Chapter 3
In the weeks before I popped the question to Stefanie, (who thankfully became my wife), I had the terrifying job of picking out an engagement ring. Not wanting to blow it on something so important, I asked her best friend what she might like. Evidently these conversations are the norm among young women, so she knew exactly what Stef would want—a princess cut diamond with a simple band. Yes! Let the shopping begin.
But buying the ring was the easy part. Then I had to keep it hidden and safely tucked away as we traveled to Chicago where I planned to propose. I was a nervous wreck as we went through boarding, sure TSA would make me pull it out of my jacket pocket. But I made it through and breathed a sigh of relief when I finally got to offer Stef the ring on that windy day at Lake Michigan.
The truth is that you can get engaged and even married without a ring. But let me tell you, I was so excited to walk around with Stefanie after that, knowing that she was sporting my ring and now the whole world would see that we belonged together.
This is a lot like the act of baptism. It does not save you any more than a ring makes a relationship. But if you have invited Jesus to be the Lord and Savior of your life, baptism lets the world know that you have bound your life to Him, that you and Jesus belong together! Sadly, there are a lot of Christians who have never taken this step. But do you know what Jesus did before he ever preached one sermon? That’s right — He got baptized (Matthew 3:13-14).
Our English word “baptize” comes from the Greek word baptizo, which means fully submerged. This explains why we refer to our second “D” as dunked. In the Bible, just before Jesus came on the scene, there was this weird guy called “John the Baptizer” who led a revival where people got baptized to show they were repenting of their sins. He was actually preparing the way for Jesus, as he declared one day: “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11). This verse uses the imagery of being dunked for three different kinds of baptism. Let’s talk about water baptism first, then baptism with the Holy Spirit and baptism with fire.
The "What" of water baptism
One day my daughter came home from school with a blue ribbon for her performance in her art class. The teachers thought her drawing was the best and gave her the ribbon to affirm her good work. A lot of people say things about baptism that make it sound like a “blue ribbon” they must earn through achievement or good behavior on their part.
This confusion comes because people don’t understand the difference between religion and relationship. In religion, people try to earn their way to God, and baptism is seen as a reward for getting it right.
Here are some examples of things I’ve heard over the years that demonstrate this faulty view:
I don’t deserve to get baptized.
I haven’t done enough or worked hard enough at my faith to get baptized.
I don’t want to get baptized because people will think I am a phony because I don’t live out everything the Bible teaches.
I’m afraid people will judge me because parts of my life don’t look like a good Christian.
Can you see what’s wrong with this?
If baptism requires living up to some sort of religious standard, none of us will ever be qualified. A much better illustration is a birthday cake. Think about it. Why does anyone get a birthday cake? No one says, “Wow you are such a good person you should have a cake!” No, having a birthday cake happens because you were born, and people want to celebrate that.
In the same way, baptism is a celebration of your new life in Christ! You can see this in Jesus’ own baptism:
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 alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." (Matthew 13:16-17)
God the Father watched as His Son came out of the baptismal waters and couldn’t help but proclaim his love and pleasure for the world to hear. In the same way, you can be sure that when you get baptized, your heavenly Father celebrates over you with great joy. Why? Because he’s given you new life, and that’s worth celebrating!
In our church, as in many churches all over the world, we say a proclamation over people when we baptize them. As we put the person under water we say, “Buried with Christ in baptism,” and then as they come up out of the water, we say, “and raised to walk in a new life.” What we are doing is summarizing what Scripture says happened to them when they received Jesus.
“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old is gone and the new is come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Jesus commanded us to go into all the nations and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19, italics added). Thus, baptism is the first act of obedience for every follower of Jesus. This is how we tell the world what Jesus has done for us. We are saying with the Apostle Paul, “I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). That’s the what of baptism. Now we’ll explore the who and when by looking at a crazy Bible story about an angel, an African official and a transported preacher. You can follow along in Acts 8.
