Excerpts from an article, “Who is Jesus Christ?” written by E.N. Bell, first General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God, in August of 1915 after his baptism in Jesus name.
“I want to thank God today for the discussion of water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ because it has proven the means of discovering to me a mightier Christ than I ever realized before... The baptismal issue is only one cog in the wheel that will roll out and up to your bewildered and joyful vision the most glorious Christ you ever beheld if you will let it by beginning to walk in the light by obeying Him. I can say today, before God and all men, that His joy is rolling in my soul now as never before…If people knew what God is putting in my soul by a brand-new vision of Jesus and the wonders hid in His mighty and glorious name, they would cease pitying me for being baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and begin to shout and help me praise the Lamb that was slain…I can say, in all sincerity, that I do not now believe Christ ever meant to baptize with the phrase “Father and Son and Holy Ghost” at all. We had used it that way so long, at first it seemed to me absurd that we should do anything else. But now that I have received the real vision of Christ as the Lord; that Lord is the Father’s name, as Isaiah declares, and the name also of Christ; I wonder that I was ever so blind as to not see Christ’s meaning in Matthew 28:19. All may baptize with the phrase in Matthew 28:19 who feel so led, and I will love and fellowship them just the same; but personally, with my present light, I could not conscientiously do so any more. I prefer to use the real name…there was never a hint, from their first sermon at Pentecost to the death of the last apostle, that they understood Jesus to mean to use the phrase as in Matthew 28:19 rather than the name. But when the church lost the secret of this name, it began to fall into liberalism and formalism, without understanding the true meaning and intent of the forms they were using. Now God is restoring the spiritual vision of the mighty Jehovah-Christ, the wonders in His name, and Christ is becoming daily larger and more glorious to our vision."