This past Sunday as I started to preach the morning message, I asked the congregation to pray for me, for I had been overwhelmed by a great fear that God would not help me preach. I told the congregation that the message I had prepared was born of a sense of "solemn dread for the sake of the congregation" that had fallen on me the day before. These words were not for the sake of affectation - I truly felt that way. If there had been an uncowardly way to just close the service and go home, I might have done it. I have never felt so desperate in the pulpit.
I preached a message from the text of Scripture, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation." In it I warned of the danger of hearing the gospel without acting upon what one has heard. I laid much emphasis on the matter of baptism, for Peter had said in Acts 2.38 "Repent and be baptized, everyone of you..." The area in which we live is predominately Dutch and Reformed, so nearly everyone was sprinkled as an infant, a practice they call baptism. Several in our congregation have listened to me preach for years, and have said they believe what I say, yet they have never professed that faith in baptism as the Lord instructed. In the message, I pointed out the inconsistency of claiming that one has repented, as Peter instructed, yet not following the Lord's direction to confess Him by baptism.
For those of us who believe that salvation is by grace, it is sometimes a tricky business to lay out the importance of baptism without leaving the impression that baptism is a work which we do in order to be saved. I tried explaining it to them thus: No one is saved by being baptized. A baptized person is in exactly the same condition after he was baptized as the moment before he was baptized. Nor would we absolutely declare that a man is lost for lack of a proper baptism. But we have no hesitation in saying that he, who by a rebellious, self-ruled heart refuses to do what the Lord has clearly commanded is a lost man.
At the end of the message, I just said, "May the Lord do something good with this message." It was not said in any victorious way, or with any great strength. It was more a matter of resignation.
As the folks left, a few commented that the message was good. After all had gone out, one woman who has been with us for about a year said she wanted to confess Christ in baptism. Her former baptism had been in ignorance and error, so she wanted to confess Christ according to THIS gospel. Later that afternoon, a couple who have been attending our church for 10 years or so called me. Previous to attending our church, they had been members of The Worldwide Church of God and both had been baptized in that church. They explained to me that the gospel of that previous church was by no means the gospel of grace, and they felt compelled to be baptized to confess Christ according to the gospel of grace. Later, after the evening service, a young woman who has been attending our church since last October informed me she wanted to confess Christ. And today, another couple who have been with our church for many years told me they want to be baptized.
God be praised! I suppose that we should not be surprised that when the "earthen vessel" (preacher) feels most his earthiness, that we see the most of the glory of the treasure of the gospel hidden within.
As the Psalmist wrote, "The Lord hath done it, and it is marvelous in our eyes."
Joe Terrell
PS Let me add this: Everyone of those who have requested to be baptized told me that they had been thinking about it for a long time. It is good that men and women consider what they are doing lest they act rashly and shallowly. But we should not have to give a moment's thought tho whether we are going to do what God has directed us to do. If you are thinking about doing what God has commanded, then let me encourage you to stop thinking and start doing.
Hey Joe If it is as you say that "A baptized person is in exactly the same condition after he was baptized as the moment before he was baptized." Then what did Peter mean when he said "...BE BAPTIZED in the name of Jesus Christ FOR the FORGIVENESS of your sins; and YOU WILL RECEIVE the gift of the Holy Spirit." That sounds like something is different after baptism.
Older
Top
USER COMMENTS | 
8/8/07 7:36 PM
