From: allan-sv@algonet.se   
      
               Baptism by the Holy Spirit and the New Birth   
      
      
   Most Christians have not understood the truth of the baptism   
   by the Holy Spirit. They have understood it only partly, and   
   the little they have understood they have turned back to front.   
   They mean that we must be born again before we can be   
   baptized by the Holy Spirit. They do not understand that it is   
   when Jesus baptizes us by the Holy Spirit we get the new life   
   in Christ and we become born again. The Holy Spirit gives us   
   the new life in Christ and make the new birth. We are born   
   of the Spirit. John 3:3-8.   
      
   Those who have not understood the truth of the baptism by   
   the Holy Spirit, they neither have understood the connection   
   between the new birth and the baptism by the Holy Spirit.   
   When are people born again? When Jesus baptizes them by   
   the Holy Spirit. The Spirit gives them the new life in Christ,   
   so that they become born again.   
      
   They have preached that the baptism with the Holy Spirit is   
   only for those who are born again. Yet, on the day of Pentecost   
   the apostle Peter promised people, which were not born again,   
   that they would get the Holy Spirit as a gift when they did   
   repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Consider,   
   that Peter promised the Holy Spirit to people who had not   
   been born again! And when they received the Holy Spirit,   
   what happened then? Well, then they got the new life in   
   Christ and became born again!   
      
   A preaching which creates doubt and uncertainty cannot be of   
   God. Many Christians do not understand that Jesus has baptized   
   them by the Holy Spirit, just because they have listened to a   
   wrong preaching about the baptism by the Holy Spirit. Many   
   have believed in Jesus and been saved for many years, and so   
   they wonder why Jesus has not baptized them by the Holy Spirit.   
   Why is only a little part of all Christians baptized by the Holy   
   Spirit?   
      
   Here we see that the truth of the baptism by the Holy Spirit is   
   entirely incompatible with the doctrine they have in the   
   Pentecostal churches and other free churches. They believe   
   that people can be members in the Assembly of God without   
   being baptized by the Holy Spirit. This is contrary to what the   
   Bible teaches. In the Assembly of God we are all baptized by   
   the same Spirit, not only those who are speaking with tongues.   
   1 Cor. 12:12-30. Those who do not are speaking with tongues,   
   they can have other gifts of grace.   
   They have preached that only those who are speaking with   
   tongues are baptized by the Holy Spirit, and that the gift to   
   speak with tongues is the only safe sign that a person is   
   baptized by the Holy Spirit. This is dangerously denying a   
   work of the Holy Spirit, and legalization of false speaking   
   with tongues.   
      
      
   In a Pentecostal church they are sitting in a meeting and make   
   decision for membership in their so-called Assembly of God.   
   And which are those who become selected as members. They   
   are people that Jesus has baptized by the Holy Spirit so that   
   they have been born again, and accordingly already belong to   
   the Assembly of God. Those become selected as members in   
   a Pentecostal church, in something they call "the Assembly   
   of God."   
      
   People become registered in something which is not any   
   Assembly of God. It is only called so. Teaching about the   
   Assembly of God is essential for new saved people, but   
   instead they become enticed in a false copy of the Assembly   
   of God. In that way Satan's false assembly doctrine does   
   function. It diverts attention from the Assembly of God.   
      
   What the Bible teaches about the Assembly of God, this they   
   apply to churches and denominations, which not at all are any   
   assemblies of God. Because of this, the members never hear   
   any sermon or any teaching about the Assembly of God.   
   Instead to take care about the Assembly of God, the preachers   
   take care of these false copies of the Assembly.   
      
   When people receive Jesus and be saved, and other Christians   
   experience revival and renewal, then the devil wants to ensnare   
   them and make them sleepy again. Where it is a false doctrine,   
   there are also the evil spirits working to keep people bound to   
   the false doctrine, and therewith hinder them to understand   
   God's word.   
      
   To be able to expose and combat the false assembly doctrine   
   of Satan, we must study what the Bible teaches about the   
   Assembly of God. The Bible does not mention a word about   
   any free churches or their assemblies. They are so unbiblical   
   as the infant baptism of the church. In the Bible the local   
   assemblies have no names. They are mentioned according to   
   the cities and places where they lived. There was no assembly   
   named Corinth and none named Rom or Ephesus.   
      
   In daily speaking and writing we use many words which do   
   not occur in the Bible. We use the words we need. A word or   
   a way of expressing does not need be wrong only because it   
   does not occur in the Bible. Yet, we must consider what the   
   words imply, and if they are suitable in the context in which   
   people usually use the words. It is important that we use a   
   correct way of expressing. We cannot use the word "church"   
   or "free church" when we mean the Assembly of God, then   
   it becomes wrong.   
      
   Allan Svensson   
      
      
   If you have any questions after reading of this article   
   Please, visit my Web Site   
   http://www.algonet.se/~allan-sv/INDEX.HTM   
      
   The Promise of the Spirit that Jesus "forgot"   
   http://www.algonet.se/~allan-sv/PAGE24.HTM   
      
   The Whole Assembly of God is Baptized with the Holy Spirit   
   http://www.algonet.se/~allan-sv/PAGE25.HTM   
      
   The New Birth   
   http://www.algonet.se/~allan-sv/PAGE19.HTM   
      
   We are Born into the Assembly of God   
   http://www.algonet.se/~allan-sv/PAGE20.HTM   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)