on the crowds that flocked to John at the Jordan, people understood this. They were hungry for renewal.
The baptism that would come through Jesus was another significant step forward! With the gift of the Spirit – that comes through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit – there’s POWER. Before the gift of the Spirit, our conversion, faith, identity, and integrity are all done on our power. But because of the power of the Holy Spirit, we are constantly assisted in our faith and faithfulness.
Before the gift of the Spirit, the disciples, for example, huddled in locked rooms. They were fearful after the crucifixion. And they were sedentary even after the resurrection. But come Pentecost, when Jesus poured out his Holy Spirit (Baptizing them with the Spirit’s Power), they went from fearful and sedentary to bold and missionary!
You’ve been given this same power. All believers have. And yet we often choke it back.
Nevertheless, it’s there for the asking. And a good first step is repentance. We can’t expect God to bless us when we’re not living according to his principles.
In Christ’s Love,
a guy who wants to
get wet and then dry
(baptism wets and washes … but then
I want blown dry by the Fire of the Spirit)
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