Archive for Baptism
Why Have Cross-Generational Worship?
Posted by: | CommentsSunday mornings at our church can be a bit rowdy at times! As we gather to sing praises to our Saviour, a toddler may be heard laughing in the back, another child may run across the room to be able to stand by a special adult friend, a mom may help her son climb onto a chair to see the words on the screen, and two squirming siblings may need to be separated by their dad. Some churches prefer to have the kids–particularly the youngest of them–in a separate location for the entire Sunday morning service to allow for adults to worship free from the many distractions that children can create. And I also agree that there should be times of worship and study reserved for adults–examples of this are even given in Scripture (see for example, Deuteronomy 11 and Nehemiah 8).
So one may wonder…what is the value in a room full of as many children as adults singing praises to the Lord? Glad you asked.
Cross-generational worship follows the Biblical command
Psalm 148:7-13 states: “Praise the Lord from the Earth…Young men and maidens together, old men and children! Let them praise the name of the Lord…” How are young men, maidens, old men and children to praise the Lord together without times of intentional cross-generational worship?
Cross-generational worship follows Biblical examples
Several Old Testament accounts record children and adults worshipping together. For example, 2 Chronicles 20:13 says that all of Judah “stood before the Lord with their little ones, their wives, and their children…” for a word from God which then resulted in all present “worshiping the Lord” (vs. 18). Nehemiah 8 and Nehemiah 12 also records times of children worshipping God alongside their parents.
Cross-generational worship provides a time of teaching for the younger ones
Children undoubtedly learn from modeling. This is observed by all parents and those who work with kids, and teaching through modeling is encouraged in Scripture (see Proverbs 23:26, Titus 2:7 and 1 Peter 5:3). As children spend 20 or 30 minutes each Sunday observing their parents and other respected adults worshipping the Lord, they learn to do the same.
I can remember attending worship one Sunday morning with my Grandmother as a young girl, and I can still hear her voice joyfully singing “Standing, standing, standing on the promises of God my Savior. Standing, standing, I’m standing on the promises of God!” I remember noticing the joy in her voice as she sang and realizing that the words were not just generic lyrics to a song, but was the testimony of her own life. As a result, this hymn has become a personal favorite as I’m reminded of the example of worship my Grandmother set for me that day.
Whenever I’m blessed to have one our church’s children crawl into my arms or stand beside me during our times of worship, I pray that they sense that same genuineness from me and that it spurs them on to seek a relationship with the Lord themselves. I also pray that all of the children would sense that these times of worship are something special…that they would see their parents and a room full of other adult role-models making the worship of God a priority in their lives. I pray that they would sense God’s presence in our midst and be drawn into their own time of worship.
Sure it may be a bit chaotic at times to have the little ones in the same room worshipping alongside us! But as the body of Christ, we have an obligation to show patience to each other, “bearing with the failings of the weak” (Romans 15:1) and to follow Jesus’ command to welcome the children (Luke 18:16). May we never have the same attitude as the Pharisees recorded in Matthew 21:15 who became “indignant” at the children worshipping Jesus in the temple. Rather let us welcome the children and model for them the proper attitude of worship, training the child in the way they should go!
Take the Plunge
Posted by: | CommentsAs children, my brothers and I regularly went swimming at a small lake near our home nestled in the crags and crevices in the rugged hill country of central Texas. There was a particular spot that we favored with a rock ledge that jutted out from the cliff over the water which was easily accessible from the lake below. This cliff rose about thirty feet above the deep cold blue water below.
As a young boy I was too afraid to jump from the cliff into the water, but every day of the summer I would watch my older brothers and sister jump this cliff face. And every day they would urge me to do it, always making fun of me when I chickened out at the last second. I can still hear my older brother, Chip, even now, “C’mon Josh! Jump! It’s the greatest thing in the world! Don’t be a baby.” The irony of the situation is that although they ridiculed me for being a ‘baby,’ I could tell that they genuinely enjoyed the sensation of falling through the air and splashing into the water below. But all I knew was the fear of the tremendous height. I was an outsider looking in unable to fully understand the thrill of the plunge and too afraid to trust them.
Yet, this is exactly how the Christian life is begun. For the uninitiated it requires a choice to take the plunge and leap into the loving yet unfamiliar arms of Christ. This decision should be followed by an action of obedience consistent with running off the cliff and leaping into the air! We refer to this cliff-jumping action as Baptism, and trust me -there’s more to this than meets the eye!
For the Christian there really shouldn’t be any distance between believing in Christ, repenting of your sins, and getting baptized. In fact, they should all occur nearly simultaneously once you’ve made the decision to trust in Jesus.
Christmas Baptisms
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Jared Bonter Baptism
Towards a Practical Theology of Baptism
Posted by: | Comments“Whoever does not acknowledge Me before men, neither will I acknowledge him before the Father…” -Jesus
I believe that more churches should take a sharp look at their practices today in view of what the New Testament actually teaches. Perhaps the most tragic abuse is that of the a poor understanding, and thus a poor practice of Baptism. More pastors should undertake the journey necessary to understand Baptism. At the heart of this quest is an understanding of the principle person involved in baptism. It is not the recipient of water baptism. Nor is it the church. Nor is it the crowd of onlookers who are not believers. At the heart of baptism is Jesus. At the heart of baptism is the voluntary act of crucifixion and atonement, the effects of which are immediate; but also inherent in baptism is the proclamation of God’s promise of a coming resurrection to all mankind. The church, for better or worse, is entrusted with the responsibility of loosing and binding members into the body of Christ based upon the head who is Jesus himself. The theology of Christ’s sacrifice is the center of everything that believers are. The practice of baptism, then, is the practice of Christ. The practice of conferring baptism is the practice of acknowledging an individual’s standing before God. Baptism is central to this binding and loosing. Churches should safeguard their membership by conducting a thorough baptism. This doesn’t mean using extra water. This implies the use of extra caution. Baptism gives assurance, and it is dangerous to offer anyone false assurances of promises that belong to God alone.
What is accomplished by the act of Water Baptism?
Posted by: | CommentsBridge Church isn’t much for denominations. But we most closely resemble and most often partner together with other Baptist Churches for the sake of the Gospel. The practice of Baptism by immersion is something that we believe very strongly is entirely commanded by Christ through His Word. I’ve been blogging on Baptism for several months now, and today I’d like to elaborate on the significance of Baptism and what is actually accomplished.
If an individual believes in Jesus, repents of their sins, and is willing to commit themselves to the fellowship of the church for the sake of keeping watch over their soul and on-going discipleship, they can and should be immediately baptized. However, the question remains, “Why?” What is the purpose of baptism at this point if the church has already found the individual to be a repentant believer? What is accomplished by submitting to this ceremony? Obviously, a first and most important reason for following through with Baptism is to be obedient to Christ, which we’ve already agreed is the first step to salvation. But, practically speaking, why did Christ command this?