The Significance of Baptism (3)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bible Verses ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mark 16:16 He who believes and is baptized shall be saved...
Rom 6:4 We have been buried therefore with Him through baptism
into His death, in order that just as Christ was raised from
the dead through the glory of the Father, so also we might
walk in newness of life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Words of Ministry ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Part 3 of 3]
To believe is to receive the Lord (John 1:12) not only for
forgiveness of sins (Acts 10:43) but also for regeneration (1
Pet. 1:21, 23), so that those who believe may become the
children of God (John 1:12-13) and the members of Christ (Eph.
5:30) in an organic union with the Triune God (Matt. 28:19).
To be baptized is to affirm this by being buried to terminate
the old creation through the death of Christ and by being
raised up to be the new creation of God through Christ's
resurrection. Such a baptism is much more advanced than the
baptism of repentance by John (Mark 1:4; Acts 19:3- 5).

To believe and to be so baptized are two parts of one complete
step for receiving the full salvation of God. To be baptized
without believing is merely an empty ritual; to believe
without being baptized is to be saved only inwardly without an
outward affirmation of the inward salvation. These two should
go together. Moreover, water baptism should be accompanied by
Spirit baptism, even as the children of Israel were baptized
in the sea (water) and in the cloud (Spirit—1 Cor. 10:2;
12:13).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible
and Words of Ministry, from Witness Lee, Life- study of
Thessalonians, pp. 86-87. Both are published by Living
Stream Ministry, Anaheim. (Repeat 12/8/00)

Please visit us at www.emanna.com
Comments to: comment@emanna.com.

The Significance of Baptism (2)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bible Verses ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
1 Cor 12:13 For also in one Spirit we were all baptized into
one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and
were all given to drink one Spirit.
Acts 8:36 And as they were going along the road, they came
upon some water, and the eunuch said, Look, water. What
prevents me from being baptized? (38) And he ordered the
chariot to stand still, and they both went down into the water,
Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Words of Ministry ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Part 2 of 3]
This baptism has two aspects: the visible aspect by water and
the invisible aspect by the Holy Spirit. The visible aspect is
the expression, the testimony, of the invisible aspect,
whereas the invisible aspect is the reality of the visible
aspect. Without the invisible aspect by the Spirit, the
visible aspect by water is vain; and without the visible
aspect by water, the invisible aspect by the Spirit is
abstract and impractical. Therefore, both are needed.

Not long after the Lord Jesus charged the disciples to carry
out this baptism, He baptized them and the entire church in
the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:13) on the day of Pentecost (Acts
1:5; 2:4) and in the house of Cornelius (11:15-17). Then,
based on this, the disciples baptized the new converts, not
only visibly into water but also invisibly into the death of
Christ (Rom. 6:3-4), into Christ Himself (Gal. 3:27), into the
Triune God (Matt. 28:19), and into the Body of Christ (1 Cor.
12:13). The water, signifying the death of Christ with His
burial, may be considered a tomb to terminate the history of
the baptized ones.
[continued tomorrow]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible
and Words of Ministry, from Witness Lee, Life- study of
Thessalonians, pp. 85-86. Both are published by Living
Stream Ministry, Anaheim. (Repeat 12/7/00)

Please visit us at www.emanna.com
Comments to: comment@emanna.com.

The Significance of Baptism (1)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bible Verses ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Acts 2:38 And Peter said to them, Repent and each one of you
be baptized upon the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness
of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Matt 28:19 Go therefore and disciple all the nations,
baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and
of the Holy Spirit,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Words of Ministry ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[Part 1 of 3]
Peter also instructed the Spirit-moved ones to be baptized
upon the name of Jesus Christ. To baptize people is to immerse
them, to bury them in water, signifying death. The command
that a repentant one be baptized indicates that such a one is
good only for burial. Baptism, therefore, signifies the
termination of the old person so that a new beginning may be
realized in resurrection by Christ as the Life-giver. Baptism
in the Bible implies death and resurrection. To be baptized
into the water is to be put into death and buried. To be
raised up from the water means to be resurrected from death.

In Matthew 28:19 the resurrected Christ charged the disciples
to go and disciple all the nations, baptizing them into the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. The
purpose of baptism is to bring repentant people out of their
old state into a new one by terminating their old life and
germinating them with the new life of Christ. After the Lord
Jesus accomplished His ministry on earth, passed through the
process of death and resurrection, and became the life-giving
Spirit, He charged His disciples to baptize the discipled
people into the Triune God.
[continued tomorrow]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible
and Words of Ministry, from Witness Lee, Life- study of
Thessalonians, p. 85. Both are published by Living
Stream Ministry, Anaheim. (Repeat 12/6/00)

Please visit us at www.emanna.com
Comments to: comment@emanna.com. 

一個更新的心轉向神

聖經經節

耶利米十七9：人心比萬物都詭詐，無法醫治，誰能識透呢？

以西結三六26：我也要賜給你們新心，將新靈放在你們裏面；又從你們的肉體中除掉石心，賜給你們肉心。

職事的話

因著我們是墮落、罪惡的，所以我們心理的心是敗壞且詭詐的。我們的心敗壞、腐化到一個地步，已經無可救藥。這就是所有亞當子孫心理之心的光景。但是 神在祂的救恩裡應許賜給我們一個新心。以西結三十六章二十六節…這一節裡的新心，不是指另外一個心，乃是指更新的心。這更新的心第一個特徵，就是轉向神。 我們的心轉向神，是一個非常健康的標記，表明神已經更新了我們的心。敗壞的心總是遠離神的。我們的心若遠離神，就指明我們的心還是敗壞的。因此，我們看我 們的心是轉向神還是遠離神，就能知道我們的心是否已經更新。在神的救恩裡，心的更新是一次而永遠的。但在我們的經歷裡，我們的心不斷在更新，因為牠是善變 的。也許你得救的時候，你的心轉向神的光景非常強。但過一段時間以後，你的心也許有點離開神。以後因著神的憐憫，你的心也許再次完全轉向神。藉著與聖徒的 交通，參加聚會，或是藉著一些其他恩典的憑藉，你的心可能再轉向主。你的心遠離主的時候，多多少少就敗壞了。但是你的心一歸向主，就得了更新。我們需要 說，『主，我感謝你，因著你的憐憫，你眷臨了我的心，叫我的心再轉向你。』這樣轉向主，是更新的心第一個特徵。

闡釋部份取自〝帖撒羅尼迦書生命讀經〞第218～220頁。美國加州安那翰市，水流職事站出版。

若需要更多相關的出版資訊請連結至水流職事站中文網站查詢

心

箴言四23：你要保守【護衛】你心，勝過保守一切；因為一生的果效，是由心發出。

申命記六5：你要全心…愛耶和華你的神。

一個堅固的心

帖前三13：好使你們的心，當我們主耶穌同祂眾聖徒來臨的時候，在我們的神與父面前，得以堅固，在聖別上無可指摘。

希伯來十三8：耶穌基督，昨日、今日、直到永遠，是一樣的。