I had an incredibly blessed Sunday!
I work for a large non denominational church, and we were having Baptism services at all three services this weekend. As some of you may know, I think I have spoken about it, my Brother In Law (BIL) is in a nursing home near to my home. It is a very sad and pathetic case, his wife abandoned him at the hospital after he suffered a third stroke. She had quit caring for him, stopped buying his medicine and was not providing nutritious food for him. It was terrible and awful, and all I could do was offer to find a nursing home out by us (he lived over an hour from us) where we could at least pick him up to see his mom, and I could take him to church every week. He is only 53...
Anyway, I asked BIL if he wanted baptized and he said YES! He could not be fully immersed as the others were, but baptism is a heart issue, not whether you were able to go underwater. It was pretty amazing, he hugged the pastor ( he is paralyzed on one side, and cannot speak well) as he sat down in the wheel chair he said AWESOME! The whole church started clapping for him. It was a humbling moment, his life is so small, and the relationship he has with the Lord has grown amazingly, to him this was AWESOME!
The other very cool thing that happened was that my Pastor preached on Acts and explained baptism to the whole congregation, and opened the baptism up to anyone who had accepted Christ. The church provided clothes, makeup for the ladies, underwear, anything that was needed so the person could be baptized if they wanted to.
Well over two HUNDRED people in three services came forward to be baptized~! We had over three hundred people baptized this weekend. And for every single person to be baptized the whole church cheered. It was heartwarming and humbling watching all these people profess their faith like this.
Some days, because I work for a church, I forget to be at church, if you understand? I have to make sure that I still come to worship and to listen to the Word.
Yesterday, I was at church, I was humbled and moved to tears at the amazing thing I was witnessing. It was a really wonderful service.....
And then to top the day off, I had the whole family for Sunday dinner, I try so hard to do this as much as possible, I want my grand babies to grow up going to Gamma's for dinner on Sunday....And nothing tops off a day like happy hugs from my sweet grands!
I also am finally able to put my tomato and pepper starts outside some to start hardening off some. I think I thought I had more room than I really do, boy or boy do I have the tomatoes!!
I hope that your weekend was wonderful, and that this week brings you all joy~
Peace and Blessings!
LTW
Sounds like your BiL got a couple of others bad luck but at least you have given him some hope and introduced him to God. Good for you!!!
ReplyDeleteholy moly - WHAT an awesome weekend!!! i am soo happy for your BIL and the other 200 - now is a most excellent time to be baptized to Our Lord Jesus! can i get an Amen???
ReplyDeletesending much love your way! your friend,
kymber
I am very happy to hear that so many people are interested in obeying the Lord. However, and I mean this in the most polite, kind, and gentle way that I can, your statement regarding baptism (being a matter of the heart and not requiring immersion) is 100% incorrect.
ReplyDeleteA reading of Romans 6:3-5 clarifies this and validates my statement. Note the use of the word burial. When someone dies and is buried, the individual is put UNDER the ground. A dead person doesn't have dirt sprinkled or poured on him nor does he have a little but of mud smeared on his forehead in the shape of the cross. The individual is put completely under the ground and is 100% covered in dirt.
Now I'll ask a question, which form of baptism fits the analogy of a burial? Immersion does. Sprinkling, pouring, and any other from (that's not immersion) does not. Saying the Sinner's prayer, or using the prayer that Joel Osteen uses at the end of his weekly broadcast certain doesn't bring on salvation as neither even uses water. All instances of Baptism in the New testament involve going down into the water being submerged.
Here's the original definition in the ancient Greek of Baptizo: "immersion, or submersion" . Here are several lexicons that validate this:.
Baptizo: "Dip, immerse. (A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, Arndt and Gingrich, p. 131).
Baptizo: "immersion, submersion" (A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, Grimm-Thayer, p. 94).
Baptizo: "to dip, immerse, sink" (Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, Abbott-Smith, p. 74).
Baptizo: "consisting of the process of immersion, submersion and emergence (from bapto, to dip)" (Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words).
Baptizo: "immerse, sumberge. The peculiar N.T. and Christian use of the word to denote immersion, submersion for a religious purpose" (Biblico-Theological Lexicon of the New Testament Greek, Cremer).
Baptizo: "to dip, immerse" (The New Analytical Greek Lexicon, Perschbacher, p. 66).
I'll probably catch a lot of criticism for this but that's ok (Galatians 4:16). It's worth it to me to at least try to put out the truth on this matter. I don't do this to "prove you wrong with a sense of glee or malice", and I'm certainly not trying to attack you. As I said earlier, I offer this in the kindest gentlest regards, but if your "baptism" didn't involve immersion, then the washing away of sins didn't occur and I urge you to reconsider your stance and have your brother (and anyone else) properly baptized. Yes, I understand his health makes this extremely difficult but the scriptures are plain in this regard.
Check out this hyperlink, it offers further explanation :
http://www.churchofchrist.com/baptism.html
Best wishes.
My brother in law
ReplyDeleteIs incapable of being immersed, I understand that we are to be immersed, but I believe with every part of my being that although my BIL cannot physically be immersed, God knows his heart, and considers him to have been baptized.
Baptism is a heart call, and God asks all believers to baptize all the nation's, this I know. But I know if BIL COULD have been immersed he would have, I believe God is well pleased.
Thank you for your comment and wonderful information!
I need to clarify, everyone that was baptized was immersed, but because my BIL is paralyzed he cannot be immersed.
ReplyDelete