The Mighty God With Us

Emmanuel, Jesus The Baptizer

Matthew 3:11-12; Acts 1:4-8.

 

“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: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:11-12). The word baptise is ‘baptizo’ in the original, and it means to immerse and dip an object into the liquid until it is totally submerged. When John baptised, He did not just sprinkle water on the candidates for baptism, he immersed them in water. After repentance and the fruits of repentance, John the Baptist introduced his audience to Jesus who would baptise them with the Holy Ghost and with fire. Christ sanctifies, purges, and takes all the chaff and nonessentials from his people. “And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:4-5, 8). After we are saved to become citizens of the kingdom, sanctified, and established in the kingdom, the Lord promises us power. At salvation, we have power for sonship, at sanctification, we have power for sanctification, and when we receive the Holy Ghost, we have power for service. For us, we receive the power to be witnesses of Christ to the uttermost part of the earth and the last decade of this dispensation until Christ comes. This power is given to us by Emmanuel, Jesus the Baptizer.

 

        1.   THE PROPHECY AND PROMISE OF THE BAPTISM

Joel 2:28-29; Acts 2:16-18.

 

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.” (Joel 2:2829). God gives a promise of pouring His spirit upon all flesh, and the flesh here refers to human beings after they are saved and sanctified. “But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:” (Acts 2:16-18). When the fulfilment of the prophecy of Joel happened in Acts of the Apostles, they spoke with new tongues. Their baptism was not just for them to speak in tongues but also to prophesy. God’s promise is for both young and old, and that’s how we know that God does not expect anyone to retire from the preaching of the gospel if they have the Holy Ghost, no matter how old they get.

 

  • The Prophecy and Its Fulfilment Joel 2:28-29, Isaiah 44:3; 55:10-11; Acts 2:1618. “For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring:” (Isaiah 44:3). If we are thirsty and desirous, our mind, hearts, and desires will be on receiving the power, baptism, and immersion in the Holy Ghost. When the promise and prophecy are fulfilled, God will pour the Holy Ghost upon those who are as dry as the desert like water upon dry ground. “For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:10-11). When God promises or proclaims anything, He fulfils it. This is what gives us the assurance that the prophecy of Holy Ghost baptism will be fulfilled.

 

  • The Promise of the Father Luke 24:49; John 14:16-17, 26; 15:26; Luke 11:9-13. “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49). For every promise and prophecy that we get from the Father, we must tarry and wait until we have the fulfilment of that promise. This promised power is not the power to shake, shout, or run around, but it is the power from on high. “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” (John 14:16-17). When we have the Holy Ghost, we have the resident Comforter living inside us and we won’t be worried and anxious when problems and pressure come. Society is a world of liars, deceivers, and untruthful people, and they cannot receive the Holy Ghost because He is the Spirit of truth. At salvation, the Spirit bears witness in your heart, at sanctification, the Holy Spirit is with you, and when you are baptised in the Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit will be in you. “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” (John 14:26). When you are baptised in the Holy Ghost, He resides in you and alerts you when anyone is teaching error around you. The Holy Spirit also brings all that Christ has commanded us to our remembrance.

 

  • The Performance in its Fulness John 14:17, 26; 15:26-27, 16:12-13, Acts 4:713. “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.” (John 15:26-27). You do yourself a lot of disfavour when you lie because the Holy Ghost will not reside in you. Because the Chief Witness lives inside you, you will have the power, passion, and purpose to witness in you as well. “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” (John 16:12-13). When you are not baptised in the Holy Ghost, you will not be able to know many things that Christ wants to reveal to you. There are levels, heights, and depths of truth that you cannot bear until you are baptised with the Holy Ghost. When the Holy Ghost comes, He leads the preacher, the church, and the entire membership into all truth.

 

        2. THE POSSESSION OF POWER THROUGH THE BAPTISM

Acts 1:4-8; Romans 15:18-19.

 

When we are baptised, Christ Himself has promised to make His power reside in us. “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8). The disciples already had the power of sonship in salvation, and they had sanctification and holiness, but when the Holy Ghost comes, He reactivates all the power we had earlier that was dormant.

