The Baptism in set-apart
Spirit
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Acts
16:16-18; Acts 1:4-5,8; Acts 8:5-8,14-17; Acts 10:44-48; Acts 19:1-6
In review: Last time we explored several
foundational texts about the Baptism with set-apart Spirit, including the
following:
1. (Luke 3:16) John the Baptist's prophecy that when
Yahshua came,
he would baptize us with set-apart Spirit and fire;
2. (Acts 1:5,6,8)
Yahshua's confirmation of John's prophecy, and his
instructions to his followers to wait for the promised baptism, so that they
might receive the power to become effective witnesses;
3. (Acts 2:1-4) The account of the falling of
set-apart Spirit in
the upper room, where all Yahshua's followers had been "in one accord"
and "constantly in prayer" and expectation for the promise. And all
received. They heard the sound of the wind, they saw tongues of fire resting on
each of them, and they spoke in languages they had never learned.
From these texts we understand that
1. The Baptism with set-apart Spirit is not the same as salvation,
regeneration, or water baptism.
2. Rather, the Baptism with set-apart Spirit has another function -
to empower believers with supernatural ability so that they may demonstrate the
grace and power of Elohim through anointed word and miraculous deed. The Baptism
with set-apart Spirit is in fact the doorway to the supernatural.
3. Finally, the Baptism with set-apart Spirit is -- for -- us.
We decided that if Yahshua did indeed come to
earth to fulfilled his sacrificial missions for the express purpose that we
might be baptized with set-apart Spirit, then we need to know more about this
Baptism and appropriate its power for Kingdom-style living. This time we’ll complete our study of the
Baptism with set-apart Spirit as it is presented to us in the Supernatural Book.
Let’s begin with our prayer of invocation we learned last time.
O
holy Spirit, by whose breath
Philip and
the Samaritans
Let's look now to the story of Philip in
Acts 8:5-8,14-17. This Philip is not the disciple of the Gospels, but one of
the seven young deacons appointed and anointed by Peter to help administrate
the business of the ministry (Luke 6).
Acts 8:{5} Philip went down to a city in
Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. {6} When the crowds heard Philip and
saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said.
{7} With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and
cripples were healed. {8} So there was great joy in that city. ... {14} When
the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of Elohim, they
sent Peter and John to them. {15} When they arrived, they prayed for them that
they might receive set-apart Spirit {16} because set-apart Spirit had
not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of
Yahweh Yahshua. {17} Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received
set-apart Spirit.
Philip did
the same three things in Samaria that Yahshua did in his ministry. Philip
proclaimed the good news, cast out evil spirits, healed the sick. His method of
evangelism was to prove the Gospel through powerful deeds. Today this is called
Power Evangelism. Power Evangelism really gets attention! Such powerful
witness, remember, is the evidence of the Baptism with set-apart Spirit,
according to Yahshua in Acts 1.
Note the order of events in this account:
(1) Through Philip, the Samaritans believe and are "saved" yet
set-apart Spirit has not come upon them. (2) Then they are baptized in water in the
name of Yahshua yet set-apart Spirit still has not come upon them. (3) The hands of the Apostles are laid on
them and they finally receive set-apart Spirit.
Once again we learn from this account that
one may be saved and baptized yet not receive set-apart Spirit. The Baptism in
set-apart Spirit is a separate gift of Yahweh from both salvation and baptism,
and may either "fall" from Heaven or be administered by the laying on
of hands. You may be saved and baptized in water. But have you received
"power after set-apart Spirit has come upon you"?
Referring back to the old television series
The Millionaire: If John Baresford Tipton were to endow me with a check for
$1,000,000, I'd know I'd received the money by several proofs. My bank
statement would reflect it. My new car would reflect it. My receipts from
donations to this church and other ministries would reflect it. The nature of
phone calls I received would reflect it. And, all of a sudden, I would have
lots of friends. Yes, I would have many convincing proofs that I was a
millionaire. Best of all, I could pay
off all my bills and have about a hundred bucks left for a spending spree.
Likewise, if you have received the Baptism
with set-apart Spirit, you will also have a laundry list of evidences and proofs.
You would have greater grace and fellowship with the Almighty. You would no
longer have any doubt as to whether you were saved or not. You would have a
desire to tell others about Yahshua and you would tell them and show them with
powerful deeds. You would also recognize that your enemy is not the neighbor or
the in-law, but the devil, and you would be able to do something about
it. You wouldn’t worry when your children get ill for you would be an active
part of their healing. You would have access to many graces and resources that
go untouched and these would be your evidences.
