At this point we can scarcely do better than seek to arrive at a correct understanding of the emphatic words spoken so clearly by the Lord Jesus and recorded in Matthew 28:19,20. Until that moment the apostles had only baptised people in the name of the Lord Jesus because that is all they had been able to do. That is to say, when the apostles had gone out preaching and had converted men and women to discipleship of Jesus, they had naturally enough baptised them in Jesus' name. We are told in John 4: 1,2 that although Jesus made and baptised more disciples than John, 'Jesus Himself baptised not, but His disciples'.
No reasonable conclusion may be drawn from these words other than that the disciples baptised in Jesus' name, that is in His presence, and in His stead with His approval, and undoubtedly at His command. When later those same men were sent out to preach, they did so in a heraldic capacity in much the same manner as John before them had done. At that time they, as he, had only limited knowledge, for they did not know the full gospel, and could therefore only preach a limited evangel according to their limited revelation. They were the chosen apostles of the Lord, but at that time Jesus Himself was 'straitened', so He said; consequently neither He nor they could preach the gospel as it is now preached.
As far as baptism is concerned, the Lord stepped in and took over from John Baptist, deliberately continuing the ministry which the prophet received from heaven. Starting where John left off, the Lord took up and enlarged upon his message, administering water baptism for the remission of sins, but remaining significantly quiet about Baptism in the Spirit.
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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.