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NASB | Acts 8:12 But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Acts 8:12 But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, both men and women. |
Subject: Spirit Baptism |
Bible Note: Hi Iktoose, Yes, the Holy Spirit comes and baptizes you into the body of Christ. The body of Christ did not exist until God sent the Holy Spirit when Jesus was exalted at his right hand. Yes, when a person asks Jesus into their heart, it is the Holy Spirits work to put them into the body of Christ (refer to the previous scripture given in the last post.) It is also the Holy Spirit that empowers them to be witnesses, or perhaps another way to say it is, fills them with Himself and gives them utterance, so they can speak to God in a heavenly language, by the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:4, And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, AND began to speak with tongues, (how?) as the (Holy) Spirit gave them utterance (or speach). Again Jesus said that was to empower believers Acts 1:8, and as you study the happenings when the apostles laid hands on people that same thing happened to them. It is what God told John would come, AFTER the Holy Ghost was dispatched to earth, AFTER Jesus went back to heaven. God didn't tell them everything. But Peter, whom Jesus said, had the KEYS to the kingdom of heaven, discerned what was happening. He recognized it was the fulfilling of Joel 2:28 where God had prophesied through Joel that this would happen in the future. Little did he know it would be thousands of years until that time. That was none of his business, it was God's, and he, as a prophet, had learned that God says some things that are pertinent to the day and also to thousands of years later. There is a five fold ministry, God set in the church, Eph 4:11 He gave some (not all) apostles, SOME prophets, SOME evangelists, SOME pastors and SOME teachers. Note he didn't say everyone would do those things.. Think about it, if everyone was doing the same thing, who would you minister to? Think of Israel, God chose one twelveth of the whole nation to be priest, not all 12 tribes! It's the same with the five fold ministry..Some, not all, are put in the offices. For what purpose? Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ. Jesus was the first body builder. Arnold Swartznigger doesn't even hold a candle to Jesus :) Oops, being wordy again...sorry... No, all people do not have the same job from God. It is God's choice who is an apostle, etc, it is not just because a person decides to "be" an apostle. It doesn't work that way. Hope this is not to wordy...and we are on the same page. There is a work of the Holy Spirit in putting us into the body of Christ, there is a second work of the Holy Spirit to equip the church for ministry "TO" the body of Christ. Isn't that what the Apostles were doing? And yes, water baptism is an outward testimony to all people that your allegience is to Jesus Christ, but that the work has already been done BEFORE you were baptized. An outward show, of an inward change. The new creature God created is what saves you, the baptism is Johns, of repentance, water baptism, not this baptism for service. Always in Christ, C.S.M. |