The Baptism of the Holy Ghost

The Promise of the Father !

This article is one of the most serious article I have written as it brings to the front, the compelling and needful experience of the Baptism of the Holy Ghost according to the four gospels of Mathew, Mark, John and Luke. On the left is the picture of the River Jordan.

As a teenager, I started the habit of reading my bible being introduced to the Boys Brigade in Newton Life Church in 1964. Then I was not even a Christian until I turned 19,  the turning point in my life when I attended a Glady Wilson's crusade (1970) at the old National Theatre semi-open auditorium (Hall) and came forward when the Altar call was made.

Every denomination played a part in my Christian growth as I took on this journey visiting all the churches to find answers to many questions a teenager would ask. As I was the school librarian, I was exposed to many philosophical books translated from the Chinese classics, the Buddhist Dharma and even Bertrand Russell's “Why I am not a Christian”. Then I fell into a love affair with the writing of a “Tibetan Monk” Lobsang Rampa and was enthralled with the many adventures of the Lama's way of life. Of course, this changed, when I accepted Jesus Christ as my saviour that all these fanciful dreams of visiting the Potala and enjoying Yak's milk faded into oblivion.

Two vital information brought me back to reality of the Living God, Jesus Christ. The only ONE who claimed "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life". Whereas all other “religious teachers” would tell you that every religion is the same and that all will lead to God or the Supreme Deity, only Jesus said "I AM the WAY........No man comes to the Father but by ME". Bold claim, some may say but it is  hard reality. He alone is not dead and his body is not in the grave. As for the others? People are still clamoring to see their bones or teeth on display. Jesus also said", "All those who came before me are thieves and robbers". Why ? Because they robbed Him of True Worship, the only Creator/God who deserved such worship. Jesus delivers me from woshipping beggarly elements and imaginary spirits as others bowed themselves before statues and forms made from wood and stones. Can you say that they are gods, considering how the workmen chiselled away from a rock or a block of wood to make the image? Can they speak back to you or do they hear from their stony and wooden ears?

(Joh 10:7) Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.

(Joh 10:8) All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them.

(Joh 10:9) I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

One of the two vital information was the expose of an Irish man who authored the Lobsang series of books which turned out to be a complete work of fraud. The other was a book about Bertrand Russell exposing him for who he was, a rascal, lived the life of debauchery (no wonder he did not want to be a Christian), and fought against the tenets of decency. I heard there was a death bed confession dying from pneumonia. They all do but I did not hear what was recorded. It was of no importance to me anymore.

My Christian journey took me first to the Roman Catholic Church, then Anglican, Lutheran, then Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian and finally the Pentecostals both the Assembly and United groups where I learned the need to be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

I attended two vital Pentecostal meetings, one in Victoria Theatre (an annual convention) and the other at the National Conference hall, the main theme was “Jesus Christ, the Same Yesterdy, Today and Forever”. There were many booklets about healing and speaking in tongues and I bought them all. From A.A Allen, John G. Lake, Alexander Dowie to Sadhu Singh. When I was working with the drug addicts in St John's Island, I bought the "Cross and the Switchblade" for the immates.

I knew from my own bible reading that it is needful for us to receive the Holy Ghost, the need to be born again as Jesus told Nicodemus in the gospel of John, Chapter 3. I read about the book of Acts where Jesus told His disciples to tarry in Jerusalem UNTIL they were endued with POWER from on HIGH. I wanted this experience for myself very badly and was in desperation. I attended the Assembly of God church in Tanglin Road where Pastor Oh was then the pastor but later Pastor Patrick Lau took over the pulpit. He laid hands on me to receive IT after the sevice was over and we were left to ourselves as others were preparing to leave.

After kneeling down and having Pastor Patrick laid hands on me as he prayed fervently and pressed hard upon my shoulders to receive the Holy Ghost, he was as sincere as I. We both believed that I would receive it there and then. I did not and was wondering what went wrong. I then “stumbled” upon Brother Branham's ministry, reading the complete summary of the Seven Church Ages and realised that I first needed to be baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ as recorded in Acts chapter 2. Where Peter, the first thing he said to the Jewish converts, was to Repent and be baptised in the Name of the Lord Jesus and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost for the promise..........Repentence is needed! Can an infant be baptized? Peter, the first pope said Repent! How are infants to repent? Can the church changed what the first pope prescribed? If yes, then a pope is not infallible. This means I am more catholic (universal) than most catholics today.

