A brother on WhatsApp asked me this question; Bro, What did Jesus mean by the saying in Luke 12:50?
(But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished! )
I guess every believer will straight away assume it to be water or Holy ghost baptism. However, Jesus Christ was filled with the Holy Ghost at the baptism of John the Baptist in the Jordan river
So why would he refer to another baptism? In Mathew 3:11
I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
In Mathew 20:18
Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death,
(22-23) But Jesus answered and said, Ye know not what ye ask. Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, we are able.
And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.
So, one would realize we cannot separate the Holy Spirit and fire. The one cannot be present if the other is excluded. The Holy Spirit brings peace and joy; the fire consumes the self-life and causes pain. Just as the fire dwells in the Spirit, so the Spirit dwells in the fire, for God is Spirit, but He is also a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:29)
The fire will make its presence felt immediately after a person has been baptized with the Holy Spirit. If we have known Him and the power of His resurrection, then fellowship with Christ in His sufferings will follow directly. God’s will is our sanctification; but he who wants to do God’s will, soon will feel pain as he becomes a partaker of the sufferings of Christ. God has no pleasure in someone who draws back, who spares himself. The image of Christ comes forth in us as we obey the Spirit. Christ offered Himself for us in the power of an eternal Spirit, and God raised up that great Shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus, through the power of the blood of an everlasting covenant. ( Hebrews 13;20)
A lot of believers are enemies of the cross of Christ and try to retain the power of the resurrection, while at the same time rejecting the fellowship of the sufferings of Christ. These would not be worthy of his Kingdom.
Do we put ourselves in this category?
The Holy Spirit and fire, power, and pain: these are inseparable. God never allows them to be separated. Only ignorance and a desire for fleshly comfort will cause a person to attempt to separate them.
If we suffer with Him, we will also be glorified with Him. If we do not suffer with Him, we will not be glorified with Him. The cross is a weapon in our hand. It will keep self-life and fleshly pleasures from taking control. Satan cannot thrive unless you “spare yourself.” The world nourishes the flesh in every possible way, and all sorts of evil spirits flourish in and around worldly people. May we enjoy the fellowship of Christ sufferings.
Shalom!
AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST 