Baptism in the Scriptures

When we make a careful study of the Bible & Old Testament (types and shadows) water has been in God’s plan from the very beginning. We read in Genesis 1:2, “And the earth was without form and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” And again, in Genesis 2:10, “And a river went out of Eden to water the garden.” It was God’s pleasure to deal with water. It also became His means of judgment in the sending of the Flood. When God led Israel out of Egypt’s bondage, their first test or trial, or God’s first great manifestation and blessing to them en route to the Promised Land, was at the great Red Sea.


The apostle Paul wrote about it by saying, “Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea” (I Corinthians 10:1-2). Elijah, facing wicked King Ahab and 450 prophets of Baal on the top of Mount Carmel, in the presence of backslidden Israel, completely baptized his sacrifice in twelve barrels of water. God’s approval was evidenced by the fire that consumed it to the ground. We will not forget Gideon and his army of thirty-two thousand. God’s final test came at the water and left him but a small army of three hundred men, yet not one of them failed in the battle that followed.


At the very beginning of the New Testament era, “the voice of one crying in the wilderness” began preaching on the banks of Jordan “the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins” (Mark 1:3-5). Jesus declared, “The Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him” (Luke 7:30). When Jesus began His own ministry, He proved that to “fulfill all righteousness” it was very essential to be baptized, and by so doing He submitted Himself unto John to be baptized. It is useless to believe that Jesus, our “example,” would have been baptized in water had it not been essential. It is useless, too, to try to prove that He was not “buried” in baptism. “And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water” (Matthew 3:16).


Jesus fixed water baptism in His plan for the saving of mankind when He included it so boldly and plainly in His great commission delivered unto the disciples before He was taken up from them to heaven. The special emphasis our Lord placed upon water baptism need not be questioned by those who desire to obey His commandments. Neither should the perfect understanding with which He blest His apostles (Luke 24:45; 1:1-4) be doubted or confused. In the Book of Acts we are confronted with the fact that whenever and wherever any believed on the Lord Jesus, they were baptized in water.


All this proves the importance and the essentiality of baptism. Even the Philippian jailer chose not to wait until daylight: “And he took them the same hour of the night, [midnight] . . . and was baptized, he and all his, straightway” (Acts 16:33). Certainly had it not been so necessary, and with the apostles’ suffering with their wounded backs and the family all having retired, baptism could have waited until the next day; but not so! Believing on the Lord Jesus Christ required immediate action in obeying the terms of the gospel.


We must not overlook the case of Paul at the time of his conversion. Becoming acquainted with the Lord for the first time in his life, he asked the Lord Jesus what he would have to do. Jesus emphasized that it would be told him after he got to the city “what thou must do.” When Jesus made this clear, Paul needed not try to argue the question. That devout man named Ananias came to him and said, “The Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost” (Acts 9:17). “And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16).


There is no other doctrine or practice of the church that holds such a prominent place in the Scriptures as that of water baptism. We all believe that baptism should be practiced by immersion and we further believe that speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance is the accompanying sign of the baptism of the Holy Ghost. We contend and preach that anointing with oil in the name of the Lord is the New Testament method or practice in praying for the sick, that we should observe the Lord’s Supper literally, and that giving our substance in tithes and offerings is God’s ordained plan to support and carry on the church.


Yet too many forget that there are far more verses of Scripture in support of the use of the name of Jesus in baptism than in any of the above-mentioned doctrines or practices.


There is not one single instance recorded in the New Testament, or in any genuine book of the first century recording the teaching and practice of the early church, where any other method or formula was ever used. If baptism in the name of Jesus was so prominent in the New Testament days and continued for at least the first one hundred years of the early church, it surely should encourage us all to be willing to look into the subject with open mind and open heart for the Holy Ghost to lead and guide us into all truth.....

It's Pentecost Sunday!!!!!!!!

Fifty days after the Feast of First-Fruits, the Feast of Pentecost was observed. The space between the two Feasts, which included Seven Sabbaths, was called the "Feast of Weeks." It began with the offering of the First-Fruits of the Barley Harvest, and ended with the ingathering of the Wheat Harvest. The First Day was the Feast of the First-Fruits, the Last Day was the Feast of Pentecost. Only the First and Last day were celebrated.

