The Baptism In The Holy Spirit

The Baptism In The Holy Spirit

The source of the gifts

1 Corinthians 12:4 & 11 - There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

Here Paul makes it clear that all the spiritual gifts are given by the Holy Spirit and is the only source of all the spiritual gifts. This passage also teaches us that the Holy Spirit distributes different gifts to each believer.

The gifts are distributed to individuals who are Spirit-filled. When a person becomes saved, the Holy Spirit already knows what spiritual gift or gifts they are going to receive which will empower them to do the ministry that God has for them.

Jesus and the Holy Spirit

Every time Jesus sent out ministers to proclaim the Kingdom of God, He sent them out with power.

When Jesus returned from the Wilderness, He began His ministry under the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 10:38 - How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.

God the Father and God the Holy Spirit were manifested on the day Jesus was baptized. The heavens were opened as the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus. God spoke audibly from heaven declaring Jesus to be the Son of God.

It is extremely significant that the Holy Spirit appeared in visible form, because the following things happened at the baptism of Jesus.

It marked the beginning of Christ’s ministry. It was at the Jordan River that Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit and power and He began His public ministry from that day. It showed the importance of the baptism of the Holy Spirit in ministry. Jesus did not embark on His public ministry without the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

It fulfilled all righteousness. The very presence of the Holy Spirit confirmed that Jesus Christ was all righteousness as He identified with sinners in His baptism. It showed God’s approval of His Son’s identification with humanity through His baptism. For Jesus to provide righteousness for sinners He must be identified with sinners.

It demonstrated God’s approval of Jesus. God declared audibly that Jesus is His beloved Son.

It confirmed the importance of water baptism, not for salvation, but identification with Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection.

The Holy Spirit is a Person and the third Person of the Trinity. Jesus is the Anointed One and promised that He would send the Holy Spirit to anoint His followers and to be a help and a comfort to them. The anointing is the manifest presence and power of God upon the life of a believer. It is the abiding effect of the Holy Spirit from the Anointed One, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. It is the fulfillment of the promise prophesied by many of the Old Testament prophets.

Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah, the prophesied Anointed One. When He began His ministry, He read Isaiah’s prophecy publicly in the synagogue and announced its fulfillment.

Isaiah 61:1-3 - The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, Because the LORD has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.

Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healed all that were oppressed of the devil.

The Old Testament anointing is a shadow of the New Covenant anointing. It pre-figures the fulfillment of prophetic promises concerning the anointing of the Spirit upon Jesus in order to break mankind’s yoke of sin and death.

The Jews knew that their coming Messiah would be the Anointed One.

Most references refer to the Person of Jesus Christ as Jesus the Anointed One. The term "Christ" is uniquely His as He is the source of the anointing upon every believer. The Bible warns of other "christs" who are impostors and who operate with a counterfeit anointing.

Jesus said that many will come in His name, declaring that they are “the Christ” and will mislead many. They are not to be believed or followed. According to God’s Word, those who deny that Jesus is the Christ are liars and antichrist.