And speaking of resources, it was Philip's
"gift" to be the servant (deacon) to the Apostles, according to Acts
6:5. He had received his authority through the laying on of the Apostles'
hands. This is notable for two reasons.
1. Working closely with those having more
experience in the supernatural, more knowledge in the Scriptures and more gifts
of set-apart Spirit, helped Philip to develop his own spiritual powers. The
Apostles had anointing oil in their pockets and he put a vial in his pocket.
He witnessed the Apostles baptizing in Yahshua's name and he began to baptize in
Yahshua's name. He studied how the Apostles dealt with evil spirits and he began
to take authority over the devil.
Although Philip was passively discipled by the Apostles, he actively emulated
them and he became like them.
2. Second, Philip obviously was not cut out
to be a "table waiter" for he had received a gift for evangelism. He
may have even gone out of the will of his Apostolic authorities; that
is, his church leadership, by leaving his table-waiting job in Jerusalem and
going to preach in Samaria. He had no
license to preach, only to serve.
Nevertheless, though the Assembly of Yahweh may have mistakenly
placed him in the administration department (for the assembly needed
administrators), Yahweh honored his true desires when he stepped out in
faith to use his anointing. And Yahweh will honor your desires, when you
desire what is good in His sight rather than what is good in the world's sight.
Let us praise set-apart Spirit, whom we seek
to know:
You are the seeker's sure resource,
Peter and
Cornelius
Next we go to the story of Peter in the
house of Cornelius, a Roman Centurion, who, through divine intervention, come
to believe the Gospel. The story is found in Acts 10:44-48. Peter has been
invited into this Gentile's house to explain the story of Messiah clearly.
{44} While Peter was still speaking {to
the household of Cornelius the Centurion}, set-apart Spirit came on all who
heard the message. {45} The Jewish believers who had come with Peter were
astonished that the gift of set-apart Spirit had been poured out even on
non-Jews. {46} For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising Elohim. Then
Peter said, {47} "Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with
water? They have received set-apart Spirit just as we have." {48} So he
ordered that they be baptized in the name of Yahshua Messiah.
In this
story we learn that everyone in the house was baptized with set-apart Spirit
even before any made a public confession of faith, for it was while Peter
was still speaking that the Spirit fell upon them.
The Jewish believers who came with Peter
knew for a fact that these Romans were baptized with set-apart Spirit because
they witnessed them speaking in tongues and praising Yahweh. It
was only after set-apart Spirit fell that everyone in the house -
men, women, and children - were baptized in water in the name of Yahshua Messiah
(Yahshua Messiah). So once again, scripture bears out that the Baptism in
set-apart Spirit is a separate work of grace from both salvation and baptism, and
may happen even before one confesses faith. It is Father’s way rather
than ours that prevails, and Father knows best.
Luke, who authors this story, is trying to
show (1) that the Baptism with set-apart Spirit is for everyone, regardless of
age, sex, race, nationality or vocation. It was surprising enough that Elohim
poured out his Spirit on the Samaritans, but now he pours it out on the Romans,
the very people who killed our Lord!
And the Spirit was poured out on children who didn't know a thing
about doctrine at all. Churches
that do not baptize children are in the wrong.
Even slaves were filled, some of whom had undoubtedly sacrificed to
pagan gods that very day.
Luke is also trying to show us (2) that the
primary requirement for receiving the Baptism in set-apart Spirit is not
salvation or regeneration or baptism or confession or church-going or
candle-lighting or perfection or anything else. The requirement for receiving
is that one's intention is right, and that one's heart is expectant with
desire!
If you do not want what the Spirit has for
you, don't worry; nobody's going to expect anything of you. But if you want the
joy of Spirit Baptism and are living in expectant desire, nobody can possibly
hinder you from receiving in the time of your visitation. Let us pray to
set-apart Spirit for his good gifts.
In
you El's energy is shown,
Paul and the
Ephesians
The final scripture story we will study
today is Acts 19:1-6, Paul in Ephesus. Now, Ephesus is in Asia, far from
Jerusalem. Paul was amazed to find some there who already believed in Yahshua as
the Savior.
{6} ... Paul took the road through the
interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples {2} and asked
them, "Did you receive set-apart Spirit when you believed?" They
answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Set-apart Spirit."
