A: Although water baptism is often associated only with “believer’s baptism,” the Bible also references other instances of water baptism. For example, in John chapter 5, Jesus encounters a man who was disabled at the Pool of Bethesda. This pool was used to baptize people specifically for supernatural healing. John the Baptist baptized with water as an outward sign of repentance even before Jesus established the New Covenant with His death, burial, and resurrection. Historical evidence also shows that Jewish culture at the time of Jesus regularly practiced water baptism as a form of ceremonial cleansing.

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Fundamentally, the words that we translate as ‘baptism’ (baptizo and bapto) literally mean “to immerse” or “to overwhelm.” Interestingly enough, ancient texts use these terms in the context of a pickling recipe from the Greek poet and physician Nicander, who lived about 200 B.C. It is helpful because it uses both words. Nicander says that in order to make a pickle, the vegetable should first be ‘dipped’ (bapto) into boiling water and then ‘baptized’ (baptizo) in the vinegar solution. Both verbs concern the immersing of vegetables in a solution. But the first is temporary. The second, the act of baptising the vegetable, produces a permanent change.

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Any time that we as Christians are overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit, He has an opportunity to touch our minds, heal our body and transform us further into the image of Christ. That is exactly what the Immersion Encounter is all about. It is simply an opportunity to encounter the Holy Spirit in an amazing, loving, and overwhelming way.