(Act 2:38) Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

(Act 2:39) 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.

My colleague loan me the book “A Man Sent From God”. This was in 1972 (when I was 22 years old) and from then I never looked back to this day as I gradually began to understand the full meaning of the Truth in the bible. Without first receiving the baptism of the Holy Ghost, it is near impossible to understand all these truths. Some may wish to think they already understood the Truths without experiencing the baptism of the Spirit. But sadly as I watched them over the years, I saw they gradually fall on the wayside. Why? Jesus Himself give us the story of the good seed falling on non fertile ground and having no roots, they withered by and by. Than let us start to look at the scriptures and asked ourselves what did the scriptures say about this?

One thing I must add here is this. There can be no imitation or pretension as to the baptism of the Holy Ghost. There are many reasons why some attended church meetings, some for answers, some to look for a life partner or some just being curious. But there are also those whose job is to monitor the leadership of the church, who may be doing it on their own or are actually part of the government bodies overseeing these affairs. I would add (my own thoughts) that certainly the government would be checking out these establishments to see whether they are genuine or are just doing it to fleece the people off their money.

Someone once told me there are those who were in the “deliverance” ministry and their role was to deliver the audience from their hard earnings by emptying their wallets or purses. One method I saw personally was this man came and asked the audience to take out their wallets, identify the biggest value, take it out and give it to the “lord”. Now we consider this, no one can manufacture the baptism of the Holy Ghost. It is a gift from God and the sole decision lies with God. It is that simple. There are no imitations possible. It is not about taking people's money but rather a giving by God of Himself in the Spirit form. The pattern of this was given when John was baptising Jesus, the Holy Spiirt fell upon Jesus in the form of a Dove and spake these words: “This is my beloved Son in whom I am pleased to dwell in” or in whom I am well (well-up) pleased (adverb). The literal meaning would be “in whom I am pleased to dwell in”. Read Ezekiel chapter 36 about receiving the Spirit of God. First a new heart (1), then a new spirit (2) and finally His Spirit (3). That was why Jesus promised the woman He met at the well. That if a man drank from this living water, he never have to thirst again.

(Eze 36:26) A new heart (1) also will I give you, and a new spirit (2) will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

(Eze 36:27) And I will put my spirit (3) within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

As this subject is directed to message believers, I want to ask this question? Is the knowledge of the message of Brother Branham equivalent to being baptized with the Holy Ghost? Or do all Christians be they message believers or not, need the Pentecostal experience? Listen to what Brother Branham said:-

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21 And the devil can impersonate any of those things, but he cannot be the Holy Ghost. See? He can impersonate these gifts, but he can't be the Holy Ghost.

And the Holy Ghost is the Token that the Blood has been applied, because It follows the Blood all the way from the Book of Redemption. See it? That was the purpose of Him coming. That's what He followed in every age. Every age He has followed that, to see that It's brought forth, and they could not be made perfect without us. And now the entire Holy Spirit visits the Church, making God in human flesh; as He did before Sodom, the burning there, which was a type. Then, Abraham, He appeared to him.

22 And all the things that He hasn't done down through the ages, in the church ages, He is now doing. Back to the Word, because the messages and the messages and the messages has to wind up in the entire Word. And in the last days, the Seven Seals being opened, was to pick up every straggle that's been left off in it, and make the whole thing in one great big body of the Bride, that them who lived back there was not perfect until this Church be perfected, this Bride group in the last days, to bring them in, and all together be taken up. See?

Brother Branham also said after he preached the Token that morning:-

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9 Now you people in the tapes in there, I would that--that... I think now I...

This morning, the message this morning was, to me, the highlights Message of my entire ministry; this morning, see, a highlight Message of my entire ministry. Someday I'll tell you how it come about. And I know that everything has worked for months and months and months, up to that one Message, moving up to come to that place. That was the capping-off time of it, you see. And it's a...

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10 Now I'm sure, or hope, that you got what the Token meant. See? The Token is the sign that the Blood has been applied. That, the price that's been asked, required of God, Jesus paid that price by shedding His Own Blood. He did that. Then, from His life came the Holy Spirit. And when the Blood is applied to you, the Holy Spirit is a Token that your price is paid; God has received you, and that's the Token. Remember, that is the Token. Now, there is many people who doesn't, they--they don't know what that Token is, see. And you have to make it like that nobody knows it, see, so that all of them will get it.

........to be cont'd...