It is profoundly true that if a man be promoted to public preaching, his own personal experience will affect his whole ministry of the things of God to others. Peter, the apostle to the Circumcision, came to Christ in a totally different way from Paul, and entered into understanding of the things of Christ in the reverse order from Paul, the apostle to the Uncircumcision. These men were complete opposites, each destined to play a vital role in the founding and raising up of the early Church.
From a reading of the New Testament it seems that Peter could never quite break free from his Jewish heredity and traditional background. On the other hand Paul instantly saw and counted all Jewish traditionalism to be but loss. Perhaps this is one of the reasons why God, in His foreknowledge, chose Paul to be the apostle to the Gentiles; his more liberal background of training in Tarsus was better preparation for his later ministry than the fishing grounds of orthodox Galilee, where Peter had spent his days.
This indeed could quite easily have been the reason, and if so it is not without precedent in the history of the Jews. The patriarch Joseph, for instance, spent years of preparatory training in a foreign land before he was allowed of God to minister to His people in Egypt. But however true that may be, it is at least observable from scripture that upon occasions Paul refrained from baptising people in water, but evidently insisted that everyone to whom he ministered must experience the reality of which it is but a representation.
The Purpose of God
Accepting the indisputable truth of the evidence as facts, it emerges that:
(1) it is God's greatest desire to baptise people in the Holy Ghost, and
(2) if the ratio be adhered to, then obviously God regards speedy Baptism in the Spirit to be of far more importance than hasty baptism in water, for the differential is markedly two to one in favour of Baptism in the Spirit;
(3) since God means what He records in scripture, then the important baptism for the Church age is that which immerses the spirits of men in the Spirit of God.
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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.