He That Hath an Ear, Let Him Hear" # 3

So our Lord Jesus Christ Himself baptizes us, immerses us, in the Spirit. Our Lord Jesus Christ baptizes us,  immerses us, in the Entire Realm that is in the Spirit. Our Lord Jesus Christ baptizes us, immerses us, in the Eternal Realm of the Spirit where the Holy Spirit is energizing and bringing about ALL that God Purposed in Christ.

In Acts 1:4, the Lord Jesus tells us that the baptism He shall baptize us "in," immerses us "in," is the promise of the Father. now what does this mean? It means this: somewhere in eternity past, in the counsels of the Godhead, God the Father gave the Son His Eternal Promise, Hi Eternal Word, and this Promise of the Father to the Son was that the Church His Body would be baptized "in the Spirit". And the Church His Body was to be baptized "in the Spirit" in order that the Church would be fully empowered to become the Fullness of Christ. And the Father gave His Eternal Promise to His Son that He Himself, Jesus Christ our Lord, would baptize His Church "in the Spirit." The Promise of the Father was to be given, was to be poured forth, by the Son when the Son had accomplished ALL that God had purposed He would accomplish in and through and upon and by His Cross, His Resurrection, and His Ascension.

Beloved, Christ is our ALL, He is our Fullness; and in the glorious plan of the Father we, the Church His Body, have been empowered to become the fullness of Christ. This is accomplished "in the Spirit" - in the eternal realm of the Spirit. This is the ultimate meaning of what it means to be "in the Spirit." And, dear friends, we shall also see that this is the full meaning of what took place upon the Day of Pentecost; for in God's full plan, on the day of Pentecost, the Church, the whole Church (past, present, and future), was baptized in the Spirit - the whole Church was immersed in the eternal realm in the Spirit where the Holy Spirit is energizing all that God has purposed in Christ.

"And When the Day of Pentecost Was Fully Come"

Brethren, before we go further let us also say that although the Word of God teaches that in God's plan the Church as a whole was baptized in the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, it also clearly teaches that each individual who has been saved by His grace must also "be filled in the Spirit" (Eph. 5:18). This will become clearer as we proceed with our study.

And when the day of Pentecost was filling up ... (Acts 2:1)

And when the day of Pentecost was in process of being fulfilled ... (Acts 2:1)

And when the day of Pentecost was completed ... (Acts 2:1).

They were all filled with the Holy Spirit .. (Acts 2:4).

So we see that "the promise of the Father" to the Son was that the Church His Body would be baptized in the Spirit, would be empowered to become the Fullness of Him. Acts 2:33 tells us that the promise of the Father to the Son was poured forth upon the Day of Pentecost, "Therefore, Jesus being by the Right Hand of God Exalted, and having received of the Father the Promise of the Holy Spirit, He hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear." And in Acts 2:1-4, we are told what they were seeing and hearing:

"And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."

Throughout the history of the Church, one of the greatest problems has been the misunderstanding of what took place on the Day of Pentecost; and this has caused much division and ineffectiveness in the Church as a whole. So as we proceed into this great subject, let us pray that we will comprehend more fully, In the Spirit," what God means when He declares that "the day of Pentecost was fully come - was in the process of being fulfilled - was completed." He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

~T. Austin-Sparks~

(continued with # 4)