The Baptism of the Holy Ghost and Fire..........III

Baptism of the Holy Ghost ….....Part III

This will be the last article on this series. The subject is inexhaustible because we are talking as well as learning about an Omnipotent, Omniscient and Infinite Being. God Himself. He has no beginning and no ending, an Eternal being and we can only learn about Him as He expresses Himself to us by and through His Word. The very idea of Eternity will elude a reasoning mind because such knowledge is beyond reasoning. We have to step into the sublime and by revelation, are we able to understand as Jesus told Peter the same thing. Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my Father which is in Heaven (Mathew 16:16, 17).

Should we be able to communicate with an Ant, are we able to express to this Ant, about ourselves? How that we humans have faculties beyond it's capabilities. So is it with God who expresses Himself to us in our own language at the same time inspiring us to grasp His word. He does this not only in language alone but in revealing to us by His Spirit as He indwells us. This indwelling is the subject of our three articles on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

This was the very purpose of Jesus ministry. John the Baptist declared that "there is one coming after me, greater than I who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and Fire".

Mat 3:11

• I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
  
  Luk 3:16
• John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:

This was constantly referred to in the bible as the Promise of the Father.

• Luk_24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

• Act_1:4 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.

And according to His word, the Holy Ghost or Spirit did fall on the disciples, in fact 120 of them, including Mary, the mother of Jesus when they were waiting in the Upper Room, all in one accord. Make no mistakes on this as Brother Branham taught throughout his sermons that the Holy Ghost baptism is the Promise. He presented his sermons looking at various perspective like a great diamond reflecting the different colours, but all having the same direction. Sermons such as “The Token”, “Desperations”, the “Easter Seal” and the “Unveiling of God”...etc..

In Joel 2:28, we read:

• (28) And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

And Peter recognized and referred us to this same prophecy in Acts 2

• (16) But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;

• (17) And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:

• (18) And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:

• (19) And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:

Notice that speaking in unknown tongues was not included here but rather to “prophesy”. In fact, when they staggered down the stairway as though they were drunk, they spoke in Galilean, but the others heard it in their own language. *these were known Languages and not unknown. In total, 17 languages were listed. Paul further admonished that “unknown” tongues must be interpreted by those who are given the gifts of interpretation of tongues.

1Cor 14:27-28

• (27) If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.

• (28) But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.

This is how the gospel is declared to us gentiles by the apostles especially by Paul. In the 2^nd article on this series on the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, I said we will look into the following scriptures, marked in blue and all of them by Paul.

Rom 8:11

• (11) But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

We are to be quickened by the Same Spiirit that raised up Jesus. In Ezekiel 36 we learned that God promised to give us of His Spirit. Not the fullness of it but a portion of that Spirit. Jesus alone has the Spirit of God indwelling in Him in all its fullness as declared by Paul in Colossians chapter 1 and 2.

           Col 1:19

• For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;

           Col 2:9

• For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

• For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure [unto him].

Moses has the Spirit that was in Christ and when God chose the 70 judges, He took from Moses and gave the Spirit to the 70 judges yet the Spirit that was in Moses never diminish nor lose It's power. In fact, Moses received more of God until his face shone and he had to cover himself.

2Cor 6:16

• (16) And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

God promised to dwell in the believers. Notice the text says Dwell IN them, not dwell with them. Walk IN them and not walk with them. This brings out the fact that we are the sons and daughters of God when God placed His Spirit in us because He knew us by His omniscience.

Rom 8:29

• (29) For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

And hence we can say we are transformed by the power of His foreknowledge of us when we are manifested on this Earth in the time and season He allocated for us to be present. We are not to be conformed to this world. We are to be transformed by the renewing of our mind what is good, acceptable and perfect Will of God. If God be for us, who is against us?

Rom 12:2

• (2) And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Therefore we having this knowledge of the perfect Will of God has this liberty in the Spirit to cry out Abba, Father to our God when we are recognized and accepted by Him. And how do we know He has accepted us, our worship and our walk in Him? When we are transformed and changed from glory to glory. We must recognize this the moment we attend the right church under the correct five fold ministries because only then will the church be made perfect (complete). Understand that man cannot perfect man. We are already perfected by the blood of God. Ephesian 4:13 speaks of perfection in the sense of getting the Church in completion and filled with the Holy Spirit which is the unity of the faith.

THE.FIFTH.SEAL_  JEFF.IN  FRIDAY_  63-0322
  390-2  {468}    Lord God, there was some great number of hands among the people that went up. And I'm sure that You're the very same Lord Jesus that made the atonement for us many years ago, and by seeing those Seals revealed and the great things that's taken place right here in the last few years, I believe with all my heart that the door of mercy is beginning to close, and You're ready to take Your journey now to redeem Your people.
While there is room and a door open (as it was in the days of Noah), may these precious souls that lives in the body of this tabernacle that's going to be dissolved someday, that raised up that mortal hand on the inside of them because of their--their conviction and their profession that they believe and want to accept Your proposition to them for salvation on this opened sealed Book that's been opened to us; give to them, tonight, Lord, a robe of the righteousness of Jesus Christ and clothe their soul in that, that they might stand before You in that day, which is close at hand, perfect by the Blood of Christ.

Only God is perfect, nobody else can be, but by this indwelling, we come into the stature of a perfect man, the church, not the individual. This is the mystery of the Mighty God unveiled in us. The old temple veil is no longer needed. Christ is now veiled in human flesh, your flesh and mine flesh. Not one person but the temple of the living God.

2Cor 3:17-18

• (17) Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

• (18) But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

To message believers, what I have written based on the scriptures is the Will of our Father that as soon as we realised what Jesus died for us and we become a witness of this as true, that we must continue to seek and contend for the faith that was once delivered to the Saints. In the case of the house of Cornelius in Acts 10, the Holy Ghost fell on ALL those who heard the Word of God even before they were baptized in Water Baptism. There is the distinction between Water Baptism and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.

When George Smith, Brother Branham's son-in-law wanted to court Sister Rebekah, that was the one thing Brother Branham asked Brother Smith to pray for. He did and when he received the Holy Ghost, Brother Branham called to tell him so and congratulated him. The Baptism of the Holy Ghost may not be a sensation but it is certainly an experience.

Finally, read the following:-

257. Dear, Brother Branham: Do you believe that signs should follow all who have the Holy Spirit? (Jesus said so, Mark 16.) If so, what about the people who believe the Message with all that is in them, yet they have not these signs? Are they unbelievers or do they need the Holy Spirit? If so, please instruct us today, how to receive the Holy Ghost. We believe you are God's mouthpiece for our day. Your brother.

Thank you, my brother, for regarding me as your--your brother, and I think that that's a very good question. Friends, yes, it is a little slack. I'd like to deal a little bit longer on that if I could. See? It is slack. Look. Some of you... See? When--you cannot receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost without having an experience when it happens... Now, if you believe "every speck of the Word," you say... You say you believe every speck of It, then the Word is laying in there waiting for the Holy Spirit to put It to work; but it takes the lighting of the candle.
Here's the candle with the wick in it, and with all the--the tallow, and everything it has to have in that candle; but until the fire comes on it, it will not shine any light. No matter how perfect the candle is, and how perfect it'll burn and everything, it's got to be litten, and then it burns. And when you believe and are made up of the instructions of what the Holy Spirit is, love, joy, peace, long-suffering, goodness,--the fruits that It bears out, until the Holy Spirit with a fiery experience comes down and lights that candle, then you are--you are--you haven't received the Holy Ghost. See? You've got to have the experience to have the Holy Ghost.