Acts 1:4-8,12-15

[4] And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; [5] for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” [6] Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” [7] And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. [8] But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” [12] Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey. [13] And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James. [14] These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers. [15] And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty)…

UNDERSTANDING BAPTISM:

1. The distinction of baptism.

Acts 1:4-5 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” (Jesus) said, “you have heard from Me; [5] for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

Baptism: baptizo means to immerse; submerge; make a partaker of; to overwhelm.

Salvation: The Holy Spirit baptizes me into the body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:13 “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body…”

Water Baptism: The minister baptizes me into water.

Matthew 28:19 (Jesus said) “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”

God never intended to give you a purpose without providing the empowerment to carry out your purpose!

Holy Spirit Baptism: Jesus baptizes me into Holy Spirit.

Mark 1:8 “I baptize you with water, but He (Jesus) will baptize you with the Holy Spirit”

John 1:32-33 Then John testified, “I saw the Holy Spirit descending like a dove from heaven and resting upon Him. 33 I didn’t know he was the One, but when God sent me to baptize with water, He told me, ‘The One on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’

Acts 2:37-39 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Then Peter said to them, “(1) REPENT, and let every one of you (2) BE BAPTIZED in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall (3) RECEIVE THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

UNDERSTANDING BAPTISM:

2. The surrender of baptism.

Acts 1:13 And when they had entered, they went up into the upper room where they were staying: Peter, James, John, and Andrew; Philip and Thomas; Bartholomew and Matthew; James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot; and Judas the son of James.

The upper room became a place of reconciliation .

Human nature will deny Jesus under heavy stress.

Human nature is capable of greed to sell yourself out.

Matthew 21:12-15 Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. [13] And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’” [14] Then the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. [15] But when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that He did, and the children crying out in the temple and saying, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant.

Acts 1:8 (Jesus said) But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

The supernatural power of the Holy Spirit is about keeping with a spiritual law which supersedes human nature.

UNDERSTANDING BAPTISM:

3. The continuation to baptism.

Acts 1:14-15 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers. [15] And in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples (altogether the number of names was about a hundred and twenty)…

The word continued signifies persevering and constant attention.

Luke 24:49 (Jesus said) Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.”

The continuation of prayer and supplication placed them at the point of being filled with supernatural power .

Acts 2:1 When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.

Conclusion:

As we reflect on these truths, may we cultivate unity through heartfelt prayer and open our hearts to the same life-changing power that transformed the early church, enabling us to fulfill our divine purpose and shine brightly for Christ in every aspect of life!