 

  • The Promised Power for the Baptized Acts 1:8, 6:3-5a, 7-8; 4:31-33; 1 Thessalonians 1:5. The power that Christ promised is for all believers. “Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 6:3-5). Dishonesty will hinder you from having the fulfilment of the prophecy and the promise of God. When we receive the Holy Ghost, He comes into our lives with faith, upgrades and increases our faith, makes our faith grow, and gives us the fulness of faith. “And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.” (Acts 6:7-8). Stephen was full of faith and power because He had the Holy Ghost resident in him. When you tarry, wait, and ask for the power of the Holy Ghost, He will come. “And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.” (Acts 4:31-33). When you are baptised in the Holy Ghost and you have the resident Comforter and Counsellor dwelling in you, you will not complain or look for sympathisers during persecution and speak the word of God with boldness. “For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.” (1 Thessalonians 1:5). The presence of the Holy Ghost in our lives makes our words to become weighty and penetrating.

 

  • The Prevailing Power Through the Baptized Mark 16:15-20, Matthew 10:1, 8; Luke 10:17-19, Acts 16:16-18. “And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.” (Matthew 10:1). During the earthly ministry of Jesus, He had given His disciples power to cast out unclean spirits and the power to affirm the truth, but the power had become dormant in them. “And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:17-19). The power Christ gave His disciples here had become dormant in them and they were now afraid of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and of the conditions around them. But when the Holy Ghost comes, He reactivates the dormant power we had before and gives us more power. “And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.” (Acts 16:16-18). As you go on in life and ministry, you will encounter people with extrasensory power, you will not be able to carry out the purpose and the project of your life if you don’t have the Holy Ghost in your life. If you don’t have the Holy Ghost, flatterers will suck you in, but when you pray and tarry in the presence of the Lord for the power, He will give you the Spirit of discernment.

 

  • The piercing power of the baptized Acts 2:1-4, 37-42; John 16:7-14, Acts 24:24-25, 16:29-31. “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:1-4). When we are faithful to the word of God and we abide by the word of God we read, we will also receive the Holy Ghost. The disciples received the Holy Ghost and spoke in tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance, not as the preacher gave them utterance. “Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” (Acts 2:37-42). When the people heard the preaching of Peter inspired by the Holy Ghost, they were not offended but were pricked in their hearts and asked what they could do to be saved. When the disciples were baptised in the Holy Ghost, beyond speaking in tongues, they also had the power and courage to declare the word of God. I pray that the same power will be upon every one of us in Jesus Name.

 

        3. THE PRAYER AND PASSION WITH THE BAPTISM

Acts 4:31; 16:25-26.

If you are going to follow the example of Jesus who went early in the morning to pray in a solitary place, you need the resident Holy Ghost in you to help you have the same prayer pattern. The same power in Christ will be in your life, whether you are sad or sorrowful, glad, or happy, down, or up, and the prayer of your life will be so definite that in whatever situation you find yourself, you will pray. You have the Holy Ghost baptism by praying and you keep the Holy Ghost baptism by praying.

 

  • The Prayer of Faith for the Baptism Luke 11:9-13; James 1:5-6; Mark 11:24; Acts 1:4-5,14. “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” (Luke 11:9, 13). When we come to the heavenly Father in prayer, and we cannot tarry till we receive the Holy Ghost, the church will be powerless. It is not the pastor that gives the Holy Spirit, it is the heavenly Father that gives us the Holy Spirit. “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.” (James 1:5-6). As you ask the Lord in faith, He will answer. “Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” (Mark 11:24). Whatever we desire in prayer—salvation, sanctification, or the Holy Ghost power—if we believe, we will receive them.

 

  • The Passion with Fire Through the Baptism Matthew 3:11-12; Jeremiah 20:9;

23:29; Hebrews 1:7. “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: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:1112). If you are satisfied with the coldness in your heart, you will not pray for the baptism of the Holy Ghost. But when you pray, desire, and are passionate about the experience, the Lord will baptise you with the Holy Ghost and with fire. Examine your life and present every chaff in it before the Lord and He will burn them with unquenchable fire. 

 

  • The Perseverance with Fervency After the Baptism Acts 5:18-21, 25, 28-29, 40-42; 20:20-24, Romans 12:11; 1 Corinthians 16:15. After having the power, fulness, and baptism in the Holy Spirit, we must continue in the experience. Every time you are about to do the next thing, remember to reactivate, renew, and revive the power of the Holy Ghost and the power will keep on burning forever and ever in your life in Jesus Name. He will give you passion that will not stop, fire that will not be quenched, and the fulness that will never go down in Jesus Name. “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” (Acts 1:8). When you receive the power of the Holy Ghost, there will be a force inside you that will drive and move you to be witnesses unto Him.

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