Participants: John and Angela Lomacang (Host), John and Idalia Dinzey, Jonathan Babb, Donald Owen
Series Code: TDYFW
Program Code: TDYFW017026A
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00:01 I want to spend my life
00:07 Mending broken people 00:12 I want to spend my life 00:18 Removing pain 00:23 Lord, let my words Let my words 00:30 Heal a heart that hurts 00:34 I want to spend my life 00:40 Mending broken people 00:45 I want to spend my life 00:51 Mending broken people 01:08 Hello and welcome to Family Worship. 01:11 What time is it, honey? 01:12 It's Sabbath. Happy Sabbath. 01:14 Yes. Happy Sabbath. 01:15 Thank you for allowing us to come in your home. 01:17 Whenever we can get together, the family get together 01:20 it's the time to put our lives in the Lord's hands. 01:22 And I'm glad that my captain is with me 01:25 or my shipmate or my better half 01:28 which makes me the fortunate half 01:29 or the blessed half. 01:30 That's what I feel about you. 01:32 Oh, wow. 01:33 We're just loving each other at the beginning of the program 01:35 and all the time. 01:36 But thank you for taken the time to tune in. 01:38 Get your Bibles, 01:39 invite your family if you're by yourself, 01:41 that's okay. 01:42 If you're at church, that's also okay. 01:45 We're gonna talk about baptism today. 01:47 Yeah, that's good. 01:48 Baptism in so many forms but before we do any of that, 01:51 we're gonna have prayer after we introduce our panel. 01:54 And I'm so glad to have with us today who we have. 01:58 I'll start to my far right 02:00 and I'll let you introduce yourself 02:01 and even the lady that might be next to you. 02:04 Well, thank you. 02:06 Well, my name is John Dinzey, 02:07 and I had the privilege of being here since 1989. 02:10 And came alone 02:12 but God blessed me with my wife Idalia. 02:15 Married in 1994 02:16 and I have the privilege of working 02:18 for 3ABN Latino as a general manager. 02:22 Idalia, administrative assistant 02:24 and we both wear other hats of course as well. 02:28 And she's a wonderful mother 02:29 and you both are mom and dad of two wonderful children. 02:31 Amen. 02:33 The Lord has blessed our family with two boys 02:36 and blessed as we answered his calling 02:40 to come to ministry, 02:41 never imagine working in ministry in my life. 02:44 But praise the Lord for 3ABN. 02:47 And we love working here. 02:49 Okay. Thank you for being here today. 02:51 And, honey, who do I have to our far left. 02:52 Let's just start with the young man 02:54 to the outside left. 02:55 My name is Donald and I've been here maybe, 02:57 let see, three and half, 02:59 three years going on four years soon. 03:00 My wife's Janelle who is not here 03:02 but she also works in the publishing department. 03:05 And I do a lot of things, I wear many hats too. 03:08 Sometimes I run camera here 03:09 but more than anything I do a lot of events 03:11 in the community and also work for personal ministries 03:14 at the Thompsonville Seventh-day Adventist Church. 03:16 And we also lead out an addiction recovery group 03:18 which had been running 03:20 for the last two or two and half years. 03:21 So we're just really trying to get, 03:23 in the community get involved with community, 03:24 get churches on fire just do what we can for the Lord so. 03:28 Amen. Good to have you here, Donald. 03:29 It's been awesome. 03:31 And a man who is often quiet 03:32 but we've pulled him out of the carpet today. 03:35 My name is Jonathan Bab. 03:37 I am the manager of the call center 03:39 and I've been here 11, 12 years now, 03:42 I can't keep track, 03:44 not all that time working here. 03:46 But, and, of course, we all wear many hats around here 03:49 and can't keep track of all that we always do. 03:52 Okay. 03:53 And you're also the head deacon 03:55 for the Thompsonville Adventist Church. 03:56 Yeah, it's true. 03:57 A single young man. 03:59 We're trying to change that. 04:02 We praise the Lord for your dedication and your commitment. 04:05 And all of you, and we also love Idalia's cooking. 04:08 And I don't get that, but today we're gonna spend some time 04:11 in the Word of God and we're gonna pray 04:15 and we're gonna sing, 04:16 and then we're gonna go into our topic today. 04:19 So, honey, would you begin with prayer today? 04:21 Sure. Let's bow our heads. 04:23 Our loving, kind, gracious Heavenly Father, 04:25 we bow before Your presence this Sabbath evening. 04:28 And, Lord, we praise You and honor You, 04:31 You are so worthy of praise. 04:33 And, Lord, we ask that Your Holy Spirit 04:35 will come right now and be with us, guide us, 04:38 give us the wisdom and understanding 04:40 that we need. 04:42 We pray for the baptism of the Holy Spirit 04:44 in our lives. 04:45 And we thank You for each person 04:47 that's viewing this broadcast. 04:50 May they be blessed 04:51 and may they make a change in their lives 04:54 if they have not changed. 04:57 So, Lord, we thank You 04:58 and we just pray continually a blessing upon us. 05:02 And we look forward to seeing You 05:04 on that great and glorious day, 05:06 may we be faithful in Jesus' name, amen. 05:10 Amen. Amen. 05:11 You know, oftentimes when we sing, 05:12 the person behind the scenes on the piano 05:14 doesn't get recognition but we have Summer Boyd 05:17 who is gonna be playing for us today. 05:18 And we're gonna sing the song 05:19 which we would like you to join us, 05:21 524 in your hymnal, 05:23 "'Tis so sweet to trust you Jesus." 05:26 First and last stanza. 05:29 'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus 05:35 Just to take Him at His Word 05:40 Just to rest upon His promise 05:46 Just to know, "Thus sayeth the Lord" 05:51 Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him 05:57 How I've proved Him o'er and o'er 06:02 Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! 06:07 O for grace to trust Him more 06:13 I'm so glad. 06:14 I'm so glad I learned to trust Thee 06:19 Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend 06:24 And I know that Thou art with me 06:30 Wilt be with me till the end 06:35 Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him 06:41 How I've proved Him o'er and o'er 06:47 Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! 