Many people may need to overcome some obstacles before receiving the baptism in the Spirit. My previous article in this series illustrates how to overcome ignorance. This one looks at two additional hindrances and shows how to get past them.
Fear
Fear is often a subset of ignorance. We often fear and reject what we do not understand.
Advances in knowledge and understanding are often met with stiff resistance. The Anabaptists were put to death by Protestants and Catholics alike for practicing believer (adult) baptism, as opposed to the practice of infant baptism, which had been the acceptable mode in the church for centuries. Infant baptism was considered to be the means for children to enter the church, similar to infant circumcision in the Old Covenant. It was part of the sacramental system, which teaches that grace is communicated through the sacraments, rather than through the direct personal work of God’s Spirit. If a child were not properly baptized and should die, it was feared that he or she would be consigned to either hell or a place called limbo, a kind of shadowy unbiblical ghost-like existence away from God’s presence. Through sacramentalism the church maintained an iron grip upon the people, who believed they had no direct access to God. Only the priests, another Old Covenant construct that was improperly transferred to the church, were able to minister the sacraments. This rendered the common people (the laity) dependent on men instead of God. When the Anabaptists introduced the radically new practice of believer baptism, it upset this long established tradition and belief system, bringing incredible wrath upon its practitioners. Today much of the church, including the part with which I associate myself, accepts believer baptism as the normal way of doing things, but not then. The rest of the church accepts or least tolerates the practice today. God restored this long lost truth regarding water baptism to the church during the Reformation. Since the early 20th century the Lord of the harvest has been restoring truth about the baptism in the Spirit.
Truth is usually resisted at first, but wins out in the end.
Today many are afraid of the baptism and gifts of the Spirit because they seem unfamiliar and strange. Their church leaders may have never taught them about these things, or, even more sadly, may have taught them lies based on man-made theology and traditions. Jesus warned us about using doctrines of men to block obedience to God’s Word.
And He said to them, "Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: 'THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS, BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME. 7 'BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.' 8 "Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men." 9 He was also saying to them, "You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. Mark 7:6-9 (NASB)
The Jewish leaders feared Jesus, because they did not understand him and feared what he would do. Their idea of the Messiah did not mesh with who he really was and is. They were afraid he would upset their traditional way of handling things; therefore, they hated and rejected him, eventually putting him to death. Satan always resists the advancement of truth. He fears the truth and the power of God, and instills that fear into his followers. If you have allowed fear to stand in the way of your receiving God’s blessing of the baptism and gifts of the Spirit, be careful that you are not following the traditions of men or simply allowing your fear of the unknown to block you from God’s best.
Satan cannot stop God from blessing you, but your fear and unbelief can.
Repent and ask God to remove fear and open your heart to him and his truth.
Legalism
Legalism is a man made attempt to gain or maintain a right standing with God through our own efforts, instead of believing and receiving what Jesus did for us.
Regarding the baptism of the Spirit, legalism shows up in our thinking that we are not yet good enough or holy enough to receive this remarkable gift.
We may think that we must clean up our lives or overcome some particular sin first. It may be that we do need to repent of a sin prior to receiving from God, but that can be done instantly.
Legalism wants us to delay things until we feel that we are good enough.
That will never happen. We will never be good enough on our own. Jesus made us worthy to receive all God’s blessings and love.
The baptism in the Spirit is designed to be one of the first experiences a new believer has with God.
The Holy Spirit comes into our lives to make us more like Jesus. He will take care of remaking us in Christ’s image, which is a lifelong endeavor. First things first! Now simply receive God’s blessings. Later we can cooperate with the Spirit in the transformation process. Now we need to simply open our hearts to God and receive his blessings by faith.
The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing what you heard? Galatians 3:2 (NET)
Both fear and legalism indicate that we do not yet fully trust God. Isn’t time we let go of these two things and simply receive his wonderful blessings?
Want to know more? I have written a book on this very topic, which is available on Amazon. Click here to find out more.
