Immersed in the Spirit

There are certain catch-phrases within Christianity that identify one with a certain sub-group.  One of those phrases is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Those within that sub-group believe that there are certain "sign gifts", without which one cannot reveal all that God has for you.

I grew up in a denomination that does not believe sign gifts are needed for today.  They feel that God worked through His Holy Spirit in a unique way right after the Resurrection, in order to grow the Church into a thriving, autonomous body that could withstand persecution, opposition, or neglect.  Now that the Church is established, they feel the Spirit moves in missions and ministry, not in signs and wonders.  Unbelievers who come to the Church looking for miraculous signs are like the Pharisees who came to Jesus asking for miracles; He told them then that the only sign they would get was the sign of Jonah, a miracle from centuries earlier.  Unbelievers today who expect Christians to be endowed with the ability to do signs and wonders should look to the Apostles who were present in the second chapter of Acts, who spoke in the languages of the international congregation assembled there.  They say that speaking in a "prayer language" defeats the original purpose, which was to spread the gospel to as many people as possible.  "Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but one who prophesies edifies the church." (1 Corinthians 14:4)

Unfortunately, due to the de-emphasis of the works and gifts of the Holy Spirit, denominations like the one in which I grew up miss out on the power and presence of the third Person of the Trinity.  Growing up, I understood the concept of being filled with the Spirit--I saw a cup or container, and saw water being poured from a pitcher or a faucet into that container.  It is a powerful image: being filled to overflowing by the power and presence of God.  The concept of a baptism of the Spirit is harder to visualize.  Is it best represented by a dove (representing the Spirit of God) dunking us in a pool of water?  No, I don't think so.

The Greek word baptizo literally means "to immerse".  In the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church had a practice of sprinkling.  When their translators came to the word which actually means "immerse", they got creative.  They transliterated the Greek word baptizo into a new word, "baptize", which could mean any form of baptism that a church might use (sprinkling, pouring, dunking).

Thinking in terms of the baptism of the Spirit, it would literally be to be immersed in the Spirit of God.  So not only are Christians filled up on the inside, but really committed, productive Christians might be considered as Spirit filled inside and out.  I don't mean to be flippant, but we have all known Christians who are just dripping with the Spirit of God.  Those are the ones that are used by God, who have a calling and a purpose, and who have the visible blessing of God on their lives.  They may or may not have a prayer language, but they are certainly used by God to build up the Body of Christ.

I want to be filled with the Spirit, yes, and I am.  When I became a Christian, the Holy Spirit began to indwell me.  As I give Him more control over my life, His power and purpose are made manifest.  But I want to surround myself with God.  I want to go all in.  I want God to touch me, not just with a finger but literally surround and engulf me.  I want to be immersed in the Spirit.

The next time you read about being baptized in the Spirit, substitute the word "immersed", and think about stepping into His presence and power fully and completely.