Life Discovery Series

Dead And Buried

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Jim Reinking

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Series Code: LDS

Program Code: LDS000021


00:34 And I thought how appropriate for us
00:35 as we are coming down to the end of our meetings
00:37 that we talk about these vital, this important of baptism
00:41 and to really discover what the Bible teaches
00:44 about this matter of baptism.
00:46 Don't you think that would be an important subject
00:48 in the sequence of things in our series like these?
00:52 Our study tonight is an important one
00:54 for it is through baptism
00:57 that we become subjects of God's spiritual kingdom now
01:01 and in faith of the Jesus the kingdom of God in heaven
01:04 and the new earth to follow.
01:07 In fact Jesus says He spoke about the gospel commission
01:10 as He gave it to his disciples in Matthew 28:19, 20.
01:17 He said "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
01:21 baptizing them in the name of the Father
01:24 and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
01:27 teaching them to observe all things
01:29 that I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you always,
01:33 even to the end of the age." Or the end of the word.
01:36 "Amen."
01:38 So we have been commissioned as Christians to go
01:41 to the whole world to bear witness to all of the nations.
01:46 And as we go to the whole world
01:48 what are the two fundamental things
01:49 that we are to do as Christians?
01:52 Well, the first thing is we are to be baptizing,
01:54 we are to baptize people in the name of the Father
01:58 and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, is what it says.
02:04 What's the other thing that is connected
02:05 to this matter of baptizing?
02:08 What else must be going on?
02:10 We just go out there baptize people?
02:15 Yes, it involves our acceptance of Jesus
02:18 but not as teaching is linked to this matter of baptism.
02:22 So teaching is an important aspect
02:25 of this matter of baptism or preparation for baptism.
02:29 Does that mean that's the end of it?
02:32 You know, whatever you've learned before your baptism,
02:34 you know, that's it?
02:36 Of course not, because we continue to grow in knowledge.
02:40 We want to continue to study.
02:42 We want to continue to open God's word
02:45 and discover more fully, more completely
02:48 the things under taught in His word.
02:50 But teaching is an important aspect of the process.
02:54 It is, but is not that we wait
02:57 until we have a perfect knowledge.
03:01 We must not be caught up with this idea because I'll tell you
03:04 none of us will ever arrive to a perfect knowledge
03:08 I believe through the ages of eternity.
03:11 I mean who can find out God?
03:13 I mean who can really, you know,
03:15 you can spend that thousand years
03:18 and my friend we can never fully know
03:20 everything about God.
03:22 Who He is, His power, His knowledge
03:25 which is you know it's unspeakable,
03:30 its' unspeakable His knowledge.
03:33 So there's always growing as in any other relationship
03:36 but teaching as I said is important part of it.
03:38 Take your bibles and turn with me to Acts 2,
03:41 the New Testament page 93.
03:43 Page 93, we're looking at Acts 2:37, 38.
03:49 And if you were this last weekend
03:51 we also were in this passage in other context
03:54 and we remember it is the day of Pentecost.
03:58 There were thousands, tens of thousands
04:01 that were gathered there at Jerusalem
04:03 on the day of Pentecost
04:04 one of the Jewish priest and the disciples
04:08 were in the temple bearing witness,
04:10 the Holy Spirit had fallen upon them in Pentecostal power.
04:15 And notice verse 37, says "Now when they heard this"
04:18 that is the multitude that was listening,
04:20 in on what the disciples were saying
04:23 "Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart."
04:27 That means they were convicted
04:29 and we have been convicted haven't we
04:31 as we study God's word.
04:33 I mean, you know think of the times
04:35 we have spend in the word of God,
04:37 we have been talking about the plan of salvation,
04:39 we have been talking about
04:41 you know the basis of our acceptance.
04:43 How we come to Him just as we are.
04:45 That's all good news, isn't it?
04:46 Says, "They were pierced in the heart,
04:49 and they said to Peter
04:50 and to the rest of the apostles,
04:51 brethren, what shall we do?"
04:54 And I am gonna repeat what I said last weekend.
04:57 You see the gospel is not passive it is proactive.
05:02 It requires of us, it puts us
05:05 under the constraints of love and of grace.
05:08 It demands of us a response, the claims Jesus in our lives.
05:13 What shall we do?
05:16 Now notice what we find in verse 38.
05:18 "Peter said to them, Repent,
05:21 " That's the first thing we do as we come to Jesus.
05:23 We are to repent.
05:25 It is foundation to why we come to Jesus in the first place
05:29 because we realize we've fallen short.
05:31 We all have, haven't we?
05:34 We all have been tainted by sin, we all need a Savior.
05:39 And my friend, in probably counseling terms
05:42 you know when you go to see a counselor
05:45 you're dealing with some problems in your life
05:47 and as getting those things out in the open.
05:50 Talking about them, recognizing the problems
05:53 that we have in our lives.
05:54 And its part of the process of resolving
05:57 some of those things that we are dealing
05:58 with sometimes may be mentally emotional issues,
06:01 psychological issues that we are dealing with.
06:03 At some point we have to get them out.
06:05 We have to deal with them so that we can resolve them.
06:08 And so it is with the process of repentance.
06:10 Repentance is acknowledging the truth of ourselves
06:15 that we are fallen short, that we are sinners.
06:18 And my friend, we are safe, we are safe.
06:23 We understand love draws us, woos us
06:27 and love is the only answer
06:29 for sin within our lives, right,
06:32 so we can acknowledges before God
06:34 and feel safe in doing so, right.
06:37 We don't have to fear
06:39 that somehow God is gonna frowning on us.
06:41 Really, did you do all of those things.
06:44 Were you really thinking those thoughts?
06:48 You know, some of us who have parents
06:49 that you know were little harsh in the treatment of us.
06:52 And some of us have gone through that.
06:54 Let me tell you some times we project this upon God,
06:59 don't we?
07:01 And I think in the book
07:02 that was written some years ago Never Good Enough.
07:06 Some of us have fought with this our whole lives,
07:08 never feeling we were good enough.
07:11 But my friend, when we come to Him
07:13 as we acknowledge out sins as we repent our sins
07:18 and it goes on to say "
07:20 Repent, and each of you be baptized
07:24 in the name of Jesus Christ
07:26 for the forgiveness of your sins."
07:30 So when we go through the waters of baptism
07:32 it represents something that is happening within our hearts.
07:35 It represents a spiritual cleansing.
07:38 And my friend, Jesus will cleanse us of every sin.
07:43 That is what baptism represents, right.