06:52 O for grace to trust Him more! 06:59 Amen. 07:00 Amen. Amen. 07:02 And you know the topic we're talking about today 07:04 really requires a lot of trust. 07:05 That's right. 07:07 We're talking about baptism, and baptism is something 07:10 that is intended to transition us 07:13 from one place to another. 07:16 It is in fact reminded me years ago, 07:18 we were in Zimbabwe 07:20 and on the other side of the bridge was Zambia. 07:22 And baptism is that bridge between who we were 07:26 and who we can become in Jesus Christ. 07:29 But as we were suggested and I must say, Tita, 07:33 I call her Tita affectionately but Idalia Dinzey would say, 07:36 what should we talk about, and she goes, you know, 07:38 let's talk about baptism 07:39 because it's a topic that is so broad 07:42 yet we could narrow it down. 07:43 And what we're gonna also talk about today in this topic is 07:46 the appropriate age for baptism, 07:49 various kinds of baptism, the mode of baptism, 07:52 baptism of the water, 07:54 baptism of the Spirit as my wife reminded me up, 07:57 and baptism of fire, what does all that mean? 08:00 And why baptism is so necessary for every one of us 08:05 who are looking forward to the coming of Jesus? 08:08 Now we have a launch text, 08:09 I like all of us to read together 08:11 in the very beginning of our syllabus. 08:13 And if you have your Bible, go to John 3:5 08:17 and we're gonna peek in on the conversation 08:19 that Jesus had with Nicodemus. 08:21 All right, John 3:5, let's read this together. 08:24 "Jesus answered, 'Most assuredly I say to you, 08:29 unless one is born of water and the Spirit, 08:32 he cannot enter the kingdom of God.'" 08:36 Let's start with baptism, 08:38 talking about entering the Kingdom of God, 08:40 water and Spirit. 08:42 Now baptism is in fact beginning again. 08:47 Now I'm gonna not necessarily call on us 08:49 to respond to this text in various ways, 08:52 but let me just open it up right now 08:54 and receive from each of you 08:56 your view as to why baptism is necessary. 08:58 And I'll start with Pastor Dinzey to my right here. 09:02 You know, I used to say to people 09:06 that if we must be born again there was something wrong 09:08 with the way we were born. 09:11 That's true. 09:13 But being born again, 09:15 it's, I like the language of the idea of being born again 09:21 because that means that you're starting over. 09:25 And I think everyone can look back and say, 09:29 "You know, I have done some things 09:30 that I rather not even say or even think about." 09:34 And so it is an opportunity to begin anew and we think of, 09:41 you know, sometimes you describe this, 09:42 you get a blank sheet of paper, 09:45 everything that was part of your history before 09:48 it's gone and you're starting fresh. 09:50 Amen. 09:51 And so it's part of what is written in 2 Corinthians 5:17. 09:57 Which says, "If anyone is in Christ, 10:00 he is a new creature, 10:03 old things have passed away, behold, 10:06 all things have become new." 10:08 I was thinking of several scriptures 10:09 how I started this, 10:10 but that's the beauty of being a Christian. 10:15 Your old life is gone 10:17 and your new life begins in Christ. 10:20 So baptism is important 10:21 because it brings you into a relationship with God. 10:25 And you know 10:29 when you graduate from eighth grade, 10:32 high school or college, you get a diploma. 10:35 And what it is, it's a piece of paper 10:38 that says what you have accomplished. 10:41 But when you're a baptized again, 10:43 you become a new creature but God says you are His son. 10:48 So you have changed your position from a... 10:52 As it says, as I saw written here, 10:55 "You are heading to death, now you have life." 10:58 Amen. That's right. 10:59 That's right. Thank you for that. 11:02 Pastor, I think it's a gesture of commitment and conviction. 11:06 You know, I love the Lord, 11:08 I want to give my life to the Lord 11:10 is an act of putting yourself aside 11:14 and say, I want to live for Christ. 11:16 And, of course, when, even baptisms, 11:20 let's say if there is a baptism at your church tomorrow, 11:23 it's just not a ritual. 11:24 I mean they are such a blessing 11:26 in watching a baptism and special ceremony, 11:31 you know, the special songs, special prayers. 11:34 Oh, bless my heart all together. 11:36 And I'm like, "Oh, Lord, I want to start all over again, 11:39 I was not perfect, you know, no one's perfect. 11:41 But I'm not where I would love to be. 11:45 So, but through Christ, 11:47 you know, I want my old self gone 11:50 and I want to live that new life in Christ. 11:53 So to me baptism is such an intimate serious decision 11:59 that I have made 12:01 because of my love for the Lord to follow Jesus. 12:04 When Jesus was baptized, He was perfect. 12:08 All right. That's right. 12:09 That's right. 12:10 And He did that as an example for us, baptism, you said it, 12:14 both of you said it 12:16 is a very intimate and meaningful. 12:19 It's not just a symbol, it's more than a symbol, 12:22 it's your commitment to the Lord. 12:24 That's right, honey. What about your baptism? 12:26 I know you just made some comments 12:28 based on what the Dinzeys mentioned 12:30 but baptism to you. 12:33 Baptism is the burial of my old self, the old me, 12:38 my past and coming up in the newness of life, 12:42 giving my all to the Lord, it's what you said it, 12:48 it's getting rid of the old and coming up in the new. 12:51 And it's something that is so important. 12:55 So many people out there 12:57 don't understand what baptism is 12:59 'cause so many people were sprinkled. 13:02 And they call that baptism, correct, 13:04 they call that baptism as a baby. 13:07 But Jesus' way of being baptized is the right way, 13:12 it's the only way actually 13:14 'cause He's our perfect example. 13:16 But baptism is, Tita said it's intimate, 13:18 you just described everything I was going to say. 13:21 You know, it's the intimate, 13:22 meaningful commitment between you and the Lord. 13:25 Conscious commitment. Conscious commitment. 13:29 Exactly, exactly, you must be born again. 13:32 Pastor Dinzey was saying that too. 13:34 And that's the way I see it as being baptized. 13:37 Okay. Jonathan? 13:39 You know baptism is so many things, 13:40 it's everything that we've mentioned so far. 13:43 And it's not just an inward, 13:46 you know mean so much for intimate thing 13:48 but it's also the outward showing, 13:51 you're proclaiming to everybody 13:53 that sees it and knows it that you're consciously choosing 13:58 to be a citizen of God's Kingdom. 14:00 You know, if you know being born in the US, 14:03 I'm a citizen of the US, but if I go to another country, 14:06 I'd have to choose if I want to become a citizen. 14:09 And you get, you go through all the steps in there. 14:11 Well, that baptism is that you're signifying to yourself 14:16 as well to everybody else 14:17 that I'm now a citizen of the Kingdom of God. 14:20 Amen. Amen. 14:22 Donald? 14:24 I was gonna say, for me baptism 14:25 just coming from a recovery background, 14:28 it's so amazing that God can take and heal us, 14:31 that healing to me is a huge thing, 14:32 a transformation, you know, that's what's huge. 14:36 And when you see God really chiseling at your heart, 14:38 you want, you want to be baptized, 14:40 you want to do what the Lord has called you to do 14:42 and that is to be baptized, 14:43 immersed in water and be brought to new life. 14:45 But for me it's an inward expression 14:48 what's already going on like in, 14:49 when we do recovery always talk about admitting 14:52 that something is wrong. 14:53 We always admit something is wrong. 14:54 There's sin in our life that we want to rid of it. 14:56 So we, if Lord can only give us that strength to recover, 14:58 I know for myself personally, 15:00 you know, what I've been through, 15:01 but the Lord is the one who's transformed me, 15:02 I can't do what's in this heart, 15:04 I can't fix this heart but He can. 15:06 That's that baptism already beginning in the heart 15:08 and we just express it from the outside. 15:09 But it's a decision that you took. 15:11 Yeah, exactly, decisions... 15:12 Yeah, it's the decision that we all make. 15:13 And knowing that He's healing you, it's huge, 15:16 it's like, for me it's a big thing the healing aspect. 15:19 And I like, you know, 15:21 Tita is bringing out a conscious decision. 15:23 You can't just go through baptism 15:25 as a means of bide of joining a church. 15:27 Oftentimes people say, 15:29 what does it take to become a member of your church. 15:31 Well, membership and new life are not synonymous. 15:35 Membership, you know, you can be a member of a club, 15:38 a member of a gym, a member of a health spa, 15:41 but it doesn't mean that you're healthy. 15:43 I mean you start a process in the very same way. 15:46 When you are baptized, 15:47 you know on the flipside of that 15:49 it doesn't make sense to be baptized 15:50 and not become a member of the fellowship 15:53 of the body of Christ. 15:54 Some people say, I want to be baptized, 15:55 but I don't want to join the church. 15:57 Well, it's like being a football player 15:59 and you want to play by yourself. 16:00 It's not possible. 16:02 The Lord has called us into fellowship 16:03 and the Bible says in the Book of Acts, 16:06 the Lord added to the church daily 16:07 such as we're being saved. 16:09 And that salvation aspect 16:10 was they were being baptized into Christ 16:13 but not only into Christ, 16:14 he says, teach them to observe all things 16:16 I command you. 16:17 But there's a mysterious side to baptism, 16:18 and I want to look at this question here 16:20 that we poised. 16:22 But any other thoughts that came to your mind 16:23 just on what I said. 16:24 Yeah, I like what Jonathan said about citizenship 16:26 'cause I became a citizen, 16:28 I became a citizen several years ago 16:31 into the United States because I was born in England. 16:33 And I had to give up everything, 16:36 my English passport, everything 16:38 and be sworn in as a citizen of United States. 16:43 I remember that very well. You were with me. 16:44 We went to San Francisco and we went to the Presidio. 16:48 And, John, we all assumed that pastor was with you. 16:51 You guys are always together, praise the Lord. 16:55 That's right. We did a big old celebration. 16:57 We had red, white and blue out of the house. 16:59 Yeah, yeah, and that was our celebration 17:02 and this is our commitment, 17:04 my commitment to the United States 17:05 and as well said Jonathan about the citizenship. 17:09 Now I'm a citizen of the Kingdom of God 17:13 and we all are. 17:14 That's a very good... 17:16 That's a good example because we still have these pictures 17:17 and she has the naturalization papers 17:19 in the passport 17:21 and now when you travel this is, 17:23 but still this is amazing. 17:25 But when we are on the plane 17:27 and you fill out the customs form 17:29 or the entry form, they said, 17:31 "What was your country of birth?" 17:35 And she always puts England. 17:37 What is your country of citizenship? 17:40 The United States of America. 17:41 See, so we're born one way 17:44 but the Lord brings us into another fellowship, 17:46 we are citizens of the Most High God. 17:48 And when I go to England at the passport, 17:50 when you go through you know what do you call that? 17:52 Customs. Customs. 17:54 They always look at it and say immigration, 17:56 welcome home 'cause it says I was born in... 17:59 They always say welcome home and that's how it's gonna be 18:02 when we go to heaven, He's gonna say, welcome home. 18:04 Good. That's so exciting. 18:07 You know, it's interesting as we talk about baptism 18:10 and we're gonna talk about how it occurs and what it is. 18:14 But the text 18:18 that we launched which is John 3:5 it says, 18:22 you must be born of water and the Spirit. 18:25 This is why we have to understand that there is, 18:31 it's just not that, "Oh, you recognize your sin." 18:34 "Yes, I do. 18:36 And I want to be baptized." Wonderful. 18:38 And the person gets baptized and gets wet only 18:43 because there is no change 18:45 because the person was looking 18:47 to receive something to feel better. 