Water is the element in which the Baptism is symbolised; it represents the Holy Spirit. The experience of baptism betokens the powerful application of forgiveness, cleansing, death and resurrection to the believer, namely regeneration. Bread and wine are the elements by which the Communion is represented. Participation in the act of communion is a personal testimony that the Baptism has taken place, and that the participant is eating and drinking Christ after the Spirit. As truly as the water of baptism represents the Spirit of God, the bread and wine of communion symbolise the body and blood of Christ. In these three, spirit, body and blood, (or if we slightly rearrange the order into one more readily suited to our minds, namely body, blood and spirit) we have the three basic elements without which life cannot exist.
Herein then lies the wisdom of the Lord in combining baptism with communion; in reality they are as indivisible as are body, blood and spirit. By the Baptism we are baptised into and made members of the body of Christ (who is) in the Spirit; by the Communion we live in that body which is and can only be in the Spirit. The elements and enactments of these two ordinances set forth in proper relationship the mystery of the faith in clearest symbolism, and this is the reason why the Lord ordained them. The doctrine of their combined typical meaning is so unmistakably complete in itself that nothing need be added to it or them. They are as logically necessary to each other as are two parts of one whole, each of which needs the other to complete it.
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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.