Spring
1996
The Purpose of the
Baptism in The Holy Spirit
Wade E Taylor
"When they therefore were come together, they
asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this
time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And
he said unto them, It is not for you to know
the times or the seasons, which the Father hath
put in his own power" Acts 1:6-7.
"But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy
Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses
unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and
in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the
earth" Acts 1:8
This passage of Scripture marks one of the major transitions
in the Lord's dealings with His disciples. The word "but"
is the pivotal point which indicates this change. From this
moment on, Jesus begins to reveal an entirely new phase of
His ministry.
The Church, His body, is about to be birthed and through
a new covenant, there will be provided the "enabling
power" for the spiritual development and function of
each potential member of this Church.
However, the disciples of Jesus were preoccupied with thoughts
of setting up a literal earthly kingdom. They had asked, "Lord,
will you at this time restore again the Kingdom to Israel?"
Acts 1:6. If He had given them any idea that such a Kingdom
was at least two thousand years in the future, these disciples
would have been devastated.
Rather, Jesus responded, "It is not for you to know
the times or the seasons ... BUT." Then He turned their
focus from something they would "do" - (rule), to
something that they would "become" - (qualified
to rule).
Jesus told them that they would receive a special gift of
"enabling power" so they could become an extension
of His life and ministry on the earth, "But you shall
receive POWER, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you.
And you shall be witnesses unto Me ..."
In other words, "I will empower and work within you,
that the manifestation of your life among men will be like
Mine. Therefore, you will BE a demonstration (witness) of
what I would have been, just as if I were in the same circumstance
or place as you."
"You will receive a Baptism (immersion) in the Holy
Spirit which will provide the enabling power for you to spiritually
mature, so you can qualify to participate in the future manifestation
of My Kingdom. This is My purpose at this time, rather than
the present establishing of an external, visible Kingdom."
Thus, the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is given that we might
BECOME this witness. Its primary purpose is much more than
an enabling to do witnessing.
This is restated in Acts 15:14-17, where these two steps
are given. "God at the first visited the nations to take
out of them a people for His Name." And secondly, "After
this I will return and will build again the tabernacle of
David ... so those men who are left might seek after the Lord."
Today, we are approaching the end of this first step; "the
taking out of a people for His Name." The second part
answers the "WHEN" of the disciples' question. It
will come in His time, otherwise Jesus could not have said
to them, "It is not for you to know the times."
Looking back, Jesus had referred to this "time of processing"
when He called them to follow Him. He had said to Peter, who
was a fisherman, "Come ye after me, and I will make you
to become fishers of men" Mark 1:17. Peter heard the
"fishing" rather than the process, "make you
to become".
Therefore, he was constantly concerned with the aspect of
time, "When?" He was more interested in what his
position would be in this Kingdom, than in his "being
made ready" to function in it.
The Lord knew that when the pressures came, Peter would utterly
fail, for he had not yet endured any qualifying experiences;
nor had he received the "enabling power" of the
infilling of the Holy Spirit that would prepare him for these
things.
Today, a message on "when" draws much attention.
However, the Divine alternative "But" still rings
clearly.
There is yet to be a people so completely identified with
Jesus that they will be able to say as Jesus said to Philip:
"He who has seen Me has seen the Father" (John 14:9).
Jesus was saying that His life so thoroughly reflected the
life of His Father, that His Father could be clearly identified
in Him.
Likewise, we are to so completely reflect witness to Jesus,
that His life will be readily recognized in us. Being a "witness
unto Me" in all the earth means that our life is to "mirror"
His life in every way, wherever we are.
Concerning Himself, Jesus said, "Unless a grain of wheat
falls into the ground and dies, it abides alone; but if it
dies, it brings forth much fruit" John 12:24. The seed
is to bring forth exactly after its own kind. This is a law
of harvest, that the harvest will be as the seed, only greatly
multiplied.
This power, "the Baptism in the Holy Spirit," is
far more than our being blessed or speaking in tongues, though
it includes these and more. The heart and purpose of the Baptism
in the Holy Spirit is that we receive the enabling power "to
become" this witness.
"I indeed baptize you with water to repentance.
But He who comes after me is mightier than I,
whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He shall
baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire;
whose fan is in His hand, and he will cleanse His
floor and gather His wheat into the storehouse;
but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable
fire" Matt 3:11-12.
To be "baptized in the Holy Spirit" is to give
the Holy Spirit "throne rights," or total control
over our lives. "You shall receive power ... and you
shall be witnesses." This gives Him the right to completely
deliver and cleanse our lives, to make us conformable to the
image of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Our Lord will have a Spirit Baptized people who are like
Him, and who have become qualified to rule with Him in the
coming day of His Kingdom.
Then, the answer to the question, "when?" will
find its full outworking.