Mega

Chapter 1 - The Prophesied Baptism In Holy Spirit - This prophecy in Joel that Jesus calls the 'Promise of the Father', foretold the "main event" of all time. The fulfillment of this prophecy hits the bulls eye on the target of the Father's unfolding plan for mortalkind's redemption throughout all ages. Everything the Father has said and done, everything Jesus Christ has said and done, and everything all the prophets have ever said and done up to the day of Pentecost, was all about bringing to pass this prophecy of the 'Promise of the Father'.

Chapter 2 - The New Birth Above - Here's what Jesus Christ taught a mortal named Nicodemus about the 'Promise of the Father', new birth above.

Chapter 3 - Spirit, Soul, Body - Completeness - A natural man mortal consisting of only soul and body, needs the gift of holy Spirit to become a three-part complete being, as was the original Adam.

Chapter 4 - Spiritual Clothing And Spiritual Nakedness - Jesus speaks at least once of the new birth in terms of it being "spiritual clothing" for believing mortals; in Luke 24:49, to be put in clothes (endus-esthe), inherent power out from high up.

Chapter 5 - The GREAT MYSTERY Revealed, The ONE BODY! - The knowledge that all mortalkind, whomever chooses could receive the new birth from above, spiritual clothing, inherent power from high up (Luke 24:49), the gift of holy Spirit from Christ Jesus, the Father had to keep secret until after Jesus' crucifixion, death, resurrection, and ascension. If Satan and his devil spirits would have known what the Father was planning, that through Jesus' sinless shed blood that all mortalkind could become redeemed back to the Father as His children, Satan and the devil spirits would never have allowed Jesus to have been killed (1 Corinthians 2:7-8). Spiritually legally, without Jesus Christ's shed sinless blood offering, mortalkind could never have been redeemed (Hebrews 9:22)!

Chapter 6 - Repentance And Forgiveness Unto Wholeness

- Definition Of Repentance

- Definition Of Forgiveness

- Examples Of Repentance

Chapter 7 - The Two Confessions - God's Word shows us two distinct kinds of confession, one unto repentance, and the other unto receiving the new birth above. Confession unto repentance is about you, the sinful believer. Confession unto salvation is about Jesus Christ, our sinless savior who makes us whole from the penalty of our sin.

Chapter 8 - The Two Baptisms - John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, and Apostle Paul all preached that there were generally two different kinds of baptism, one in the element of water, and the other in the "element" of holy Spirit, which is a baptism that only Jesus Christ can perform. This research documents the characteristics of the differences between the two kinds of baptism, in source and element of the baptism, results produced from the baptism, and prerequisites of the baptism. Identifying these characteristics helps define the unique purpose for each of these two different baptisms, and their relationship to each other. Apostle Paul teaches also that there is only one baptism which is necessary for salvation (Eph. 4:5; Eph. 4:30; Rom. 8; 1 Pet. 1:23).

PART 2: RECORDS OF THE NEW BIRTH

There are at least eight records of baptisms, either in water or holy Spirit or both, in the book of Acts, Luke's documentation of the rise and expansion of the first century church of the one body of Jesus Christ. This research challenges the modern, anemic, drive-by, surface-level, perfunctory (had enough adjectives?) understanding of denominational "Christianity" of this vitally important foundational doctrine of Jesus Christ. Any mortal who is not certain if they have received the new birth above, baptism in the gift of holy Spirit from Christ, may study my work as I worked out the subject for myself. From my in-depth studies of all these records of mortals receiving the new birth above, a mortal can't possibly be accidentally born from above, baptized in the gift of holy Spirit from Christ Jesus, and not absolutely know it. If you're still questioning your own new birth above, whether you've received it, study these Records of the New Birth and find out how to become born above, and confirm your own new birth. These records show, among many other things, how those believers who received the new birth above, absolutely knew that they had received it. I seriously recommend a believer's prerequisite knowledge of chapters 1 through 8 before studying Part 2: Records of the New Birth, to approach this subject in the proper order of events and subject matter set forth by the holy Spirit, working from the basics into the more complex subject matter.

Chapter 9 - Pentecost, Jewish Believers Receive the New Birth

Chapter 10 - Samaritan Believers Receive the New Birth

Chapter 11 - An Eunuch Receives Water Baptism

Chapter 12 - Saul (Apostle Paul) Receives the New Birth

Chapter 13 - Gentile Believers Receive the New Birth

Chapter 14 - Lydia Receives Water Baptism

Chapter 15 - Crispus Receives Water Baptism

Chapter 16 - Ephesus Believers Receive the New Birth

PART I of this study examines the Father's desire and plan to rescue mortalkind back out of the realm of mortality and bring them back into His realm of spiritual being, by giving mortalkind His "seed", a part of Himself, which is the gift of holy Spirit, the new birth from above. I'll introduce you to the Promise of the Father, the prophecy which came through Joel, which was the Great Mystery of all time! Gaining the knowledge and understanding first of the Father's plan, the Great Mystery starting in Joel, lays the proper foundation for understanding the two kinds of baptisms, one of water and the other of holy Spirit from Jesus Christ. Part I concludes with a summary overview of the records in Acts of believers receiving one and/or the other of the two baptisms.

