New Wine, part 1

Baptizes with the Holy Spirit…John 1:33

John baptized with water, John 1:31. Jesus baptizes with the Holy Spirit, John 1:33. We get a glimpse into what the baptism of the Holy Spirit is in John 20: 2: Jesus said to them again, Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you. And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit.

Luke records another statement of Jesus in Acts 1:5: John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy spirit not many days from now. As it turned out, it would be only ten days, on the Day of Pentecost, that those who were assembled in the upper room were in fact baptized with the Holy Spirit, Acts 2:1-4.

The Bible uses several terms to describe how believers receive the Holy Spirit. We are baptized with the Spirit, Acts 1:5; we receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon us, Acts 1:8; and we are filled with the Holy Spirit, Acts 2:4. 

Could it be, each of these define the same thing? In other words, are these three separate views of the same event? If so, then when we are baptized with the Holy Spirit we are filled with the Holy Spirit and being filled with the Holy Spirit we receive His power. That is, when we are born again God gives us His Holy Spirit and we become the temple of the Spirit empowered to live as we have been created (or should we say, re-created) to live. 

Perhaps these are not three different experiences believers should be searching for. Perhaps we have all of God we shall ever have and should not be searching for another blessing. Perhaps we should not be looking for some physical evidence of the indwelling Spirit. Rather, we should be praising God for what we have: enough. For God’s grace is sufficient.