Baptism by Fire!

‘Baptism By Fire!’ – May 2025 NM Prayer Connect/PATH, NM/COG, NM, El Paso, TX & SWIM – South West Indian Ministries Newsletter! Psalm 32:8
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” – Psalm 32:8
Isaiah 44:3
“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.” – Isaiah 44
Ezekiel 36:26-27
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” – Ezekiel 36:26-27
From Old Covenant to the ‘New & Better’ Covenant, as the author of Hebrews put it, and we know that all scripture is God breathed, the Holy Spirit is not only present, but active, from Genesis to Revelation! Most believers would say that they received the Holy Spirit at their acceptance of Jesus or at their water baptism, but what does the Word Of God really say about this type of doctrinal stance, that so many churches vary in? There are upwards of 100 scripture versus in the bible, regarding the third person of the Trinity, but there are also confessing followers of Christ, who don’t believe in the Triunity of God, being 3 distinct persons, in ONE Godhead, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. After all, everyone knows God says, “Hear Oh Israel, the LORD our God Is ONE God!” Not knowing that the Hebrew word ‘echad,’ meaning a combining of parts being of ONE nature, just like when Paul the Apostle talks about the ‘Ecclesia or Ekklesia,’ the called out ones, which we refer to in English, as ‘The Church,’ The Bride/Body Of Christ, being many members, but just ONE Head, The Man Christ Jesus, not the Pope, Pastor, Preacher, Elder, Bishop, Deacon, Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Teacher or whoever else people think is ‘the head of The Church!’ Acts 19:2
“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.’” – Acts 19:2
Obviously the Holy Spirit was around in the creation story, hovering over the waters, but He was also existing in all of eternity past and will forever, because He Is Eternal. There were those in the Jewish Bible, Genesis-Malichi, who not only were moved upon and led by The Spirit, but several were ‘filled’ with Him. Samuel writes that the Holy Spirit came mightily upon David. In the Old Testament, there are scriptures that mention the Spirit of the Lord coming to people. For example, in Exodus 31:3, God fills Moses with the Spirit of God. In Judges 14:6, the Spirit of the Lord empowers Samson to tear a lion apart. Isaiah 11:2 and Ezekiel 36:27 also reference the Spirit of the Lord. Additionally, Isaiah’s prophecy of the Servant of the Lord (Isaiah 42:1–9) highlights the intimate interworking of the triune God. Notice this quote from Stephen, the first martyr of the early church in Acts 7: 51 “You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Moses in the Old Covenant declared, “I wish hat you all prophesied,” and Paul states in the New Covenant, “I wish that you all spoke in tongues.” On the first night of the resurrection, Jesus comes into the upper room (through a locked door) and breathes on His Disciples saying, “Peace/Shalom Be With You, Receive The Holy Spirit!” Since the New Covenant only goes into effect after His death, according to Hebrews, like God The Father, gathering up the dust of the ground, He ‘Breathed on the first Adam/Man” and he became a ‘living soul.” Jesus is the Last Adam and even after breathing on His Disciples in the upper room, before leaving this Earth, 40 days after His Resurrection, He commands the disciples to wait for the promise of The Father, The Holy Spirit, by praying for 10 days up to Pentecost Sunday, to be ‘baptized with The Holy Spirit & Fire!’ Since the death of Stephen, whose name means crown or martyr, many have died for their faith in Jesus, some like Jesus were crucified on a cross or what some translations of the bible call ‘an execution stake,’ others were burned at the stake, burned to death by the world’s fire, because they were filled with ‘The Fire Of God.’ Ephesians tells us that by putting up our shield of Faith, we take down every fiery dart of the enemy, but The Word Of God also tells us that our God Is A Consuming Fire, a refining fire. We’re even told that we’re going to go through that fire, to be purified as gold in the furnace, but like the three friends of Daniel, there will be another Man in the fire with us and we won’t get burned or even smell like fire. The last Christian martyr burned at the stake was Walter Mylne in 1558 in Scotland. Other notable examples include Jan Hus in 14282 and John Cranmer in 15563. We’ve come a long way, since the first day of Pentecost, when 120 in the upper room were ‘baptized with the Holy Spirit & Fire,’ but that was not the end, it was only the beginning of what God had started in this ‘New & Better’ Covenant relationship of Faith! John’s baptism, was a cleansing in water, a baptism of repentance, but even he declared, “He (meaning Jesus) will baptize you with the Holy Spirit & Fire!” Jesus’ disciples were ‘witnesses’ for Him for three and a half years, but we must remember, He was still living under the Old Covenant until His Death. God wants you and me to be filled and constantly overflowing with His Holy Spirit. Acts 1:4-5