PART II of this study is a detailed examination of the records in scripture of believers receiving the Great Mystery promise, the new birth from above, and therefore deals with the subject of the two baptisms in the scriptures. There are records in scripture of individual believers from both logical groups of mortalkind at that time, those of Israel and ethnics, receiving the new birth from above, which is baptism in the gift of holy Spirit from Christ Jesus, thus forming a third logical group of mortals, the one body of Jesus Christ. In each of those records we'll examine the great details surrounding those believer's baptisms in both water and the gift of holy Spirit. I'll examine the details in the characteristics of each kind of baptism, examining the differences in their source, element, results produced and prerequisites.

Then, in PART III (still another year or two before I can get to it), with the knowledge of baptisms, especially the baptism in the gift of holy Spirit, already laid as a foundation for further understanding, I'll examine the knowledge and understanding of the believer's spiritual abilities in Christ, Christ In You (Col. 1:27). In this research I discover and lay out in detail who God the Father says we are spiritually in Christ Jesus, as a part of his one body, and he in us. I discover the greatness of the Father's seed (Gk., sperma) in me, its purpose and ability in me both now, in the resurrection, and in the future dispensations. I have much of it in my head but little of it documented yet into a systematic presentation.

PART 1: THE PROMISE OF THE FATHER!

Chapter 1 - The Prophesied Baptism In Holy Spirit

After Jesus rose out from among the dead, he showed himself alive to his Apostles and others for forty days, speaking the things about the Kingdom of the God (Acts 1:3), and then in Bethany, was lifted up into a cloud out of the sight of their eyes (Acts 1:9). Ten days later, on the day of Pentecost, Christ Jesus poured out of the Father's Spirit, the gift of holy Spirit, baptizing in holy Spirit all those believing upon the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:38), giving them the new birth from above, the Promise of the Father. Let's start in a record which occurs on the last day before his ascension, only hours before his ascension. This record begins at the end of the forty days during which he showed himself alive to his disciples.

How important are Jesus' last words to his Apostles before departing? Just moments before Jesus ascended into heaven he said this to his Apostles;

Acts 1:4 And (kai) salting together (sunalizomenos) with (met) [them], he commanded (parēggeilen) to them (autois) not (mē) to depart (chōrizesthai) from (apo) Jerusalem (hierosolumōn), BUT (allos) to "keep on waiting around for (perimenein) the (tēn) Promise (epaggelian) of the (tou) Father (patros) which (hēn) you heard (ēkousate) of me (mou),

"And salting together with them" - G. Lamsa's translation of the Aramaic Peshitta text says, "And as he ate bread with them...", which is a variance, but establishes the fact that Jesus and his Apostles and the others with them, were all eating together. Another verse may say that they were "abiding together", but not this verse. This verse says they were eating together. During the forty days after Jesus Christ's resurrection and before his ascension, I haven't found any place in the scriptures which says that Jesus Christ abided any longer with his 12 Apostles and disciples, but only visited them occasionally. Most translators have failed to see the word salt (alizo) in the Greek text sun-alizo-menos, thus failing to reflect in their translations a very important truth regarding the final earthly arrangements Jesus Christ made with his disciples just before he ascended. Jesus invoked a very powerful ancient cultural custom, the salt covenant, to obtain a vow from his disciples that they would remain in Jerusalem and keep on waiting around for the Promise of the Father until it arrived.

The ancient practice of making a salt covenant with another is as old as mortalkind. In the ancient East, and to this very day, the custom of entering into a salt covenant is an important thread in their fabric of life. We find this covenant mentioned in old covenant writings;

Numbers 18:19 All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of Israel offer unto the Lord, have I given thee, and thy sons and thy daughters with thee, by a statute for ever: it is a covenant of salt for ever before the Lord unto thee and to thy seed with thee (KJV).

The heave offering relates to establishing peace between the Father Jehovah and His adopted sinful mortal sons and daughters, Israel. Therefore an important attribute of a salt covenant between two parties is to bring peace between them.

Another old covenant record of the salt covenant reveals another important attribute of it, lasting agreement. The Father, by way of a salt covenant, agreed to give the kingdom of Israel over to David and his descendents, to be ruled by them forever! Any agreement made during participation in a salt covenant, would last forever. The fleshly parents of Jesus Christ, both Mariam and Joseph are of the lineage of David.

2 Chronicles 13:5 Ought ye not to know that the Lord God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of Salt (KJV)?

