Four Things

Unity by Four Baptisms Four Tongues One Lord & Faith & Baptism

"For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles" - 1 Cor.12:13

"There is one body, and one Spirit ... one hope ... One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all" - Eph.4:4-6

"Not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms [plural], and of laying on of hands" - Heb.6:1,2

The Church is One in Spirit, but we unfortunately are not One in Faith

One of the arguments the world uses against Christianity is the fact that the universal Church appears to be divided --- at war with itself.

We All Desire True Unity without Compromise.

It is good that we do not compromise.

Unity is not based on the lowest common denominator that we all spell J-E-S-U-S the same way. Even the devil knows Jesus is Lord.

Throughout history, our speeches and essays have not brought unity because we each are personally praying that the Lord will change the mind of everyone except ourself. Unity is when we all speak and teach the same thing:

"Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment." - 1Cor.1:10

"For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent." - Zephaniah 3:9

The Lord Jesus Christ has given apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to the Body of Christ until we all come in the unity of the faith. [Eph.4:11,13]

So Unity is the Destiny of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ and it requires:

God's people to be of the same intensity - We'll desire change!
The sovereign timing and power of God - God will change us!
Persecution: a common enemy unites us - The cost of change!

Unity by Simplicity of the Gospel

The Christian message is unique from all other religions, and it is simple, that is:

Man cannot save himself; he needs a Savior. Therefore, surrender to the Lord Jesus Christ who died and rose for you, and trust wholly in Him.

In many languages, the words "simplicity", "singular", "unique", and "unity" are of a similar derivation. Unity is a simple concept, but the achieving of it, complex.

Complexity of God

Who can understand the infinite knowledge of God? Nobody! Though the Gospel is simple, and a child can receive the essential message in half a minute, God has given us the whole Bible, which takes about three years to read, if you read a chapter a day. That is some heavy sledding!

The Lord is our Teacher, Rabbi, and Doctor of doctors [Ph.D, MD, Th.D., etc.] In His Book, He has given dozens, if not hundreds of doctrines which are our Faith.

Doctrine is important to the Lord, or He would not have given us this big Book. In fact, He is the Bible, the Word of God. To read it and to digest it is to know Him better.

Revelations Chapter One says: "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear ... and keep those things which are written therein ..."

We should desire His Word as a babe desires milk; and we should mature in the Word from the milk onward to the meat. Progressing from the foundational doctrine to the full doctrine is where so many fall short, because growth is at times uncomfortable.

Unity of the Spirit: One Lord One Faith One Baptism

The one Lord is the Lord Jesus Christ. The one faith is the Christian faith. The one baptism is our common salvation by grace through faith without works, which is a supernatural baptism of each believer by the Spirit into the Body of the Lord Jesus Christ. The One Body is the Church.

When Jesus steps inside the door of your heart, you step inside the door of His One True Church, a church without walls of separation.

Unity of the Faith: Truth versus Error

When an organization teaches that their church or denomination is the one faith, you know they are somewhat in error and have not the full doctrine of the Lord and of the apostles.

When a church says that the "one baptism" is baptism in water, or on the other hand, the Pentecostal baptism with power, they are also in error.

The phrase "one Lord, one faith, one baptism" refers to the unity that the Lord wants and expects in the last days. All true churches will one day teach what Jesus and Paul taught, which is called the doctrine of Christ, also known as the doctrine of the apostles.

In Spirit, we believers are all now united by the common baptism into the Body, but in Faith [doctrine], we are presently divided.

"And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?" - 1Cor.3:1,2,3

However, soon the Lord shall unite us by the outpouring of His Spirit in the Last Days. The Spirit causes an opening of the eyes, an enlightenment in the Word with Power.

"Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures." - Luk.24:45

"... How mine eyes have been enlightened, because I tasted a little of this honey!" 1Sam.14:29

"The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes." - Ps.19:8

"... Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb." - Ps.19:10

As we mature in doctrine, progressing from the milk and honey of the first principles of the Word to the advanced principles of the meat of the Word, we go through four baptisms ["Principles of Doctrine": Hebrews 6:1,2] ---

Unity in Four Baptisms

"There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not ... There be four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise ... There be three things which go well, yea, four are comely in going ..." - Prov.30: 18,24,29
There are four laws of thermodynamics in physics.
In geography, God has established four compass points; north, south, east and west.
On the fourth day, God created the four seasons of the year.
In the Bible, we can read four Gospels,
and Paul wrote four Prison Epistles.
In Ezekiel Chapter One, verses five and six, there are four living creatures, each one with four faces and four wings.
And the Lord showed me four carpenters (Zechariah 1:20) to cast out the horns of the Gentiles [v21].
In Revelation Chapter Four, verse 6, there are four beasts round about the throne of God.
In Revelation Chapter Seven, there are four angels on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of heaven that they should not blow.
In Revelation Chapter 6 - the "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse".

God has placed Four New Testament Baptisms in the Christian Faith:

[Note: the "baptism of Moses" and John the Baptist's baptism are Old Testament baptisms. Even though John the Baptist is in the Gospels, he lived in O.T. times because Jesus was not yet risen from the dead.]

Baptism into the Body [salvation]

"For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles" - 1 Cor.12:13

Water Baptism

a) Not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus

b) Public profession before all mankind

c) I am dead to myself; I will arise & follow Jesus!

Baptism with Pentecostal power

"Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John: Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost: (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.) Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost" - Acts 8:14-17

Baptism with fire or Baptism [cup] of suffering

Baptism by Fire, Definition: Source: Investopedia.com - "Baptism by fire is a phrase that describes an employee that is learning something the hard way through a challenge or difficulty."

a) "He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire" - Mat.3:11

b) "I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straightened till it be accomplished!" - Luk.12:49,50

c) "Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with" - Mat.20:23

d) "For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt" - Mk.9:49

e) "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice" - Rom.12:1

f) "Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, but life in you" - 2Cor.4:10,11,12

g) "If the dead rise not at all, why are they then baptized for the dead?" - 1Cor.15:29

h) "For verily, when we were with you, we told you before that no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto." - 1Thess.3:3

i) "For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter" - Rom.6:8; Ps.44:22

j) "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to test you, as though some strange thing happened unto you" - 1Pet.4:12

Unity in Acceptance of Four Tongues

A major schism in the Body of Christ has for centuries been because the Church in general is confused about glossolalia or tongues. Most churches only are aware of one kind of tongue.

According to 1Cor.12:28, there are "diversities" of tongues, not just one kind:

FOUR TONGUES

a) Public Tongue i.e. Congregational or Corporate

1) tongue in known language: unknown to speaker, given supernaturally by God; known by hearer; understanding not given supernaturally ; need not be interpretted

2) unknown tongue: new in kind; must be interpretted in public setting

b) Private Tongue i.e. individual or personal

1) tongue of intercession; travailing in the Spirit; no interpretation needed

2) tongue of praise, blessing, thanks, declaration; no interpretation needed

CONCLUSION:

If only all Christians would understand the types, timing, place and importance of tongues; and along with it --- when tongues should be interpretted and when not to be interpretted -- there would not be this battle in the Church which has led to forbidding of tongues and the overall quenching of the Holy Spirit in general.

All churches need to understand that the One baptism into Christianity involves subsequent baptisms: Water [public proclamation], Holy Spirit Anointing [power for performance], Fire [purging for purity].

Final Word:

You have heard that at the Tower of Babel tongues divided people, and at Pentecost in Acts Chapter Two, tongues united people.

When a person speaks privately in tongues, he or she speaks mysteries and sometimes intercedes:

Can it be that when we pray in tongues -- we are praying for the ultimate unity of the final Church, and praying that we would all be in agreement as to tongues and all supernatural gifts and revelation[s] of the soon coming Lord Jesus Christ?!

Hosea 4:6 - "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge"

Hebrews 5:12 - "When for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again"

Malachi 3:16 - "Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it ..."

Zephaniah 3:9 - "For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent."

Psalm 133:1,2,3 - "Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head ... for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore."

Where unity is, there is the oil of the power of the anointing. There the Lord has commanded blessings!

My Testimony of Tongues

Prophecy about Tongues

111 Traits of Tongues

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See also: 111 Reasons to Speak in Tongues (view)