So the Lord is drawing you deeper into salvation and you want to be baptized and are a little confused as to what to do. Well baptism completely immersed in water is preferable because of its symbolic importance, but what good is symbolism if you are not totally committed to your Maker to give Him back every drop of life he created in you? Get baptized anyway you find comfortable for your faith with the goal of receiving the baptism of the holy Ghost when you do. In receiving the baptism of the holy Ghost, you do not have to speak in tongues but you should discern a witness in the Spirit. And for those whose commitment is total, they have received "the power to become sons of God...." (St. John l:l3) For those of you who have decided initial salvation is enough to satisfy your interests, be sure to know your lack of a healthy fear of God and his judgments suggests you might be receiving the good Word of God on the ground of a stone hard heart unworthy of the kingdom of God!

        God Almighty is absolutely God and only He knows what that really means in his infinite comprehension of all reality while foolish recipients of his Word think to bargain a relationship with Him. It is logical to give absolutely all you are to all He is since He is your Creator and Designer, and ultimately He is your Judge and Master one way or the other. So why put your soul at risk by putting off the inevitable?

        "There are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, the water and the blood." (l John 5:8)

        Commit your life totally to God Almighty through his Holy Son Jesus, the Christ; and become baptized by complete immersion as a sign of your commitment to death of self in this life and forever.


YOU ARE BAPTIZED INTO THE
BODY OF CHRIST WORLDWIDE:


        "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all..." (Ephesians 4:4/5) For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jew or Gentile, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit." (l Corinthians l2:l3)


THOSE WHO ARE BAPTIZED IN
THE SPIRIT WILL KNOW IT:


        There is no need for you to speak in tongues to prove your baptism in the Spirit nor should you pay heed to anyone saying you should babble to get the holy Ghost started speaking in tongues through you. The Spirit needed no help speaking through the mouth of Balaam's donkey to him, and he needs no help from you to operate the gifts of the Spirit; to give visions and dreams, words of knowledge and of wisdom, to work signs and wonders, and miracles. Your part in becoming a vessel suitable for the Master's use, is the seeking of his perfect will and the yielding to it in all things. You do your part, and you can count on God to baptize you in the holy Ghost.


THOSE WHO ARE BAPTIZED IN THE HOLY GHOST
ARE FILLED TEMPORARILY:


       It is religious dogma for churches to say they are Spirit filled congregations or for individuals to presume to be Spirit filled without living the Life of Christ. There is no such thing as a Spirit filled church except for Christ's hundred and twenty who demonstrated the perfected gift of tongues on Pentecost. The Bible is a whole book. To represent it in part is to mis-represent it. People were filled with the holy Ghost; (Acts 2:4, but that does not mean they had unlearned their sinful ways to remain filled with the Spirit. Think about it. The apostles were filled with the Spirit. (Acts 4:8, l3:9) Did they receive it all in a baptism forever? No. You'll remember, they followed hard after Christ in his poverty, separated from the world to build the new man which is "Christ in you, the hope of glory." (Colossians l:27) Rome wasn't conquered in a day, neither can you conquer your flesh in a day. There is no evidence in holy Scripture of anyone becoming equal to the apostles immediately after the baptism of the holy Ghost. In fact, there is nothing more said about those who were filled with the Spirit in baptism.


BAPTISM SYMBOLIZES YOUR NEED TO DIE TO SELF
TO RISE FROM THE DEAD WITH CHRIST
THROUGH THE POWER OF GOD:






        Once you are buried with him in baptism, your goal should be to rise with him "through the faith of the operation of God, who has raised him from the dead." (Colossians 2:l2) "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin." (Romans 6:4/6)


GO AND SIN NO MORE:


        Believers generally presume they will obtain the promise without meeting its condition. To be planted together in THE LIKENESS OF CHRIST'S DEATH requires a perfect martyrdom empowered in the sinlessness of the anointing to do as Christ and Stephen, the Martyr in praying for their enemies while dying. Stephen will come forth in Christ's likeness in the resurrection. Most Christians die imperfect deaths when persecuted by murderers. They do not love their enemies in the Spirit of God, but cry out for vengeance in the spirit of man. (St. Luke l8:7 + Revelation 6:lO) In the anointing of Christ, holy apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers were sinless for as long as they remained obedient to the Spirit. As long as they walked in the Spirit, they did not fulfill the lust of the flesh. (Ref. Galatians 5:l6) "Whosoever abides in him sins not: whosoever sins has not seen him, neither known him." (l John 3:6)


THE BLOOD OF CHRIST CLEANSES
FROM ALL SIN:


        Holy men also had the blood of Christ to cleanse them from all sin. (Ref. l John l:7) Something for you to keep in mind in your spiritual journey when you come to the place where the Lord gives the "power and authority" of a disciple. (St. Luke 9:l) Immersion in baptism is a commitment to attain to the sinless state of the anointing through death of self and absolute obedience to God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength. Total commitment is not something you do on the weekends or evenings. It's forever.


