Hey yall! Greetings from the sunny south-land! The air is thick with pollen, the fields have been plowed, and the mailbox is gettin' full!!! Yep.. it's time when LOTS of folks are sending out those support letters so that we can "partner " with them on summer mission trips! It's encouraging to see SO many followers of Christ wanting to go and tell others the GREAT news of the GOSPEL... I am blessed to contribute so that others can go forth and make disciples... that IS what it is all about. remember the words of Jesus?" Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you;and lo I am with you always,even to the end of the age"- Matthew 28:19,20... We call this " The Great Commission" and thats the reason we GO in HIS name... but notice something with me.. He DID NOT say" Go and share the Gospel message and ask people to say a prayer asking Jesus "into their Heart"( by the Way, that phrase is NOT in the BIBLE), He did NOT SAY, " Go and Pass out Gospel Tracts", NOPE.. He said go and make DISCIPLES! A "Disciple" is properly defined as a Follower- Learner.... so How do you MAKE DISCIPLES??? In Matthew 28:19,20 Jesus tells us!! Now our Pastor friends who have studied GREEK will tell us that the ORIGINAL GREEK of the GREAT COMMISSION conveys this IDEA- " Go and Make disciples, this is how to make disiples: BAPTIZE and TEACH".... thats what Jesus commanded .. yep he told us HOW to do it.. is'nt interesting that Jesus though so HIGHLY of Baptism that he INCLUDED IT in the Great Commission??? It must be a BIG deal to Jesus!!... but it's not such a big deal to some of us.. After all- some of us go out on mission trips, we share the Gospel, ask people to trust in Christ alone for salvation.. then we leave... we think NOTHING of their need to receive baptism, the sign and seal of the covenant of Grace! We need to go and share the Gospel, -we need to work with local Gospel preaching churches ; making sure that those who respond to the call of the Gospel are baptised and taught the Scriptures... Remember that in the NEW TESTAMENT , when someone believed in JESUS they were immediately baptized along with their HOUSEHOLD( sorry my Baptist friends, I could'nt resist- love ya:)... NO Church in the Area?? well.. we should start one..when we take Baptism seriously , we will do this... but first we must begin with OUR OWN CHURCH- we do NOT really believe that Baptism is a big deal.. and we show it in many ways... we send out people to share the Gospel who have NEVER been baptized.. oh yes.. they believe in Christ.. but we have let them down because we have not taught them the importance of this sacrament( for my Baptist friends- this ordinance)..We have people TEACHING and leading others in the Church who have NEVER been baptized.. it's not so important to us... and thats a shame... The Westminster Confession of Faith says this about Baptism:" although it be a GREAT SIN to CONTEMN( despise) or NEGLECT this Ordinance , yet Grace and salvation are not so inseperably annexed unto it as that no person can be regenerated or saved with out it, or that all that are baptised are undoubtedly regenerated".. In OTHER words.. baptism doesnt SAVE you... You can be saved with out being Baptised, all those baptized are not necessarily BELIEVERS- ALL that is TRUE... but look at the first part....- a GREAT SIN to contemn or neglect..!!!???.. as for me.. I think there's way too much contemn'n and neglect'n going on out there! Shalom Yall...
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