Water baptism symbolizes several things that have already occurred in the new believer’s life. Most simply, it represents that we have had our sins washed away, and now we stand clean before God. When Ananias was sent to Saul (Paul) soon after his conversion, he said to him:

And now why do you delay? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on His name (Acts 22:16, emphasis added).

Second, water baptism symbolizes our identification with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. Once we have been born again and placed into the body of Christ, we are considered by God to be “in Christ” from that point on. Because Jesus was our substitute, God attributes all that Jesus did to our account. So “in Christ,” we have died, been buried, and have been raised from the dead to live as new persons:

Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:3-4).

Having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead (Col. 2:12).

Every new believer should be taught these important truths when he is baptized in water, and he should be baptized as soon as possible after he believes in Jesus.

Scripture does not tell us how often to partake of the Lord’s Supper, but it is clear that, in the early church, it was done with regularity in the house church meetings as a full meal (see 1 Cor. 11:20-34). Because the Lord’s Supper has its roots in the Passover Meal, was part of a full meal when it was instituted by Jesus, and was eaten as a full meal by the early church, that is how it should be practiced today. Still much of the church follows “the traditions of men.”

We should approach the Lord’s Supper with reverence. The apostle Paul taught that it was a serious offense to partake of the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner:

Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself, if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. But if we judged ourselves rightly, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord in order that we may not be condemned along with the world (1 Cor. 11:27-32).

We are admonished to examine and judge ourselves before partaking of the Lord’s Supper, and if we discover any sin, we need to repent and confess it. Otherwise, we can be “guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.”

Because Jesus died and shed His blood to free us from sin, we certainly don’t want to partake of the elements, which represent His body and blood, with any known unconfessed sin. If we do, we can eat and drink judgment upon ourselves in the form of sickness and premature death, as did the Corinthian Christians. The way to avoid God’s discipline is to “judge ourselves,” that is, acknowledging and repenting of our sins.

The primary sin of the Corinthian Christians was their lack of love; they were bickering and fighting with one another. In fact, their lack of consideration even manifested itself during the Lord’s Supper when some ate while others went hungry, and some were even drunk (see 1 Cor. 11:20-22).

The bread we eat represents the body of Christ, which is now the church. We partake of one loaf, representing our unity as one body (see 1 Cor. 10:17). What a crime it is to partake of that which represents the one body of Christ while involved in fighting and disharmony with other members of that body! Before we partake of the Lord’s Supper, we need to make certain we are in right relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Jesus gave the church only two sacraments: water baptism (see Matt. 28:19) and the Lord’s Supper (see 1 Cor. 11:23-26). We will first study water baptism.

Under the new covenant, every believer should experience three different baptisms. They are: baptism into the body of Christ, baptism in water, and baptism in the Holy Spirit.

When a person is born again, he is automatically baptized into the body of Christ. That is, he becomes a member of Christ’s body, the church:

For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body (1 Cor. 12:13; see also Rom. 6:3; Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18, 24).

Being baptized in the Holy Spirit is an experience subsequent to salvation, and this baptism can and should be received by every believer.

Finally, every believer should be baptized in water as soon as possible after he repents and believes in the Lord Jesus. Baptism should be the first act of obedience of the new believer:

And [Jesus] said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned” (Mark 16:15-16, emphasis added).

The early church regarded Jesus’ command to baptize as very important. Almost without exception, new converts were baptized immediately after their conversion (see Acts 2:37-41; 8:12-16, 36-39; 9:17-19; 10:44-48; 16:31-33; 18:5-8; 19:1-5).

The Lord’s Supper has its origins in the Old Testament Passover Feast. On the night when God delivered Israel from Egyptian slavery, He instructed each household to slay a one-year-old lamb and sprinkle its blood on the lintel and doorposts of their houses. When the “death angel” passed through the nation that night, killing all the first-born in Egypt, he would see the blood on the Israelite houses and “pass over.”

Furthermore, the Israelites were to celebrate a feast that night by eating their Passover lamb and also by eating unleavened bread for seven days. This was to be a permanent ordinance for Israel, celebrated the same time each year (see Ex. 12:1-28). Obviously, the Passover lamb was representative of Christ, who is called “our Passover” in 1 Corinthians 5:7.

When Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, He and His disciples were celebrating the Passover Feast. Jesus was crucified during the Passover feast, truly fulfilling His calling as the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

The bread that we eat and the juice we drink are symbolic of Jesus’ body, which was broken for us, and His blood, which was shed for the remission of our sins:

And while they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” And He took a cup and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is to be shed on behalf of many for forgiveness of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom” (Matt. 26:26-29).

