Category Archives: Baptism

Baptism, Bible, Christ, Death, Eternity, Jesus, Salvation, Scripture

BAPTIZED

ROMANS 6:3

“Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?”

I was baptized at the age of 8, and it didn’t mean a thing spiritually. Let me explain. I did not know Christ then. I knew about Christ. I had grown up in church. So, when my older sister went down one Sunday to talk to the preacher, I went too. That’s just what kids did, right? Then at the age of 16, I truly gave my life to Christ and was rebaptized as a believer. I will never forget that day. I truly knew Christ then. Was I sinless? Far from it, but I had a hunger to know Christ and His fullness.

Paul continues to use the Aorist tense in today’s verse to explain our baptism into Christ and His death. That means it happened back at a certain point (when we surrender to His will and became a follower of Christ). Paul is not talking about the physical act of baptism with water, even though it is the perfect picture of our salvation. Paul is referring to the spiritual realm and what happens at salvation. We enter into Christ’s family and are free from the sin that had us in its grip.

APPLICATION

But let’s think about baptism for a minute. I love baptizing people. I usually say when I dunk someone and bring them out of the water. “I baptize you, my brother (or sister) in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Buried with Him and His death, raised to walk in newness of life.” There’s nothing magical about those words. It just gives a context to the physical act.

If you are believer, you should be baptized. There’s literally no reason why you shouldn’t be. I’ve heard all kinds of excuses like I am afraid of water or I’m too shy to do that in front of people. Listen, nothing should stop you. The late Dr. Charles Stanley said once, “You don’t have to be baptized to get to heaven, but you’ll get there as a disobedient one.” That’s kind of harsh, but you get the picture. It’s an obedience thing.

If you have been baptized into Christ and His death, make that known by the way you live. Every act should represent Christ in your life. Sin should flee from you as you submit daily to the Holy Spirit’s leading. He will never direct you toward sin, but instead always away. So, if you feel you are being tempted in some way, know that has nothing to do with Christ but has everything to do with your flesh. Die to that and live in Christ.

Lord, I am so glad my life is buried under the blood of Christ and I am now alive in Him.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Baptism, Faith, Father, Jesus, One, Scripture, Uncategorized

ONES, PART 2

EPHESIANS 4:5

“one Lord, one faith, one baptism,”

We are continuing the thought Paul is sharing with the Ephesians in verses 4-6 of Ephesians 4. As I read today’s verse (short and to the point), I couldn’t help but think about the work we are doing around the world with Every Man A Warrior. Our ministry crosses cultures and denominations. We do not exclude a man because he belongs to a different church than us. We truly embrace today’s verse in order to unite men around the world to follow God’s direction in their lives as disciple makers.

Paul gives us three more “ones” in today’s verse. One Lord (Jesus)! One faith (in Christ as Lord)! One baptism (the public demonstration of your faith)! Paul is adamant about uniting these Gentile believers with their Jewish brothers. He wanted them to come together under a common banner – the banner of Jesus only! But don’t read this verse and move on to quickly. Look at what Paul is showing us here.

APPLICATION

Paul’s “one Lord” statement carries a lot of weight. In verse 4, Paul had pointed out there was “one Spirit.” We will see him point to “one God” in verse 6. So, with these three verses (4:4-6), Paul is pointing to the Trinity – Father, Son and Spirit. All three are important. And with the mention of all three separately, Paul is making a point to the Ephesians. They need Jesus. They need the Spirit. They need the Father God.

“One faith” is bringing attention to the fact that through the shed blood of Jesus, we have all been brought into the same faith. Believers who are following Jesus aren’t divided into subgroups. Paul even said, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28) And this faith is a gift of God. Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us so when it says, “It is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not of yourselves. It is a gift of God.”

And then Paul steps onto thin ice, doesn’t he? He says, “one baptism.” Well Paul, what type of baptism are you talking about? Sprinkling, dunking, wet cloth? Paul is not referring to a type of baptism. He is referring the obedience of public profession of your faith, making it known to others. It is all about the act, not the actual process. I personally believe in baptism by immersion, but I am not going to break fellowship with my fellow believers over it. No, there is one act of baptism.