18:51 But you must be baptized of water and the spirit 18:54 because you have to walk in newness of life. 18:57 So it's not that you're coming in for medicine 19:00 and then you go back to because, you know, 19:02 it's interesting I've heard of different medicines 19:04 that people have trouble with certain types of food 19:08 and they drink something, 19:11 so they don't have the reaction. 19:12 Oh, yeah. 19:15 God wants to transform those changes. 19:17 We are to walk in newness of life 19:20 when we accept Him and this is, 19:22 and God is trying to help us understand that, 19:25 because baptism is supposed to be a death 19:28 to the old way of life, 19:31 so that you can walk in newness of life. 19:33 You know, there's a resurrection, 19:34 you are born again, not to live as you used to live 19:37 but to live in newness of life. 19:39 And I want to point out something that 19:41 this new life that you get, 19:43 it is not a second chance to do 19:45 what you couldn't do the first time. 19:47 Lot of times, you'll say, okay, okay, 19:49 now that I'm a member of the church, 19:51 now that I'm a Christian, okay, 19:53 I got all these things to give up, 19:54 I got all these things to get right, 19:55 I got all these things. 19:57 Because baptism in fact, I'm glad you pointed this out 19:59 about spirit side. 20:00 Baptism recognizes a turn in your life, 20:03 you know, and lot of people don't repent of anything. 20:06 They just become, they accept all the 28 fundamentals 20:09 as it is in the Adventist fellowship. 20:12 And they agree with them all and they say, yes, 20:14 I want to become a member, 20:15 yes, I want to begin a new life. 20:17 But I want to just point this, you have to repent of something 20:20 because when the question was asked 20:21 on the day of Pentecost, 20:23 "What shall we do to be saved?" 20:24 Peter said, "Repent and be baptized 20:28 that your sins may be blotted out." 20:31 When the time of refreshing comes. 20:33 So I want to just point this out, 20:36 examine your life to find out what needs to be removed, 20:40 repenting of it, acknowledges 20:42 that you, yes, are guilty of that. 20:44 But you know what, even if you were not this criminal 20:49 as far as your old life is concerned, 20:51 the major reason for baptism 20:53 is not that you are a good person. 20:56 Because I want to look at Romans 3:23. 20:58 Let's look at this because baptism is not for people 21:00 that just are bad people 21:02 but baptism acknowledges 21:03 that we were born a certain way. 21:05 I was just gonna ask, you know, 21:06 the question came in my mind is, 21:07 does baptism save you? 21:11 Okay, we're gonna answer that. 21:13 But look at Romans 3:23. 21:14 Honey, would you read that for us. 21:16 Sure. 21:17 "For all have sinned and fall short 21:19 of the glory of God." 21:21 Have you ever met people that said, "Well, you know, 21:23 I'm a good person." 21:24 Yes. 21:26 I have been so tempted to say, now that stranger say that, 21:28 I've been so tempted to say, "You're not good." 21:32 But you know when you meet people you don't know, 21:33 you don't just kind of, 21:34 that's not the way to make friends. 21:36 But there are no good people. 21:38 There's none who does good no not what? 21:40 Righteous. 21:41 We've all gone astray 21:42 but even more than that Romans 5:12, 21:45 I want Jonathan, read that for us. 21:48 It's on the syllabus, it'll save you some time. 21:50 But Romans 5:12, maybe Tita has it. 21:52 Look at... 21:54 This is why we are not good. 21:56 This is why nobody is born good, 21:58 this is why we must be born again. 21:59 Okay, it says, "Therefore, 22:01 just as through one man sin entered the world, 22:04 and death through sin, 22:06 and thus death spread to all men, 22:08 because all sinned." 22:09 So through one man, who is that man? 22:11 Do you remember his name? Adam. 22:12 Adam. 22:14 So Adam passed on this genetically defective character 22:18 that can't do anything but... 22:20 And watch this, it is not so much the action, 22:24 it's the nature. 22:27 This is something really important because people think, 22:29 okay, I'm no longer gonna steal, 22:30 lie, commit adulteries, swear, do wrong things, smoke, 22:35 they look at the itemized things 22:37 that they're gonna no longer do. 22:39 And then but what baptism is more than anything else, 22:42 if you go to Romans, let's go to Romans together. 22:45 In our Bibles we can walk through that. 22:47 I'm not gonna just necessarily walk through all the syllabus 22:49 as it is in order but in Romans 6, 22:52 in our Bibles, 22:53 if you look at this whole idea, baptism really what it does, 22:58 it gets rid of the nature that you were born with. 23:02 It puts that nature to death. 23:04 We were all born with whose nature? 23:05 Remember, what's his name? Adam. 23:07 Adam's nature. 23:08 1 Corinthians 15:22, "As in Adam all die." 23:11 Okay, here it is, honey. 23:14 Romans, in the syllabus 23:15 it's actually under point number five, 23:18 if you have your syllabus with you, look at that. 23:20 And in Romans 6. 23:25 Start with Romans 6:3-4 under point number four. 23:29 Read that for us, honey. 23:32 "Or do you not know that as many of us 23:35 as were baptized into Christ Jesus 23:38 were baptized into His death? 23:41 Therefore we were buried with Him 23:43 through baptism into death, 23:47 that just as Christ was raised from the dead 23:50 by the glory of the Father, 23:52 even so we also should walk in the newness of life." 23:56 And to complete the thought, Jonathan, the next scripture, 23:59 Romans 6:5-7. 24:03 "For if we have been united together 24:05 in the likeness of His death, 24:08 certainly we also shall be in the likeness 24:11 of His resurrection, knowing this, 24:14 that our old man was crucified with Him, 24:16 that the body of sin might be done away with, 24:19 that we should no longer be slaves of sin. 24:22 For he who has died has been freed from sin." 24:24 Okay. 24:25 So now let's talk about that for a moment 24:27 because baptism, I want to understand, 24:28 I want people to understand 24:30 because the method is important, 24:31 it's not sprinkling, what is it? 24:33 It's immersion. 24:34 Whole immersion. 24:36 Whole immersion because you don't bury people with, 24:38 you don't throw dirt on them to bury them. 24:40 That's right. 24:42 It's not dry cleaning. It's not rose petals. 