Here is an excerpt from a teaching the Lord taught me and my own life experience:
It is very important not to just talk about the water baptism without touching the other aspects of it which are, IN WHAT NAME MUST WE BE BAPTIZED? IS IT BY SPRINKLE OR IMMERSION?
I believed Water Baptism is important and not just fulfillment of all righteousness. Many who seems to use this kind of phrase counted water baptism as not important. By God's grace, I will be showing to you that, in whatsoever baptism you have been baptized has an effect on your Christian walk. In fact, entering to spiritual things may be difficulty if this is not in the proper place.
Let start with; in what name must a Christian be Baptized.
IN WHAT NAME MUST A CHRISTIAN BE BAPTIZED?
Name is very important, if it were not so then, people shouldn't be given name. When God created Man in the Garden, He gave them name. When the Lord brought all the animals before Adam, they were to be given name and whatsoever name that Adam gave to them, it was that they bared even till today. Just imagine how it will look like if everybody in your Family doesn't have a name, there will be disorderliness.
So, name is very important when it come to the issue of water baptism. The scripture said in
Matthew 28:19
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
This was the commandment the Lord gave to the disciples after His resurrection. And this word were to be understood by the revelation of Himself which He has given to them.
John 14:8-9;
Philip saith unto him, Lord,
shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
John 8:58
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was,
I am.
There are many other scriptures that confirmed how the Lord was revealing Himself to them, Who He was and Is and Is to come.
If Jesus Christ has really saved you and I, wouldn't it be proper for us to be baptized in that same name in which we were saved? or Should we just follow the Logos and despise the place of Rhema? The Logos said, we should be baptized
in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy-Spirit. But what does the Rhema says?
The first step in recognizing what the Rhema said is by asking
What is the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy-ghost? These three things mention here are just like a title.
Let me give an analogy:
Imagine yourselves as a married man; to your wife, you are a Husband, to your Children, you are a Father, to your own parent, you a Son but to your friends and colleagues, you are John. Which one of these really described you- I mean your name? Is it Husband, Father, Son or John?
If your wife were to bear your name as a surname will she be called Mrs " Husband" or will your Children be called "James/Jane Father?"
If your answer is no and you believed that the surname in which your children and wife must bear is
John,
why then should we be baptized in that Title name?
Why not in the name of Jesus?
One of the things Baptism does for you is to change your surname- If you have been bearing Janet Marcus, bear in mind that your original surname as an unbeliever or sinner was SATAN but when you came to Christ, you were reborn and at baptism you received a surname of the family that you now belong to and that family is the Family of Christ. Why then did you chose to be surnamed after the title called "
Father, Son and Holy-Ghost?" Whynot
Janet Marcus Jesus Christ?
But some of you are bearing title surname. How contradictory does it sound to the teaching of Christ and His disciples.
Can we look at the application of that
Matthew 28:19?;
Note that the verse read NAME not NAMES which implies that the Father, the Son and Holy-Ghost is the same person bearing the same name which is JESUS CHRIST.
Act 2:38
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the
name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost
Act 10:48;
And he commanded them to be
baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.
What is the name of the Lord? is it the Father, Son and Holy-Ghost or Jesus Christ?
Act 19:5;
When they heard this, they were baptized
in the name of the Lord Jesus.
This was what the Apostle did and the Lord did not rebuked them for doing such rather He confirmed it.
So, if the truth has to be preached then it will be that those who are baptizing people in
TITLE name has not yet received the revelation of what baptism is all about.
A christian must be baptized in the name of
JESUS CHRIST and that is the truth.
IS IT BY SPRINKLE OR IMMERSION?
I believed the true baptism should be done by immersion, the scripture has no teaching on baptism by sprinkle. Such things are the traditions of men. John was baptizing people by river side when Jesus came to him. He didn't sprinkle water on Him rather he immersed Him inside the flowing river, Jordan.
Matt 3:16
And Jesus, when he was baptized,
went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him
Mark 1:9-10
And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of
John in Jordan.
And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon him
John 3:26
And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee
beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same
baptizeth, and all men come to him.
John 4:1-2
When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and
baptized more disciples than John,
(Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)
You can search the scriptures and see for yourself but as far as your Christian walk is concerning, I will advice you that, if you have been baptized by sprinkling of water then you need to be re-baptize again. Also, if your own is that you have been baptized in
title name, the truth of the matter is that, the Lord want you to be re-baptized in His name-
Jesus Christ.
Let me show you others baptism that are in the scripture:
Baptism into Moses:
1 Cor 10:2;
And were all
baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea;
Baptism into John the Baptist:
Acts 19:3;
And he said unto them, Unto
what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto
John's baptism.
Can wrong baptism affect your Spiritual experiences in the things of God? The answer is Yes;
For example:
Acts 19:2-6
1 He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
3
And he said unto them, Unto "what" then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.
4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
5 When they heard this,
they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
6
And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
Shouldn't Paul just lay hand on them and allow them to receive the Holy Spirit without baptizing them in the name of Jesus? Why did He first baptized them before laying hand on them? In fact, why did he first asked them "
Unto "what" then were ye baptized?"
The second example I will give has to do with my Spiritual experiences:
I was first baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy-Spirit this happened after I refused to be Baptized by Sprinkle of water. But when the Lord started to show me that there is need for me to be re-baptized again, linking it up with some experience the Lord desired me to enter into and the Door way the Lord showed to me was to be Baptized in His name.
After much teaching and conviction from the Lord, I agreed to be re-baptized again in His name (Jesus Christ) and ever since then, some of the experience I have been desiring for came without struggle. In fact, that baptism opened my eyes to many thing and till today I'm still grateful for that opportunity the Lord gave to me.
If your baptismal experience is wrong, it is time to re-visit and make a proper correction in the light of what has been shared.
My prayer is that the Lord will grant you understanding of this in Jesus name. May the eyes of your understanding be open to see the Revelation of this word and no longer the letter. For the letter killeth but it is the Spirit that giveth Life.