The apostle Paul told the story this way:

For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way He took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes (1 Cor. 11:23-26).

Some practice baptism by sprinkling the new convert with a few drops of water. Is this correct? The verb translated baptize in the New Testament is the Greek word baptizo , which literally means “to immerse.” Those who are baptized in water should, therefore, be immersed under the water and not simply sprinkled with a few drops. The symbolism of Christian baptism, which we will study shortly, also supports the idea of immersion.

Some practice the baptism of infants, yet there are no scriptural examples of infant baptism in the Bible. Such a practice has its origins in the false doctrine of “baptismal regeneration”—the idea that a person is born again the moment he is baptized. Scripture clearly teaches that people should first believe in Jesus before they are baptized. Thus, children who are old enough to repent and follow Jesus qualify for baptism, but not babies and small children.

Some teach that, although a person may believe in Jesus, he is not saved until he is baptized in water. That is not true according to Scripture. In Acts 10:44-48 and 11:17, we read that the household of Cornelius was saved and baptized in the Holy Spirit before any of them were baptized in water. It is impossible for anyone to be baptized in the Holy Spirit unless he is first saved (see John 14:17).

Some teach that unless a person is baptized according to their particular formula, he is not really saved. Scripture provides no specific ritual to be followed for correct baptism. For example, some say that a believer is not saved if he has been baptized “in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19) rather than “in the name of Jesus” (Acts 8:16). These people demonstrate that the same spirit that dominated the Pharisees, straining out gnats and swallowing camels. What a tragedy it is that Christians debate over the correct words to say during baptism while the world waits to hear the gospel.

In the 21st chapter of Acts, we find two recorded incidents that answer that question. The first example is when Paul landed at the Mediterranean port city of Tyre:

And after looking up the disciples, we stayed there seven days; and they kept telling Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem (Acts 21:4).

Because of this one verse, some commentators conclude that Paul disobeyed God by continuing on his way to Jerusalem. In the light of the rest of the information given to us in the book of Acts, however, we cannot rightly make that conclusion. This will become clear as we progress in the story.

Apparently the disciples in Tyre were spiritually sensitive and discerned that trouble awaited Paul in Jerusalem. They subsequently tried to convince him not to go. William’s translation of the New Testament bears this out, as it translates this same verse: “Because of impressions made by the Spirit they kept on warning Paul not to set foot in Jerusalem.”

The disciples in Tyre met with no success, however, because Paul continued his journey toward Jerusalem in spite of their warnings.

This teaches us that we must be very careful not to add our own interpretation to revelations we receive in our spirits. Paul knew full well that trouble awaited him in Jerusalem, but he also knew it was God’s will for him to journey there regardless. If God reveals something to us by the Holy Spirit, that doesn’t necessarily mean we are supposed to go and tell it, and we must also be careful not to add our own interpretation to what the Spirit has revealed.

Although Scripture tells us that the Holy Spirit may sometimes lead us in spectacular ways, such as through visions, prophecy or the audible voice of God, the more usual way that the Holy Spirit communicates to us is in our spirits by “impressions.” That is, if the Spirit wants us to do something, He will “tug” at us—in our spirits—and we will sense a “leading” to follow a certain direction.

We could call the voice of our spirit our “conscience.” All Christians know what their conscience sounds like. If we are tempted to sin, we don’t hear an audible voice within us saying, “Don’t give in to that temptation.” Rather, we simply feel something within us resisting that temptation. And if we do yield to a temptation, after we’ve sin is committed, we don’t hear an audible voice saying, “You sinned! You sinned!” We simply sense a conviction on the inside of us, now leading us to repent and confess our sin.

In the same manner will the Spirit teach us and lead us into general truth and understanding. He will teach us by imparting a sudden revelation (always in line with the Bible) within us. Those revelations may take ten minutes to describe to someone else, but they can come by the Holy Spirit in a matter of seconds.

And in the same manner the Holy Spirit will lead us in the affairs of ministry. We must simply make a conscious effort to be sensitive to those inner leadings and impressions, and slowly we will learn (by trial and error) to follow the Spirit in regard to things pertaining to ministry. It is when we allow our heads (our rational or irrational thinking) to get in the way of our hearts (where the Spirit is leading us) that we find ourselves making errors in regard to God’s will.