“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. For John baptized with water, but in a few days, you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’” – Acts 1:4-5
Acts 1:8
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” – Acts 1:8
Acts 2:4
“All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” – Acts 2:4
Acts 2:38
“Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” – Acts 2:38
But even before Jesus went to the cross of Golgotha, He was encouraging people to ask for The Father to pour out His Holy Spirit on them: Luke 11:13
“If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” – Luke 11:13
We’re not talking about a trickle here and there, but a mighty rushing river. John 7:38-39
“Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.’ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.” – John 7:38-39
From 22-24 years after the death of Jesus, Paul wrote the book of Romans and stated: Romans 15:13
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” – Romans 15:13
Jesus is ‘the anchor within the veil,’ He’s The Hope of Israel, The Hope of the nations, The Hope of the world and The Hope that will not disappoint us. Paul, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, wants the God/The Father of Hope/Jesus to ‘FILL’ you and me with ‘ALL’ Holy Spirit ‘JOY’ and ‘PEACE/SHALOM,’ as you believe in, cling to, trust in and rely on Him, He’s The Author & Finisher of our “FAITH.” We’re to ‘work out our Salvation/Yeshua/Jesus, with (reverential) fear and trembling.’ God’s desire is that none would perish and all would come to repentance, so that we could ‘OVERFLOW’ with Jesus, our Living Hope. How? By The Power (Paul says that Jesus Is The Wisdom & Power Of God) Of His Holy Spirit, not just once, but to be continuously being ‘FILLED’ up and pouring out our lives, as a living sacrifice of Glory, Praise & Honor, to His Holy & Precious Name. Are you ‘a child of the Most High God?’Romans 8:14
“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.” – Romans 8:14
James 1:5
“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” – James 1:5
Let me encourage you today, if you hear His Voice, do no harden your heart, but allow Him to Bless you, with the purchase that Jesus made for you, me, all in His Church, Let us put aside anything and everything that hinders us from moving onward and upward In Him. Jesus prayed in John 17, that we would be ONE. Paul says, “The Dividing walls are down,” so let’s live like it, red, yellow, black and white, male, female, slave and free, Catholic & Protestant, as the ‘ONE New Man’ of Ephesians, Jew & Gentile, “ONE In Messiah/Christ/The Anointed ONE!” We all believe in the Holy ‘catholic/Universal’ Church, so don’t allow doctrines of men or of demons separate us from The Love Of GOD. 1 Thessalonians 5:19
“Do not quench the Spirit.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:19
Galatians 5:25
“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” – Galatians 5:25
Right now we’re strategizing about 10 Days gatherings in Santa Fe (Visit https://www.10days.net ), come September 22, 2025 and ‘Joining Jesus25,’ in New Mexico, October 1-31, 2025 (Visit https://therooftop.org ), so please be in prayer for us and share this information with others. We’re looking to network 7 thousand intercessors in NM and 120 praying people in each county, to pray for awakening and revival to come to our state, the nation and the world + for 10%, a tithe of our population to come to Salvation from Resurrection Sunday to Pentecost next year, joining every state in America, for 1 Million souls to be Saved (See Project2026 Project 2026 Overview.pdf – Google Drive @ https://www.ProjectPray.Org ), so if you or someone you know would like to have a prayer gathering in or around NM, don’t hesitate to contact me. Have a safe and happy World Laughter Day & Star Wars Day, May 4, Cinco de Mayo, May 5, World Red Cross Day, May 8 (It’s also My 68th Natural Birthday), Mothers Day, May 11, International Nurses Day, May 12, My 43rd Spiritual Birthday, May 16, International Museum Day, May 18, International Day for Biological Diversity, May 22, Memorial Day, May 26, World No Tobacco Day, May31 and Mental Health Awareness Month (entire month of May). THANKS & BLESSINGS with SHALOM/PEACE & GOD’s LOVE to ALL,Mark TrossPrayer Coordinator for NM Prayer Connecthttp://nmprayerconnect.weebly.comMark TrossListen to Mark Tross on Spotify. Audiobooks & MORE read by Mark Tross, Author, Conference Speaker, Radio & Television personally, blogger, newspaper and internet writer, Bishop with The Church Of God, Cleveland, TN and Coordinator for New Mexico Prayer Connect . Cover art photo provided by Janine Joles on Unsplash: https://unsplash.com/@joyful_janineopen.spotify.com http://victorychurchofgod.weebly.comhttp://crossculturenm.weebly.com http://askthepastornm.weebly.comhttp://simplechurchfellowship.weebly.comhttp://ekklesiaoutreach.weebly.comhttp://mark-tross.webnode.comhttp://marktross.weebly.comhttps://www.fggam.org For God’s Glory Alone Ministries | News and Inspiration from a Biblical Perspective Http://nmprayerconnect.org