07:45 And with that He assures that we are forgiven.
07:50 I remember my baptism at 11 years of age.
07:52 I remember, coming up out of those waters.
07:54 I remember that sense
07:56 that the page of my life was white and clean.
07:59 I remember those thoughts specifically
08:01 and probably it was an illustration I heard somewhere
08:04 in church or may be that series of meetings
08:07 I went through some months before I was baptized
08:10 and I went to meetings just like this
08:12 and that had to be an illustration because I knew
08:15 that every sin I had ever committed was forgiven.
08:21 Isn't' that good news?
08:23 It's a place of new beginnings.
08:25 You know, I remember when I was baptized
08:27 I was baptized with one of my best friends Joe Hottendorf.
08:30 And I remember, when Joe was baptized
08:33 he kind of have this idea that, you know,
08:35 now he had set a new course in his life and that,
08:38 you know, he probably wouldn't ever sin again.
08:41 You know, how when you're kids
08:43 you think about these ideas in childish ways
08:47 but let me tell you of course,
08:49 we still, we still sometimes will fail, right.
08:53 We still will sometimes stumble and fall.
08:57 So how about it you've baptized,
09:00 got to be baptized again?
09:03 I will tell you if that's the way with that it worked
09:05 then we would have to baptize time and time again.
09:10 No, no, when we have been baptizing into Jesus Christ
09:13 we are in a saving relationship and when we stumble
09:16 we just get on our knees we confess it
09:19 and He freely forgives us of all of our sins
09:24 "Repent, and each of you be baptized
09:26 in the name of Jesus Christ
09:29 for the forgiveness of your sins,
09:31 and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."
09:34 The spirit is given us to give us the power we need,
09:39 the spiritual power, it's the new birth experience
09:42 really what he is talking about here
09:44 by which we can live a godly life.
09:47 By which we can live a Christ centered life.
09:50 Let's go to the story of the Ethiopian eunuch.
09:53 You remember the story don't you
09:54 from the Book of Acts 8,
09:56 Ethiopian eunuch had come up to the temple
09:59 in Jerusalem to worship God.
10:00 The first thing we take note of from that
10:02 is that he was a believer in God.
10:05 That's why he was there.
10:07 And as, as we pick up the story in Acts 8,
10:11 he is on his way back home to Ethiopia
10:15 and he is in his chariot and he is reading the scriptures.
10:20 He is reading, he is reading from the prophet Isaiah.
10:24 He is reading Isaiah Chapter 53 as we know it in our bibles
10:28 and Phillip the deacon was led by the Holy Spirit
10:31 to run to go with him out there in the desert.
10:34 He climbed up in the chariot and he began by asking
10:38 the Ethiopian eunuch do you understand
10:40 what you are reading?
10:41 And he said no.
10:42 I don't know who is talking about here--
10:45 this messianic prophecy.
10:47 I don't know who he is talking--
10:48 is he talking about himself,
10:49 is he talking about somebody else.
10:51 And from that very passage of scripture
10:53 Philip began to present Jesus to him.
10:56 "As they traveled along they came to some water."
11:00 That's what we are going to picking up here
11:01 at Acts 8 beginning verse 36.
11:04 "And as they went along the road
11:06 they came to some water,
11:08 and the eunuch said, 'Look! Water!
11:10 What prevents me from being baptized?'
11:13 And Philip said, 'If you believe with all your heart,
11:15 you may.'
11:17 And he answered and said,
11:18 "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.'
11:21 And he ordered the chariot to stop,
11:23 and they both went down into the water,
11:25 Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptized them."
11:29 Now I don't know really how long Philips was there
11:33 with the eunuch in that chariot.
11:36 I can imagine some hours going by
11:40 as we he was sharing from the scriptures
11:43 telling the story about Jesus.
11:46 But I want you to notice something.
11:49 I want to know something that once
11:52 the eunuch understood the message of Jesus,
11:56 once he embraced Jesus he didn't waste much time
11:59 in acting upon it, did he.
12:02 He just been introduced to Jesus some hours before
12:05 and now when he saw water he knew he wanted to act upon it.
12:09 Somewhere obviously in the process
12:10 Philip had shared with the Ethiopian eunuch
12:13 the importance of baptism in the process of accepting
12:16 or embracing Jesus as our personal Savior,
12:19 or else he wouldn't been asking for it.
12:20 And so it is my friend,
12:22 if you and I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ
12:25 and we have accepted Him as our Savior
12:28 we will want to go through the waters with Him.
12:31 Now let's get to some of practice
12:33 involved in baptism.
12:36 You have heard me talking about this before
12:38 with many subjects they are what I call
12:40 the nuts and bolts of it.
12:41 You got to put them together, you know,
12:43 and got to get it all put to together
12:45 so you can really understand the teaching.
12:47 As I have said before often you know
12:49 if we leave it right there we miss something important
12:52 because often there is spiritual application
12:55 that we get as we understand the teaching.
12:57 And certainly this subject we want to understand,
13:00 you know, the fundamentals of what the bible teaches
13:02 about baptism but we don't want to miss
13:05 the underlying spiritual lesson that comes from this.
13:09 In Ephesians 4:5, we have the simple statement,
13:16 it's a significant one.
13:17 It says "One Lord one faith," how many baptisms,
13:22 it says "one baptism."
13:25 And yet as we look at the Christian world today
13:27 we find that there are numerous forms of baptisms
13:31 that are being practiced today.
13:32 You know, that there is those who are insisting
13:34 that you have to be immersed, others who are sprinkling,
13:38 some are pouring and I will tell you
13:40 they're just some interesting things
13:41 that are being done in this process of evangelism.
13:45 I heard of a pastor who used rose petals for baptism.
13:51 I mean that has to be one of the creative ways
13:55 of baptizing somebody.
13:57 And I can well, imagine probably
13:59 as he was baptizing the individual with rose petals
14:03 that he referred to the passages scriptures
14:05 that refers to Jesus as the rose of Sharon.
14:08 And Jesus is the rose of Sharon.
14:11 And then I heard of the individual
14:13 the pastor who used salt in baptizing.
14:17 I said at camps people really get creative
14:19 sometimes about these things
14:21 and probably quoted the passage of scripture
14:24 where Jesus said you are the salt of the earth.
14:27 I am not sure that's one I would really want to have,
14:30 you know, salt you know but anyway it was done.
14:35 And then even heard-- I heard of a young person
14:39 that was baptized into the snow on a--
14:43 you know they were out for an outing over the weekend.
