Being baptised in the Spirit sounds … significant

Baptised

⁵ For John baptized with/in water, but in a few days you will be baptized with/in the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 1:5

As I have been working to find a way into this year in a somewhat wise and balanced manner, I felt drawn to journey the B-roads of the Book of Acts where I lingered, circled, and seriously digested,

You will be baptised by the Holy Spirit.

Acts 1:5b

What exactly does this mean?

The old way

For John baptised with water.

Acts 1:5a

This had me thinking about the old way; the old traditions of the Old Testament. Obviously, there wasn’t anything wrong with the old way, but they were the introduction; the foundation. Not the whole way.

God established the traditions of the Old Testament as powerful tools educating His people about Himself, sin, relationship and living holy lives. Love was at the heart of the process pointing towards The Promise.

Israel started out identifying as, “Those spectacularly rescued from Egypt”. They then became, “The outcasts brought home against significant odds”. But towards the end of the Old testament, Israel were clinging to a new identity. They became, “The blessed elect, through whom The Promise would be fulfilled“.

The new way

but you will be baptized with/by the Holy Spirit not many days from now.

Acts 1:5b

The Promise arrived with an agenda; not to delete the old ways but to intensify them, giving them new life. Filled with the Holy Spirit, the Messiah was God in person answering the problem of sin, restoring relationship and demonstrating holy living.

Jesus revealed a truth that was radically different to the normalised conventions. He took the two-dimensional standards and electrified them with a four-dimensional, multi-coloured, full-on sensory reality. Which was not to everyone’s liking.

However, like it or not, as a result of the perfect obedience of the perfect Son, the Spirit now had access-all-areas to those who chose to receive The Promise.

But here’s the thing about the Holy Spirit, He’s no wallflower.

The business of Life

The Holy Spirit is in the business of Life:

• Creating it
• Sustaining it
• Enhancing it
• Taking it
• And giving it back.

And, from our privileged position, we read the event in Acts 1:5 as a done deal; the “will be” is now a, “have been“.

A Creative’s business

God is a creative; someone who creates … things. He produces quality, original, thought-provoking, awe-inspiring, flabbergastingly-speechless-rendering … things. Every single element the Holy Spirit breathes life into is 100% unique.

Think:

• blades of grass,
• leaves,
• feathers,
• eye colour,
• petals,
• zebra stripes,
• octopus rings,
• snake skin
• ad infinitum.

If you stop and think about this, and I mean really let your mind ponder every single thing on our planet, then think about how long our planet has been here, then ponder how much longer it’s going to be around, then think about every … single … fingerprint, of … everything. It is totally mind-blowing.

And I have been baptised in/with God’s Creative, life-breathing, Spirit.

So what?

Good Question.

Why am I going on about this and not continuing my current series?

Well, as I start the year making time, being available and choosing what to do in order to figure out where I’m going and how I’m going to get there I figure it’s best to go to the source.

And as I reflected on Acts 1:5, I realised that,

1. As a follower of Christ, I have been baptised with/in the Holy Spirit
2. The creative, life-breathing power of God has been released within me
3. My old life has been taken
4. I have new life in Him
5. I am sustained and empowered for a significant purpose

What now?

Another really good question.

The way I read and interpret this verse is, I am an original, reclaimed, restored, renewed, child of God. And, I have a job to do. A significant job. One He wants me, in my uniqueness, powered by His electrified, four-dimensional, multi-coloured, full-on sensory reality, to carry out.

I just need to figure out exactly what that is. There are a lot of good things to do. A lot of good things that others can and are doing. But what is it that only I (in my four-dimensional, electrified, Holy Spirit-filled way) can do? How does God want me to invest my time and energy. Without a doubt, He wants me closer, listening, growing, obeying, and enjoying (plus all the rest). But more specifically,

what tasks does God want me to put my 4D fingerprints on this year?

So, before I get back on task with my series, I will spend time intentionally meandering around this question.

Reflection:

• What does it mean to you to be baptised with/in the Holy Spirit?
• How have you changed since that momentous event?
• Where are you putting your four-dimensional fingerprints this year?

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