The Local Church
Our local church is very important – a true blessing for all believers. Unfortunately, there are still countries where people are not allowed to meet openly in a local church. That is sad, as attendance in church is something that all of us need.
There are two formal ordinances which the local church is responsible for:
- Baptism
- Communion – The Lord’s Supper
We have been talking about baptism in several postings. Let’s now talk a little about The Lord’s Supper. This is for us Christians a wonderful and truly important part of worship. Later, we will talk about other reasons why attendance at a local church is important for new believers. At this moment, let’s talk about its importance as the place where we can participate in the Lord’s Supper.
First, let’s think about the original Lord’s Supper communion event, when Jesus initiated this communion at the last supper with his disciples.
Lk 22:15 And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” 17 After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. 18 For I tell you I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.
At this very special last meal with his disciples, he explained the significance of each of the elements of the Lord’s Supper, the bread (representing his body) and the wine (representing his blood) and He instructed them to “do this in remembrance” of him.
Paul, in relaying this wonderful event to other peoples in other places, such as Corinth, reminds us of something very special in Jesus’ words.
1Co 11:23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Paul assures us that this communion of the Lord’s Supper is in remembrance of Jesus, proclaiming his death “until he comes.” Each time we celebrate communion in our worship, we are reflecting, but also anticipating:
- Reflection – remembering our Lord and how he died to pay for our sins
- Anticipating – looking forward to when he will return for us
Each time you are preparing to take communion, focus on preparing your heart for this wonderful pair of purposes – the debt He paid for you and the life you should live now while waiting for his return.
Next post – more on the local church…
Blessings,
Larry | Happy Thanksgiving Day! 11/26/2009 12:27:54 PM Link 0 comments | Add comment
Phil 1:3 I thank my God every time I remember you. 4 In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, 6 being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. 8 God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.
Blessings to all,
Larry | Blessings of Baptism
As we continue our discussion, here are a few more elements relative to baptism.
Forgiveness of sins
Peter was encouraging people in the very early days of the church to accept Christ, and be baptized.
Ac 2:38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.
Paul, in his own defense, relays his encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus, and how Ananias explained the event to Paul. As a part of that explanation, Ananias instructed Paul to be baptized in order to wash his sins away.
Ac 22:16 And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.’
Union with Christ
Gal 3:26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
Baptism signifies a transforming identification with Christ. Paul refers to it here. Paul is not suggesting people are saved through baptism. No one is saved by baptism. Baptism provides an outward sign of the union that already exists through faith.
To be "clothed with Christ" means to become like Christ.
Receiving the Holy Spirit
Ac 2:38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
(Remember – We mentioned in the post on November 11, 2009 that there are cases recorded in Acts where people received the Holy Spirit before baptism – Acts 10:44.)
Membership in the body of Christ – the church
1Co 12:12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
In this letter to the people of the church in Corinth, Paul is speaking of the church, referring to the church as the body of Christ. He states that we were all baptized into that one body/church.
Many wonderful elements of our faith are connected to baptism.
Next time—we will talk about the importance of the local church in helping you in your walk with Jesus.
Bendiciones,
Larry | More on Baptism
Welcome back. We will continue with some additional facts about baptism.
Baptism actually was practiced before the time of Jesus. Ceremonial cleansing with water was important to the Jewish religion and culture in many circumstances.
Scholars now agree that the definition of baptism is “to dip” or “to immerse.”
Additionally, scholars agree that the baptism by John the Baptist in the Jordon river and the baptism later by the apostles was by immersion. (It is also interesting to note that it appears that Jesus did not baptize; his apostles did.)
Baptism symbolizes the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.
Ro 6:3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
Next time – Some of the Blessings From Baptism
Blessings,
Larry | Baptism Much has been said and debated about baptism over the 2000 year history of the church. In our initial conversation here, we will simply point out a few facts as presented in scripture.
In our last posting, we mentioned this scripture from Matthew.
Mat. 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Just prior to Jesus’ ascension into heaven following his death and resurrection, He gave us the command in Mat. 28:19 to take the Gospel Truth to all nations (the Great Commission); this involves baptism. Christ left no doubt that baptism was to be a part of making disciples.
Some debate occurs around whether baptism is essential to salvation. In this blog we have worked to clarify that it is through our faith and acceptance in Christ as Lord that we are saved. However, when people who have accepted Christ as Lord ask, “Should I be baptized?” I like to refer them to a question that is useful for examining such questions – “What did Jesus do?” Whenever a question is raised about Christian life and practices, the best source we have for answers is in the life and teachings of Jesus.
