Gustav and Aurelia was a young couple in Austria who one day was approached by their 13 year old son who said to them, "I want to be the best built man in the world!" They didn't even realize how serious their son was. At 14 he started an intensive training program. Five years later, at the age of 19, he won the title of The Best Built Man in Europe, Mr. Europe, and the International Power Lifting Championship.

One year later, at just 20 years of age, he became the youngest Mr. Universe in history. Arnold thought he had accomplished his dream.

But then he learned that there were actually three Mr. Universes. He had won the National Amateur Bodybuilding Association title in the amateur division, but there was also a professional division and, furthermore, the International Federation of Bodybuilding also had a Mr. Universe competition. He then discovered there was a Mr. World title and a Mr. Olympia title and, if he really wanted to be the greatest bodybuilder in the world, he would have to win them all.

Arnold began to train six hours a day in grueling weightlifting sessions. In 1968, he easily won the other Mr. Universe trophy. Now he had both the professional and the amateur titles but he still needed the Mr. Olympia title.

So at 21 he moved to California to train with some of the best bodybuilders in the world. Arnold trained relentlessly for two years and in 1970 at the age of 23, Arnold had achieved what he set out to accomplish just ten years earlier when he won the title of Mr. Olympia. At his peak, Arnold was 6' 2", 235 lbs. with 22-1/2" arms; a 57" chest; a 33" waist; 29" thighs; and 21" calves.

He won, at that time, an unprecedented seven Mr. Olympia titles and along with an unprecedented 13 world bodybuilding titles, Arnold Schwarzenegger became known as the world's greatest bodybuilder.

While I want to dispute that because I believe that the world's greatest bodybuilder is the Holy Spirit of God. The Apostle Paul speaking of this Master Bodybuilder in I Corinthians 12 said,

"For as the body is one and has many members, But all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.

For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free-and have all been made to drink into one spirit."

To illustrate the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, Paul used the analogy of the human body. In fact, from I Corinthians 12:12 to 12:27, the word soma which means body is used 18 times. It is through Holy Spirit Baptism that the world's greatest body has been and even today is continuing to be built. We are going to study together this great work of the Holy Spirit by which every Christian becomes a Christian and is placed in the greatest body in the world, the Body of Christ.

I. Holy Spirit Baptism Is a Unique Work

Our text says, "For by one spirit we were all baptized into one body." (v.13a) On the day of Pentecost, God began something never before seen in the history of the world. He took individuals from different races, regions, social classes, both genders and made them part of one body and he did it by the baptism with the Holy Spirit.

Now the scripture mentions baptism with the Holy Spirit seven times. Four times, in all four gospels, in Matthew 3:11; Mark 1: 8; Luke 3:16; and John 1:33; the baptism with the Holy Spirit is predicted. Then in Acts 1: 5, the baptism with the Holy Spirit is promised by the Lord Jesus Christ. Then at Pentecost, it comes.

Then here in I Corinthians 12:13 the baptism with the Holy Spirit is explained. Now we need to have a working definition of what the term, Baptism with the Holy Spirit, means. Baptism with the Holy Spirit is that sovereign work of God by which a sinner is converted into a saint and placed into the body of Christ at the exact moment of conversion. The Greek word, baptism, means "to immerse." It was used to describe the process of dyeing cloth. If you wanted a piece of cloth to be purple, you would immerse it in purple dye. When the cloth came out of the dye, you had a different looking piece of cloth because it has been immersed into that particular color of dye.

Likewise, when a sinner is baptized with the Holy Spirit and placed into the body of Christ, he becomes a brand new person. But that never happened in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit came upon people but He never came inside of people. No one in the Old Testament was baptized with the Holy Spirit because there was no body to be baptized into.

Understand, also, that Paul was not speaking about water baptism. This is the dry verse not a wet verse. We are commanded to be baptized with water. We are never commanded to be baptized with the spirit. Now you can be physically baptized without being spiritually baptized and you can be spiritually baptized without being physically baptized. Water baptism puts you into the visible church but Spirit baptism puts you into the invisible church.

Understand that the baptism with the Holy Spirit is once for all never again to be repeated event. You only need to be saved one time because you can only be saved one time because once saved always saved. Likewise, you need only to be baptized with the Holy Spirit one time because you are baptized with the Holy Spirit the moment you are saved and once you are baptized with the Spirit you are always baptized with the Spirit.

It is not possible to be a Christian and not be baptized with the Holy Spirit. That is why no one is ever commanded in all the Bible to be baptized with the Holy Spirit. There is not one command to seek the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. The reason why the Christian is never told he must be baptized with the Holy Spirit is because he has been baptized with the Holy Spirit the moment he becomes a Christian.

When you believe on Jesus, you received all of the Holy Spirit you were ever going to get. You know, sometimes I have heard people say, "I wish I had more of the Holy Spirit." Well the Holy Spirit is saying, "I wish I had more of you." We will develop this more later but suffice to say that the Baptism with the Holy Spirit is a unique work.

II. Holy Spirit Baptism Is a Universal Work

The first time that baptism with the Holy Spirit is ever mentioned in the New Testament is in Matthew 3:11-12 John the Baptist said,

"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

Here we are told of two baptisms. As Savior, Jesus baptizes saints with the fire of the Spirit. As Judge, He baptizes sinners with the fire of judgment. There are only two kinds of people in the world today. There are those who have been baptized with the Spirit and those who will be baptized with the fire of Judgment if they are never baptized with the Holy Spirit.