The "WHO" of water baptism
When the church was young and people like Saul were going around killing Christians, Jesus’ disciples began to scatter, taking the message wherever they could. In Acts 8, we read of Philip, a radical Jesus follower who’d gone to Samaria where people flocked to hear him because when he preached, the lame and paralyzed were healed and many were delivered of evil spirits. So, he was ministering there when an angel showed up and told him to head to the desert to a road between Jerusalem and Gaza. He soon discovered that God had a divine appointment for him.
So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.” (Acts 8:27-29)
Philip ran up to this African official and asked him if he understood what he was reading. The man answered that he needed someone to explain it to him and invited Philip to sit with him in the chariot. It happened that the man was reading a passage from Isaiah that prophesied Jesus’ death. Talk about a perfect setup!
The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. (Acts 8:26-40)
This passage tells us a lot about the who of baptism. The Ethiopian was hungry to know God, the only requirement needed to begin the journey of transformation. It doesn’t matter what your background is. It doesn’t matter whether you grew up in church or never darkened the door of one. It doesn’t matter if you have a bunch of knowledge about religion or don’t know the difference between a catechism and a catastrophe. What God is looking for is someone who knows their need for him.
I love this story because it levels the playing field when it comes to baptism. Do you see this? Phillip is a follower of Jesus and a Jewish man (a group that was very proud of their heritage and didn’t mix with other races). But here he is, sharing the gospel with an Ethiopian, who was different from him in every way — skin color, social status, and religious background.
The point is that baptism is never limited by ethnicity or religion, and, in fact, you don’t even have to be a member of a church to be baptized. Clearly, baptism is for anyone who has put their trust in Jesus to save them.
The "When" of Water Baptism
This story makes the act of baptism so simple, it’s amazing. The African official heard the good news, put his trust in Jesus, and when they came upon a pond of some sort, asked: “What can stand in the way of me being baptized?” This is the heart God wants us all to have once we’ve invited Jesus in. When should you get baptized? Ask yourself the question the Ethiopian asked: What can stand in the way of me being baptized?
So why do people wait? We’ve already talked about how religion makes you think you must earn the right or do a certain number of works to be ready for it. Unfortunately, a lot of churches have contributed to this messed up idea through the years. We made people go through a series of classes to get baptized. We made them attend a seminar. We had a required reading assignment. Often a priest or a pastor had to give his approval for someone to be baptized.
But the Bible shows how people were baptized in response to a relationship, and relationships are about grace. This is the reason we should do all that we can to help people get baptized quickly. We want to communicate clearly that just like the Ethiopian official, you don’t have to do anything but believe in order to be baptized.
Let me tell you, you have nothing to lose and a lot to gain by choosing to get baptized. Look at the end of this story:
When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea. (Acts 8:39-40)
The Ethiopian was filled with joy as he went on his way—that’s what God wants for you too.
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit
As I’ve said before, I grew up in a Christian home and gave my life to Jesus at an early age. At that point, the Bible says God sealed me with His Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13). But I had no idea how much more of the Holy Spirit God wanted me to experience. More about that later, but first, look at the instructions Jesus gave His disciples when they were hanging out one day just before he ascended into heaven:
“Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:4-5).
Missing the point completely, the disciples started asking questions, but Jesus told them all they needed to know was this: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
Do you see this? Jesus had an incredible gift for them, and it can be yours too! He wants to baptize — completely submerge – you in His Spirit so that you will have the power to be His witness wherever you go. This came true for the disciples on the day of Pentecost when they went from being a small, timid group to bold, fiery world-changers. The most important thing about being baptized in the Holy Spirit is that it produces supernatural power to live like Jesus and proclaim His good news to people near and far.
I got rocked by this reality on my first mission trip to Mexico in college. We did street ministry and I couldn’t wait to see God work through me. But no matter how I shared the gospel with people, or what I did, no one was interested. I also prayed for healing for several people, but nothing happened. It felt like a total fail.
The next morning during our worship and teaching time, our college pastor, Jimmy Siebert, spoke about the Holy Spirit and told how God was moving in power all over the world. At the end, he asked us to come forward if we were willing to humble ourselves and give God complete control so we could get more power and more of God! I practically ran down the aisle, and Jesus met me there, baptizing me in His Spirit. I literally felt his power flowing through me in a tangible way.
