Episode 462 - Show Notes
- I’ve met people through the years who love Jesus and who serve God but they have never been baptized. They never saw the priority of baptism.
- Baptism is something Jesus commanded us to do. It’s not an option for the believer. It’s something we do as soon as we believe. In fact, the word baptize is found 77 times in the New Testament.
- Baptism is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace. In other words, baptism is a sign or symbol that represents our acceptance of God’s grace.
- I love the story in Acts 8. Philip had been preaching in Samaria when the Holy Spirit spoke to him to travel out into the desert on the road that leads from Jerusalem to Gaza. It was there, by divine appointment, he met an Ethiopian eunuch who was on his way home to Ethiopia. He was riding in his chariot reading a scroll from the prophet Isaiah. The Holy Spirit spoke to Philip to approach the man. Philip explained that the prophecy he was reading was about Jesus, the Messiah, and the Ethiopian man believed in Jesus.
- The New Testament pattern – Reading through the New Testament you notice that people were baptized quickly after placing their faith in Jesus Christ. In fact, n the New Testament church, there was no such thing as an unbaptized Christian.
- The disciples in the early church seemed to know how subtle the enemy is, that delaying obedience to Jesus’ command to be baptized in water opens the door for doubt and spiritual failure.
- As new followers of Jesus, we need to quickly make a public statement of our intent to follow Christ. The longer we wait for baptism, the less likely we feel the need for it.
- Baptism is not a mark of spiritual maturity, but rather a statement of personal identification with Jesus Christ. You don’t have to wait until you feel like you are a spiritually strong person. It’s an obedience issue, not a maturity issue.
Acts 8:36 - “As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?”
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