24:46 It's not you're born again and I do the... 24:49 It's full immersion like Jesus, 24:52 coming up out of the water symbolizing death, 24:55 burial and the resurrection to newness of life. 24:58 But let's talk about this. 24:59 That's really what the word means in the Greek. 25:02 And also in Spanish, am I correct? 25:04 Yeah. 25:05 It's like you're saying, you're being buried 25:08 that's what the word baptism put, 25:09 I mean, to be put under, submerged. 25:12 And as you mentioned sprinkling, 25:16 sprinkling is not the full, doing what the word says. 25:23 It's a modification but not accepted, 25:27 it's not scriptural, you see. 25:29 And so that's why it doesn't meet the specifications 25:33 that we just read. 25:35 As Christ was buried, so are we buried in the water 25:39 and then we rise when we're lifted up out of the water. 25:44 You don't bury yourself. 25:46 Wow. Very good point. 25:49 But there's a point that came up, 25:51 before we started the program we were talking about 25:55 what about children and baptism. 25:59 And you had a quote that you were sharing with me 26:01 just a moment ago, 26:02 and Tita brought up this point too 26:05 and we could all speak to it, 26:07 but a lot of times people say 26:08 what is the acceptable age of baptism. 26:13 And there's a quote you had 26:14 and I want you to share that with us and then, 26:16 and even the responsibility of parents. 26:18 That's right. 26:19 Because like a dedication of a baby, 26:22 you know, you could dedicate a baby 26:23 but the parents are living a life like, 26:25 you know, Bonnie and Clyde. 26:30 And the dedicating of the baby is not gonna do anything, 26:31 they don't know anything. 26:33 So share that with us, honey about the quote 26:35 that you brought out about baptism. 26:37 This is from Manuscript five, 1896, 26:41 it says, "When children are ready for baptism 26:44 never allow your children to supposed, 26:47 to suppose that they are not children of God 26:51 until they are old enough to be baptized. 26:54 Baptism does not make children Christians, 26:58 neither does it convert them, 27:01 but it is an outward sign showing that they are sensible, 27:06 that they should be children of God 27:08 by acknowledging that they believe in Jesus Christ 27:12 as their Savior and will henceforth live for Christ." 27:18 Okay. 27:19 So that you're describing there 27:21 that the child has a relationship with Jesus, 27:25 knows who Jesus is. 27:27 So therefore I can hear my boys, 27:31 one day said they wanted to get baptized. 27:34 But I've heard many voices, 27:36 little voices from little children. 27:37 "Mommy, when you get baptized?" 27:39 "No, when you're older. No, when you're older." 27:42 You know, but we as adults 27:44 we have to explain what baptism is. 27:46 Yes. 27:48 Because when you know that Jesus loves me, 27:52 that Jesus died for me 27:54 and we spend so much time teaching the children, 27:58 John 3:16, you know. 28:00 So you're teaching this, but when the child is ready 28:04 and says, you know, I want to better get baptized 28:07 because I love Jesus because He died for me 28:10 and we need to acknowledge that and help them in their walk, 28:16 in their daily walk with Jesus 28:18 because we all grow in different phases. 28:23 I am not maturely in that growing 28:27 that John Dinzey has spiritually 28:29 and knowledge of the Bible, 28:30 but I'm growing, you know. 28:32 So what's the difference between a child and an adult? 28:35 They're growing. 28:36 Yeah, you grow the way God has planned to. 28:38 Exactly. 28:39 Especially it came to my mind is, you know, 28:40 when you see these big revivals, 28:42 the kids and they get excited and they go, 28:43 "They're getting baptized, I want to get baptized too." 28:44 But they really don't understand 28:46 what baptism is. 28:47 It's kind of like a feeling and they just, ooh, 28:49 this is great, and they, 28:50 and it dies out within maybe a week, 28:52 I don't know week or so but it just, I'm just thinking 28:54 about the youth and they see their friends, 28:56 "Oh, that's cool, I want to get baptized too," 28:58 but is it really like you're saying 28:59 is it a change in them. 29:00 You have to teach them. That's what happened to me. 29:04 Bethel, I just got baptized when I was about 10 years old, 29:07 all my friends were getting baptized. 29:09 I got baptized at nine. 29:10 And I wanted to do it with them but it didn't mean anything. 29:12 Yeah, exactly. 29:13 That's why we got re-baptized at 19 years all together. 29:17 And I remember, I never forget that her brother said, 29:19 "Why are they getting baptized together? 29:21 Do they plan on getting married or something?" 29:22 Oh, no. Yes. 29:24 Spirit was speaking. 29:26 You know, you just mentioned something 29:28 that there may be people listening to us 29:31 that were baptized 29:33 because a friend was getting baptized 29:36 or there may be even someone that was interested in a girl 29:40 that may have been interested in a guy, 29:42 and she will say, 29:44 and he was a Christian and she was not 29:47 or he was not a Christian and she was, 29:50 and because they wanted to please the other, 29:51 they got baptized even though they didn't fully repent, 29:56 didn't really want to be born again, 29:58 it was just to please someone. 29:59 It happens in every age. 30:01 And so, if that is the case, someone is listening to us, 30:04 you just mentioned what could happen 30:05 is that you understand you are a sinner 30:07 and you want to be born again, 30:09 you must be born again. 30:11 That's right. 30:13 Anything, Jonathan? 30:14 I heard everything everybody said 30:16 and this is probably long good. 30:19 You know when it comes to the age, 30:22 you know it's like we said it all depends 30:24 on their spiritual growth and where they're at, 30:26 you don't want to deny them, 30:28 when they're ready you don't want to deny them 30:31 but you don't want to, 30:32 when they're that old you have control, 30:34 so you don't want them doing it out of emotion 30:38 or other reasons. 