After at least twenty years of serving in ministry, the apostle Paul had learned well how to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. To some degree, the Spirit showed him “things to come” relative to is future ministry. For example, as Paul was concluding his ministry in Ephesus, He had some conception of the course that his life and ministry would follow for the next three years:

Now after these things were finished, Paul purposed in the spirit to go to Jerusalem after he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome” (Acts 19:21).

Notice that Paul didn’t purpose this intended direction in his mind but in his spirit . That indicates that the Holy Spirit was leading him in his spirit to go first to Macedonia and Achaia (both located in modern day Greece), then to Jerusalem, and finally to Rome. And that is precisely the course he followed. If you have a map in your Bible showing Paul’s third missionary journey and his journey to Rome, you can follow his path from Ephesus (where he purposed his route in his spirit) through Macedonia and Achaia, onto Jerusalem, and several years later, to Rome.

More precisely, Paul traveled through Macedonia and Achaia, then he backtracked through Macedonia once again, circling the coast of the Aegean Sea, and then he traveled down the Aegean coast of Asia Minor. During that journey he stopped at the city of Miletus, called for the elders of the church of nearby Ephesus, and delivered a farewell address to them in which he said:

And now, behold, bound in spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me (Acts 20:22-23, emphasis added).

Paul said he was “bound in spirit,” meaning he had a conviction in his spirit that was leading him to Jerusalem. He didn’t have the complete picture regarding what would happen when he arrived in Jerusalem, but he stated that in every city in which he stopped on his journey, the Holy Spirit testified that bonds and afflictions awaited him there. How did the Holy Spirit “testify” of those bonds and afflictions that awaited him in Jerusalem?

Begin to look to your spirit for those perceptions and impressions that are the Holy Spirit’s leadings. You will probably make some mistakes at first thinking that the Holy Spirit is leading you when He isn’t, but that’s normal. Don’t be discouraged; just keep at it.

It also helps to spend time in a quiet place, praying in tongues and reading the Bible. When we pray in other tongues, it is our spirit that prays, and we naturally tend to be more sensitive to our spirits then. By reading and meditating in the Word of God, we also become more sensitive to our spirits because God’s Word is spiritual food.

When God leads you in a certain direction, His leading won’t diminish. That means you should continue praying about major decisions for some time to be certain that it is God who is leading you and not your own ideas or emotions. If you don’t have peace in your heart when you pray about a certain direction, then don’t take that direction until you do have peace.

If you receive spectacular guidance, that is fine, but don’t try to “believe” to see a vision or hear an audible voice. God hasn’t promised to lead us by those means (although He does at times according to His sovereign will). We can, however, always trust that He will lead us by the inward witness.

Finally, don’t add to what God says to you. God may reveal to you some ministry He has prepared for you in the future, but you may assume the time of fulfillment is weeks away when it may be years. I know this from experience. Don’t make assumptions. Paul knew a little bit of what his future held but didn’t know everything, because God didn’t reveal everything. God wants us to continue to walk by faith always.

While on board a ship that was carrying him to Italy, Paul once again received God’s guidance by being sensitive to his spirit. As the ship’s captain and pilot were trying to determine at which port they should winter on the island of Crete, Paul received a revelation:

And when considerable time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous, since even the fast was already over, Paul began to admonish them, and said to them, “Men, I perceive that the voyage will certainly be attended with damage and great loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives” (Acts 27:9-10, emphasis added).

Paul perceived what was about to occur. Obviously his perception was though an impression given by the Spirit.

Unfortunately, the captain didn’t listen to Paul and attempted to reach another harbor. As a result, the ship was caught in a violent storm for two weeks. The situation was so perilous that the ship’s crew jettisoned all the cargo on the second day, and on the third day even threw the ship’s tackle overboard. Sometime later, Paul received further guidance:

And since neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small storm was assailing us, from then on all hope of our being saved was gradually abandoned. And when they had gone a long time without food, then Paul stood up in their midst and said, “Men, you ought to have followed my advice and not to have set sail from Crete, and incurred this damage and loss. And yet now I urge you to keep up your courage, for there shall be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night an angel of God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted you all those who are sailing with you.’ Therefore, keep up your courage, men, for I believe God, that it will turn out exactly as I have been told. But we must run aground on a certain island” (Acts 27:20-26).

I think it is obvious why God granted Paul more “spectacular guidance” in light of his present predicament. Beyond that ordeal, Paul would soon face the plight of shipwreck. Shortly after that he would be bitten by a deadly snake (see Act 27:41-28:5). It’s nice to have an angel let you know in advance that everything is going to be OK!