June 06, 2025

Spirit Baptism and Pentecost

Next week I will end my two decades of teaching and mentoring doctoral students when I hood my last two PhDs. One is a Latino Pentecostal. He argued in his dissertation that what makes Pentecostal worship “pentecostal” is Spirit Baptism that reveals itself in the congregation through the obvious manifestation of spiritual gifts, such as speaking in tongues, healings, etc.

Our church tends not to think much about baptism in the Holy Spirit, because we often think of it in my student’s terms. In other words, “It may be for them, but not for us. Those things don’t happen here.” But that is not the testimony of our scriptures. In Acts just before his ascension, Jesus said, “For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 1:5) We read in Matthew’s gospel that John the Baptist declared, “I baptize you with water for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is more powerful than I, and I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Matthew 3:11) Fire throughout the Old Testament was that which purified from within, like getting impurities out of metals, while water only washed on the surface.

Throughout the book of Acts, baptisms included washing with water (water baptism) and the laying on of hands (Spirit baptism), implying you were cleansed inside and out. In one case there were some who had been baptized in water but had not received the Spirit, so Paul laid hands on them and they received the Spirit. (Acts 19:1-7) It is being baptized in the Spirit that unifies and gifts the church as the body of Christ. (See 1 Corinthians 12:12-14) Though we may not have the same expectations as my student of what Spirit baptism looks like, we should neither take Spirit baptism for granted nor ignore its importance.

There are many biblical images given for baptism, but two dominate: dying and rising with Christ (Romans 6:1-11) and Spiritual birth (John 3:1-6). It is only appropriate then that the two traditional days for baptism in the western churches are Easter (dying and rising) and Pentecost (birthed in the Spirit). And this Sunday, Pentecost Sunday, our church will receive Opal Jude Nilson as a part of our church family by baptism. Our former pastor (and Opal’s current grandfather), Mark Nilson, will celebrate this baptism with Pastor Lauren and me. This will be done in the context of celebrating the giving of the Spirit at Pentecost, and the authority that comes with gift of the Spirit. We celebrate that gift throughout the season of Pentecost by singing the benediction to each other. After all, it is the baptism of the Spirit for all the baptized that allows us to affirm the priesthood of all believers.

Though we may not have the evidence of the Spirit in our congregation through the extra ordinary gifts expected in some churches. The bonds that hold our congregation together, the service we offer each other and our community, and the discernment of our mission and ministry are but a few examples of the life of the Spirit among us. May the fire of the Spirit of Pentecost always burn brightly in our church, and in we who have been baptized in that Spirit.

With Confidence in Christ,

~ Pastor Todd