I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance; but He that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worth to bear; He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.
This is Matthew's account of John the Baptist ministry of preaching repentance as he was baptizing all who believed with water, but John the Baptist was mindful of the coming Messiah who was mightier than him who would baptize all believers with the Holy Ghost/Spirit. Baptism in the Holy Spirit gives great powers to boldly witness Christ the world over (Acts 1:8) as well as live holy lives unto God.
The significance of being baptized in the Holy Spirit is that it gives believers more than just the ability or strength to perform miracles, but the authority in which to heal the sick, drive out demos and to travel to remote places in the world witnessing Christ that would be otherwise omitted. Being baptized in the Holy Spirit is the initial point of the spirit-filled believer witnessing with such profound boldness that the hearer will accept Jesus as Lord and Savior as proclaimed by the believer. The indwelling Holy Spirit testifies through the believer to the truth of Christ's deity, His death burial and resurrection and His message of salvation as Christ is the message. Being baptized in the Holy Spirit brings a greater awareness of God's presence, the desire for righteous living and a deeper love for His Word and understanding of the Word.
Baptized in the Holy Spirit is submerged in God's holiness.
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