30:39 But when you explain it and teach it, 30:42 then hopefully they would learn to understand 30:45 and know when it's time. 30:47 I think too that you need to see fruit, 30:49 to me I would see fruit, 30:50 you know, like a desire going in that direction for me, 30:54 like I said this sermon see the fruit 30:56 and there's something going on this person's life 30:57 is changing and yes there is, 30:59 they really do want to be baptized. 31:01 Some people just say it 'cause it feels great 31:03 but there's fruit being born or like you see something 31:05 like you're making change in your life. 31:07 We can't forget that a child shall lead them. 31:09 Yeah, that's right. 31:10 You know, I've met some really godly children, 31:14 I mean I've been so impressed. 31:17 So it's there, excuse me, 31:20 it's once again going back to the love of Jesus, 31:23 you know, of Jesus what they have embraced, 31:26 what they have made it theirs, you know. 31:28 So when we have Jesus as our personal Savior, 31:31 we acknowledge it publicly, you know, and we want to do it, 31:36 it's because I want to serve the Lord. 31:38 And it may be that those very children 31:41 are gonna bring in, 31:43 you know, their siblings or their family members, 31:48 grandparents, aunts and uncles 31:49 because of that transformation in that child's life. 31:52 You know, the church represents a lot of different types of, 31:56 lot of different types of plans. 31:57 You know, we were in California, 31:59 we lived in California 32:00 and we went to Redwoods a number of times. 32:02 You go to the Redwoods where these massive trees 32:04 that some of them 1500 years, 2000 years old, 32:07 and it's just amazing that. 32:09 I know the person 32:10 who planted that is surely not around still, 32:12 except the Lord. 32:14 And but in that, right next to that Redwood 32:16 you see a little tiny cute plant 32:18 that is a flower that could be crushed into powder 32:22 if that tree ever fell but it's fully grown. 32:25 And it's like here and then this giant, 32:28 so we have spiritual giants in our church 32:30 that have had a relationship with Jesus for decades, 32:33 then you have one the child has. 32:34 And I remember this point is so well 32:36 and I think we spent time on it for a very good reason 32:38 because there's some children 32:40 that are watching this program that, 32:41 "You see mommy, you keep telling me 32:43 I can't get baptized, but I love Jesus." 32:46 I remember the first young child I baptized 32:48 was seven years old 32:50 and it was at our church here at Thompsonville. 32:53 And I remember asking this young girl, 32:56 Abby, I remember, I said, "Wow." 32:59 Because I made a call 33:01 and she came up and her daddy said, 33:02 "Are you sure?" 33:04 "Yes, daddy, I love Jesus." 33:05 And she came up with tears in her eyes. 33:07 When I made the call with other people 33:08 to give her life to Jesus and I gave her studies 33:11 and I said, "Do you really understand this?" 33:12 "Yes." I said, "Well, explain it to me." 33:15 I was blown away, brought tears to my eyes 33:17 when I sat before this child 33:19 who explained her connection, her love for Jesus. 33:22 And I was like, wow. 33:23 Yes, she knows who Jesus is. 33:25 Now we don't expect her to explain the 2,300 days 33:29 with theological accuracy, 33:31 but we needed her to know that yes, 33:32 you have an intercessor in the heavenly sanctuary. 33:35 At that point that's all she needs to know. 33:37 The tree is getting nourishment. 33:39 The Redwood is getting nourishment from the same place 33:41 that this little cute flower is getting nourishment 33:44 from the same Lord. 33:45 So we are speaking a child 33:47 that understands something not a baby... 33:49 Right, not a baby. 33:50 They understand nothing, 33:52 all they understand is somebody just... 33:54 Not even that. They don't even understand. 33:57 If they could talk, they would say, 33:59 "Why did you just throw water on me?" 34:00 They don't know what's going on. 34:03 So I like to read the scripture from John 1. 34:06 Yes, sure. Let's go there. 34:07 John 1. 34:10 It's hard to find a place to start in John 1 34:13 because it's all good. 34:15 But because we have to start somewhere, 34:19 we're gonna start in verse 8. 34:22 "He was not that Light," talking about John the Baptist, 34:24 "but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 34:27 That was the true Light 34:29 which lights every man that comes into the world. 34:32 He was in the world, and the world was made by Him," 34:36 talking about Jesus, "and the world knew Him not. 34:39 He came unto His own." 34:41 Verse 11 now. 34:43 "And His own receive Him not. 34:44 But as many as received Him, 34:48 to them gave He power to become the sons of God, 34:51 even to them that believe on His name." 34:55 So we have two things there, 34:56 first, they must be able to receive Him 34:59 and believe in His name. 35:02 And that's part of the baptism process, 35:05 somebody that wants to acknowledge like Abby. 35:07 She believed, she was willing to receive Jesus. 35:10 And so she was ready. 35:12 And let's not underestimate 35:15 the Seventh-day Adventist church 35:16 if our viewers have not step foot in it, 35:19 we have clubs, what it is eager beaver, 35:23 adventurers club, pathfinders. 35:25 And their activities are clubs that teach Bible truths... 35:29 Like the boys' scouts and girls' scouts. 35:30 Yeah, exactly. 35:32 At their level and is beautiful to see our young people growing 35:36 in the knowledge of the Lord. 35:39 I remember our, you know, 35:41 Jonathan you were in the team too in the club 35:44 and our church kids how they would do Bible Ball 35:47 and just so active in answering so many biblical questions. 35:52 And I still see some of our young people 35:56 that were in those clubs, they put Bible thoughts or, 36:00 you know, comments from the Spirit of Prophecy 36:04 or something on Facebook and stuff. 36:06 I was like, Lord, it's such a blessing. 36:08 I read every one of them. 36:10 I like, I just love these kids 36:13 because the Lord just has been working on them, 36:15 they've been growing. 36:17 But I don't want someone that has baptized your babies 36:20 with the sprinkles to be, you know, what I said... 36:26 Discouraged. Discouraged, right. 36:28 That is why we gather together in the councils of many, right? 