What happens to you when you become a believer in Jesus Christ? The answer is, “You receive the Holy Spirit.”

This is so simple to say. “When you believe in Jesus, you receive the Holy Spirit.” But saying we receive the Holy Spirit is like telling someone who is homeless that their aunt died and left them a million dollars! “You have a million dollars in your bank.” But for a homeless person it means so much more. It is not an abstract idea, “a million dollars is in the bank.” But it is much more. It is the promise of a home, a promise of food for their children and clothes for their backs. It is the promise of a hot shower every day and a trip to the store. It is the promise that people will not look at you because you are in ragged clothes and reek of the street. It is the promise that your life will change and change for the better.

When we receive the Holy Spirit, we receive a promise as well. We receive a promise that our life will change. We have been born again. The Holy Spirit within us is going to help make that change. We receive the privilege of being the temple of the Holy Spirit. He indwells us. He lives in us. And thirdly, when we receive Jesus, not only is the Holy Spirit in us, but we are immersed into the Holy Spirit.

When do we receive the Holy Spirit? Last week we discovered that we receive the Holy Spirit when we put our faith in Jesus. We belong to Jesus if the Holy Spirit is in us. That is when we receive the Holy Spirit. And at that moment we receive new life, the indwelling presence, and we are immersed into the Holy Spirit.

I want to speak about this immersion into the Holy Spirit. We have been using the acronym “RIBS” to describe the multifaceted effects of the Holy Spirit in our lives. “R” stands for regeneration or the new life we receive. “I” stands for “Indwelling”. Our bodies are now the temple of the Holy Spirit. “B” stands for the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the topic on which we are looking at today.

I feel a connection with you this morning. When I get up on Sunday and drive to this building, I feel a special bond with you. Why is this? Why does it seem so right to be here with God’s people on Sunday morning?

It doesn’t stop here. I represent this church on the Board of Fair Haven Camps. One reason I am on the Board is because the church financially supports that work. But when I meet with the Board members to talk about camp, about winning people to Christ, about helping Christians grow, it seems right. Why is this so?

It’s happened most of my adult life. I felt the same thing when I was in the military. Some of us Christian guys hung out together, studied the Bible together and prayed together. It seem right. Why was that?

I grew up like many of you. My step-father was the minister so I was at church every time the doors were open. There was no rebellion on my part because I was going to go. No need to fight a war I couldn’t lose. But it really wasn’t that big of a war. Sure there were mornings I would have liked to stay in bed or go to the beach. My step-father wasn’t the most interesting speaker and some messages I heard more than once. But even then there was something right about being with God’s people. Why was this so?

You have experienced the same thing haven’t you? I know some haven’t. They say things like this, “I can worship God just as well out on the lake or in the woods or at home as well as at church.” The idea of getting together with God’s children doesn’t make much difference one way or another.

But you have experienced the same thing? You feel drawn to Christian company, Christian conversation, Christian people.

If you tried to put your finger on why, it wouldn’t necessarily be the preaching or the classes or the small groups. It wouldn’t necessarily be the music or the offering (How many of you come for the offering?). But you would say that being in contact with Christian people, talking about the things of the Lord, rubbing shoulders with other believers seems right. Why is that?

Over the years I have come to grow in my understanding of why. First, I knew God blesses us when we do the right thing. When we react out of duty to God, he blesses obedience. Then I came to know that fellowship is important. We can’t live the Christian life without it. We are too weak in the flesh to survive alone. We need to encourage and be encouraged by other people.

But this past week, my study of the Bible has taken it even one step further. Let me state what I have to say in terms that you may never have heard before.

The reason we are drawn to fellowship with one another is because every Christian has been baptized in the Holy Spirit.

Last week we spoke of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Every believer has the Holy Spirit living in them. This is a wonderful truth. But just as the Holy Spirit lives in the Christian, the Christian is immersed or Baptized in the Holy Spirit. And the major effect of this immersion is that we become connected to one another in the Spirit.

Baptism means to “dip” or to “immerse.” The Greek word never meant “to sprinkle” or “to pour.” That is why we immerse people when we do water baptism. The word ‘baptism” is brought over from the Greek. The Greeks understood it to mean “dip” or “immerse” So I will use it this way as we look at several passages.

The Jews in Jesus’ day were looking for a special coming of the Holy Spirit. Notice in Isaiah and Ezekiel the promise of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit is future and is for the nation of Israel.

Isaiah 32: 14 The fortress will be abandoned, the noisy city deserted; citadel and watchtower will become a wasteland for ever, the delight of donkeys, a pasture for flocks, 15 till the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest.

Isaiah 44:1 ¶ “But now listen, O Jacob, my servant, Israel, whom I have chosen. 2 This is what the LORD says--he who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you: Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. 3 For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.

“I will no longer hide my face from them, for I will pour out my Spirit on the house of Israel, declares the Sovereign LORD.”” Ezekiel 39:29, NIV.

Then we go to the book of Joel. In Joel, the prophecy is that the Holy Spirit will be poured out on all flesh, all people. ““And afterwards, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions.” Joel 2:28, NIV.

When Jesus comes, the New Testament says, “Jesus will fulfill this prophecy.”

John the Baptist makes the connection. 7 And this was John’s message: “After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I baptise you with water, but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.”

John said, “See how I am dipping you in this water? Jesus will immerse you in the Holy Spirit.”