14:46 And knowing something about the background of this
14:48 I am sure that they were careful the make sure that they
14:51 that young person was completely under the snow
14:54 and probably quoted the scripture
14:56 that says no your sins be scarlet
14:58 they shall be white as snow.
15:00 He even heard of the pastor who laid his bare hand
15:03 on the head of the baby and baptized that baby.
15:06 I don't know you probably call that
15:08 the dry cleaning of baptizing, you know.
15:11 So what does the Bible really teach about this matter.
15:14 Does the form matter? Does it matter?
15:18 Well, is the Bible clear about it?
15:21 What does the Bible actually teach about the form,
15:23 and does the form relate to the meaning of baptism?
15:28 We are gonna find out there's a direct correlation
15:31 which takes us to the word that we translate baptism
15:34 is the word Greek the Greek word here baptizo
15:38 which we retranslate I baptize
15:41 but as you look at this Greek, this Greek dictionary.
15:45 This is from the theological dictionary
15:46 the New Testament volume 1 pages 529 and 530.
15:51 And as you look at how this word was used in secular,
15:55 in a secular setting among the Greeks
15:57 this is what it means
15:59 "To dip in or under" "immerse," "going under."
16:05 In fact they quote from a secular source
16:08 where the word baptism or baptizo was used
16:11 to describe a ship that had sunk.
16:14 Now we don't think a ships being baptized
16:16 that's the way it was used and again in a secular study.
16:21 So it does mean to be immersed
16:24 or one of those synonyms as we find them in the Bible.
16:29 It does mean immersion.
16:32 This word baptism occurs one hundred times
16:36 in the New Testament.
16:38 Let me tell you that is given a lot of space
16:40 and a lot emphasis to the experience of baptism.
16:43 One hundred times we find it in the New Testament.
16:47 Now among the things we want to find out
16:49 how in the world that we come to the state
16:52 in the Christian church where we have so many different forms
16:55 and again that question I have already raised with you
17:00 does it matter, is a relationship
17:02 between the former baptism and the meaning of baptism?
17:08 So where did we get this word baptism?
17:11 I think you may be pick this up
17:13 that baptizo and baptism are words that are related.
17:20 We actually get this word baptism from the Greek.
17:22 In fact, let me share this with you
17:25 it's going back primarily not exclusively
17:27 but primarily back to the translators
17:29 of the King James, King James Version.
17:33 You know, this is some five hundred years ago,
17:35 this novel idea that the people,
17:37 the common people ought to have the Bible
17:40 in their own language.
17:42 In the modern vernacular at that time.
17:44 It was revolutionary.
17:47 It was, you know,
17:48 it was the heartbeat of the reformation.
17:50 Man, when you give the Bible in the people's hands
17:52 things change, things happen.
17:56 King James was sponsoring the translation
17:59 and in the process the scholars
18:01 as they came to the New Testament
18:02 it did not take them long
18:04 before they came to this word baptism
18:08 and it was a problem.
18:11 It was a problem to the extent
18:13 that the scholars ask for a hearing before King James
18:17 which was granted to him.
18:18 Now remember the Church of England had all ready broken
18:21 from the Church of Rome
18:23 and which meant that the head of state
18:26 that would be the king or queen of the England
18:28 is the head of the church.
18:31 So I want you to remember that as I share the story with you.
18:34 So it's granted, so they come to King James
18:37 and they're explaining that if you know
18:39 if we translate this term into the New Testament
18:43 its going to go in as immersion or one of those synonyms.
18:49 What was the problem with that?
18:52 The problem with that is that the Church of England
18:56 was not practicing immersion they were sprinkling.
19:01 That's the dilemma they were in
19:04 and I wish I can tell you the King James said well
19:06 if that is what the meaning of the word we better change.
19:11 Give me a document, let me sign this off.
19:14 You know we are going to go and we are gonna practice baptism
19:17 just like the Bible teaches.
19:19 We are gonna practice immersion.
19:21 But no that's what he said.
19:22 He said don't translate it at all.
19:25 And so what they did is they transliterated it
19:30 which means they took the Greek word
19:34 and they put it into the into an English form
19:38 and that is one of the primary ways
19:40 by which we come by this word baptism
19:42 which means whenever we see this word in the New Testament
19:45 it remains an on translated term.
19:51 Okay, so just remember as we continue on to the Bible
19:55 whenever we come across this word baptism
19:58 remember the word again is immersion.
20:01 In fact, in faith of our fathers
20:04 we find this historical reference
20:06 where it says "For twelve centuries
20:08 after the establishing of Christianity,
20:10 baptism was usually by immersion."
20:13 For the first twelve hundred years
20:16 well, changes were taking place before that.
20:19 So I want to take you to John 3,
20:21 the New Testament page 73.
20:25 Page 73, John 3:23
20:29 I want to take to the story about John the Baptist
20:33 until you realize basing want
20:35 I'll share with you about the word baptism,
20:37 baptizo instead of knowing John as John Baptist
20:42 we actually should know him as John the immerser.
20:45 That's literally what it means.
20:47 So here it is in John 3:23
20:50 and I am gonna use the translated term
20:53 and notice what meaning it gives to the text.
20:56 "John also was immersing in Aenon near Salim,
21:00 because there was much water there
21:01 and people were coming and were being immersed."
21:05 I tell you if they are only been translated
21:07 we will now have the confusion about this word today
21:10 in the Christian church at large, wouldn't we?
21:12 I mean it will be right there.
21:15 I mean, then could have to use the word submersion
21:17 I suppose other words they could use
21:18 but it all would be very clear.
21:21 And my friend, he was at this site
21:22 because it requires a lot of water to give,
21:25 you know, to baptize somebody in a full body baptism.
21:31 You don't need a lot of water
21:34 if you're gonna spring the people.
21:36 I remember in Sioux Falls, South Dakota,
21:39 I had an older gentleman that was attending.
21:43 He was Lutheran in background,
21:45 you know a faithful member of this church
21:46 that was coming to our meetings and when he learned
21:49 what the bible really taught about this thing of baptism
21:53 he decided he wanted to be immersed
21:56 just like the Bible taught.
21:57 In fact, in his excitement
21:59 he shared this was some of his friends at his church
22:02 and it was taking a little bit back
22:03 when they looked at him kind of scans and said
22:06 "you know, why are you wanting to that?"
22:08 You've been a member of this church.
22:10 That set him back just a little bit.
22:11 He thought about this for day or two
22:13 but he said you know I know this what the Bible teaches
22:15 and I am going to practice that the Bible teaches.
