Baptism, then what?

I had intended to blog today about the Foundations of Giving and Serving, but an email to me has set that post aside for a bit. I told you I have a heart for Baptism and this is one reason why…

Steve,
Thank you so kindly for my baptism this past Sunday.
I had struggled w/this step for over a year. It was a huge monkey on my back! I knew I had to do it, and wanted to so badly. I knew that I needed to be obedient to God and follow through w/this. He was calling me to get baptized, I heard Him, but I continually backed away at the last minute. It was sharing my salvation story that held me back. I am ashamed of the person I was before I became saved. I didn’t want to be looked at as that man. On that note, I do truly believe that it is the journey that I had lived that has led me to be the man that I am today; nowhere near where God wants me to be, but on the right path.
Sharing my testimony on Sunday morning was...relieving! It let out so much tension that I had about it. About halfway through I actually lost my train of thought.....I saw all the empty seats and wished that the room was overfilled w/people! That caught me off guard, b/c 5 mins beforehand I wished the room were empty!
I prayed a lot yesterday that there was one person out there that heard my testimony.... someone that could connect w/it and lead them to get saved, become baptized, or move a step closer to where God wants them to be. Yesterday was a huge step for me.......now I am ready to go further down this journey that God has for me, whatever that may be.
We were out gardening yesterday afternoon. My 7 year old daughter, while pulling out some hateful groundcover next to me, looked up and nonchalantly told me that she was so proud of me for getting baptized. What an emotional moment! Thank you Steve!
Stephen

Folks, I was totally pumped after participating in 18 Baptisms on Sunday morning. But this email sent me clean over the top! This is at the heart of Meeting & Moving. Yes, I love seeing people giving themselves to the Lord, trusting in Him alone for their salvation. But I’m equally thrilled when a believer takes a step of obedience. You see, all of us are on a spiritual journey. Let’s face it. Sometimes we stall out along the path. Occasionally, we even take a step or two backwards.

Do you want to run a good race and finish well? Want to know the secret? Want to know the missing element from many Christians’ lives? It’s biblical community! I don’t mean coming to church on Sunday morning for an hour. I mean living out the “One Another” commands that the Lord gave His church, living out the Gospel life-on-life with others who are also trying to finish well.

So, what advice am I offering to those who have been baptized this last weekend? Get into a good CONNECT group and continue to grow in the Lord.

Foundations – Baptism

OK, I admit it. I’m a sucker for Baptisms. The main reason is probably that the Baptism Ministry was my first ministry exposure and it truly launched my life onto a completely new trajectory. See, I didn’t realize what discipleship was all about, but I learned about it as I served in the Baptism Ministry.

I saw lives that were being radically transformed by the power of God through the Gospel of Grace. Some people coming to the pool were at the highest highs, because God had miraculously intervened and they truly felt the freedom of forgiveness of sins and His immeasurable love. Others were trusting that He would rescue them from the dark pit of their despair, putting their hope in Him to be faithful and true even when they felt their weakest. I used to tell my mentor that I could feel the spiritual energy around the Baptistery. I was reminded of how I had cried out to God for rescue. I also remembered how He had made His presence known to me in very tangible ways, breaking through my engineer’s skepticism and showing me that we was not the fabrication of feeble, powerless, pathetic creatures. No, He was and is and will always be exactly who He has revealed Himself to be in His Word, and I fed off of that experience in the lives of others.

But Baptism is also the beginning of our journey of obedience. Christ didn’t command His church to “make converts,” but rather to “make disciples” and to engage in “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). Since we don’t and can’t do anything to provide for our salvation, our part becomes seeking faithfulness in our walk with Christ. The evangelistic cry from Acts is repeatedly, “Repent and be baptized.” Our immediate response to God’s calling isn’t church attendance, classes, or even Bible study, but Baptism. That’s the first step! So how is it that there are so many people who claim to have given themselves fully to the Lord, yet they haven’t been baptized, maybe even years later? What will they say when their works are passed through the fire and the Lord says, “Hmmm, was it simply an oversight, or why haven’t you done the most simple thing I asked of you?” Don’t read this wrong. Baptism doesn’t save you. But, what does it say about the condition of your heart if you are unwilling to take even the very first step of obedience.