I can’t even begin to tell you how different it was when we went to the streets that night! It seemed like everyone I talked to wanted to receive Jesus, and God even used me to bring healing to a man tormented by horrific pain.
Baptism in the Holy Spirit isn’t always that dramatic, but it can change your life! Here are some things to keep in mind about this experience:
This is not a one-off, but something we can seek whenever we sense our need for more of God. In fact, the Bible tells us to continually be “filled” with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).
Not only can you receive more power, but God wants to give you spiritual gifts like prophecy or speaking in tongues or healing through the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Acts 19).
There is no one way to be baptized in the Holy Spirit — God loves variety! Read the book of Acts and you’ll see how many ways God poured out His Spirit on people.
Although you may have to wait in prayer like the disciples did before Pentecost, Jesus has promised to baptize you with His Spirit — it is part of your birthright as a believer!
So, the big question is, what do you need to do? First, while God can baptize you in His Spirit anywhere, it is helpful to go after this in community or with a trusted mentor. Second, start letting God know that you want more of him, that you are hungry for all that He will give you. Third, begin to ask God to show you anything in your life that might be blocking the Spirit’s power — are there sins you are holding onto or habits you aren’t willing to let Him change? And finally, simply ask! Ask the Holy Spirit to baptize you so that you can be the person He wants you to be, ready to share the good news and see people put their trust in Jesus.
A Baptism of Fire
One time as a young man, I was sitting in church listening to a message about pride versus humility, about doing what we want versus doing what God wants. Soon my skin started getting really hot, and I began to feel nauseated about my own sinfulness. In that moment, I didn’t care if I humiliated myself — I just wanted to run to the altar and repent. I couldn’t wait to unload all the things that were standing between God and me so that He could use me however He wanted. I didn’t know it at the time, but Jesus was baptizing me with fire.
John explained the process this way: His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire” (Matthew 3:12). What is John talking about? No, you don’t have to literally be “dunked” in fire (although the disciples did have tongues of fire on their heads at Pentecost, but that’s another story). Baptism with fire is a metaphor of Jesus going through our life and separating the good fruit from the sin and junk.
Being refined by fire might sound like something to dread, but it’s actually a huge blessing. Sometimes we need to be set free from thoughts or behaviors that really hurt us. Other times we need to see sin as God sees it and have the kind of conviction that produces change. And sometimes God just wants to take us to a new level in our relationship with Him. Any of these things could be a catalyst for Jesus to baptize us with fire. It can take place in an instant, or over a season in your life, but baptism with fire is something we all need at different times in our spiritual journey. I encourage you to ask for it so you can be set free to experience more of Jesus in every area. Your part is simply to repent of any sins Jesus reveals—He will do the rest!
Summing it All Up
Isn’t it amazing that Jesus provides three different baptisms so we can live out our faith and receive all He has for us? What a good God!
Baptism by Water
Baptism by water is the first act of obedience for followers of Jesus, a symbolic representation of what has happened to you. I encourage you to get baptized as quickly as possible.
Baptism of the Holy Spirit
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a supernatural empowering so you can be Jesus’ witness wherever you go. It is usually accompanied with manifestations of joy, boldness, tongues, prophecy, and so on. I encourage you to pray and ask God to baptize you in the Holy Spirit. (See the prayer at end.)
Baptism of Fire
A baptism of fire is for purification to set you free and bring you a deeper walk with Jesus. I encourage you to invite the Lord to baptize you with fire and repent of any sins He brings to mind.
A Prayer to be baptized with the Holy Spirit
Heavenly Father, I thank you that Jesus has saved me and that You have put Your Spirit into my heart. Now I ask for you to baptize me with the Holy Spirit according to Your Word. I open my hands and heart to receive everything you have for me — Your presence, Your anointing, Your power and spiritual gifts. I receive this baptism by faith, believing what You have promised. Now empower me to do Your will from this day forward. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for baptizing me in Your Holy Spirit. Amen.