22:19 And so he was in our baptism
22:21 that last night of our meetings.
22:22 He was crippled it was not easy thing for him
22:25 to do get inside water but he was determined
22:28 he was going to follow what the Bible taught about this.
22:32 So when it comes to the form
22:34 we in one sense we have not truly been baptized
22:37 until we have been baptized as the Bible teaches.
22:41 So what if you as an individual have been sprinkled,
22:46 what is that leave you?
22:48 Does that mean that your faith in Jesus means nothing?
22:52 Of course not, you know,
22:54 remember Jesus meets us exactly where we are at.
22:56 He knows the intent of our hearts, right.
23:00 He knows the desires we have to do what is right.
23:04 And when we are seeking to do
23:06 what we understand to be right by His Grace my friend,
23:10 He accepts that even though,
23:13 you know, may be we need to grow in understanding.
23:17 So I just want you to be assured of that
23:19 but nevertheless as we come to knowledge of the truth
23:22 in our life for Jesus we want to follow
23:24 what the Bible teaches in regards to baptism.
23:28 As we talk about sprinkling
23:30 "It was at the Council of Ravenna in 1311 A.D.
23:34 that sprinkling and pouring were officially accepted
23:38 as equally valid as immersion."
23:42 And you know during the series of meetings
23:43 we have looked at the historical background
23:45 about the practices of the church.
23:48 And my friend, if you really want to know,
23:50 you know, where some of these practices comes from
23:53 you have to trace the back historically
23:56 unless they are actually in the Bible.
24:00 So we have two sources here
24:02 either it's in the Bible or if its not
24:05 then we have to turn
24:06 to the historical record as we do here.
24:09 And my friend, that is we are sprinkling
24:10 in pint has come from.
24:12 Now you find incidences of the certainly before this time
24:16 but this is where it was officially accepted.
24:19 And so we have again this Greek word baptizo
24:21 which means I baptized.
24:24 That's a literal translation I baptize, I immerse.
24:28 If the word in the New Testament--
24:31 if there was God's intention that we be sprinkled
24:33 this is the Greek word you would find
24:36 it is word rantizo it's the word for sprinkling.
24:40 And my friend, you will never find this word
24:43 in the New Testament in reference to baptism.
24:46 It's just is not there
24:49 and so there is no confusion between the two terms right.
24:53 And my friend, that means if the word is not there
24:56 the Bible does not teach sprinkling.
24:59 Now I know some people say
25:00 you know what difference does that make, who cares?
25:05 Well, it depends on how biblical we want to be
25:07 in our faith, in our connection to Jesus Christ
25:11 and our practice of that faith, right.
25:14 So I take you to this next statement
25:16 this historical statement this is I am quoting Dean Stanley
25:19 who was a chaplain of Queen Victoria.
25:22 He said "There can be no question
25:24 that the original form of baptism,
25:26 and the very meaning of the word,
25:27 was complete immersion in the deep baptismal waters,
25:31 and that for at least twelve centuries
25:33 any other form was little known or regarded."
25:37 And again that's a historical fact.
25:41 When I was in Rome and you remember I have shared with you
25:44 a little bit of my experience in Rome.
25:45 When I was in Rome, you know, I did my background study.
25:49 I-- we are gonna have only three days in Rome.
25:52 I mean all of this history
25:54 compacted into these place three days.
25:56 What can you do with three days?
25:58 Well, it meant that I was out the door
26:01 in the morning at seven o'clock
26:03 in the morning taking it back to the about seven at night.
26:05 And the days were just packed for those three days.
26:08 I wanted to see and experience many things there in Rome
26:12 and one of things I was determined to seek out
26:15 was San Giovanni Cathedral one of the Pope's cathedrals.
26:18 In fact he had this cathedral that once a year
26:22 the pope comes and anybody within the city of Rome
26:25 I guess outside of Rome who wants to come
26:28 they have this large square
26:29 outside of San Giovanni Cathedral
26:33 and if you want your automobile to receive the papal blessing
26:36 you come this one time a year to get the papal blessing
26:40 for your automobile.
26:41 And so I was there, I was at San Giovanni Cathedral
26:44 because I heard there was a yet a baptistery
26:47 that showed that you know right up into the 1200s
26:50 the church was the established church
26:52 was still baptizing by immersion
26:54 and I wanted to see this place.
26:56 Finally, I saw a catholic priest there
26:59 turned out to be deacon but he was dressed,
27:01 he had the collar and everything
27:03 and so I went out over and found out
27:05 that he spoke excellent English.
27:08 He was from Germany actually
27:10 a very gregarious guy and I said,
27:13 you know, I am looking for the baptisterinist.
27:15 He smiled and he said you know it's not in the main cathedral
27:17 it's the building next door.
27:19 And he said would you like to see it?
27:20 Boy, did I ask the right guy.
27:23 He when and got the curator who took the keys
27:26 and he opened the doors
27:28 and I got a private showing of the baptistery
27:31 that you know they were using right up into the 13th century
27:36 where they were baptizing by immersion.
27:38 That's the picture, it's the best picture I have got
27:41 but let me tell you that's a size of a small pool.
27:45 And so they were immersing people
27:47 in this church right up to this period of time.
27:50 That's the historical practice as you look at it.
27:52 How about his matter of baptizing the babies?
27:56 This idea of baptizing babies was first sanctioned
27:59 by the church council Mallory in 416 AD.
28:04 By the 13th century the church was demanding it.
28:08 It really goes back to the idea of original sin
28:11 that the church had at that time period of time
28:13 which I am not going to spend time going through tonight
28:15 but this idea that babies had to be baptized.
28:18 Well, how about it? Should the babies be baptized?
28:23 You know, it's this idea
28:24 what would happen to a baby if it should die.
28:26 Something should happen to it.
28:27 And let me take you to Deuteronomy 1:39.
28:33 The background of this passage is this.
28:35 The children of Israel
28:37 have been wandering through the wilderness
28:39 I used to think as a kid man,
28:41 you know, the distance from Egypt
28:43 to the promise land the Canaan
28:44 was a long distance it took that 40 years to get there.
28:47 Now, it really didn't take them 40 years to get there.
28:51 You know, they spend the year at Mount Sinai
28:54 they spend a year there about
28:56 and then it didn't take by the few months
28:58 to get to the Promise Land.
29:00 They set spies over there when they came back to 12 spies
29:03 and they said it is truly a land
29:05 falling with milk and honey
29:07 but there's giants in the land.
