Water baptism is a step of obedience to Jesus and you should be baptized immediately upon confession of faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 8:26-40). Through baptism you are declaring that you will follow Jesus all the days of your life and you are trusting in Him alone for your salvation (Acts 4:12; Mark 16:15-16). You are identifying yourself with His death and resurrection by making a public declaration of following Him (Romans 6:3-5). This is another reason why you should be involved with the local church fellowship. Have a talk with your pastor about being water baptized.

John the Baptist was anointed to prepare the people for the coming of Christ, causing them to come under conviction and to repent when they heard his preaching. Water baptism was a sign of their repentance (Mark 1:4). In times of revival there is tremendous conviction of sin. Those who repent and put their faith in Jesus are ready to be baptized. We encourage everyone to do so because it is an act of righteousness and is an important part of following in the footsteps of Jesus (Matthew 3:15).

New Christians also need to receive power to live for God by receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49). This will give you a greater anointing and awareness of God’s presence for the purpose of living for Christ. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is an anointing of power to be a witness for Christ (Acts 1:8). This power is available for us today, so that we will reach out with boldness to others. Every Christian should eagerly desire spiritual gifts, such as speaking in tongues, prophecy and healing (1 Corinthians 12:1,7-10; 14:1). Praying in tongues allows you to edify and build up your spirit (1 Corinthians 14:4; Jude 20).

Being baptized in water and baptized with the Holy Spirit were extremely significant life-changing events in my life. God’s power went through my body like a wave of electricity. When I prayed to receive the gift of speaking in tongues, words appeared in my mind and I could actually read out those words. As I did this the words vanished, but I have been speaking in tongues ever since. Some people have been put off tongues or have found it difficult to come into this. Be at peace. We are saved by faith in Jesus, not by speaking in tongues, yet we should continue to press into the spiritual gifts. Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and keep pressing on in your walk with Him.

If you are seeking the baptism with the Holy Spirit, talk to a Spirit-filled pastor to get more advice and teaching on this. You should then have a time where believers lay hands and pray for you to be baptized with the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 19:1-7). When this happened to me it gave me such a hunger for God and a desire to preach the gospel. That spiritual fire is still burning in my heart today.