Let us take note that in the beginning when God created the heaven and the earth there was no such thing as 'baptism' in water first, to be followed later by a second experience of Baptism in Spirit — the whole happened synchronously. One word was spoken, one will expressed, one power was demonstrated with one result; water and Spirit were combined in one act of baptism.
Moses tells us that when God spoke His creative word, the Spirit of God was already moving (fluttering, brooding) upon the face of the water. It was utterly impossible for the earth to appear from out of the water without it also at that exact moment being in the Spirit. We see then that Creation was by water and Spirit. So also, Jesus says, is New Birth. It is plain to behold that as in the beginning that 'new creation' was brought into being by a kind of baptismal generation, so is it also now. In the present, eternal New Creation, all is and can only be by the true baptismal regeneration. Whether it be Birth or New Birth, Creation or New Creation, all is by Baptismal Generation. The outward, material and physical is but the visible demonstration, parable, or picture of the inward, spiritual and real; God Himself has not changed, nor has He changed His method. However, because by the Gospel we are brought out of the old into the New, we speak of God's present work as Baptismal Regeneration. The prefix 're' distinguishes the eternal condition from the temporal, the new birth from the first birth, spiritual life from natural life and the holy from the sinful which all men by first birth inherit.
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G.W. North (1913 - 2003)
G. W. North was born in London England in 1913. As a young man he became aware that the Lord was calling him into the work of the ministry. At timely stages the Lord placed folk in his path who were able to direct him into the truth of heart purity and a more expansive understanding of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. He held pastorates in Kent and Bradford. By the late 1960s, following a significant period of ministry in Liverpool, he began a more itinerant ministry. This led him to many parts of the world, and occupied him until well into his eighties. His powerful preaching and the unique sense of the Lord's presence, which seemed to brood over his meetings, were always intensely challenging.The true secret of his remarkable ministry stemmed from his personal communion with the Lord Jesus. To him, 'entering the holiest' was not merely a theological concept; it was a distinct spiritual reality - and the central feature of his spiritual life. It was here, in the place of worship, that his revelatory ministry found its source. He preached from understanding and conviction. He was never the echo of another, nor did he take on board the ebb and flow of various contemporary emphases. He was not a man of 'books'; he soaked himself in Scripture and allowed it to saturate his heart and mind. Truly, this is a man who has lifted up a standard for the people. Mr North went to be with the Lord on 29th April 2003, shortly after his ninetieth birthday.