36:32 So be encouraged that the Lord is giving you light 36:36 and it's never too late for you to learn Bible truths. 36:40 So we love you enough to have this topic right, 36:45 about baptism. 36:46 And then there's the flip side of that, 36:48 some people think, 36:50 "Well, I've been this way for 70 years, 36:52 it's not gonna be, not gonna make a big difference." 36:54 And I think that's where John 3:4 comes in. 36:57 Somebody came in our church and asked you, 36:59 "How old is too old to be baptized." 37:02 And they were well in their 70s. 37:03 Remember that? Remember Helen and Harmon. 37:08 Davis. Yes. Davis. 37:10 They came Wednesday night, was a Wednesday night, 37:12 I saw them, we have a prayer meeting at church 37:15 and they stayed up for prayer. 37:18 And I said, "Are you visiting 3ABN? 37:20 And with a southern accent, he said, "No." 37:24 I said, "Are you an elder?" "No." 37:26 I said, "Are you a deacon?" "No." 37:29 I said, "Are you a member of the Adventist church." 37:30 "No." 37:32 "Oh, why are you here?" 37:33 He said, "You challenged me to look up certain things 37:36 about the Sabbath and that's why I'm here." 37:39 And then he followed up the question 37:40 after he told me where hey says, 37:41 "How old is too old to be baptized?" 37:45 And that I think is the question of Nicodemus 37:48 in John 3:4. 37:49 "How can a man be born when he is old? 37:52 Can he enter a second time 37:53 into his mother's womb and be born?" 37:55 And Jesus knew, He knew that he was a man of knowledge 38:01 but he was trying to so to speak, 38:04 say do I have to do the same thing. 38:06 And I said to him, "As long as you're able to breathe 38:11 and your understanding of what baptism is." 38:13 And he and his wife were baptized. 38:15 And it was amazing to me as they serve for, 38:18 he was an elder for like almost 40 years 38:19 and she was like a treasurer for 35, 36 years in a church 38:22 and never had been baptized. 38:24 And now he's resting in Jesus. 38:26 Waiting for the coming of Lord, 38:27 his wife is still around and their children, 38:31 son and daughter-in-law are members of the church too. 38:34 So there is no age that you should say, 38:37 "Well, I've been this way for a long time, 38:39 there's no hope for me." 38:40 You know, Pastor, I have to ask this question 38:42 because there may be people that may be in a hospital bed 38:46 and terminally ill 38:48 and can't get off the bed to get baptized, 38:51 or in some other situation. 38:55 What do we say to them 38:56 because we've been reading that, 38:59 you must be born again of water and the Spirit. 39:01 So what does, what do we have, what can we tell them? 39:05 Wow. You know, this is beautiful. 39:07 Let's go to Matthew 3 39:09 because this question is answered there. 39:10 Thank you. 39:11 And this is such a great question. 39:14 Thank you, Pastor Dinzey, for bringing that up. 39:16 I think the Lord just impressed his heart 39:17 to just ask the question. 39:18 Yeah, very good. 39:20 Because baptism, we know baptism as the method, 39:22 you know they're of different ages, 39:23 within there are people that are in a position 39:24 where they cannot move. 39:27 And I remember Pastor Finley talked about a story of a... 39:30 I don't know what country it was 39:31 but there was a young man who was bound to his bed, 39:34 he couldn't move, he couldn't walk 39:36 but he insisted on being baptized, 39:38 he said, "I know I can't go to the church." 39:40 And pastor Finley went to his house. 39:42 He said, "But I must be baptized." 39:45 And he insisted to set the tub in his home. 39:48 And this frail young man whose body had atrophied, 39:51 couldn't walk. 39:53 He said, we knelt in his bathroom in his tight space 39:57 and put as much of his body in that water 39:59 as we possibly could. 40:01 And he came up in the joy of this new commitment to Christ, 40:05 just rejoicing. 40:06 And it wasn't too long before that 40:08 that he succumbed to the challenges of life, 40:11 he passed away. 40:12 But he experiences, but Jesus for those 40:14 who like the thief on the cross, 40:17 we often been in these situations. 40:19 Look at this and let's read Matthew 3 40:23 because this is where John is introducing Jesus, 40:27 it is John 1, he introduced him 40:28 but Bible says in verse 13, 40:31 "When Jesus came from Galilee to John 40:32 at the Jordan to be baptized. 40:34 And John tried to prevent Him, 40:36 saying, 'I have need to be baptized by You, 40:40 and are You coming to me?'" 40:42 In other words this is not, You're the Lord. 40:46 "But Jesus answered and said..." 40:47 This is the answer. 40:48 "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us 40:52 to fulfill all righteousness. 40:54 Then he allowed Him." 40:56 That verse there 40:58 and we're gonna talk about it for a minute or so. 41:01 Fulfill all righteousness, righteousness is imparted 41:04 and then imputed. 41:06 That's right. 41:07 Imparted in the sense of, you are not righteous 41:11 but my righteousness is now imparted to you. 41:15 Covers your transgression. 41:18 You cannot live a daily life righteously, 41:20 so I'm gonna impute this to you day by day by day. 41:24 But for those who are not, 41:26 the thief on the cross is a perfect example, 41:27 he declared his faith in Jesus. 41:29 That's right. 41:30 And he asked the question. 41:33 He said, "Lord, remember me when You come in Your kingdom." 41:36 And Jesus said, "I say to you today 41:37 you'll be with Me in paradise." 41:39 He made a commitment to him that day. 41:40 He is on the cross, He is not coming down, 41:43 except after He dies. 41:45 And so here's the point for those unique situations, 41:49 people that are older, people that are on their deathbed, 41:51 people that are wherever they may be 41:53 in the, in the restraining places of life. 41:57 The righteousness of Jesus is not received in water 42:01 but it's received in faith. 42:03 Amen. Okay. 42:04 And I know you want to comment on that 42:05 because you brought the question up. 42:07 Oh, well, you know just to add, 42:08 if the thief was on the cross still alive 42:12 and the Caesar would come and say, 42:14 "Hold, hold, hold, I've decided to pardon this man." 42:17 And they take Him down from the cross, 42:19 what do you think he would have done? 42:20 He would have been baptized 42:22 because that's what he really want. 42:24 He wanted to be part of God's kingdom. 