{3} So Paul asked, "Then what baptism did you receive?" "John's
baptism," they replied. {4} Paul said, "John's baptism was a baptism
of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that
is, in Yahshua." {5} On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of Yahweh
Yahshua. {6} When Paul placed his hands on them, set-apart Spirit came on
them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
Paul asks, "Did you receive set-apart
Spirit when you believed?" The
Ephesians say, "We have not even heard there is a Set-apart
Spirit." I have heard several
commentators trying to explain away the simple truth of this conversation,
which is:
(1) That the Ephesians were already believers in Messiah, so they were
saved,
(2) Yet, although they believed and were saved, they had not
received set-apart Spirit!
What they
did receive when they were saved (or regenerated) was the birth of their human
spirit - the same spirit that died in Adam when he disobeyed Yahweh – the
same spirit that David cried out for when he said, “Renew in me a right
spirit.” It was not until Paul laid
hands on them that these Ephesian believers received set-apart Spirit.
So why does Luke then tell us they spoke in
tongues and prophesied? He does so to inform us that when we receive the
Baptism with set-apart Spirit, one way or the other, we know it. There is
evidence of it, whether it be speaking in tongues, prophesying, praising,
boldness, healing - whatever. Hopefully, we are receptive to the resources and
gifts of the Spirit. And when they come, we know that set-apart Spirit has baptized
us in power, because we have evidence and proof that it happened. Yet we are so
dull to believe for what we need. Let's pray for illumination: Flood
our dull senses with your light;
Turn nations to the ways of peace. To fuller life your people bring that as one body, we may sing praise to the Father, let it ring, to Son and spirit! El is King! (Ancient Spiritus Sanctus Prayer, True Names Version)
Freddy is
Baptized in the Spirit
I have witnessed many people receive the
baptism with set-apart Spirit with supernatural evidences not unlike those found
in the book of Acts. Have you? Yahweh has poured out his Spirit upon people
and baptized them with the Spirit in many different ways. I want to relate one
particularly poignant testimony from my own experience.
I had a friend named Freddy Solomon. Freddy
was about 25 and he had had a particularly hard life. His wife had been an
alcoholic for years. Freddy had been in trouble on a number of occasions but
had recently turned his life over to Yahshua who had gloriously delivered him.
Freddy knew and we knew he had been changed. Yahweh forgave him and
birthed a right spirit within him. Freddy became righteous and hungry for the
Spirit.
Although Freddy knew he was justified, he
still didn’t have the power to overcome many of the difficulties and habits
that had plagued him nor did he have the boldness to witness to what Yahshua had
already done for him. He read about the Baptism in set-apart Spirit in the book
of Acts and he began to covet the spiritual resources (gifts). He realized that
if he was going to overcome his oppression and live in continual victory, he needed
this baptism of power.
I was about fifteen. Often I would see Freddy
"tarrying" at the altar after services - crying out to Yahweh for
mercy - begging his G-d for more his Spirit. Freddy was seriously working out his
salvation with fear and trembling and preparing his being to receive set-apart
Spirit and fire. After many Sunday nights of "tarrying," the Spirit
brought Freddy to the attention of several of the church youth, including Pete
and me. The church youth determined we’d pray with Freddy until he received
what he wanted and we saw the evidence.
This night Freddy was crying out at the
altar as usual. We surrounded him up there and prayed the "perfect
prayer" for him. After about a
half hour, I was off by myself a little ways and I felt a strong anointing: my
hands became charged with electricity. I knew this was for my friend. When I
laid those hands on him, his hands flew into the air and his face lifted
up to heaven. And as tears of joy coursed down his cheeks, the power of
set-apart Spirit came upon him and he began to speak powerful praise to Yahweh in a
language he’d never learned. It was
glorious.
But before a half minute passed, we youth
all began to laugh in the Spirit, for he gave us a gift of set-apart laughter that
continued for hours afterward. This was
a tremendous sign of Yahweh’s pleasure and favor, his anointing and his
power. And this was long, long before
laughing in the Spirit became a fad.
I’ll never, never forget that wonderful night in 1968.
As for Freddy: As it turned out, the Father
knew what difficulties he was about to face, hardships that resulted in his
death before age 30. But in the five years following his Baptism in set-apart
Spirit, Freddy moved in great power and love and became a tremendous witness of Elohim's existence and Messiah's sacrifice for him in the church and community. Friend, you need to be baptized with set-apart Spirit. You need this power. If you’ve already received Spirit baptism, Maybe you need a new infilling. You need to see the evidence of Yahweh's power in your life, you need his gifts, you need his power. You’ve been tarrying a long time: maybe this night is your night. Jackson Snyder, July 19, 1992, updated January 19, 2002 |