29:10 And remember, 10 of them we dare not go up there.
29:13 Only Caleb and Joshua two of these spies said,
29:18 "it is beautiful, they are giants in there
29:21 but Lord as promises to us
29:23 let us go up and take possession of it."
29:26 But the people of God rebelled against God
29:29 and rebelled against the leadership of Moses in this.
29:33 And I want to tell you it is an awful story
29:36 as you look at what happened
29:38 and finally when God in effects did
29:41 was you don't want to go up.
29:43 You know, they wandered again for next 40 years
29:46 until that generation was gone.
29:49 And it was their sons and daughters
29:51 that took possession of the land.
29:52 But notice this statement.
29:55 It says God says "Moreover your little ones
29:57 who you said would become a prey, and your sons,
30:00 who this day have no knowledge of good over evil,
30:02 shall enter there and I will give it to them,
30:05 and they shall possess it."
30:08 In other words, those little children
30:11 because they didn't have a knowledge of good and evil
30:14 were not held accountable for the sins of their parents.
30:20 Is that clear from this text?
30:22 Let's go back, was the key part of it.
30:25 "Who this they have no knowledge of good and evil,
30:28 shall enter there."
30:31 And my friend, I think that gives us a clear understanding
30:33 what would happen to a little baby if it should die.
30:38 One is not held accountable for that which they do not know.
30:43 About it says as James 4:17 "To the one that knoweth
30:46 to good and do with not to him it is sin."
30:50 But if an individual doesn't know what is right
30:52 and does not do it to him it is not sin.
30:56 And then you have this whole thing about
30:58 you know the righteousness the faith of the parent
31:02 and of the godparents stand
31:04 in the place of these little children.
31:07 But my friend that is not a teaching
31:09 that you find anywhere in the scriptures
31:12 it's just not there.
31:13 And in fact in Ezekiel 14:20 we find this statement
31:18 "'Even though Noah, Daniel and Job were in its midst,
31:21 as I live,' declares the Lord God,
31:23 'they could not deliver either their son or their daughter.
31:27 They would deliver only themselves
31:29 by their righteousness.'
31:32 " And my friend this idea that the faith of the parents
31:34 stands in place of the child is not a biblical concept.
31:37 Its sounds theological but it is not biblical
31:42 and if its is not biblical it is to sound theology.
31:45 Now listen I have two sons
31:47 as you already know David and Calvin.
31:49 I am not sure how they really look back on this been raised
31:52 in a pastors home in a evangelistic home
31:55 but let me tell you they stand on their own faith.
32:00 I hope it's been advantaged to them
32:02 that they lived in a home
32:04 where their dad was in the ministry,
32:06 that's certain advantages to that.
32:09 But you know in the end they're going to be saved
32:12 because they made their own decision for Jesus.
32:15 My faith will not be put to their account.
32:23 They have to make their own decision abut these things.
32:26 But there comes a point in which a child comes
32:30 to a realization of some of these fundamental issues
32:36 of right and wrong, of sin and of salvation.
32:40 And for me it came when I was 11 years of age.
32:44 My mother had saw-- my mother--
32:47 I tell my mother was a hardworking woman.
32:49 She tells a story for 20 years she worked for minimum wage.
32:53 And she was working hard
32:54 because she wanted to give us three children
32:56 the benefit of the Christian education.
32:58 Other than the kindergarten I have been through right
33:01 through college and two masters programs
33:03 I have had the benefit of the Christian education,
33:06 a private Christian education it was a great education.
33:10 And so she worked hard but she saw to it
33:14 that when we had a series of meetings
33:16 in our town in Everett
33:17 she saw to it that us kids where there.
33:20 I was there, I was there a enough nights I won my Bible.
33:24 I should have brought it because I still have it.
33:26 It's called the friendship edition
33:28 and it was the beautiful Bible
33:29 I thought it was beautiful it was blue
33:31 and it has zipper on it.
33:33 You know, it was a King James Bible
33:36 and evangelists had us writing the text down
33:40 for each subject in the back of our Bible
33:42 so then we were chain referencing it
33:44 through the Bible.
33:45 It was a Bible marking program.
33:48 I was just looking at this a few months ago
33:50 and with my childish handwriting there
33:52 I could make out all little texts on that night
33:55 that he preached on the coming of Jesus.
33:58 I tell you that just gripped me,
34:01 when I heard in preaching on the coming of Jesus
34:04 that just gripped me.
34:06 And I remember coming home that week
34:07 just thinking about these days I came home from the school
34:10 and I was in my bedroom and I was over my Bible
34:13 and I was pouring through Matthew 24
34:16 because I remember that previous.
34:18 I think it was a previous Saturday night
34:20 he has taken us through so many passages in Matthew 24
34:23 and I was reading these things.
34:25 And it was convicting me.
34:28 And I sat down this was my first feeble attempt
34:31 to witness as an 11 year old.
34:34 I sat down, I wrote out the whole chapter
34:36 and it is a long chapter I wrote it out by hand.
34:40 And then I snuck over to my neighbor's mailbox.
34:44 Make sure nobody was looking
34:45 and opened it up and stuck in there.
34:47 I don't know what they thought of it when they found it
34:49 that was obviously in the Childs handwriting
34:51 but it was my first attempt.
34:53 I man that was good news.
34:55 You know, about Jesus coming.
34:57 And then a few months later I was Sabbath school
35:00 and I heard there was gonna be a baptism that morning
35:02 and after Sabbath school between services
35:05 I went looking for my pastor, Pastor Dick Renfrew.
35:10 And I found Pastor Renfrew and I said Pastor Renfrew,
35:13 do you think I could be in the baptism
35:16 that you have planed for today?
35:17 Now if I had a child ask me that question I would say,
35:21 you know, some wonderful things Jimmy that you want to do.
35:24 But let's do some study and you know
35:27 and then we will have a baptism
35:28 but he chose and let me baptized.
35:31 And I have never looked back
35:33 and regretted that I made that decision that day.
35:36 Remember, I was with this mischievous guy,
35:38 this little mischievous boy
35:41 and I know that when I was baptized
35:43 there was some sitting in that congregation
35:46 that Sabbath morning
35:47 who must have been thinking to themselves pastor,
35:50 what in the world are you doing-- baptizing that kid
35:54 and having not a clue what was going on my heart.
35:56 Let me tell you I didn't go to my mom and tell my mom
35:59 you know I decided to give my life to Jesus.
36:02 I am just really excited about all of this.
36:04 I didn't have that kind of conversation with her.
