One of the hardest things of this world to grasp is man can only baptize in the need of repentance. Need of confession of sin, of saying I am not perfect. It is perhaps something the world does not grasp outside the religious realm. Jesus taught the law of repentance, but John baptize for remission of sins symbolizing the death and resurrection of forgiveness of sin with water, yet Christ would baptize with the Holy Spirit, yet Jesus’ very death would symbolize the baptism of repentance, of burying of sin and the resurrection of new life spiritually and physically.

Christ ministry had to do with saying your sins are forgiven and get up and walk so to speak, or go and sin no more. To turn away from sin and death, but turn to good way of living and to life eternal through faith in God. The teachings of faith come not with repentance but knowledge of who God is and what He does in the world. How His work is not to tear humans apart but build them up into towers of goodness and praises to him. To bow to God is something man might teach by repetition, but man can never teach to fear God or reverence God on his own. It must come by the Spirit of God. To reverence God is to understand there is no other God. To understand the perfection of the sacrifice of God for sin that a price had to be paid for sin. One man caused death one death would cause all men to have eternal life. However where you spend eternity is based on faith in God and his Son with works and no faith in God. Heaven bound by faith and no faith means you are still going toward hell the original direction away from God from the first man’s sin. Repentance not always act of weeping but turn away from sin. Something achieved through faith and understanding God’s Spirit will enable you to over come sin. Cain was warned by God, but Cain made a choice not to yield to God but to turn toward evil. Cain believed in God but not in God’s word of consequence of sin. Sin that had cost his father and mother life in paradise, by not obeying the word of God. Yet it was not enough for Cain to understand obedience or the cost. Jesus is the Word of God, the only Word of God in perfect form from days of old to even now and in our future. Only one that can teach obedience to his word is the Holy Spirit, but man can teach correction and laws but not to obey the Lord. Eli told Samuel the voice he heard was God. To answer him. Samuel at six years of age began to speak back to God and do the will of God. Samuel was rich in faith and seen great kings rise into power and minister to them. He was called to anoint these kings. Yet none of these kings would of ever believed in the station of life that they would one day be king. Had God spoken to these kings before hand no record is mentioned of it.

God’s baptism comes with obedience to His word by His Spirit. To be in situation where you have to rely on God is like a graduation day and some fail and some pass. Yet the truth is until you learn to obey God’s spirit that beer in the store looks tempting until you learn to say no. A pack of cigarettes looking inviting until one says no. Yet this type of obedience can be duplicated by conditioning of the mind. Yet obedience of indulgence of desires can only be curbed continually by God. Give a person a pack of chocolate see how long it last. Give that same person when fasting a box of chocolate and it will still be there in the morning if obeying God. Yet go to someone’s house because God told you to, takes faith especially if you do not know them and leave a gallon of milk because their child is starving. Key word there is you did not know them, but God called you to do something not the norm. The last time I obey the Lord on an issue I am not comfortable with, I still do not fully know what happened. Yet I do know God took care of it.

There is things that seem to be second nature to human spirit and not just the Spirit of God’s calling. For one reading God’s word and praying daily is not a call of humanity but a call of God. Yet mankind can require it in religious setting. If only for religious sake that is religiosity and not faith. One must be concerned is what they are establishing religiosity or faith. Teaching observance to the things of God is not evil, even Christ himself followed Jewish tradition and festivals. Yet it was a part of faith and observance not faith itself. Faith called men like Philip to go and meet a man in a chariot and explain parts of the book of Isaiah to the man. Upon understanding it was speaking of the Messiah, the man wanted to be baptized. Yet it was the going that took faith and not knowing what one would find once one got there, was what Philip learn to do through obedience to the Spirit of God.

Jesus received the baptism of man in the Jordan by John the Baptist, but also the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Jesus received the baptism of man even unto death though he could of called the angels to prevent his death he chose to obey God. Yet Jesus also received the baptism of the God through His resurrection into eternities. A place man can not enter without permission of God. Man can ordain death but they can not know whence the spirit goes. God’s Spirit depart from Christ but also raised Christ up on the third day. His body was not left in hell. Christ body was flesh upon the earth, but he had a heavenly body, one not designed of the flesh but designed by God’s Spirit called the word. The word which is eternal and everlasting from old, and yet Christ has a incorruptible body that will return from Heaven one day the same way He was taken up in a cloud from the disciples. To go down the trail of baptism of the Spirit the disciples receive the Holy Spirit in the upper room. Men began to preach in tongues so those in other languages could understand the power of the Holy Spirit and what was happening. That they would know the power of Jesus to rise up from death. That those things of the resurrection was no a lie, but for a purpose. That the resurrection of Jesus was real. That He had died because of there sin, but pardon them for they knew not who He was. Paying the price for sin once and for all. The receiving of the disciples message came by the Spirit to the hearts and minds of those that believe.

Where are you today, are you wanting that relationship with God and to learn to obey the word of God by His Spirit? Receive Jesus has Lord of your life and ask him into your heart and to forgive you of your sins. That were it all starts. Receive God’s forgiveness for your sins that you no long enslaved to sin but set free from it. No long having to submit to sin but have the ability to submit to God through faith in Christ Jesus.

Dear Heavenly Father, teach us to walk by your Spirit and not fulfill the desires of the flesh. To obey in submission to your will. In Jesus precious name, Amen.