WPC Blogs

Last week we saw the Holy Spirit at work in the conception of Jesus, today we will look at the Baptism of Jesus.  In Matthew 3:11 John the Baptist says, "I baptize you with water for repentance.  But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."  And in verses 16 and 17 Matthew writes, "As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water.  At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.  And a voice from heaven said, 'This is my son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.'"
 
This same spirit that descended upon Jesus at his baptism, John declares we will be baptized with by Jesus.  This is where the term "baptized with the Holy Spirit" originates.  How do we get baptized with the Holy Spirit, and when does this happen?  Well, remember we saw the Holy Spirit at work in the conception of Jesus.  It is clear from scripture that the Holy Spirit was present and actively involved in the life of Jesus from the very beginning.  We must remember that there is a difference between the presence of the Holy Spirit and the manifestation or evidence of that presence.  On the day of Jesus' baptism God allowed us to see a physical manifestation of the presence of the Holy Spirit in his life.  This pattern is repeated throughout the New Testament.  It was the same with Jesus' original disciples.  The Holy Spirit was present and actively working in the disciples lives, which is why they left their jobs to follow Jesus.  But on the day of Pentecost we see a manifestation of the Holy Spirit as it descended upon them as a group.  And throughout the book of Acts we see many manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers.  So, the Holy Spirit is actively involved in your life, even before you believe, leading you to God.  The question then becomes, not when am I baptized with the Holy Spirit, but when do I begin to recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life?  For me, once I had proclaimed my faith in Jesus Christ, I became more aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit.  I recognized my desire to know God; to become more like Christ; to be kind and gracious to others; and to serve in ministry as the prompting of the Spirit.  God has opened my eyes to see the presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of others as I witness their faithfulness to serve others.  How do you see the Spirit working in your life?  Or the lives of those around you?