36:07 I know what God can do in the hearts of children
36:11 because I know what He did in the heart of this child
36:13 when I was that age.
36:15 Let me take you to Galatians 3 the New Testament page 148.
36:19 So we've dealt with the form,
36:22 we dealt with issue sprinkling the baptizing the babies
36:26 so lets really to get into the importance
36:28 not only the importance but the meaning of baptism.
36:31 Galatians 3:27, where it says
36:37 "For all for all of you who were immersed into Christ
36:44 have clothed yourself with Christ."
36:46 The King James says "you are put on the Lord Jesus Christ."
36:49 Just as two individuals fall in love
36:52 and at the appropriate times stand up and say
36:56 I do, so baptism is the means
37:00 by which we formally proclaim our commitment
37:04 to the Jesus Christ publicly and usually it's publicly.
37:09 Once a while when we make the exception for that
37:10 but usually, it's publicly.
37:13 So it the basis on which we accept the Lord Christ,
37:16 it is the significant experience
37:18 because it is connected with our an indication
37:23 of our commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ.
37:26 And yet, I know, there are those who feel sometimes
37:28 they are just not good enough.
37:30 My friend, we got to get this out of our thinking
37:32 because we will never be good enough.
37:35 Have I uttered those words
37:37 before during the series of meetings
37:38 I have and we need to hear it.
37:40 We will never be good enough
37:42 though wait until you are good enough.
37:45 If you wait until you're good enough
37:46 you are gonna be waiting a long and long time.
37:49 Remember, it was for sinners that Jesus died
37:52 and it is as sinners that we must come to Jesus.
37:56 And remember it says "He who repents and is baptized
37:59 shall be forgiven."
38:02 Okay, so its part of the process of receiving the forgiveness
38:07 and the cleansing that is ours in Jesus Christ.
38:10 And then I want to take you to Romans 6
38:12 the New Testament page 122, 122,
38:16 I love this passage of scripture.
38:18 When you talk about the meaning of baptism
38:20 this is the primary passage of scripture.
38:24 Roman 6 and we are looking at verse 3 to begin with
38:29 where it says "Or do you not know that all of us
38:33 who have been immersed into Christ Jesus
38:35 have been immersed into His death?"
38:40 We are getting in to the some of the symbolism
38:42 that is associated with baptism.
38:45 So by baptism we are immersed into His death.
38:48 Verse 4 says, "Therefore, we have been buried with Him
38:51 through immersion into death so that is Christ was raised
38:55 from the death to the glory of the Father
38:57 so we too might from walk in newness of life."
39:00 And so we by faith in baptism by faith in Jesus
39:05 we enter into His death, His burial
39:08 and what follows His burial, the resurrection.
39:13 And we find that is we move to verse 5
39:15 "For if we have become united with Him
39:18 in the likeness of His death certainly we shall also be
39:21 in the likeness of His resurrection."
39:25 So by faith we enter into His death, burial and resurrection.
39:32 And my friend, all of us as sinners have something to bury.
39:38 It is a life of sin that is buried in Jesus
39:41 which means that baptism is a point of new beginnings.
39:45 Again its symbolic in what's been happening in the heart.
39:48 There is nothing magical about the waters of baptism
39:51 be clear of it, it is an act of faith.
39:54 It's again representative, representative of what Jesus
39:57 has been accomplishing in ones heart.
40:00 One has been born again,
40:01 one has been made the commitment to Jesus
40:04 as they are baptized into the waters.
40:08 As I said, we all have something to bury
40:10 verse 6 speaks of it.
40:11 "Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him,
40:15 in order that our body sin might be done away with,
40:18 so that we might would no longer be slaves to sin."
40:22 My friend, baptism is a decoration
40:25 that we are no longer under the bondage of sin.
40:29 Isn't that not good news?
40:33 It's that transforming power of the relationship
40:36 with Jesus Christ and so we are passing from death into life
40:42 is what is being pictured here.
40:45 So we enter into His death, His burial and His resurrection,
40:50 okay, that's what involved here.
40:51 Now we have got a video clip of it.
40:53 You know, its full body.
40:54 Notice she closed her eyes, she took her breath
40:58 and then she came up notice she opened her eyes
41:00 and she caught her breath.
41:02 You see how death, burial
41:05 and resurrection are indicated there.
41:07 So let me ask you does the form of baptism
41:11 is it relevant to the meaning of baptism?
41:13 Absolutely.
41:16 You don't get this imagery out of sprinkling do you?
41:21 And it is true when you baptize somebody I--
41:25 you know everybody does this they close their eyes,
41:27 they take their good breath
41:28 and they are buried into the water
41:30 and then they come up and as I have already described it.
41:33 I was up there in that same territories
41:36 again remember I thought of gale up there
41:39 to pastor these two country churches in Oroville Tonasket
41:42 and we have what we call the earth people.
41:46 Earth people, let me tell you the earth people
41:47 up there on the eastern slopes of the cascade mountains
41:51 of foothills there.
41:52 They were hippies.
41:55 You know, it was the back to earth movement
41:57 that overtook the hippy movement
41:59 and so we are communes up there I remember
42:03 and the privilege of baptizing a number of hippies
42:06 out there Bible studies with them.
42:08 I remember one guy who had his writs
42:11 in the hippy movement his name was Jim.
42:14 Man, I had to go a long ways up to the foothills
42:17 he was doing some dry weed farming up there way,
42:20 you know, seems like it to me at least 45 minutes
42:23 to get to his house or may be longer.
42:24 And so I went through a whole winter studying with Jim
42:28 and he made his decision for Jesus
42:30 and decided he was gonna be baptized.
42:33 Didn't want to wait until warmed up
42:36 there are lot of cold water baptism at the gale
42:38 I don't know if you got into that but man,
42:41 I remember baptizing Thomas Armsby
42:44 who had the ultimate hippy philosophy,
42:48 if you can't carry it on your back you've got too much.
42:54 And man the water was boom chilling cold
42:56 in that river down by Lake of Suez.
42:59 So we went all the way down all man
43:01 because we didn't have a baptistery.
43:03 There was a church baptistery,
43:05 we went there on a Sabbath afternoon
43:06 and so Jim and I were getting dressed into our robes
43:10 and while we were getting dressed
43:11 and ready for the baptism Jim says to me,
43:13 now when you baptized me I want you to put me under
43:16 and count to ten, count to ten.
43:20 And, you know, that touch me I knew he had a past
43:23 but he didn't speak much about it.
