Spirit Baptism does not happen apart from the rest of God's plan.
In this series, we are calling for a powerful awakening of the gospel throughout our globalized world by emphasizing the importance of Spirit baptism. In the last article, we looked to Titus 3:3-7 as we considered the need for Spirit baptism. From the perspective of cross-cultural evangelism, Spirit baptism is needed because everyone is born a sinner and desperately needs God to perform a saving work in their lives. Here, we will simply consider some of the divinely caused events that attend Spirit baptism at the moment of conversion. This article is focused on timing and not logical order. These events are “not because of works done by us in righteousness,” as they are completely God’s merciful work in the life of a sinner. From the perspective of a missionary, they are the necessary work of God which allows for expansion of the true Church in every generation.
All this grand work is dependent upon the proclamation of the gospel to the lost.
Salvation: God delivers sinners from the grip of sin and this deliverance begins its impact at the moment that a person is Spirit baptized.
Washing of Regeneration: A sinful person who is bound to spiritual darkness and moral filthiness desperately needs spiritual cleansing. This cleansing only occurs through being regenerated (i.e. born again).
Renewal of the Holy Spirit: There is a renewal or changing of the mind which can only be attributed to the work of the Holy Spirit. This divine work transforms the moral thought process.
Pouring out of the Holy Spirit: This is Spirit baptism.
Justified by his grace: Grace is when we receive a blessing which is completely undeserved, thus justification is undeserved. Justification is the legal declaration of innocence before God the Father.
Heirs of . . . eternal hope: The final attendant action is the guarantee of eternal life with God forever.
For the true Church to expand and for a powerful awakening of the gospel to sweep across the world, God must do these grand works of salvation. All this grand work is dependent upon the proclamation of the gospel to the lost. May God continue to raise up a generation of faithful cross-cultural witnesses who proclaim the truth and may God continue to do these grand works of salvation all around the world.