Baptism Of The Lord

I baptize you with water, but someone is coming who is much greater than I am. I am not good enough even to untie his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

We are welcome to the first Sunday after Epiphany. And as usual the Lord has been good unto us.

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Today, I want us to reflect on the theme;

Baptism Of The Lord

Acts 8:14-17

14
When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria.
15
When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit,
16
because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
17
Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

15
The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah.
16
John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
17
His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
21
When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened
22
and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

Baptism of the Holy Spirit is the out pouring of the spirit onto believers.

For us to understand this baptism of the spirit, we will look at in 2 school of thoughts, thus the classical pentecostals and the consecutive evangelicals.

The Classical pentecostals believes that when one is been baptized by the Spirit, the person should and must be able to speak in tongues. They have the notion that, speaking in tongues is a sign that one has been really been baptized by the Spirit.

John the Baptist stated it clear that, he was baptizing with water but there is one that is coming, that he (John the Baptist) is not wealthy to untie His saw sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. John here was introducing Jesus to the public. It took 3 years for the prophecy to come to past.

In the 1st reading above Peter and Paul lead hands and they spoke in tongues

With the Consecutive evangelical, they also believes that one those not have to speak in tongues, to be seen that the Holy Spirit have baptized Him. They understand that, the Holy Spirit has many fruits and that one has to posses some of these fruits in Him, when he is been baptized by the Holy Spirit.

In our Christian life today, people ask so that it mean someone who speaks in tongues is powerful than a cleaner, who also tries Her best to keep the Church clean always? Just as we learn from 1 Corinthians 12:15.

In Acts 8:26-40, we got to know how
Philip Baptized the Ethiopian official and the Spirit of the Lord took Philip away.

• When one speaks in tongues, he speaks spirits to God and edifices Him.

• When we speak in tongues, God is granting us the grace to walk with him in truth and in spirit

• When we speak in tongues, it enables us to overcome some weakness (stealing, fornication)

We have to start somewhere, If you don't pay your rent to where you sleep, you have no license to sleep there.

Today, the Lord is calling us to walk with him like He said to Israel, when you walk through fire you won't burn and when you walk through water, you will not be sprinkled.
I know as believers challenges may come but with the Holy Spirit on our side we will always overcome.