43:25 I didn't know much about just knew there is this
43:27 you know counterculture and all of the stuff
43:31 that went with it.
43:32 So I knew that were something that he was intending to bury
43:36 in Christ and in that experience so I am a young pastor
43:40 and so I come out there and I raised my hand
43:43 I am baptize you in the name of the Father
43:44 and the Son and the Holy Spirit
43:46 and I as I putting him under the water
43:48 remembering me he told me to count to ten.
43:50 I am actually starting to count to ten.
43:52 I'm wondering to myself did he get a good breath.
43:56 So you know, I didn't count as slowly as it turned out
44:01 as he really wanted and anticipated I was going to
44:04 for when I brought him up he turned to me
44:06 and he said you brought me up too soon.
44:08 Which I tell you it really touched my heart
44:11 and I didn't know what to do.
44:14 Now, with years of experience I know what I would do now.
44:18 You know what I would do now wouldn't you.
44:20 I will say Jim, take several good breaths are you ready?
44:26 I may put you under, I'm gonna start counting
44:28 and I am going to count to 50.
44:30 Actually I would start counting to the point
44:33 that he started to struggle just a little bit not much
44:35 just a little bit and then I will bring him up.
44:38 Might bless his heart
44:40 it was a point of new beginnings for him.
44:43 It's such a wonderful experience baptism is
44:47 and many of you had memories don't you at you're baptism
44:50 if you been baptized and if you haven't
44:53 you know your one of way too long before you do it.
44:56 Okay, what else about baptism 1 Corinthians 12:13,
45:00 I remember it been said in my early ministry.
45:03 I would hear the term we baptize so many into the church
45:08 or so and so was baptized into the church
45:10 as a young pastor I objected to that.
45:12 I didn't verbalize it often by the objected to it.
45:14 What do you mean they were baptizing to their church?
45:16 They were baptized into the Lord Jesus Christ.
45:20 And I begin to understand that there are number of meanings
45:24 that are associated with baptism.
45:26 It is primarily our coming to the Jesus no doubt about it.
45:29 Everything close out of that commitment to Jesus right.
45:32 But 1 Corinthians 12:13 says,
45:34 "For by one Spirit we were all immerse into one body."
45:39 We were baptized into one body.
45:41 What is the body that we are baptized into?
45:44 Well, Ephesians 1:22, 23 tell us clearly
45:49 it says "And He."
45:51 That is God.
45:52 "Put all things in subjection under His feet,
45:55 " speaking of Jesus " and gave Him as head over
45:58 all things to the church, which is" what?
46:03 "Which is His body."
46:05 The church is the body of Christ.
46:10 And so we are baptizing to Jesus but my friend,
46:12 we also are baptize into the fellowship into the church.
46:18 And my friend, I been in the very best way
46:20 I could put this we have a spiritual family.
46:24 We become brothers and sisters in Christ.
46:29 We have we have that connection ones
46:31 and especial my early ministry thinking of those earth people
46:36 you know the antiestablishment idea
46:38 you know spillover into our society.
46:40 There was a period of time and people just didn't want
46:42 anything to do with an organization,
46:43 they didn't want anything to do with the church.
46:45 Baptized me into Jesus but don't baptize me into the church.
46:49 And because of this text I am not able to do that.
46:52 Because, God intents for us to be a part of the family
46:57 the family of God.
46:59 And the church I tell you the church is such a valuable
47:04 part of our growing spiritual experience.
47:09 I want to tell you something.
47:13 I did not learn these things on my own.
47:17 The things that I am preaching and am I've been preaching
47:21 I didn't come by this because I have any
47:23 unique genius of my own when it came to the Bible
47:26 I learned these things because of the church.
47:30 I learned this in Sabbath school.
47:32 I learned these things as I went to my Christian school.
47:36 I learned these things of course when I took theology.
47:39 I learned these things in my masters of divinity,
47:42 I am deep in it.
47:44 I've learned things as I have continued in ministry
47:46 to study the Bible.
47:49 I owe, I own all of this really to the church.
47:54 I wouldn't know these things but it wasn't for the church.
47:56 If I had not gone through some of the kind of things
47:59 that you are going through Bible studies,
48:01 going to meetings like this.
48:04 My friend, the church has played a valuable part
48:07 in my experience in accepting Jesus
48:09 in my baptism and commitment to Him.
48:11 As we move on to Mark 16,
48:13 as we are looking at the importance of baptism
48:15 Mark 16, that's the New Testament page 43.
48:19 Mark 16:15, 16.
48:25 It's the same at the Jesus makes about baptism.
48:28 Find Mark 16 chapter right on down here to verse 16,
48:35 where Jesus said "He who has believed
48:37 and has been immersed shall be saved."
48:42 So does this related to our salvation?
48:47 Will one be saved if they are baptized
48:52 but they have not accepted the Jesus Christ?
48:56 Has that happened?
48:59 Remember, up in that same country
49:01 in the my country church of Tonasket
49:05 I had a young man who was an Elder
49:07 in the church Rowley Coleman.
49:10 Rowley Coleman.
49:12 Remember Rowley coming to me and saying
49:13 you know I need to be re-baptized.
49:15 He said elder of my church, one of my spiritual leaders.
49:17 I need to be baptized again.
49:20 And he told me the story.
49:22 My mother decided it was time for us kids to be baptized.
49:25 And so at the point of time she said let's go,
49:29 Rowley took off running.
49:30 He didn't want to baptized he was trying to runaway--
49:33 she tracked him down.
49:34 Drag him to the place where he was gonna be baptized.
49:37 And so he had for the rest of his spiritual experience
49:41 he had always his annoying sense
49:43 that he really had not been baptized
49:45 because it wasn't something that he chose to do.
49:47 In 1986 I said Rowley its time for us to deal with this.
49:52 And so he was re baptized an elder of the church.
49:55 So one is not saved by baptism.
49:59 One is saved by the relationship that is he who believes
50:03 that's the faith part of it, right, and is baptized.
50:07 That's the linkage both must be present
50:10 is what the Bible tells us.
50:12 This is the thing that I really enjoy about by work
50:15 in ministering most of all
50:17 I've seen individuals coming to Jesus Christ
50:18 and making this kind of the commitment.
50:21 I was doing a series in
50:24 I want to say Pierre, South Dakota
50:25 but that was a rapid city South Dakota.
50:27 Probably it's been about four or five years ago now
50:30 and I had this couple that are coming
50:32 this is their second marriage
50:34 and Mikes background was that a Baptist
50:37 and Corny here
50:38 as you can see her being baptize.
