Holy Spirit, come this morning and set a fire inside my soul, that I can’t contain, that I cant control.
This Sunday I will have the honor to baptize 4 teenagers in a good friend of mine’s swimming pool. It will be a joyful day of celebration! I prayed of this day and these youths this morning and my thoughts turned to baptism.
All throughout both the Old Testament and the New Testament anointing of people, altars, places, and ministries was an act in which they were set- apart, commissioned, consecrated, sealed as God’s chosen instruments for his glory and his purpose. In you baptism, you also were set-apart, commissioned, consecrated, sealed as God’s chosen child for his glory and his purpose and you were also seals by the fire of the holy Spirit.
In the lexicon BDAG, Baptism, in Greek “Baptizo” from the word “Bapto,” means to dip or dye. A person in the first century would take his plain cloth to a “bapto” and if they dipped it in a pot of red dye, the dye would penetrate every fiber of the cloth and the cloth that came out would forever be identified as the color red. You in your baptism were covered in the blood of Christ through the Holy Spirit that penetrated every fiber of your being and you are forever now identified in Christ. (Rev. 13:19)
Baptizo, baptism also has another meaning. As a military term it means “to completely overwhelm, annihilate, and conquer”. Josephus, Antiquities, a Jewish historian at the time of the life of Jesus, wrote in 70AD describing Rome’s invasion of Israel and destruction of the Temple, “Israel was baptized by Rome.” The Temple was completely overwhelmed, conquered, and over-run by Rome.. When you were baptized, the Holy Spirit “invaded” every aspect of you spiritually and physically and your flesh was overwhelmed, conquered, and over-run by the Spirit. Just like the “Baptism” of Christ in his death and resurrection was a violent and cataclysmic event, so was your baptism, as you were baptized with and in Christ. (2Cor .5:17)
In Matt 3:11 John the Baptist cries out, “I baptize you with water, for repentance, but the one coming after me is more powerful than I am - I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. You were anointed by the Holy Spirit at your baptism and marked, set apart, consecrated, and sealed for God’s glory. You were overwhelmed and over run by the Holy Spirit and surrendered to the Lordship of Christ. How long has it been since you were baptized? Do you remember it? Are you living out that anointing and setting apart you received for being washed by the blood of Christ?
My family, I pray you read Acts 2:1-13, Joel 2:28-32 and the passages I’ve listed above. Then spend some time this morning in prayer remembering your baptism, and the anointing you received. Ask the Holy Spirit for a new anointing and refilling of his Spirit into your life. If you never have yet accepted being baptized and receiving the anointing of the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus and been made new, I pray to will accept it today. I’d love to talk to you about it, and I am sure your pastor, youth leader, spouse or a friend would as well. Please pray the same for me. God bless you my friends!!
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