At the Feast of Pentecost a New Meat Offering was to be offered before the Lord. It was called "new" because it must be of grain from the "new" harvest. At the Feast of First-Fruits "stalks of grain" were to be offered and waved, but at the Feast of Pentecost the grain was to be ground and made into flour, from which two loaves were to be baked with leaven. The "two loaves" represent the two classes of people that were to form the Church, the Jews and Gentiles, and as believers are not perfect, even though saved, that imperfection is represented by the leaven.

A "Burnt Offering" of seven lambs without blemish of the first year, one young bullock, and two rams, was to be offered with the "Wave Loaves, " as was also "Meat" and "Drink" Offerings for a sweet savor unto the Lord. These were to be followed by a "Sin Offering" of a kid of the goats, and two lambs of the first year for a "Peace Offering."

The "Wave Loaves" were to be waved before the Lord. Note that it is now "loaves, " not loose stalks of grain. The "loaves" represent the homogeneousness (of uniform or structure) of the Church.

The Feast of Pentecost had its fulfillment on the Day of Pentecost (AD 29 or 30), when 3120 souls were born again of Water (baptism in Jesus name for the remission of sins) and Spirit (the baptism of the Holy Ghost speaking with tongues as the Spirit of God gives utterance) Acts 2:1-4; 38;42; 1Cor. 12:13.

Why Pentecost?

Pentecostal Sunday is approaching us and the question was asked to me "why Pentecostal ?" Why did God choose this feast and why is it so significant in the story of the book of Acts.

It has everything to do with fulfilling the law Jesus said...

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. (Matthew 5:17)

Now remember there were 613 ordnances of the ceremonial law Let us look at the Seven feast of Jehovah.

Passover - 14 Nisan, is the type of the crucifixion day and occurs before a seventh day Sabbath.

*The day following the crucifixion is not only a seventh day Sabbath, but also the beginning of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, 15 Nisan, making that Sabbath a "high" double Sabbath. 16 Nisan, the day of First-fruits, a clear type of the resurrection day, occurs after a sabbath day, but is not itself a Sabbath day! The feast of Pentecost was 50 days after First-fruits (resurrection day).


Now you can see this was not without significance. God made the disciples wait until the day of Pentecost to receive the new birth experience. Pentecost literally means fifty. The number fifty is used in scripture to symbolically represent liberty as in the year of Jubilee, every fiftieth year slaves were liberated, debts canceled, and liberty was proclaimed throughout the land. Paul wrote, "where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty" (2 Corinthians 3:17).


Moreover, it was at Pentecost that Israel first received the Law of God at Mount Sinai fifty days after departing from Egypt at Passover. So also the disciples received the Holy Ghost at Pentecost to write His laws in their hearts fifty days after First-fruits or the resurrection day. Hence the Law was given physically on the Old Covenant Day of Pentecost as a type of what was to come when the Law would be given spiritually on the New Covenant Day of Pentecost.


"But this shall be the covenant that I will make . . . says the Lord, I WILL PUT MY LAW IN THEIR INWARD PARTS, AND WRITE IT IN THEIR HEARTS . . ." Jeremiah 31:33

"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT WITHIN YOU, and cause you to walk in my statutes. " (Ezekiel 36:26, 27)


The Jews have always referred to the Day of Pentecost as "The Feast of the Giving of the Law," or "The Birthday of Judaism." Likewise the Day of Pentecost speaks to the New Testament Believers as the first day of the proclamation of "The Law of Liberty" (See James 1:25) and the Birthday of the New Testament Church. Pentecost was also known as "The Feast of Harvest" (See Exodus 23:16; 34:22) "wheat harvest." Spiritually speaking, Pentecost denotes a time of celebration and great joy for the great harvest of the souls of mankind which would be born into the New Testament Church.

We are Pentecostal because we identify with the same experience that the 120 had on the day of Pentecost. That is the birth of water and Spirit.

We are Apostolic because we believe, teach, and preach what the Apostles believe, preached, and taught.

We are Holy because we believe in living a sanctified and separated life from the world and Holiness until God.

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (John 3:5)



And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:1-4)



And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 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. 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. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. (Acts 2:3, 37-42)