Concept of Fire Baptism
Today’s Focus: The Process of Fire Baptism Part 2: Administration
Scripture: Matthew 3:11; John 16:33
Greetings Kingdom Citizens
Now who is the person who administers the Baptism of Fire? The scriptures actually tell us.
Matthew 3:11: I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: HE SHALL BAPTIZE YOU WITH THE HOLY GHOST AND WITH FIRE.
The only person that administers this type of baptism is the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not something you pray for or rush ahead to make happen. It cannot be chased for given by the laying on of hands. Now as the Lord Jesus administers this baptism, Holy Spirit will be leading you and guiding you through this crucial stage of maturation. Here is where your spiritual father comes into play because you will need him to guide you and provide constant reassurance and encouragement to stay in the fire until the process is complete. Your spiritual father should also have gone through this process to give you proper counsel.
John 16:33: These things have I spoken unto you THAT IN ME YE MIGHT HAVE PEACE. In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer because I have overcome the world.
So while we are going through this trial by fire, the Lord Jesus Christ is where we will find peace through the storm. Your spiritual father knows this and gives you counsel to access this peace. Suffering is God way of teaching us obedience through tribulation and as we learn obedience through suffering we begin to enter the Kingdom of God. Now why does this seem so uncommon and not taught by many leaders.
It is hard to believe that the way God would teach you obedience and change of mindset from the orphan to the son is through suffering. The word suffering has always been attached to a negative viewpoint and when people are suffering we pray that God relieves them and sets them free. However, have we viewed the trial and tribulation as a period in the person’s life to mature? Now when “church members” are going through, many pastors will ask the church to pray for the individual for the Lord to set them free from the devil’s attack. It is not about the devil but about maturation. This is why spiritual fathers are so crucial to this point because they will be able to recognize this baptism and respond with the proper counsel, wisdom, knowledge and understanding to help the son through the process and not to pray for them to be set free. Many pastors do not see suffering as being beneficial for the believer so to identify with this stage of maturation for the sons of God is extremely hard.
At Our Father’s Service,
Elder Calvin Calhoun, Jr.
