Daily Bread - Oct 21 2006

John 1:33 - "I did not know Him but the One who sent me to baptize in water He said to me, the One that you see the Spirit come down on and remain upon He is the one that will baptize in the Holy Spirit."

John described Jesus as the Baptizer in the Holy Spirit. However, this dimension of Jesus' ministry would not begin until after he was crucified, raised from the dead, ascended and exalted to the right hand of the Father.

Our wonderful Lord and Savior would first destroy the power and domination of sin over man through His death on the cross and then began His ministry of baptizing each believer in the Holy Spirit. The baptism of the Holy Spirit would immerse the believer into the glory and power of the eternal God. It is a terrible tragedy that so many have made this glorious ministry of Jesus a point of debate and contention. The privilege that we have all been given of being endued with the glory and power of God should create in each of us an eager anticipation for the fullness of this glory in our lives. Jesus mentioned this outpouring of His glory on those who would believe, many times. One example of this was when He called out to the general population gathered at Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles and invited them to come and drink of the water that He desired to give them so that "rivers of living water" would flow out of the depths of their lives, "Now this He spoke concerning the Spirit whom they that believe in Him were about to receive, for the Holy Spirit was not yet given because Jesus was not yet glorified." (John 7:38-39).

After sin and the inspiration of the Satanic realm was stripped off of man God desired to fill men with rivers of divine inspiration so that His very own glory might radiate from the heart and face of the redeemed. Therefore, Jesus told all those who followed Him to tarry in Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high (Luke 24:49).

When Jesus ascended to the Father and was exalted having been given a name that is above all other names He baptized all those who obeyed Him with the Holy Spirit and fire. Peter makes it very clear that the baptism in the Holy Spirit was the sign that Jesus was exalted and thereby associates this outpouring with what John the Baptist had said of Jesus and with what Jesus had said during the Feast of Tabernacles six months earlier, "Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, He has poured forth this, which ye now see and hear" (Acts 2:33). Jesus made it very clear that it was a command that His disciples receive this baptism of the Holy Spirit if they were to be his witnesses (Acts 1:4,5,8).

Approximately 20 years after the event of Pentecost Paul is still preaching the same message that John the Baptist had preached. Paul tells those whom he had found at Ephesus of their need for the baptism of the Holy Spirit and repeats what John the Baptist said concerning Jesus. Then when he had laid his hands on them they all began to "speak with tongues and prophesied." I pray that you will hunger and thirst for all that Father desires to bless you with.

Blessings,

Pastor Mark Spitsbergen
www.abidingplace.org