Ones! We are one! Never forget that. So, whenever anyone tries to separate you from other believers and point fingers at them, beware. Check everything by Scripture. After all, there is only one true authority and that’s His Word.

Father, I praise You that You are three in One. And You have made us one with You

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Baptism, Bible, Disciplemaking, Guard, Obedience, Scripture, Witnessing

STANDING GUARD

HABAKKUK 2:1

“I will stand at my guard post and station myself on the watchtower; and I will keep watch to see what He will say to me, and how I may reply when I am reprimanded.”

Have you ever been waiting for a message to arrive? Maybe it was a phone call or a letter. Perhaps it was some other type of communication (we only have about a billion types now). The anticipation is excruciating, isn’t it? I remember waiting for my college admission letter. When that envelope arrived, I knew it would be either good news or bad news, but at least now I had the letter.

Habakkuk says here at the beginning of chapter 2 that he will wait on the message from God. He knows his calling as a prophet requires him to deliver the news to the people, whether it is good news or bad news. He is simply the messenger, but he must wait on God’s message. He can’t just make up his own message and pretend it is from God. He waits in obedience.

APPLICATION

God has a message for us to deliver. We don’t have to wait as Habakkuk did. We already have it. It is the story of His Son who came to give us life. We have the best news story of the centuries. For some it will be the news they have been waiting for. For others it will be the death nail in their coffin of disobedience.

Regardless of how others respond, we are commanded, just like Habakkuk, to deliver the message we have been given. The question is whether or not we will be obedient to our calling as believers. The Great Commission in Matthew 28:18-20 is pretty simply – go make disciples, baptize them and teach them. It’s not complicated. You don’t need a seminary degree to do it. Just do it.

We can all improve in this area of evangelism. I believe with all my heart that time is getting short. That’s not a prophetic statement. It’s just my personal belief. So, I need to be more diligent at sharing with others. You need to join me. Time is wasting. We are the watchmen on the wall.

I will deliver the message Lord. The rest is up to You.

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Abiding, Accountability, Affection, Baptism, Belief, Bible, Calling, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Commands, Commitment, Disciplemaking, Faith, Family, Following, Mentoring, Modeling, Obedience, Parenting, Prayer, Rejoicing, Scripture

WALKING IN TRUTH

2 JOHN 4

“I was very glad to find some of your children walking in truth, just as we have received commandment to do from the Father.”

When I was growing up I attended church and even sang in the youth choir and ensemble. Honestly, I went to church just to be with friends and meet girls. You see, at eight-years-old I was baptized but just got wet. It wasn’t until age sixteen that I was saved. All those previous years I faked it. I wasn’t walking in truth. I was walking in falsehood, just like many are doing every day.

John expresses his joy that his friend’s children are walking in truth. The Greek there actually says “rejoice exceedingly.” He was thrilled. Because he loved her, he loved her children. Hearing that “some” of her children were being obedient to the Lord’s command made his heart glad. We don’t know how many children she had, but at least these were living for Jesus.

APPLICATION

There is nothing we want more for our children than to live for the Lord. When they make that decision to follow Him, our hearts are like John’s heart. We are thrilled. We rejoice exceedingly. I had the privilege to baptize both of my children. I still remember getting choked up trying to speak while doing that. I pray daily for their walk with Him.

But we can’t let our guard down just because they have accepted Christ as their Savior. We have to continue to disciple and instruct them in the things of the Lord. And listen – that never stops. My children are 34 and 30. I still try to lead them as they allow me to. Their walk with Christ and their families’ walks with Christ are still at the top of my prayer list daily. Never stop discipling your children because they never stop needing it.

