Fire Baptized
Read Time: 6 mins
“Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.”
John 3:1-6 NIV
One goal of this devotional ministry is to explain the things we often hear and see in and around church as simply and practically as possible. It’s easy to let things be said and done without knowing the why, significance or purpose behind it. I was doing Bible studies with one of the kids at my church who wanted to get baptized and realized the adults may need a refresher on the meaning too.
This guy Nicodemus, or Nick as I refer to him with kids who have trouble pronouncing his full name, was a religious leader in Jesus’ day. He went to Jesus at night as curiosity pushed him to understand more about who Jesus was, but fear of what his friends and colleagues would think pushed him to go while no one could see him. I can imagine he has been practicing what he would say to Jesus like an elevator pitch or like how you rehearse your greeting before seeing a crush. Nicodemus comes with a well thought out introduction but Jesus sees through it and cuts to the chase. Nicodemus wants to understand how this whole kingdom of God thing Jesus has been talking about works. Jesus goes straight to the answer and says you must be born again.
The Bible tells of good news from many different angles. It’s the good news that the creator of the universe stepped down from heaven to win you over so that you didn't have to climb up to try to win him over. It’s the good news that a war has been won for you and you get to live in the spoils. It’s the good news that you're loved when it doesn't make sense for anyone to love you. And it's the good news that you are chosen and adopted into a family with resources and privilege you could only dream of. But it's also the good news that better is possible and your future can be significantly better than your past. Jesus refers to the truth that with Him, you are transformed into a new creation. The old decrepit things die off and something new and beautiful is born. One aspect that is the good news of God, is that He will renew your mind, strength and hope. He will change your mind to see peace, joy and love when you otherwise wouldn't. He will change your reality to experience freedom, liberation and provision when everyone around you has been stuck in cycles of brokeness and lack. Jesus is almost synonymous with “better” because with Him life is always at least one step better than the best you could imagine. The good news is that God offered a life of better before you even knew to ask for it, and when we walk in it, it is ours, free of charge.
Some of you are witnesses that your life, career, finances, family, mindset or marriage should have gone one way but God stepped up and better was made possible. You were made new in spite of what was expected. And baptism is just an outward expression of this inward experience. Like a marriage, baptism is going public with a love that has been strong in private long before anyone even knew. Baptism is a symbol of you letting go of what life was like without God and being reborn into what is new. Baptism is a symbol of burying the old and resurrecting into new life with Christ.
Nicodemus didn't understand this. He thought Jesus wanted him to perform a medical miracle and climb back into his mothers womb only to be reborn as a child again. (We often think this kingdom of God thing is about what we can make happen but it's not about what we can do. It’s about what Christ has done.) But all Jesus meant, is that the gateway to a life of better is allowing His Spirit to transform your life from the inside out. Jesus goes on to say that one must be born of water and spirit. John the Baptist predicted this saying that he would baptize with water but another would come that would baptize with fire. Jesus was this man who would baptize with fire. Jesus was more than just a good teacher as Nichodemus stated. Jesus was God. Jesus was the door, gate, and way to complete transformation. The water is cool but it's just a symbol of the transformation the fire brings. The fire is what is really important. The fire represents the Holy Spirit. This is the entity that actually creates this life transformation in you. The Spirit is so important that Jesus told His disciples to stay put until they received its power.
The baptism of water is cool but it's not the stopping point. Water baptism is a symbol of being clean but Fire Baptism is a process of being filled and purified. That’s how you actually receive the power and desire to walk out the life God is calling you to. The Spirit is oftentimes the most underrepresented and unappreciated aspect of Christianity. Without the Spirit of God, none of this life transformation would be possible. Water is cool, but you need water and fire. Water is just a representation of what the fire is doing. The fire is what purifies. The fire is what powers. We need to remember that none of what God is calling us to is possible without the transformation of life, mindset and experience that comes with the fire. And the Bible says all you have to do to receive it is ask.
“While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied. Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.”
Acts 19:1-6 NIV
So do you want to be born again? Do you want the power God promised? Water baptism is connected to repentance, a word that literally means turn or change your mind. As you realize that you can't do this life thing on your own and that your own power isn't enough to sustain, you will be prompted to turn to someone or something bigger. As you repent, and turn to Jesus, He will fill you with the Power that is His Spirit. As you seek God, you will be born again, and it's not just about the symbol of water, it's about the sanctification through fire. Trust His process and you will be born again. Your situation will change. Your reality will be made new. Jesus is the door to better. Keep your eyes on him and you will see the difference.
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