The Case for Another Baptism

Good Morning

Good Morning and Welcome to Freedom Chapel. My name is Pastor Terry, my wife Michelle and I serve as the lead pastors here at Freedom Chapel. We exist to bring hope to our community we do that by being a Place to Belong, Church for the Whole Family.

If you are new with us this morning would you please take the time fill out that little flap on the side of your bulletin. If you put it in the black boxes by the back door we will make a donation in your name to a local charity and send you cookies. Church can we show our guests some love this morning.

Here are a few things you need to know......

Next Steps Week 2

We will be having Week 2 of our Next Steps Class tonight at 7:00 PM via Zoom. Pick Up your packet at the back table.

Mission’s Update

Church your generosity is amazing. Last month we were able to begin supporting a new Kansas Missionary Family Ronnie and Rhonda Rice. We were also able to raise our support for all our missionaries from $35 a month to $50 a month. This week we have another Missionary Couple to introduce to you. Liz and Casey Bratcher are Chi Alpha Missionaries to Kansas State University. They are here today to introduce themselves and to talk to us about what they are doing to share Jesus to the Students of K-State.

A Message from the Youth and Children’s Department.

Camp

Church I believe Camp is one of the greatest tools building a Christ Centered world view. Please prayerfully consider helping these kids get to came. Please mark you gift Camp!

Retired Army Chaplain Jeff Jay

Next Week. We have a special guest speaker. Recently God added to our Freedom Family Retired Army Chaplain Jeff Jay, his wonderful Wife Lisa, their son Jesse, and daughter Promise. Jeff will be sharing a part of his miraculous story next week for Memorial Day. If you know of military members both past and present who do not have a church next Sunday is a great opportunity to invite them.

Today is Pentecost Sunday! As Believers we cherish Christmas and Easter for obvious reasons. However, I believe that Pentecost Sunday is as important of a weekend of remembrance as both Christmas and Easter.

Today I am going to begin a series I am entitling “There’s a Ghost.” Through out the month of June I am going to making a case for Biblical relevance of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

Today I begin this series with my opening arguments. The title of this Sermon is A Case for another Baptism.

The Case for Another Baptism

A while back I read a book by Pastor Robert Morris entitled The God I Never Knew.

In this book He describes three the Biblical evidence for Three Seperate Baptisms in the life of a New Believer in Christ.

Baptism No. 1 is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Baptism of the Holy Spirit

1 Corinthians 12:13 ESV

13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

According to Morris and the Bible The Holy Spirit is the agent who did the baptizing. This is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but it’s not the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

The Next Baptism is Water Baptism.

Water Baptism

Water Baptism is an act of obedience to the commands of scripture. Water Baptism is the what Jesus is commanding in:

Matthew 28:19 ESV

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

Today I want to make a case for the existence and relevance of a third Baptism.

The Baptism In The Holy Spirit

J Warner Wallace is an American homicide detective and Christian apologist. Wallace teaches that in a Homicide investigation and trial there are two types of evidence: Direct Evidence and Indirect Evidence.

Direct Evidence and Indirect Evidence.

Direct Evidence is real, tangible, or clear evidence of a fact, happening, or thing that requires no thinking or consideration to prove its existence, as compared to circumstantial evidence.

Indirect Evidence is proof which does not prove the fact in question, but proves another, the certainty of which may lead to the discovery of the truth of the one sought.

Let’s me share with you some direct evidence for the existence of another Baptism that is separate from The Baptism of Salvation and The Baptism in Water.

The New Testament gives us three Eyewitness accounts of the life and workings of Jesus Christ.

Three individuals who were present and witnessed What Jesus did, said, and experienced.

Critics argue that these accounts are can not be accurate because they don’t all tell the exact same story.

Wallace explains that this is what makes the testimony so believable. If they were all the same that would mean that the all collaborated to come up with the account.

This isn’t a kids playing ball in the house account of the events.

Then we have Luke who puts together a investigative report of the Life of Jesus where he goes around an interviews those who were there with Jesus and then writes a letter to Theophilus.

Historians are not sure who this Theophilus (mentioned in Luke 1:3) was, although most likely, he was a Roman with an intense interest in the newly forming Christian religion.