What do you think, what do you feel when you hear the word “Baptism?” How about when you see a Baptism? Do you get excited for what God is doing in the lives of others? Does it spur you on in your walk of faith, challenging you to take your own next step, whatever that might be? Is it Baptism? It’s not too late. We’re baptizing dozens of folks this Sunday, March 21. Let me know that you’ve decided that the wait is over and you’re ready to follow after the Lord. Pop me an email today (scburghart@meetgrace.org). And, if you don’t remember what Baptism is like, watch this video…

Love Your Enemies

This weekend, Pastor Scott preached to us from the end of Matthew 5 about loving our enemies. This raises two great questions: “Why should I love my enemies?” and “How do I know if someone is really an enemy?”

“Why should I love my enemies?” To get the answer to this question, you need go no further than the passage from Matthew 5. Verses 44-45 state, “But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” Jesus is saying, “Prove that you are truly adopted sons and daughters of your Father in heaven by being like Him. He loves and blesses all people whether they love Him or hate Him.” God does not love people based upon what they do, but rather according to who He is. People who love their own are understandable. Truly unexplainable love is love for those who are seeking to harm you. And that leads to the second question:
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“How do I know if someone is really an enemy?” This is the question I really wish to address in this post. Since we obviously love our friends and Jesus has now commanded us to love our enemies too, why didn’t Jesus just say, “Love everyone!” Well, in essence, He did. Jesus doesn’t see “love” in light of friend or foe. He loves both. For Him, the difference between those two categories is a discipleship issue. In John 15:15, Jesus says that He calls His disciples “friends” because He is instructing them in the plans and ways of the Father. They are His ministry partners and He is committed to helping them to grow as disciples. This is radically different than how we decide who is a friend and who is an enemy. We think that a friend is someone we have fun with and an enemy is someone who causes us to feel discomfort or pain. But that is decidedly unbiblical. Pain is not only unavoidable, but it is a necessary component for growth as a Christian. How else could you develop patience, long-suffering, and perseverance? But we don’t look at things through the eyes of faith, but from our flesh. When someone causes us pain, we quickly decide that she must really be an enemy. Once we have made the determination that she cannot be trusted, we can enter into the war against her or, our usual preference, we can begin to distance ourselves from her. But Proverbs 27:6 says, “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” Generally, your enemy will use flattery to deceive you in order to destroy you. Notice that Scripture indicates that a friend will “wound” you, but you can trust that person. Why? Because she wants to help you grow. At the risk of smacking a hornet’s nest, I suggest that you consider a loving parent who spanks (don’t read “brutalizes”) an unruly child in order to correct and train. So, the proof is in the relationship. It’s not whether or not you feel pain, but the outcome (or intended outcome) of the painful experience which determines friend or foe.

So why the lengthy discussion? Because group life can get very uncomfortable at times. I’ll go one step further: Group life should get very uncomfortable at times. It is through the pain that we come to grips with the sin in our own lives and the inauthentic community within our gatherings. And, like the unruly child who is being corrected, we have a choice to make. Are we going to throw a tantrum and withdraw from community, from true friends, and from God, or are we going to respond in genuine brokenness and repentance and fall anew into loving, accepting, trustworthy arms which will gladly receive us and rejoice in our victory over sin?

Love God – Love Others

This entire month, Pastor Scott has been preaching on how loving God and loving others are intrinsic to our faith. I have spent a lot of time reading through several passages of Scripture that support this. Since we were going to be taught on the story of the Good Samaritan, I spent a lot of time in that passage this week.

One thing which really struck me was the description of the manner in which the Samaritan helped the beaten man. The passage says that he “bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine” (Luke 10:34). The irony in that statement is that the Samaritan cared for this wounded man with the very items which the priest and the Levite would have used to worship God in the temple! God had given them all the same substances, oil and wine in this example, and how they used those items demonstrated the true heart of their worship.

Every good thing comes from the Lord (James 1:17). And how we use those things reveals our heart. Not only that, but we grow in our understanding of our identity in Christ and our role in His Kingdom when we practice generosity concerning His gifts to us.

You are generous because of your faith. And I am praying that you will really put your generosity to work, for in so doing you will come to an understanding of all the good things we can do for Christ. Philemon 6

So, what has God given to you? What are you going to do with it? How will you worship the Lord with what He has given? Will you pass by the wounded man by the side of the road? Or will you set your schedule aside for a moment and get your hands dirty for the sake of the God you claim to serve?