When were believers immersed in the Holy Spirit? We do not see it happening when Jesus was on earth. There is no indication that the believers, the disciples and others, were immersed in the Holy Spirit. They learned from Jesus, they obeyed Jesus, but the text does not talk about them in relation to the work of the Holy Spirit at all.

As a matter of fact, we do not find that John’s prophecy was fulfilled in Acts 1. 4* On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. 5* For John baptised with water, but in a few days you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.” Here he specifically says that it will happen in a few days.

We find the first major reference to the Holy Spirit in Acts 2. What this gives is a verbal description of an amazing event.

2:1* ¶ When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2* Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3* They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4* All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. 5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6* When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans? 8* Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language? 9* Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10* Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11* (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs--we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12* Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” 13* Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.” 14* Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15* These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16* No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: 17* “‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. 18* Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.

I want to point out several things in this passage. First, notice that this event had a lot of special effects. The people heard a sound. They saw what looked like tongues of fire. They heard the disciples in their own native languages. And they started a small group. “What do these thing mean?”

Then, second, Peter gets up and quotes from Joel, the passage we just read that said, “I will pour out my Spirit on all men.” Notice that he goes on to quote the rest of the context. The “all men” were various kinds of Jewish people. It was sons and daughters, old and young, men and women. This pouring out of the Holy Spirit happened in their midst on that day of Pentecost.

Third, I want us to notice that though the text does not use the phrase, “baptism of the Holy Spirit” it is obvious that what happens in Acts 2 was what Jesus talked about in Acts 1.

But did it happen again? Was this what happened every time someone received the Holy Spirit? If you have not heard a sound or spoken in other languages, have you received the Holy Spirit? Have you been baptized by the Holy Spirit?

Acts 11 gives us the answer. In this Peter is reporting on his encounter with Cornellius, a gentile soldier who had a pretty amazing experience. Peter goes to his house and here is the part of his report that is important to us. Peter says in verse 15: 15* “As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. 16* Then I remembered what the Lord had said: ‘John baptised with water, but you will be baptised with the Holy Spirit.’ 17* So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?” 18* When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.”

How did the Holy Spirit come on them at the beginning? There was a sound and they spoke and everyone understood in their own language what was being said. Under Cornellius were one hundred men from all over the Roman Empire. Each one heard the message in their own language. Phenomanal!

You say, “Ed, how do you know?” Because Peter said it was the same as it was at the beginning.”

Notice the use of the word “beginning.” If this happened every time someone received the Holy Spirit, he would have said, “The Holy Spirit came on them as he has come on every Jewish believer.” But he goes back to the beginning.

Peter has a light come on! He remembered what Jesus said, “John baptized with water but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Now Peter makes an important connection, one that will be shared by the other apostles who are listening to his voice. They receive the same gift! What gift was that? The gift of the Holy Spirit. They were immersed in the Holy Spirit just as Peter, James, John and the rest of the apostles.

Notice the conclusion. , “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.” What he doesn’t say is that God granted Cornelius repentance unto life. Rather, even Gentiles are granted repentance unto life. What Peter comes to understand is that the “all flesh” of Joel is more than just for Jewish men and women, young and old, but goes beyond to include Gentiles, all people Jewish and non-Jewish. They can be born again as well. They are open to be in God’ family. They receive the Holy Spirit as well as everyone else.

If you know Christ, you are immersed in the Holy Spirit. This act is simultaneous with the indwelling and new life that you received. All of these happened at once. We may have future experiences with the Holy Spirit that are special and important, but I want to tell you that when the Holy Spirit comes in, God sees you as not only having the Holy Spirit in you, but also immersed into the Holy Spirit.

When we look around inside the Holy Spirit, guess what we see? Other believers who have received the Holy Spirit are also there. We are not alone in this. Peter hints at this when he says the spirit will be poured out on all flesh. We are not alone. After his Pentecostal message, 3000 people were added to the church. Had they been baptized or immersed into the Holy Spirit? Yes, they had! And what was the effect?

41* Those who accepted his message were baptised, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. 42* They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43* Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44* All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45* Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46* Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47* praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Paul writes on this in an interesting way. In Acts, Jesus is the one who baptizes or immerses us into the Holy Spirit. But in 1 Cor. 12, the Holy Spirit is the one who baptizes or immerses us into the body of Christ.

12* The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13* For we were all baptised by one Spirit into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free--and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

In the Spirit we are part of something bigger than ourselves. We are part of the body, the body of Christ. We are immersed by Jesus into the Holy Spirit. We are immersed by the Holy Spirit into this body, this group of people.

This is why the Bible tells us about the unity of the Spirit, the need to be together, to work together, to care for one another.

This all happens when we receive Christ. We are born again, the Holy Spirit comes in, we are immersed into the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit immerses us into one body, the church.

If you are a Christian, you have been immersed into the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit has immersed you into the church. You are the church.

You cannot join God’s church, membership in His church is a gift, a gift that accompanies the Holy Spirit. You can join this church. You can outwardly show your commitment to the believers in this area by visibly saying, “I stand with these people to do the work of God.”

But you are the church. You are the body of Christ. You are because the Holy Spirit came in you when you believed.

If you are a Christian, inside you is something that says, “Yes, Ed. I agree. I may not always be there, but I felt drawn to other Christians. I feel a unity with Christians. I sense a oneness with them.” I say to you that is the effect of the Holy Spirit in your life. Listen to that voice.