Here is the Eye witness evidence for the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.

Turn with me to Matthew 3:11.

Here we find John the Baptist referring to Jesus.

Matthew 3:11 ESV

11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

John’s statement here is echoed in each and everyone of the other three eyewitness accounts.

Mark 1:8 ESV

8 I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Luke 3:16 ESV

16 John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

John 1:33 ESV

33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’

You’ll also find accounts of the death and resurrection of Jesus in all four Gospels, as these events are obviously central to the gospel story and explain vital truths believers need to understand.

I believe it’s significant that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is in all four as well.

Scripture clearly shows us Jesus is the one who performs this baptism, immersing us in the Holy Spirit.

Yet because this baptism has been harmfully misrepresented, countless Christians avoid it.

Church

How could Jesus baptizing us in the Holy Spirit possibly be a bad thing?

Especially when it’s so plainly present in the Bible!

Now for some Indirect Evidence.

Temple Sacrifice.

Leviticus Tells us that there was Three Steps that had to be followed in order for the priest to enter the Holy of Holies.

They would enter the tent of meetings through a narrow gate.

The first step was to sacrifice an animal on the alter. This represents the covering of our sins with Blood.

Salvation

Next the Priest would wash himself in the Lever. Washing the sin and blood off. This represents Water Baptism.

Water Baptism

In the final step of the process the Priest would be anointed with Oil.

Holy Spirit Baptism

This Holy Spirit Baptism is the same Baptism that we read about in Acts 2

Acts 2:1–18 ESV

1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” 12 And all were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, “What does this mean?” 13 But others mocking said, “They are filled with new wine.” 14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 17 “ ‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.

There is a reason I have stayed with the Assemblies of God since I was 17. It is not because of all the exploited and overly abusive ways I have seen people act in the name of the Holy Spirit.

Those acts of abuse are the exact reason that most people freak out when the Pastor begins to teach on this subject.

I have stayed with the Assemblies due to our belief that everything that Jesus promised and the Early Church experienced is for today.

God did not begin moving in them and then 100 years later say “Well that’s enough of the good stuff, the rest of you can sit around and wait until I come back.

What we see demonstrated in Peter at the moment of being Baptized in the Holy Spirit is a new boldness. Peter becomes empowered.

This not to say Peter did not stop being Peter. Paul speaks of calling out Peter for his mistakes in Galations 2:11. No Peter did not become perfect, he became empowered.

Here is where I feel so many Christians get Stuck.

We come to God at the Alter and are covered in the Blood.

Some will move forward and be baptized but do not realize that when they are coming out of the water they have washed away the past.

Very Few take the last step of seeking the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Spending the rest of their lives trying to connect with God in the Holy of Holies without the anointing.

The Holy Spirit Baptism and effective prayer in the Spirit brings power to your soul. We all get a portion at salvation but there is nothing like being tapped into the source.

Worship Team!

The Church Camp Experience.

I am here today to peak your interest in the something more of your walk with God.

I challenge you over the course of the next month to begin seeking God in the something more.

Peter gives clear instructions in his message on the Day of Pentecost.

Acts 2:38–39 ESV

38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

Here is another Biblical Pattern for you.

1. Repent. This is the vital primary step in the baptism of salvation.

2. Be baptized. Peter urges his listeners to follow Jesus’ example by submitting themselves to water baptism.

3. Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is the third baptism. As Peter indicates here, the Holy Spirit will not force Himself upon anyone. He must be “received.”

Would you stand with me this morning.

Holy Spirit I pray over every person today that you would begin to show what you want them to take away today.

I leave you with three challenges.

If you have not been Baptized or you were Baptized before You truly became saved. Fill out that tab on the Bulletin and tell us you want to be Baptized.

If you have Repented, and Been Baptized, but have not Received the Infilling of the Holy Spirit. Dive into your Bible over the course of the Next four weeks and begin to ask Jesus to Baptize you in the Holy Spirit.

For those who have Repended, Been Baptized, and Received it is time to begin to exercise your Gift Daily. Join me in Praying in the Spirit Daily as we become more and more bold for the Gospel.

Graduation Sunday!

Pastor Rustan