The age of the Baptism commenced dramatically on the day of Pentecost, with Jesus baptising the 120 in the Spirit. Each of these had been previously baptised in water, but not having been baptised in Spirit were not born again. Their water baptism had been an individual experience. Almost certainly it had been administered to each at different times, but on the day of Pentecost by one act in one moment of time they were collectively baptised into and through the Lord's death into newness of life and were born from above. When they had been previously baptised in water, all they were taught to expect was forgiveness or the remission of sins, and that is all they received. But when they immersed the 3000, baptism had changed its meaning and use, and the apostles knew it. Calvary, because of which the Old Testament sacrificial system, as well as baptism, had been ordained, was now history.
Blood sacrifices and Temple worship were abolished by what took place at the cross, but not baptism. Baptism had come to remain, for its symbolism speaks of so much more than the death of birds and beasts could possibly portray. So because of its serious weaknesses and limitations, the Old Testament had to be done away; but because baptism shows forth death, burial, resurrection and life in the Spirit, it may properly remain.
How right God is in all He does. What God wrought in Christ was established by Christ in the Spirit, and because all was wrought in Him, into Him must all be baptised who would know life and function in the body of Christ. Pentecost is as obviously vital to Calvary as the Holy Ghost is to Christ. The things of Christ's person can only be known by immersion into Him and them in the Spirit. So on the day of Pentecost the new Church era dawned as men and women were baptised in the Holy Spirit out-poured from on high. In one great comprehensive work of God, by total inward immersion in the Spirit they were both given and filled with the Spirit and they visibly and audibly demonstrated that fact.
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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.