This establishes a second important attribute of the salt covenant between two parties, that whatever deal is made and is agreed upon between the two, it must be kept or performed, forever. Bishop K. C. Pillai of the Indian Orthodox Church, speaking of how this tradition is practiced in his culture, says;

"In the east, the taking of salt is a pledge, a promise of fidelity. If I come to your house and eat with you food which has been seasoned with salt, I can never betray you or do you harm. Even if you commit a crime and I am asked to testify, I cannot do it because I have eaten your salt. Perhaps I may come to you and try to persuade you to do the right thing, but I would die before I would break the covenant of salt. In fact, the penalty for doing so is death." (Light Through An Eastern Window, Robert Spellers & Sons Publishers, New York, 1976, p. 25).

At this time, on the day of his ascension, while the resurrected Jesus Christ ate with his Apostles and those with them, he and they entered into a covenant of salt, through which the Apostles pledged not to leave Jerusalem, but to "keep on waiting around for the Promise of the Father" which they heard about from Jesus. His "commandment" to his Apostles was his reminding them of the solemn oath they now made with him, not to leave Jerusalem until what the Father had promised, occurred, which was the beginning of the fulfillment of the Joel 2:28-32 prophecy! I'm wondering also if Jesus at this time did not again reiterate certain other promises he had made to them at times, like his promise, "I will not leave you orphans." (John 14:18).

The implementation of the salt covenant at this time, by Jesus Christ with his Apostles, underscores the great importance of this occasion in the history of mortalkind. At this time in the history of the unfolding of the Father's plan for mortalkind's complete wholeness for all mortalkind for all time, past, present, and future, that plan depended heavily now upon those twelve Apostles being where they needed to be, at the time they needed to be there, and ready to do what the holy Spirit would move them to say and do!

"which you heard of me," - This refers to what Jesus told them previously, recorded in Mark 16:16-17. John baptized in water a baptism of repentance. But, the ability for believers to be baptized in holy Spirit unto ageless life was coming. This was the Promise of the Father prophesied by Joel (2:28-29). And they, the disciples of Jesus Christ had the privilege of hearing the explanation of the Great Mystery from Jesus personally.

Jesus continues;

Acts 1:5 Because (hoti), [it is] true (men), John (iōannēs) water (hudati) baptized (ebaptisen)!

But (de) you (humeis) shall be baptized (baptisthēsesthe) in (en) holy (hagiō) Spirit (pneumati), with (meta) [the passing of] absolutely not (ou) many (pollas) days (hēmeras) [like] these (tautas)!"

"you shall be baptized in holy Spirit" - Jesus makes plain here that baptism in water did not automatically confer baptism in holy Spirit upon a mortal, but that baptism in holy Spirit is about to arrive in the very near future.

"with not many of these days" - There were fifty days between the time Jesus rose out from among the dead and the day Pentecost finally came. I believe this record occurred on the fortieth day, only hours before his ascension, which puts "with not many of these days" to mean only ten days away.

Here's what John the Baptist said about his baptism, and prophesied about Jesus Christ's coming baptism;

Matthew 3:11 [It is] true (men), I (egō) baptize (baptizō) you (humas) in (en) water (hudati), into (eis) repentance (metanoian)!

But (de) the one (ho) causing himself to come (erchomenos) behind (opisō) me (mou) is (estin) one stronger (ischuroteros) [than] me (mou), of whom (hou) I am (eimi) absolutely not (ouk) suitable (hikanos) to carry (bastasai) the (ta) underbindings (hupodēmata)!

He (autos) shall baptize (baptisei) you (humas) in (en) holy (hagiō) Spirit (pneumati) and (kai) fire (puri).

Here's the record in Luke of what Jesus said moments before his ascension;

Luke 24:49 And (kai) behold (idou), I (egō) send away (apostellō) the (tēn) Promise (epaggelian) of the (tou) Father (patros) of me (mou) upon (eph) you (humas)!

But (de) you (humeis) sit down (kathisate) in (en) the (tē) city (polei) of Jerusalem (ierousaleôm) absolutely not (hou), until (heōs) you may have been put in clothes (endusēsthe), an inherently powered work (dunamin) out (ek) of high up (hupsous)!"

"And behold, I send away the Promise of the Father of me upon you." - This spiritual clothing, the gift of holy Spirit, is the prophesized Promise of the Father. Christ Jesus sends it. Jesus is telling his Apostles, disciples, and us, that it is he who sends the "Promise of the Father" that was prophesied in Joel, the baptism in the gift of holy Spirit. The Father promised the outpouring of His Spirit upon mortalkind, way back then, and Christ Jesus has the privilege and responsibility of baptizing believers in the gift of holy Spirit, on and since the day of Pentecost. Jesus says, "I send away the Promise of the Father upon you...", and that it is spiritual clothing. Could this be the spiritual clothing Adam and Eve had before they sinned and became spiritually naked?

