Lord Jesus, I need Your baptism with fire.
John the Baptist, the divinely-sent forerunner who introduced Christ, proclaimed a new era:
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2).
The central core of that proclamation was the Messiah who would baptize in the Holy Spirit. It was far greater than the restoration of Israel’s greatness—it was nothing less than a cosmic change. John unfolded a map of the future, showing—not a river of water—but of fire! John used an earthly element—water—but Christ baptizes in a heavenly element—divine fire!
Jesus echoes the same words: “John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:5).
We should take note of the fact that Jesus did not baptize anybody with the Spirit while He was on earth but He painstakingly prepared His disciples for this vitally important event. Only if they were aflame could they set others on fire.
This was the only way that it was possible for the disciples of Jesus to evangelize the ancient world of their time in the short span of life they had at their disposal. For these ordinary fisherman and outsiders from Galilee to fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus Christ must have seemed like “mission impossible.”
But against all expectations it became “mission accomplished.” How? They advanced with a new secret:
God personally worked with them with signs and wonders.
Taken from Daily Fire Devotional: 365 Days in God’s Word by Reinhard Bonnke. Copyright © 2015 by Reinhard Bonnke. Use by permission of Whitaker House. www.whitakerhouse.com
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