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NASB | John 7:38 "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'" |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 7:38 "He who believes in Me [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Me], as the Scripture has said, 'From his innermost being will flow continually rivers of living water.'" [Is 58:11; John 4:14] |
Subject: When does the Baptism occur? |
Bible Note: Greetings R. R. Scott! Thank you for your response! You said that you went to "Jesus '74" in Mercer, PA.. Was this an "outdoor" fellowship, or a gathering of Christian singing groups, much like the annual outdoor 3 day gathering near Asbury College called ICTHUS in Wilmore, KY? I have personally attended ICTHUS twice, in '92 and '94. But I have heard that there are more of these types of "gatherings", and I was wondering whether Jesus '74 was something along those lines. :-) Thank you for sharing a little of your testimony! Pentecostals, as compared to Mennonites or Methodists, do have a different interpretation of Baptism, but answers based upon the Bible was what I was looking for, and I appreciate you supplying Scripture to underscore your answer! I appreciate the fact that you did say that you "do not hold that a believer must have the Pentecostal experience to either be saved or grow in the Lord.." Here is my experience, so that you may know where I come from.. I was born as the son of a United Methodist pastor in 1976. I was baptised as an infant in 1976. I was "all boy" (as my Mother would put it) as a child and I showed the sinful nature from the start! :-) In 1984, I gave my heart to the Lord Jesus Christ, and I began to earnestly study and read the Bible. What initially drew me to the Lord was when I asked myself, "What am I doing here? What is the purpose of the human race?" And every time I came to the same Answer: "There is a God in heaven!" However, my faith grew cold during my teenage years and I drifted away from the faith, involving myself in many other things! But I remembered the Lord, and He remembered me, and I felt an unresistable calling to have a much closer relationship with Him! In 1995, I re-committed my life to serving the Lord, and I joined a Conservative Mennonite Church last year, as well as being "re-baptized" by immersion. Yes, I believe in "Believer's Baptism", and I believe that my first baptism as an infant was nothing more than a "baby dedication." So I decided to make it "official" and thus be at peace with my water baptism forever. However, I am convinced that I have been fully saved and secure since I first willingly gave my heart to the Lord (in 1984), even though I have drifted, came back, joined a church, and have been re-baptized. Yes, I have been forever changed since that moment, and I believe that the Holy Spirit has been active in my life ever since! So this is pretty much how I come to my thinking that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit begins at the moment of salvation. But I never said that it ends there (at the moment of salvation), and I believe that we are sealed for the Day of redemption. But this is only my opinion, and I will welcome all responses. Blessings to you, Makarios |