From The Inside Out

Mark 1:7-8 (NIV)
⁷ And this was his message: "After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.
⁸ I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

Mark 1:7-8 (MSG)
⁷ As he preached he said, "The real action comes next: The star in this drama, to whom I'm a mere stagehand, will change your life.
⁸ I'm baptizing you here in the river, turning your old life in for a kingdom life. His baptism—a holy baptism by the Holy Spirit—will change you from the inside out."

John’s baptism was on the outside, signifying a change of mind, a change of heart. The cleansing water of the baptism was an act not unlike the rituals at the temple. It documented and confirmed this change of heart, but it was performed by man and therefore imperfect.

Perfection would come by the one he said would come. His baptism would be of the Holy Spirit, of God Himself. This would not be water symbolizing cleansing on the outside, but an immersion of the heart in God’s very Spirit. Something totally different takes place. Instead of God being present in the one temple, He comes to reside in the hearts of every person through the Holy Spirit. There is no way change does not take place when that happens. As the Message says, it “ will change you from the inside out.”

May His fire burn within us
To melt away the things that hinder us from God
Let us feel the warmth of His love and grace
That we may see His light to show us His way