This powerful little blook by Mac Hammond offers insight into familiar but often misunderstood terms such as “born again” and “baptism in the Holy Spirit.” In Water, Wind, & Fire you’ll find clear, biblical explanations of what it means to be “saved,” the miraculous nature of the “new birth,” and keys to living the Christian life abundantly and successfully. You’ll also discover answers to important questions like: What are the three steps to being born again? - How is the Holy Spirit received? - What is “speaking in tongues,” and what is its purpose? If you or someone you love is seeking answers to life’s most important questions, this book will help clear up any questions you may have. Water, Wind, & Fire UNDERSTANDING THE NEW BIRTH AND THE BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT By Mac Hammond HARRISON HOUSE Copyright © 2001 Mac Hammond All right reserved. ISBN: 1-57794-441-0 Chapter One You Must Be Born Again "Opinions are like noses. Everybody has one."Or so the old saying goes. And it's true. Regardlessof the topic (sports, politics, even the weather),everyone seems more than willing to offer his or herpersonal wisdom and insight on the subject. This holds true in spiritual things as well. Varyingopinions about heaven, hell, and salvation abound. Now, adopting someone else's opinion onwho's going to the Super Bowl is generallyharmless. But when it comes to matters of life,death, and eternity, you'd better have somethingmore substantial than some mere mortal's opinion.Tragically, many people don't. Far too many individuals are staking theireternal destiny on what their parents, professors, ordenomination told them was necessary to enter heaven. Others aren't quite sure how they came to theirconclusions about God and His kingdom. They justshrug their shoulders and say, "I've always believedthis way." The truth is, there exists only one reliablesource of truth concerning matters of the soul andspirit-the Bible. The Holy Bible is the divinely inspired Word ofGod. Yet millions of people today assume that theirill-founded opinions are good enough to answereternal questions. The tragic result in each case is an unfulfilledlife here on earth and an awful eternity in hell. Going to the Source All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works. 2 Timothy 3:16,17 The Greek word translated "inspiration" in thispassage of Scripture literally means "God-breathed."All Scripture is breathed from the very mouth ofGod Himself: God cannot lie. Therefore, you callrely on the Bible as an infallible source. Notice what else this passage says about Scripture. l. It is profitable for doctrine-meaning it provides the basic tenets of the Christian faith. 2. It is profitable for reproof and correction-meaning it tells us what we should not do. 3. It is profitable for instruction in righteousness-meaning it tells us what we should do to live a godly life. Finally, verse 17 tells us the end result of allthese things. "That the man of God may be perfect(mature, complete), thoroughly furnished unto allgood works." In the next few pages we'll open the Word ofGod and see what this trustworthy source has to sayabout the most important question you'll ever face.Namely, what does it mean to be born again andfilled with God's Spirit? These are the most basic of life-and-deathissues. Yet your human mind alone will nevercomprehend the secret of life. And try as they might,scientists will never unlock the mystery of the sparkof life or see beyond the veil of death. Only the Word of God penetrates the cloak ofmystery that envelops these questions. Chapter Two The Second Birth To truly understand what it means to be bornagain, you must understand the nature andcomposition of who you are. According to the Bible, the real you is not whatyou see looking back at you in a mirror. That bodyis merely a vessel-a container for the real you. The Word teaches that you are a three-partbeing. The real you is a spirit. You have a soul. Andyou live in a body. We see this division in 1 Thessalonians 5:23. I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. These are the three realms of humanexistence: the spirit realm, the soulish realm, andthe physical realm. The new birth and the baptism of the HolyGhost impact each of these realms in different ways.To understand either of these things, you must firstrecognize the three-part nature of who you are. The Reality of Heaven and Hell One of the most widely held beliefs today isthat death means annihilation. In other words, whenyou die, that's it. It's over. Please don't fall for that lie. Death does notmean a termination of existence. In the Bible, the word death is translated fromGreek and Hebrew words meaning "separation."Physical death is simply the