Messianic Milestones

(A note to non-Messianic readers: Yeshua is Jesus’ Hebrew Name.)

Becoming A Child of God

On the day Yeshua died, two evildoers were also being crucified,  one on each side. One said to Him, “Lord, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”  And Yeshua answered, “Assuredly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” (Lk 23:42-43 WMB). This particular evildoer could do nothing to earn his salvation:  his hands were nailed to a cross. Nor could he ever get baptized: it was too late for that. But we know that after he died he went to be with Yeshua (aka Jesus). All he ever did to accomplish that was to call Yeshua Lord and ask for His help. 

Hebrews 11:6 (WMB): Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him, for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him. 

Matthew 7:7–8 (WMB): “Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened.

John 1:11-13 (WMB): He came to his own, and those who were his own didn’t receive him.  But as many as received him, to them he gave the right to become God’s children, to those who believe in his name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

1 Jn 5:13–15. (WMB): These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. This is the boldness which we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he listens to us. And if we know that he listens to us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him. 

2 Peter 3:9 WMB): The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some count slowness; but he is patient with us, not wishing that anyone should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Signing On As His Disciple

First century rabbis used to baptize the people they received as disciples.  It was much like a marriage ceremony in that both parties were making a tremendous commitment to the other person.  In “Being a First-Century Disciple,” Bible.org says:

Believe is a Verb. The Semitic understanding of “believe” was not based on an intellectual assent to a creed, doctrinal statement, or series of faith propositions. Rather, to a first-century disciple believe is a verb in which you willingly submitted to your rabbi’s interpretive authority regarding God’s Word in every area of your life. Thus, to say you were a disciple in the name of Gamaliel, meant that you totally surrendered your life to Gamaliel’s way of interpreting Scripture. As a result, you conformed all of your life’s behavior to his interpretations.

Few people seem to realize that Yeshua (Jesus) was actually having His disciples baptized even before He went to the Cross:

Therefore when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Yeshua was making and immersing more disciples than Yochanan (although Yeshua himself didn’t immerse, but his disciples), he left Judea and departed into Galilee.  (WMB Jn 4:1–3).

Water baptism continued to be important to Yeshua even after His Resurrection:

But the eleven disciples went into Galilee, to the mountain where Yeshua had sent them. When they saw him, they bowed down to him; but some doubted. Yeshua came to them and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go and make disciples of all nations, immersing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (WMB Mt 28:16–20.

If you believe in Yeshua and you haven’t been water baptized since you believed, one has to wonder how committed you are to Him.

Receiving Your Teacher

Before He was crucified, Yeshua told His disciples:

“I have said these things to you while still living with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things, and will remind you of all that I said to you. (WMB Jn 14:25–26)

Yeshua personally trained His disciples.  They watched Him do healings and miracles and cast out demons.  They were His apprentices.  They received His direction and correction.  They performed healings and were sometimes able to cast out demons. But before the Day of Pentecost, they still weren’t fully equipped to perform their mission:

Being assembled together with them, he commanded them, “Don’t depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which you heard from me. For Yochanan [John the Baptist] indeed immersed in water, but you will be immersed in the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” Therefore, when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, are you now restoring the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It isn’t for you to know times or seasons which the Father has set within his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You will be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the uttermost parts of the earth.” (WMB Ac 1:3–8)

Being baptized in the Holy Spirit is an experience that can happen before, during, or after you are baptized in water.  In Acts chapter 8 a disciple named Philip “went down to the city of Samaria and proclaimed to them the Messiah” and “unclean spirits came out of many of those who had them. They came out, crying with a loud voice. Many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed. There was great joy in that city.” (WMB Ac 8:5, 7-8) However, even though these Samaritan believers had been water-baptized, they had not yet received the experience we refer to today as being baptized in the Holy Spirit.

Now when the emissaries who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent Peter and Yochanan to them, who, when they had come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit; for as yet he had fallen on none of them. They had only been immersed in the name of Messiah Yeshua. Then they laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. (WMB Ac 8:14–17)

In Acts chapter 10, a group of Gentiles received the  Holy Spirit even before they were water baptized:

While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all those who heard the word. They of the circumcision who believed were amazed, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was also poured out on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in other languages and magnifying God. Then Peter answered, “Can anyone forbid these people from being immersed with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just like us.”(WMB Acts 10:44–47)

In closing, I just want to say that I have known some people who received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit even without praying for it, while I have known others who have had to pray repeatedly.  I have no idea why this happens.  But I do know what Jesus has to say about it:

“I tell you, keep asking, and it will be given you. Keep seeking, and you will find. Keep knocking, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened. “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he won’t give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? Or if he asks for an egg, he won’t give him a scorpion, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?” (WMB Lk 11:9–13)

Margot Armer