When the Saints Go Marching In

Today is Mardi Gras. “Mardi Gras” is French (you have no idea how much this pains me) for “Fat Tuesday.” To understand Mardi Gras better, you need to understand the following day, Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday is the first day of the Lenten season, the 40 days leading up to Easter. Lent is characterized by prayer, penitence, charity, and self-denial, especially fasting. Of course, if you’re going to have a prescribed time on your calendar for practicing the disciplines which should be present throughout the year, then you invite a huge party on the eve of that “holiness” during which people cut loose and do all of the things that won’t be permitted for nearly seven weeks. Hence, Fat Tuesday!

Sadly, we need a program to force us to do things which we should willing do continually. This is part of the struggle we have as the CONNECT Leadership Team. There are perspectives and activities which should flow naturally from a right understanding of the gospel. But sometimes, they just don’t flow. Sometimes, they need a gentle shove.

God’s people should be His ambassadors in the world, meaning being His representatives or representation. Scripture says that “God is love” repeatedly in 1 John 4. Note that it doesn’t say that God “has love” or that God is “loving,” but rather that He “is” love. And look how Scripture describes the outpouring of that attribute: “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). And most of us know John 3:16, but look at 1 John 3:16:

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. 1 John 3:16

If that verse leaves the application too open, the next verse makes it very practical and difficult to avoid:

If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? 1 John 3:17

The Lenten season is upon us. This is an incredible time of anticipation of the Easter holiday. For the redeemed, Easter is a call to remembrance, but not just to remember what Christ did to provide for our salvation. It’s also an urgent call to action. It’s a time when we need to remember that we have been called to be like our Lord and to demonstrate our love through deeds.

There is tremendous need all around us. Take this time to demonstrate your love of God and love of neighbor by reaching out in a very tangible way. Who do you know that needs to be physically blessed this Easter season? Don’t know anyone? As a church, we will be adopting families once again through the Lititz-Warwick Community Chest (LWCC). How can you help? Pitch in a few bucks and bless a family with an Easter meal. You can do that on your own or by using our Taste of Grace ministry. Maybe you will begin to build a relationship with someone who will ask you why you’re being so loving toward them…

Tell me what your group is planning. How will you demonstrate the generous love of our God this Easter season?

Calibration

So, you take off from San Diego, CA on your way to Augusta, ME. What you don’t know is that the compass on your plane is off by a tiny amount. That doesn’t sound like a big deal, right? Maybe someone points out that it’s off by less than 1%, specifically 3 degrees. Not to worry, right? Well, at the end of your 7-hour flight, you see the runway below and head in for terra firma and a much-needed rest. It’s not until you get off the plane that you realize how much trouble you’re in. Instead of Augusta, you’re in Quebec, Canada. Do you speak French? Did you bring your passport?

In Session 5 of UG, you will take a look at the authorities in our life. Whether it’s culture, or family, or your own reasoning, there are a multitude of opportunities for error to creep into our life. Take a look at the schemes of our enemy, Satan. Finally, take a look at a great Old Testament story about a well-intentioned king who inherited a horribly broken kingdom. Find out how he figured out that they were all in BIG trouble.

Saved For

So, why does God save you? I’ve heard some say, “God loves you so much, He just can’t imagine Heaven without you.” Sentimental, but unbiblical. Some would say that God saves you so that He will have people in Heaven who will give Him the honor and praise that He deserves. Well, this one is partly true. We are told that we are to bring honor to the Lord and passages like Rev. 4:11 show that Heaven will be full of praise of Him. But aren’t the holy angels already worshipping Him? Besides, if we’re saved for Heaven, why doesn’t God take us there immediately?

The reason is that we are saved for a purpose right here on earth! No, that purpose is not the development of Christ-like character. The curse of the evangelical church is that we have confused the means and the purpose. Our holiness is not the purpose, neither is the acquisition of biblical knowledge. Everywhere in Scripture where we are encouraged to grow in knowledge and understanding, it is always so that we will effectively pursue our true purpose.

Are you ready or the bad news? Our purpose is the same as that of Jesus, to expand the Kingdom of God in the world. That includes being stewards of the most significant thing God has given us, the Gospel of Grace. It also includes issues of justice and mercy. We have a mission in the world. In Session 4 of UG, you’ll take a look at ways that you can engage in the work of the Kingdom, the reason God keeps you here after saving you. Find out how love and community are intrinsic to our journey of faithfulness. Also, find out how simple sharing a compelling gospel presentation can be.

Hopefully I haven’t scared everyone off before the last session. Check back tomorrow and I’ll share with you how you can know you are on the right track…