50:41 Corny told me she had been baptized 27 times
50:48 and she chose to be baptizing again.
50:50 Twenty seven times now her background was that of a Mormon.
50:56 I am not get into the teaching but there is a reason
50:59 why they are into genealogies
51:00 and baptizing for the death and all that.
51:03 So that's what was going on with the lives
51:05 and I tell you as I was preparing
51:08 Mike and Corny for their baptism,
51:11 you know, Mike took me side
51:13 and he said "I want to thank you."
51:14 He said you know we have not been together in our faith.
51:19 Now they both have been inactive as Christians.
51:22 They said "you know that we can come together
51:25 to make this commitment."
51:27 It was something that meant a lot to him.
51:30 I can tell you story after story about this Theresa
51:33 this is in Walla Walla.
51:35 Theresa she had put off this because of her husband.
51:38 I think I shared this one night didn't I.
51:40 Her husband had threatened to leave her
51:43 if she made this decision
51:44 and as her daughter her sweet daughter made a decision
51:48 to be baptized as I was preparing her.
51:50 I knew I was
51:51 you know had the opportunity to prepare her mother
51:54 and indeed they both chose to be baptized.
51:57 Remember I told you what happened.
51:59 Her husband who had threatened
52:02 to leave her if she ever did this a year later
52:05 I attended my series in Clarkston, Washington,
52:08 came to my meetings and made his decision was baptized.
52:13 So don't let somebody put you off
52:17 in regards to making your decision.
52:20 And sometimes this happens.
52:22 I'll tell you if my mother had waiting for my dad to,
52:25 you know, get born again to get saved
52:29 she wouldn't to this day
52:30 probably wouldn't be a Christian.
52:33 Now I want tell you my mother, my mother is a visionary.
52:38 She really is.
52:39 She was driven, she is you know
52:41 she is in the middle of ten children.
52:43 She is not the in the oldest group
52:44 and she is not the youngest she is in the middle.
52:47 And my mother is a, has always been a driven women
52:51 and she made that determination that she was going to make
52:56 a recommitment for her life to Jesus
52:59 before us kids came along and we make the benefits of it.
53:03 And she saw to it you know that we had the benefits of this.
53:07 What if my mother had just decided
53:09 I am gonna wait for my husband
53:11 to make this decision?
53:13 What would have done to as kids?
53:16 It just doesn't always happen this way
53:17 that everybody just comes onboard at the same time.
53:21 And often I do find that one individual
53:25 has to take the first steps and that God will bless.
53:29 God often will bless in that process.
53:32 And when we take you John 3:5
53:34 as we move down to just couple of texts.
53:37 In John 3:5 it says.
53:38 "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God
53:42 unless he is born of water and the Spirit."
53:47 I share with you the story of my oldest son
53:49 remember I am part of that generation
53:51 I was expected to be a part of the birthing process
53:54 and I was there and I remember
53:56 and I told you this one night I think it was night
53:58 as preaching on the coming of Jesus.
54:01 Now I remember when David came into the world.
54:04 You know, first thing I noticed is he didn't make cry,
54:08 he didn't make a whimper.
54:10 I thought all babies cried.
54:12 I thought the doctor was gonna lift him up
54:14 and whack him on the bumps.
54:17 And that didn't' happened.
54:20 But he laid the doctor,
54:22 Dr. Siya laid David on my wife's stomach
54:27 and he just sat there with those big eyes
54:30 you know just kind of looking around.
54:34 And that was the last quite moment
54:36 we have with David my hyperactive one.
54:41 But, the first thing we noticed is that my wives water broke.
54:47 That was the first clue we had that something was happening.
54:50 And when he came into the world and she was lying their
54:52 on my wives stomach he had blood on him.
54:56 So the New Testament takes that which is so familiar to us
55:01 those of us who have been through this process
55:03 and apply it to the new birth experience.
55:06 It means that when we are going
55:08 through the new birth experience
55:09 we too must break water that's baptism.
55:12 We too must be masked under the blood
55:15 that is the blood of Jesus.
55:18 That is the meaning behind again baptism
55:22 as it relates to the new birth experience.
55:24 And then last of all let me take you to the Acts 19
55:27 the New Testament page 109.
55:29 Acts 19 the last text will look at tonight.
55:33 Is it appropriate to be re baptized?
55:38 Well, look at it here Acts 19:1
55:42 where it says
55:43 "It happened that while Apollos was at Corinth,
55:46 Paul passed through the upper country
55:48 and came to Ephesus, and found some disciples."
55:51 Notice they are disciples they are believers.
55:54 "And He said to them, 'Did you receive the Holy Spirit
55:56 when you believed?'
55:57 And they said to him, 'No we have not even heard
56:00 whether there is a Holy Spirit.'
56:02 " Well, let me tell you whoever baptized them
56:04 and left out something pretty essential
56:06 in their understanding, right.
56:10 Now the fact that they were disciples
56:12 would bare witness to the fact
56:13 that they had experienced the workings of the Holy Sprit.
56:17 I will say wouldn't have been disciples, right
56:19 we would agree with that.
56:20 But anyway we had not even heard
56:22 whether there is a Holy Spirit.
56:23 Verse 3 and he said "'Into what then were you baptized?'
56:26 " Or immersed?
56:27 "And they said, 'Into John's baptism.'
56:29 " His immersion.
56:31 "Paul said, 'John baptized with the baptism of repentance,
56:35 telling the people to believe in Him
56:36 who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.'
56:39 And when they heard this, they were baptized
56:41 in the name of the Lord Jesus."
56:45 So they came to a fuller understanding
56:47 of the issues regarding faith and Holy Spirit
56:50 and a greater understanding of the relationship of all
56:53 in the experience with Jesus.
56:56 And as a result they chose to be re-baptized
57:01 and I often will have individuals
57:02 in meetings to do this.
57:05 They have been Christians, they were been baptized
57:07 by immersion often years ago
57:09 and sometimes they have fallen away,
57:10 sometimes they grew careless in the spiritual walk
57:14 or sometimes they decide
57:16 because they have learned so much
57:19 in the process of the meetings
57:21 that they want to make a recommitment
57:24 of their life to Jesus.
57:25 With a deeper understanding and meaning that goes with it.
57:29 Now we should lead that as a decision for the individual
57:34 because usually we don't have a burden
57:35 to put somebody to be re-baptized
57:38 unless they have wondered away
57:39 then it's appropriate.


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Revised 2014-12-17