Defending The Holy Spirit Baptism

There has never been a time in human history for the need of righteous power to be more manifest. In a world where fear and terror are now part of our everyday considerations we need to be able to seize the moment and claim the day in the name of the Lord.

• Whilst the world takes a pacifist approach to the verbal and non-verbal threats of anti-christian movements many among us are asking the questions,
• "How can we as Christians deliver a response that is non-violent and loving?" (thus honoring the Lord Jesus); and
• "How can we as Christians deliver a forceful response that reflects the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit? (thus honoring the necessity for obedience to the call of the gospel!).

The answer to this lies within the entire dynamic of the Great Commission. Essentially what Jesus commanded His disciples to do was "GO".

Matthew 28:18-20 says, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

When one reads, in fine detail, the requirements around "going" one will quickly discover that the immediate requirement of obedience was around waiting:

In other words: they needed something before they could preach:

Acts 1:4-5 (KJV) says,
"And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence".

Literally...GO! BUT WAIT FIRST!

It is obvious that they needed Holy Ghost Power before they were to be sent out into an extremely hostile and alien environment. As Christians living in this present world are we not facing increasing hostility and alienation? As the days get closer to the end is it not highly probable that we will see an unprecedented level of evil manifested in the world?

2 Tim 3:1 says, "This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come". "Perilous" in the New Testament Greek is the word: chalepos: By definition this word has the following equivalents: Fierce, Brutal, Barbaric, Uncivilised, Dangerous!!! Paul assures us that these times "shall come".

It will not be a walk in the park for us and we had better be prepared for these times. As such it has become patently obvious that we will all need Holy Ghost Power. That means real, New Testament style, Holy Ghost Pentecost Power!

Just as the power demonstrated at Pentecost was sufficient for the need to see 3,000 souls saved so, too, should we have that same power manifesting from within us to a lost and dying world. This power should be commensurate with the requirement to withstand in the evil day as we seek to save the lost. (See Eph 6:13).

THE GLARINGLY OBVIOUS QUESTIONS.

The question that is most obvious to me is this:-

Why would God not send His disciples out without the power to complete the task and then turn around expecting us to complete the task without the power? A question that is similar to this is: Why would God give a gift to the first century Christians and then proceed to withhold this gift for the majority of the Church age?

In short it would be expecting us to complete the task without the wherewithal to get it done. This position is entirely at odds with the nature of God who is no respecter of persons and who will not withhold any good gift from His children. (Acts 10:34 & Mk.7:11)

So then, why do we need the power today?

Let the holy scriptures answer:

With this power we are to:

• Preach the Gospel in a unique fashion not commonly seen today: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek".
Romans 1:16 (KJV)
and

• "And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:"
1 Cor 2:4 (KJV)

With this power we are also to:
• Contend for the faith because His word says,
"Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints".
Jude 1:3 (KJV)

"The faith which was once delivered to the saints" could only be that faith which Peter, Paul and the other saints demonstrated.

Finally we are mandated to:
"Convince the gainsayers". The gainsayers are those in contradiction to the faith that the apostles demonstrated.

Titus 1:9 (KJV) talks about us,
"Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers".

How does the Christian get that kind of faith?

You get that by being obedient to the Word of God on this subject and receiving the Promise of the Father. According to Acts 1:4-5 this is the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. "For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call".
Acts 2:39 (KJV)

Are you afar off? Has God called you?

If you have answered "yes" to either of these questions then please receive that which He has promised.

Yours in Christ Jesus,
James Joseph Doyle IV.

"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:"
1 Peter 3:15 (KJV)

http://www.jamesjosephdoyle.com

My name is James Joseph Doyle IV. I am 53 years of age and live with my wife, Sharon, on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland, Australia. I trained for the Foursquare Gospel ministry in 1981-1984 via Calvary Chapel, Greenacre, Sydney, Australia. In 1985 I became a minister for the first time whilst serving as Acting Dean of Gospel Lighthouse, Madang, Papua New Guinea. Since then I have ministered in various Pentecostal Churches in New South Wales and Queensland, Australia.

It is currently my privilege to minister the word in a small house church on the Sunshine Coast. This church was the off-spring of an Assembly of God Church in Pacific Paradise. The pastors of that church became too exhausted to continue the work and we were left with a decision:- Do we just scatter or do we continue to meet from house to house? We pretty much universally agreed to keep meeting from a spirit of genuine love. That was over three years ago. We still meet because we still love.

May God richly bless you as you read.
James Joseph Doyle IV

http://www.jamesjosephdoyle.com

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