How are you doing with that? Are you offering godly counsel to your children? Some of our adult kids ask for it. Some don’t. But we still have a responsibility to them for the sake of the Lord. Today, on Christmas day, you may be spending some time with your adult kids and their families. Don’t forget to ask them how their walk is. You will be glad you did.

O Father God, You have blessed me with children who know You. Help me continue to guide and disciple them in their walk  with Christ.

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Baptism, Bible, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Disciplemaking, Following, Holy Spirit, Inspirational, Mentoring, Parenting, Redemption, Salvation, Scripture, Submission, Testimony, Witnessing

WITNESSES

1 JOHN 5:6

“This is the One who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ; not with the water only, but with the water and with the blood. It is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.”

In the court of law, witnesses and evidence are required to convict you of something. Heresay and opinion aren’t enough. You need proof. Aren’t you glad of that? I have been accused of stuff in the past that I didn’t do. Some were serious. Someone wanted to get me in trouble, but thankfully, the truth came out and I was proven innocent.

John is laying out the evidence here about Jesus. Now, this verse has had many different opinions by many different scholars. But the majority of them agree that John is referring to Jesus’ baptism (water) and His death on the cross (blood) in this verse. His purity and submission testify to who He was and is. The Spirit also testifies in our hearts today the truth of these words.

APPLICATION

You need to take this verse apart to explain it to your children. Take them to Matthew 3:13-17 and talk about Jesus’ baptism. You can show them there Jesus submission to His Father in this act. You can also show how the Spirit testified about Jesus through the appearance of the dove. Pretty cool! Wouldn’t it be cool if a dove came down when they got baptized, lol?

And then take them to John 19 and read the crucifixion story to them. This may be hard on tender ears so be mindful of that. But our children need to know exactly what Jesus did for them. His shed blood wasn’t a finger prick. He died for them. He gave his life for them. His blood was dripping from His pierced hands and feet. His body was ripped and bleeding from the beating. His head was bleeding from the crown of thorns that was shoved on it.

Water and blood testified to who Jesus was and is. Let me ask you a question. What testifies to your faith in Christ? Have you accepted Him as Your Savior? Have you believed upon Him? His blood still covers sins. His baptism still serves as the example for us to follow. I pray that today you will take a fresh look at just who Jesus is. He wants you to live through Him.

O God, forgive me for taking Your life for granted. All You did for me is not forgotten. Thank You for Your submission in baptism and death.

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Advice, Baptism, Child Raising, Child Rearing, Commands, Encouragement, Following, Mentoring, Obedience, Parenting, Surrender, Testimony

BAPTISM SAVES?

1 PETER 3:21

“Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,”

Here lies a verse that is argued by many a scholar. Let me say I am not trying to start an argument or persuade others to my view of Scripture. I am merely using this verse to encourage others. Baptism is a symbol of our regeneration in Christ. The phrase “an appeal to God for a good conscience” implies a work that is already done. Baptism is an outward expression of an inner work.

Let me give you my example. I was baptized at eight years old. But I never really gave my heart to Jesus. I believed in Him, but I didn’t surrender to Him until age 16. I was baptized again as a believer. The first baptism meant nothing. I just got wet. But as a believer, I knew I needed to follow the Lord in believer’s baptism.

APPLICATION

When should your child get baptized? I am asked this a lot. My simple answer is when they understand the basic Gospel message and have asked Jesus into their life. Jesus referred to a child’s faith over and over in Scripture. We adults complicate it. We want to “make sure” they understand everything. Let me ask you, mom and dad, do you understand everything about salvation?

I’ve been a believer since July 1977, and I am still learning. I have been in ministry over 40 years, and I am still learning. Trust your children when they tell you they have asked Jesus to be their Savior. Sure, talk to them about it. And then encourage them to be baptized.

Maybe you have put off this decision for years. Don’t wait any longer. Call your church and find out when the next baptism is and get it done. Be obedient. You will still get to heaven without baptism, but you will have missed a blessing.

Father, I want to be obedient to You in all I do. I am thankful I can follow Your Son’s example in baptism.

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