What It Means to be Filled with the Holy Spirit # 7

"If Anyone Has an Ear, Let Him Hear" (continued)

In Acts 1:4, the Lord Jesus tells us that the baptism He shall baptize us "in," Immerse us "in", is "the Promise of the Father." Now what does this mean? It means this: somewhere in eternity-past, in the counsels of the Godhead, God the Father gave the Son His Eternal Promise, His Eternal Word, and this Promise of the Father to the Son was that the Church His Body would be baptized "in the Spirit." And the Church His Body was to be baptized "in the Spirit" in order that the Church would be fully empowered to become the Fullness of Christ. And the Father gave His Eternal Promise to His Son that He Himself, Jesus Christ our Lord, would baptize His Church "in the Spirit." The Promise of the Father was to be given, was to be poured forth, by the Son when the Son had accomplished ALL that God had purposed He would accomplish in and through and upon and by His Cross, His Resurrection, and His Ascension.

Christ is our ALL. He is our Fullness; and in the glorious Plan of the Father we, the Church His Body, have been empowered to become the Fullness of Christ. This is accomplished "in the Spirit" - in the Eternal Realm of the Spirit. This is the ultimate meaning of what t means to be "in the Spirit." This is the fullest meaning of what it means to be "filled in the Spirit." and, dear friends, we shall also see that this is the full meaning of what took place upon the Day of Pentecost; for in God's Full Plan, on the Day of Pentecost, the Church, the Whole Church was baptized in the Spirit- the whole Church was immersed in the Eternal Realm in the Spirit where the Holy Spirit is energizing all that God has Purposed in Christ.

~T. Austin-Sparks~

(continued with # 8 - "And When the Day of Pentecost Was Fully Come")