BAPTISM IS REDUCED TO A RITUAL WITHOUT A
RIGHT ATTITUDE AND DETERMINATION TO PERFECT
THE SPIRIT WITHIN:


        God is all knowing. "No thought can be withheld from Him." (Job 42:2) He knows more about you than you know about yourself. If you think you are just fine the way you are, and are thinking of baptism as something to fulfill a religious obligation; your attitude is lukewarm and your faith is in danger of shipwreck. Many are saying they are not called to full time service like the disciples of Jesus Christ. That may be so, but you are called to full time service on your job and in your home; to love the LORD your God with your whole heart, soul, mind and strength and your neighbors as much as you love yourself. Your behaviour whereever you are, should be spiritual minded. If you enter into baptism carnally minded, you cannot expect to reap the long term spiritual benefits of "life and peace." (Romans 8:6)

        America has become a very busy nation with everyone racing to and from destinations with everyone else in their way. Deep introspection is necessary to search out how well you are doing spiritually. The question is: How much are you like Jesus Christ? Are you driving your vehicle like him? Is your conversation godly like his conversation? Are you interested in God's perfect will in marriage? Do you know the names of your neighbors? Are you accountable to anyone spritually? If you're better than your co-workers, are they hell-bound sinners or lukewarm Christians pretending holy zeal? Are you comparing yourself with Christ or man?

        The participant in the devout life is genuinely interested in the well being even of those who make themselves enemies without a cause. Sinners tend to be slaves to the love of money, doing only what is financially profitable for them. Devout men and women who are free of the chains of this world are delightful company. Their focus is on God. They are not easily offended. They are always ready to help.


BAPTISM IS A COMMITMENT TO LIVE
A SPIRITUAL LIFE:


         Many Christians have remained in the worldliness they were supposed to come out from to live separated and holy lives. What is the result? It is hard to tell a Christian from a sinner in America! Baptism is your starting point for total commitment to the devout life. To study to show yourself approved of God. the putting on of holy habits. To arm yourself with the mind of Christ to suffer in the flesh. "For he that has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin: That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of "God." (l Peter 4:l/2)


IN WATER BAPTISM YOUR REPENTANCE
WASHES YOU CLEAN OF WHAT YOU REPENT OF:


         This may not be what you will be told by the religious leader baptising you in water. They will want to make a very quick work of it. And may even tell you you've been deceived, but nonetheless it is Biblical to use the waters of baptism to wash your sins off of you.

         This practice was well attended by Israelites flocking to John the Baptist at the Jordan River for THE BAPTISM OF REPENTANCE.

         We find it still in use when the disciple Ananias was sent to heal Paul who was blinded in a divine visitation on the Damascus Road.

         Ananias laid hands on him and sent the healing power of the spirit of God into him and then told Paul, "Rise and be BAPTIZED, and WASH AWAY YOUR SINS, calling on His name" (Acts 22:16).


IN WATER BAPTISM IS TOTAL
COMMITTMENT TO MARTYRDOM:


         Baptism is NEVER spoken of in the Bible as a mere 'SYMBOL'. It is spoken of as being a 'circumcision of the heart', a "cutting off", a "burial" into the DEATH of Christ. Death means death. Christ died as a martyr for you and I, we accept the same commitment for him.

         Baptism is a LITERAL "burial into death" for those who take their baptism seriously, ...it is a total commitment to die to self and come forth a new man, but more than that, it is a desire to achieve spiritual perfection in a holy death.


IF YOUR WATER BAPISM IS TAKEN LIGHTLY
YOU WILL NOT BE THE LORD'S ANOINTED:


         If you take your baptism of water lightly and do not repent all together of every sin you've ever committed, and totally commit your life to God, to death of self, to living only for Him; to totally ingest his holy Word, to die for your faith in Him, .....you cannot ever become the Lord's anointed.

         Jesus declared that, "Unless a man is born of WATER and of THE SPIRIT he cannot enter into the kingdom of God"? (Jn 3:5).

         If you are not properly born of water, you cannot properly die to self, and if you cannot properly die to self, and totally live for God day and night for the rest of your life; you cannot expect to come forth to the new Life the Lord is speaking of in holy Scripture.