The believers have the need of both the inward life and the outward power. The Holy Spirit of God in His two aspects meets this twofold need of the believers. The consummate work of the inward Holy Spirit of life in the believers is to fill the believers inwardly in the aspect of life that they may live a spiritual and overcoming life. The primary work of the outward Holy Spirit of power on the believers is to fill the believers outwardly in the aspect of work that they may carry out a work of authority for the Lord. Therefore, we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit inwardly and outwardly.
The Bible clearly shows us that the outward filling of the Holy Spirit is the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
1)That of John the Baptist-“He [Christ] shall baptize you in the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 3:11). The first person to mention the baptism in the Holy Spirit was John the Baptist. When he came out to baptize people into water, he prophesied to them that the Lord Jesus would baptize people in the Holy Spirit that they might receive the Spirit baptism.
2)That of the Lord Jesus-“But you shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:5). This is the Lord’s prophecy to the disciples after His resurrection and before His ascension based on the prophecy of John the Baptist.
1)For the Jewish believers on the day of Pentecost, on the one hand-“But you [the first group of Jewish believers] shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit not many days from now” (Acts 1:5); “And when the day of Pentecost was being fulfilled, they were all together in the same place...a rushing violent wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting...and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:1-4). The prophecies of John the Baptist and of the Lord Jesus concerning the baptism in the Holy Spirit began to be fulfilled on the day of Pentecost. According to the Bible, this fulfillment was divided into two parts. The first part was fulfilled in one place, while the second part was fulfilled in another place. Although it was divided into two parts and was fulfilled in two places, it was one complete fulfillment. It was separately fulfilled in two parts because the church is composed of two peoples, the Jews and the Gentiles. As depicted in these verses, the first part was fulfilled among the first group of representative Jewish believers in the upper room in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost.
2)For the Gentile believers in the house of Cornelius, on the other hand-“Now as I [Peter] began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them [the Gentile believers] just as also on us [the first group of Jewish believers] at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He said...you shall be baptized in the Holy Spirit” (Acts 11:15-16). The second part of the baptism in the Holy Spirit was fulfilled in the house of Cornelius, being accomplished upon the representative Gentile believers, as described in these verses. According to the principle of representation, just as the Lord baptized all the Jewish believers throughout the ages in the Holy Spirit once and for all on the day of Pentecost, likewise, He baptized all the Gentile believers throughout the ages in the Holy Spirit once and for all in the house of Cornelius. From God’s view, as all the Jewish believers throughout the ages received the baptism in the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, in the same manner, all the Gentile believers throughout the ages received the baptism in the Spirit in Cornelius’ house. These two parts of the baptism in the Spirit combine to form one complete baptism in the Spirit. It is in such a complete baptism in the Spirit that Christ the Head baptized all of us who believed into Him, whether Jews or Gentiles (represented by the Greeks), in one Holy Spirit into one Body (1 Cor. 12:13).
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