Matt 3:13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. 16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
The answer is simple, Jesus was baptized. This was done by John the Baptist. The significance of John’s baptism was different. It focused on repentance from sin, in preparation for Christ. Our baptism is a public confession of our sin, however it is combined with obedience in giving ourselves to Christ to walk in newness of life, as the Gospel instructs us.
As a new believer, you should have no reluctance to obey Christ in baptism in your local church. Truthfully, it is a remarkable experience for a new believer.
Next time, we will continue with a few more scriptures related to baptism.
Blessings and thanks,
Larry | More About the Holy Spirit Today we will continue with a few more points about the Holy Spirit.
The gift of the Holy Spirit arrived during the celebration of the Pentecost. This occurred after the death and resurrection of Jesus. This event is often now referred to as the founding, or the birth of the Christian church.
Acts 2:1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
This wasn’t the first appearance of the Holy Spirit. Work of God’s Holy Spirit was apparent in many Old Testament events. When Jesus was about thirty years of age, He was baptized. At that event in his life, we know that the same Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove.
Mt 3:16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him.
The special event described in Acts 2 was like the special baptism with the Spirit of Christ’s new church, just as Jesus had promised.
Where does the Holy Spirit dwell? Within us…
1 Cor. 3:16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?
Rom 8:9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
Both of these books of the New Testament are letter of instruction sent by the Apostle Paul to these churches. His instructions remain very valuable for us today. They are like source books with answers to church questions and problems in the past and today.
In many ways Paul is providing reminders of basics, such as this – that when we receive Christ into our lives we have God’s Holy Spirit within us. His Spirit carries out the purposes of God and applies the fruits of Christ's redemptive mission to the lives of believers.
When does a person now receive the gift of the Holy Spirit? When accepting Christ? At baptism? This seems to be a frequent question. Many people connect this wonderful event with baptism. I think this is because Christ commanded us that part of the process of bringing new believers to him (the Great Commission) involves baptism in the name of the Holy Spirit as well as the Father and the Son.
Mat. 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
However, we know that this was not always the case. An excellent example was when new gentile believers received the Holy Spirit as Peter was witnessing to them, before baptism. In fact, it amazed the believers that accompanied Peter.
Ac 10:44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.
With this evidence, it seems that receiving the Holy Spirit is linked to that point when a person accepts Christ and believes.
Receiving the Holy Spirit for some people is a profound experience, but for others it is more subtle, not like the “tongues of fire” mentioned above in Acts 2 on that day of Pentecost.
But you can be confident, when you accepted Christ as your Lord, you also received the Holy Spirit as Jesus promised.
For many of us, it simply takes some time for us to learn how to recognize the promptings and guidance of the Spirit in our lives. That is an exciting part of our Christian journey. We will talk more about that in the future.
We have mentioned baptism in this post, so next time we will discuss scriptures related to baptism.
Blessings,
Larry | Christ’s Helper, His Holy Spirit Welcome back,
In future postings, we will have plenty of time to explore the many scriptures surrounding the Holy Spirit of God. At this point in our conversation, the next couple of posts, we will simply point out some of the fundamentals, as they are beautifully described in the New Testament.
His name
The Holy Spirit is referred to by similar words in various passages, such as Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost, or simply Spirit, such as Spirit of truth…
Jesus’ teaching
Jesus taught that to be his followers, rebirth in the Holy Spirit would be essential. He shared this in the form of a parable to the Pharisee, Nicodemus, who came one night under cover of darkness to seek the truth about Jesus.
John 3:3 In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. ” 4 “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” 5 Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
It is from this story in John 3 that we have expressions such as being “born again.”
Jesus’ promise
Jesus promised that the Spirit would come to his believers, after Christ would ascend to heaven following his resurrection.
John 14:15 “If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
Next time we will add scriptures that tell us how the Holy Spirit first arrived, as promised. We will also discuss at what point the Spirit arrives now, where He dwells, and how Jesus expects the Holy Spirit to be a part of our faith as believers.
Blessings,
Larry | A Prayer of Acceptance The following is an example of prayer that is typical when someone accepts Christ.
Was your prayer to God at the moment similar?
Perhaps you can use this sample in the future when you are praying with someone special who is at that moment of acceptance.
Dear God,
Thank you for loving me. I confess that I have sinned against you.
I do believe that your Son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross to pay for my sins, and I believe that you raised him from among the dead.
I now put my faith in Christ to forgive and take away my sins.
I confess that Jesus is my Savior and that He is my Lord.
Thank you for the gift of eternal life!
I pray this in the name of Christ,
Amen
Isn’t it beautiful – so simple how we can give ourselves, our lives to Jesus.
Next time, we add the dimension of receiving Christ’s helper, his Holy Spirit.
We are traveling to Guatemala tomorrow, so the next posting is planned for November 5, 2009.
Many blessings,
Larry | | |
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