Now Paul says again, "For by one spirit we were all baptized." (V,13a) If you have been saved by the Lord, you have been baptized with the Spirit. You don't have to wait for it; long for it; seek for it; pray for it; plead for it; beg for it; or agonize over it because you were baptized with the Holy Spirit the moment you were saved.

It is impossible to receive Jesus without receiving the Spirit. It is impossible to receive the Spirit without receiving Jesus because the Holy Spirit is the presence of the Lord Jesus living invisibly within us.

If you ever have gone to buy a new car, you know there are some things that are "standard" and there are other things that are "optional." For example, in many cars a sunroof is optional. Seat warmers are optional. A global positioning system is optional. Well, baptism with the Holy Spirit comes "standard" with every Christian. It is not "optional."

Now there are some who call the Baptism with the Holy Spirit a second blessing. Well, it is a blessing, but it is not the second blessing. It is the first blessing. The problem is that too many people are looking for a second blessing when they ought to be enjoying the first blessing.

There are too many people who are looking for something that they already have. I was going out of town last week and I wanted to wear a very special set of cuff links that my wife had given me for an anniversary. They are mother of pearl cuff links with my initials on them. I got greatly irritated looking for those cuff links and Teresa asked me, "What is wrong?" I said, "I can't find the cuff links that you gave me." About that time I looked down and I was wearing them!

If you have never been baptized with the Holy Spirit, your problem is not that you need a second blessing. Your problem is you haven't received the first blessing. If you haven't been baptized with the Holy Spirit, you are not second-class Christian, you're not a Christian at all because Romans 8:9 says, "Now if anyone does not have the spirit of Christ, he is not His."

Incidentally, there are also some who say that speaking with tongues is the sign that you have received the baptism with the Holy Spirit. That's very interesting, because Paul said to the Corinthians in verse 13 that they "all have been baptized by one spirit into one body." But then in chapter 14 and verse 5 he says, "I wish you all spoke with tongues" meaning that some did not. Now if all the Corinthians had been baptized with the Holy Spirit but not all of them had spoken in tongues, we must draw the conclusion that that is not a sign of being baptized with the Holy Spirit.

The Baptism with the Holy Spirit is an initial experience which places us into the body of Christ. It is universal experience. It happens to all Christians. It is spiritual experience for all Christians not a special experience for some Christians.

You never read in the New Testament of a Christian seeking Spirit Baptism. But you do read of Christians sharing Spirit Baptism. Before Pentecost, Jesus said, "You will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." After Pentecost, Paul said, "You have been baptized with the Holy Spirit." It is a universal work.

III. Holy Spirit Baptism Is a Unifying Work

There is a word that stands out in verses 12 and 13. It is the little word "one."

"For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.

For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body-whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free-and have all been made to drink into one Spirit."

Six times in two verses Paul speaks of the body of Christ being "one." Before Pentecost, it was impossible for Jewish, Gentile, or Samaritan believers to come together as one. They had no unity because there was no basis for unity. But now Jew and Gentile, bond and free, male and female, are all in one body.

Because of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, we are more than friends we are family. We have more than social fellowship. We have a supernatural relationship. We have all been made a part of the Body of Christ. Incidentally, the baptism with the Holy Spirit is the answer to racism. Dr. Billy Graham was once asked, "If you could irradiate any problem in America, what would it be?" Dr. Graham said, "The racial division and strife in our nation."

You can try education. You can try legislation. You can try intimidation. But the only answer to racism is regeneration by the Baptism with the Holy Spirit.

Christianity is about tearing down walls and building bridges. Not building walls and burning bridges. Yes, there is diversity in the Body. Yes, there is variety in the Body. But praise God there is unity in the Body. We are one in His Body because of the Baptism with the Holy Spirit.

Paul goes on to add, "and have all been made to drink into one spirit." (V.13c) That is not only have all believers been placed into the Body of Christ, but the Holy Spirit has been placed into all believers. The Body of Christ is the church of believers and every Christian has been placed in that Body. The body of the Christian is the temple of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit indwells every temple. That is why there should be unity in the church because we are in Jesus and His Spirit is in us.

In France during the Second World War, a young soldier was killed in battle. Some GIs took his body to a local cemetery. When they got to the cemetery, they were met with a priest who said, "Was your friend a Catholic?" They said, "No he wasn't." He said, "I'm sorry then, you cannot bury him here, this is a Catholic cemetery."

Well, the soldiers were discouraged but they didn't give up. They decided they would give their buddy the best burial they could just outside the cemetery. So they dug a grave right outside the fence and laid their friend to rest.

The next morning when they went to pay their last respects at the grave they couldn't find it. After looking for nearly an hour, they asked the priest about it. He said, "Well, that is my fault. You see, you have been looking for your friend outside the fence but I got to feeling so guilty about what I told you last night, I went and moved the fence. Now he's buried within this cemetery."

May I tell you, that is exactly what Jesus did with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. He moved the fence and included every believer in His Body. What kind of a job has he done? Well, starting with 12 disciples 2000 years ago today, one-third of the world, over two billion people, claim Jesus Christ as Lord and are a part of His Body. It is now the world's largest religion and that's why I call him the world's greatest body builder.