Newsletter/Article Index :   Daily Devotional

Date Posted	November 21, 2007
Article Title	One Baptism: Spirit, Water or Both
Posted By	Greg Richardson
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One Baptism: Spirit, Water or Both Acts 19:1 through Acts 19:7 (NIV) While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied. Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve men in all. Today we are going to embark upon a journey one that is filled with many pitfalls that can lead to either Heaven or it can lead to hell, the destination is truly up to us, so since I do not want to spend anytime at all in Hell let us set our destination to be Heaven and proceed from their. In our scripture Paul asks a question that I ask you, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” These people in Ephesus were not unlike us, they we people that were trying to make a living, trying to make things better for their children, and some of them realized that they could not do it on their own and sought after God for help, and some felt as if it was the right thing to do to worship God. Remember at this time the area was alive with news about Jesus, doing miracles, and rising from the dead, and this Paul, he was just telling everyone about Jesus. He was going from town to town spreading the news about the Son of God. When he arrived this time in Ephesus he found a people that had heard about John the Baptist that came before Jesus and believed about John. They knew that John existed, but they did not know Jesus or his miracles. Some may have heard about Jesus like we may know President Bush or Governor Blagoawitz head knowledge that is how they knew Jesus. The people at Ephesus were convinced about John because they acted. They got into a river and were baptized, but yet they seemed to have missed something. That reminds me of a drunk who stumbled along an old country style baptismal service on Sunday afternoon down by the river. He proceeded to walk down into the water and stand next to the Preacher. The minister turns and notices the old drunk and says, "Mister, Are you ready to find Jesus?" The drunk looks back and says, "Yes, Preacher. I sure am." The minister then dunks the fellow under the water and pulls him right back up. "Have you found Jesus?" the preacher asked. "No, I didn't!" said the drunk. The preacher then dunks him under for quite a bit longer, brings him up and says, "Now, brother, have you found Jesus?" "No, I did not Reverend." The preacher in disgust holds the man under for at least 30 seconds this time brings him out of the water and says in a harsh tone, "My God, have you found Jesus yet?" The old drunk wipes his eyes and says to the preacher..."Are you sure this is where he fell in?" Just like the people at Ephesus this drunk missed something he missed finding the living Jesus. These people at Ephesus were baptized with John’s baptism but some of them hadn’t heard about Jesus and the Holy Spirit. But these people needed more; they needed Jesus and the Holy Spirit that Paul told them about. So Paul proceeded to tell them about Jesus, how we was born to a virgin, lived a sinless life, died on a cross to pay for our sins, and on the third day he rose from the dead and appeared to many. Then to many peoples further amazement while standing and talking on the Mount of Olives Jesus rose into the air riding on a cloud into Heaven. Paul told the people of Ephesus about his experience on the road to Damascus and they come to know who Jesus is. They heard about the living Jesus who sits at the right hand of the Father. They realized that he was real, alive and defeated death not only for himself, but also for all who accept him into their heart. It was and is not enough to have head knowledge, facts and figures, about Jesus, no; people must know him in their heart. They must have heart knowledge of the Lord of Lords, Jesus the living Son of God. The people at Ephesus heard the news and were baptized into Jesus when Paul placed his hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. The living God came and lived within them and they joined the Church, the body of Christ. There was a young man named Michael who decided to join the Baptist Church. For those of you who don't know, the Baptists practice total body immersion to baptize a person. Luckily, Michael even knew a minister in that faith, having dated his daughter, and he asked him if he would consider performing the service. The minister paused a minute or two, gave a long thoughtful look and said, "Michael, if you're serious about this, a dipping just won't do it for you. We'll have to find a place to anchor you overnight." Just like the people at Ephesus and some of us, we need a little more than just water, H2O, we need living water, the Holy Spirit. Jesus told this to the Samaritan women at the well. He said in John 4:10-14 (NIV) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?” Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Jesus is telling us today that this living water becomes in us a spring of water welling up to eternal life. This great comforter, the Holy Spirit is what we need for eternal life, and being immersed or water baptism is an outward sign of what has taken place in our hearts. The young son of a Baptist minister was in church one morning when he saw for the first time baptism by immersion. He was greatly interested in it, and the next morning proceeded to baptize... you guessed it. His three cats... in the bathtub. The youngest kitten bore it very well, and so did the younger cat, but the old family tomcat rebelled. The old feline struggled with the boy, clawed and tore his skin, and finally got away. With considerable effort the boy caught the old tom again and proceeded with the "ceremony." But the cat acted worse than ever, clawing and spitting, and scratching the boy's face. Finally, after barely getting the cat splattered with water, he dropped him on the floor in disgust and said: "Fine, be a Methodist if you want to!" Today we stand at a point in our lives that we must make a choice, you must decide if you need that living water that Jesus said is needed for eternal life. The question becomes have you received the baptism of John or have you received the Baptism of Jesus. There is only one baptism and that baptism is the baptism into Christ Jesus. Some of you may have only received John’s baptism, but only you know this, you are the only one, besides God himself, if you still need the Baptism of Jesus. The Holy Spirit is nothing to fear, some people may be thinking, I do not want to be a Bible Thumper, or one of those Holy Rollers, the Holy Spirit is not strange and it is not a life filled with falling over and talking out of your head. The Holy Spirit is living water that is God and he comes to live inside of you to help guide you, direct you and give you comfort when everyone and thing around you is attacking you or trying to get the better of you, or when you beat yourself up over something you have said or done. This living water, the Holy Spirit cleanses us of our sins and cleanses us from ourselves. Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:3 (NKJV) “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” This requirement is not just of Nicodemus this requirement is for everyone. One Baptism, One Christ, One God and One Holy Spirit. The Baptism of Jesus is performed by Jesus himself through the Holy Spirit, as Jesus said in John 7:38 (NKJV) "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." Do you have this living water flowing within you, is this living water of Jesus flowing out of you. There is no greater life than a spiritual life in Christ, will you join that spiritual life in Christ?
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