As we begin to move into our study of the actual and literal baptism of the Holy Spirit that was prophesied by the John the Baptist, promised by Jesus and experienced in the book of Acts we have to look carefully and thoughtfully at both the person doing the baptizing and the person we are being baptized in to be able to truly grasp the purpose and the power of the baptism itself. I hope that you will be willing to hear me today before you form an opinion of agreement or disagreement, but my contention is that just as we have studied the Holy Spirit backwards, from Acts to John rather than John to Acts, I believe that we have also understood the baptism of the Holy Spirit backwards. We have usually studied it from a point of view of what happens to us when we are baptized rather than starting with the purpose of the Baptizer. I don’t believe we can fully understand and rightly walk in any gift unless and until we understand the character of the giver and the purpose He had in giving the gift. First, the character of Jesus is one of love and submission, He devoted Himself to the will of His Father, to the love of His Father and to the heart of His Father. The character of the Holy Spirit is one of humility and love, He only speaks what He hears from Jesus, only acts for the glory of Jesus and willingly and joyfully lives in those that Jesus loves and redeems by His blood. This means that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a baptism of love and humility because that is the character of both the person we are baptized with and the person that baptizes us. The baptism of the Holy Spirit must be defined by love and humility or it is not being defined rightly. Second, the purpose of the baptism of the Holy Spirit is clearly spoken by Jesus that it provides us with power and makes us witnesses to Him. While there are beautiful personal benefits to being baptized in the Holy Spirit such as assurance of salvation, being sealed in God’s loves, being gifted for ministry the purpose of this baptism is, above all else making Jesus known so that men can be saved. As I shared last week, as we read the book of Acts, we see three constants happening in the lives of those baptized in the Holy Spirit: unity in the church, glory to Jesus and redemption to men. I believe that these are the three purposes of the baptism, they are the reason for each and every one of the gifts, they are the outcome of all of the power and they are the verdict in all of our witnessing. Today I want us to look closely at unity in the church. Jesus made an incredibly important statement and challenge to His disciples on the night of His arrest. In John 13:35 He said “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” In I John 3:10 John wrote that we are not the children of God unless we have love for our brothers and sisters and then in our text today, Romans 8 tells us that those who are led (which I believe describes being baptized by) the Holy Spirit are the children of God. The baptism of the Holy Spirit must lead us to love and love is the greatest definition of unity. Today I want us to search our hearts, search our lives and even search our church and ask ourselves if we are living in the unity that the Holy Spirit provides and requires. A fresh baptism will not provide anything new and lasting unless we are willing to receive the character and the purpose of the One who does the baptizing. I’m praying that we will leave here today desiring to be filled with the Holy Spirit so that we can and will walk in unity in the church.