"But, you sit down in the city of Jerusalem until you have been put in clothes, inherent power out from high up." - I believe "sit down" is an idiom meaning to teach. There are plenty of references to this Eastern custom in the holy scriptures, although most of the English translations / translators fail to pay attention to it. A related custom is sitting at the feet of the teacher. I believe Jesus means his disciples were to remain in Jerusalem teaching others about him, "all the things written in the Law of Moses, and Prophets, and Psalms, about me (the Christ)", and how he fulfilled, and shall fulfill all those prophecies, until they become clothed in the inherent power of the gift of holy Spirit out from high up (Luke 24:44-47), which would give them the inherent power to preach and teach much more effectively. They were not to leave Jerusalem until after they received the new birth above in God's Spirit. 'Sit down' Strong's # 2523, is often used to describe taking a position of preaching and/or teaching, especially of Jesus Christ, his apostles, the writers and Pharisees, and the holy Spirit (Jesus, Mat. 5:1, Mark 9:35, 12:41-44, Luke 5:3, John 8:2; Apostles, Mat. 19:28, Luke 22:30, Acts 8:26-31, 16:13, 18:11 continued = sat down; writers and Pharisees, Mat. 23:2; the holy Spirit Acts 2:3).

Jesus Christ's shed blood from his staking began the new covenant, and his disciple's preaching and teaching of that new covenant was not to formally begin by the Apostles, until after they received the power of that new covenant, the gift of holy Spirit, on the day of Pentecost. On the day of Pentecost, these things that Jesus mentioned in Luke 24:44-47 were the very things his twelve Apostles spoke in tongues to the multitude!

The Promise of the Father...

Joel 2:28 (ASV) And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

Joel 2:29 (ASV) and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit.

This is the first part of the Promise of the Father that Jesus Christ referred to in Luke 24:49. What the prophet Joel said about the Father, that "...I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh..." had the chief priests and writers baffled! Why? Because what this Spirit was, the benefits of it, that it was power out from on high, the nature and essence of the Father Himself, was not explained in the old covenant writings. The explanation of it was not traceable within the holy scriptures back then, except that Adam and Eve became "naked" after their sin, so they were not able to search it out further to ascertain it. The knowledge of what it meant and how it would be fulfilled had to be kept a secret from Satan and his devil spirits (1 Corinthians 2:7-8). The Father had to keep it a secret, and it remained the greatest mystery in the holy scriptures until Apostle Paul received revelation directly from Christ Jesus about it. Now, with the new covenant revelations and explanations of it from Christ Jesus, we can go back and identify and begin to understand the old covenant clues.

This prophecy in Joel that Jesus calls the Promise of the Father, foretold the main event of all time. The fulfillment of this prophecy hits the bulls eye on the target of the Father's unfolding plan for mortalkind throughout all ages. Everything the Father has said and done, everything Jesus Christ has said and done, and everything all the prophets have ever said and done up to the day of Pentecost, was all about bringing this prophecy of the Promise of the Father to pass. The subject of this prophecy is at the apex, the hub, the pivot point of the entire Word of God. The preparation to fulfill this promise was made age after age after age, so mortalkind could come to a point in their history to RECEIVE the Promise of the Father, which is a mortal receiving the very Spirit nature of the Father Himself into their flesh (John 14:17, 20, Romans 8:9-11).

If the Spirit that the Father says He will pour out of Himself on all flesh, is the gift of holy Spirit that John the Baptist said Jesus Christ would baptize us in, that Jesus himself said he would baptize us in, then all the abilities that the new covenant scriptures say that a mortal receives when he or she receives the new birth from above, were all referenced and foretold in that Joel prophecy. The nine categories of how a mortal can operate the holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12) given to them by Jesus Christ, including prophecy and speaking in tongues, was referenced in that Joel prophecy. The entire 14th chapter of 1 Corinthians is dedicated to explaining to the believer about one of the nine operations of the gift of holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, and why it is used. Almost all of the subject matter in all the writings from Matthew through Revelation are all about explaining what is the holy Spirit to the born from above believer, and how it can be utilized.

The coming of ALL this for believers was referenced and foretold in that Joel prophecy, but it had to be kept a secret. God the Father couldn't reveal too much in the old covenant prophecies. Because, if Satan would have known that Jesus' shed blood would have paid the price for the dismissal of mortalkind's sins, and Jesus' accomplishment of that would make available the new birth above, baptism in the gift of holy Spirit for all mortalkind, Satan would never have allowed Jesus Christ to be staked and killed (1 Corinthians 2:7-8)! Because without his sinless shed blood and death, the wages for sin could not have been paid, and mortalkind could never have been redeemed (Luke 22:20)!