The Equipping Power of Baptism

May 11, 2018

Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” Acts 2:38-39

The Early Church models what Christianity is to be in the 21st century. Those believers went into the upper room, they prayed, and came out changed. The disciple Peter used to be a denier of Jesus. But in one day he was filled with the Holy Spirit and led over 3,000 people to Jesus (Matthew 26:74; Acts 2:14-41). Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we have the same mission to make Jesus known!

WATER BAPTISM. Baptism is a significant moment in the life of a Christian. Being baptized in water is an outward expression of the inward change of new life in Jesus (Galatians 3:27). The old person you once were has passed away, and the new person you are in Christ is alive and well! For a believer, going under that water symbolizes the death of the old person you were before salvation. Coming up out of the water symbolizes rising up into new life in Jesus (Romans 6:4).

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth. Acts 1:8

BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT. Jesus promised that after He died and rose again, He would send us another Helper — the Holy Spirit. This promise of the Holy Spirit is for every person who receives Jesus as Savior. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is a separate event that happens after a person has become a Christian (John 20:22; Acts 1:5). It is a baptism of power and fullness (Acts 1:8). It gives us the ability to receive and function in the gifts of the Holy Spirit so that we can benefit the global Church and carry the message of Jesus Christ to the world (Luke 24:49; Mark 16:17).

God bless you!
Pastor Jeff

PRAY THIS PRAYER (Based on Colossians 1:9-11):
I pray that I may be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding so that I will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord and please Him in all respects: bearing fruit in every good work, increasing in the knowledge of God, and strengthened with all power. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

bap·tize, verb
To initiate. To cleanse or purify

Copyright © 2018 St. Louis Family Church. All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. “baptize” The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2018 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Web. 09 May 2018.