42:26 And so the people that can't, 42:28 then what you've said just helps us to understand 42:31 that, yes, there are those situations 42:34 but we know that if they were able, 42:36 if the thief on the cross would have been able, 42:37 he would have been baptized. 42:39 If the person that is on deathbed 42:41 was to have the capacity to, would do it. 42:44 And so God has made provision. 42:46 Amen. Praise the Lord for that. 42:47 I was gonna say too, God looks at our heart, 42:50 He sees the heart, so He knew that thief on the cross 42:53 where his heart was, 42:54 so I think we don't see the heart of God does 42:56 as far as repentance, God knows 42:57 who really intimately and ultimately 42:59 in their heart want to repent. 43:01 Let me throw another scenario 43:02 and anyone of us could answer this. 43:04 Let's just say Jonathan, 43:05 let's use Jonathan as an example. 43:06 Jonathan is a quiet gentleman. 43:10 Jonathan is quite, I love his spirit of servanthood 43:13 and his family liken they have just nurtured, 43:16 it's such a blessing to our church. 43:17 Thanking you now for that. 43:20 There are some people that are very recluse, 43:22 they're in the background, 43:23 they're comfortable to be there. 43:25 And the public setting terrifies them and not, 43:28 Jonathan is not terrified by it 43:29 'cause he does every good job but he doesn't push himself. 43:33 What if person says, 43:36 "I'm afraid to be baptized publicly. 43:41 So I'm not gonna get baptized 43:42 because it means in front of everyone else." 43:48 And we'll say, "Well, okay, 43:51 for you we'll make an exception, 43:52 you don't have to get baptized 43:54 because you're fearful 43:56 or you don't want to be done in public." 43:58 What we should encourage a person, let me throw that, 43:59 what do you think we should do 44:01 and I'm gonna come up with the answer in a moment. 44:02 But I think you know where I'm headed with this. 44:04 What do you think we should do in that case? 44:05 For me I think it depends on the best thing would be 44:09 get down to the bottom as to why they don't want to be 44:11 baptized in public. 44:13 You know is it, you know is it a phobia of, 44:16 you know just other people, 44:18 or is it they don't want to announce to people 44:23 that they're being baptized. 44:24 You know 'cause it's their outward sign. 44:26 So you don't want to, 44:30 if they're afraid to announce to people 44:32 that they're being baptized becoming a Christian. 44:33 Well, are you truly, is your heart really in it. 44:38 Right. There you go. 44:39 That's a very good point. Okay, anyone else? 44:41 That's a public step that we are testifying publicly 44:47 that we accept Christ as our Savior. 44:50 So I would definitely work with that person, 44:53 give them more time 44:55 and when they're ready to publicly, 44:57 I mean you don't have to have a million people present there. 45:00 But if he or she decides to get baptized, 45:05 we send out a community church email, 45:08 we're gonna have a baptism 45:10 at such a such a time at the church. 45:12 Anyone that is available, you know is welcome to come. 45:15 So there will be people that can attend and watch. 45:18 So I prefer baptisms 45:21 during church service on Sabbath. 45:23 It's so beautiful, it's a high Sabbath and ritual, 45:28 all the service is very, very, very meaningful. 45:32 And you know we've had, so the reason I mention that is 45:35 because the Ethiopian eunuch on his way back to Ethiopia, 45:39 Philip which means lover of horses, 45:41 the Lord sent him to one to one evangelistic series 45:44 in the desert. 45:45 He said what hinders me to be baptized, 45:47 there's nothing, there is water, 45:49 and that was a private baptism. 45:50 But Ethiopia was the only other country 45:55 outside of the Jews 45:56 that had been keeping the Sabbath almost as long, 45:59 and I believe that Ethiopian eunuch 46:01 had something to do with it. 46:03 It's beautiful, you know, we read the scripture, 46:06 you must be born of water and the spirit, 46:08 it doesn't say you must be born of water and spirit 46:10 and then 50 people have to be watching. 46:13 And so, yes, this is true, 46:14 that's a beautiful example of the Ethiopian eunuch. 46:17 And that is marvelous. 46:19 I saw a lady when I was a teenager 46:23 that she had decided to be baptized 46:26 and the church was there and it was different 46:31 than any other baptism I saw 46:32 and it remains in my mind, I see the lady. 46:37 And there was a fear she had of water. 46:41 She was terrified to go under the water. 46:45 And so the pastor had her there in the baptismal 46:49 and all that she was able to do 46:52 because of her fear is kind of just wet her face, 46:55 I mean, she literally went down and came back up again 46:58 but really just got wet, was not able to go fully under 47:02 but what do we see? 47:05 She had intentions of going down 47:08 but fear overcame her and the pastor said, 47:10 "You know, God accepts this as an action of faith." 47:16 And she was willing to come in the water, 47:19 this is something, she overcame her fear 47:21 just to be in the water like that. 47:23 And so God accepts these things, 47:24 and like the thief on the cross, like... 47:27 Yeah, he didn't even had to go in the water. 47:28 So the righteousness of Jesus is not limited to the water. 47:32 And I want to point that out 47:34 we've had some unusual baptisms here, 47:35 remember John Hager. 47:38 You took the words out of my mouth, Pastor. 47:41 That was the baptism 47:43 that brought the entire church to tears. 47:45 We have shared that baptism worldwide 47:48 in the Spanish community, 47:49 when we shared in different church. 47:53 And but anyway you are the pastor, go ahead. 47:56 Well, I mean it was important because John Hager has one leg. 48:01 That's right. And so we just said, okay. 48:03 Well, the elders will get together, 48:04 we'll put him in a wheelchair and lower him in. 48:08 He said, "No, pastor I lived with one leg for the world. 48:13 I'm gonna crawl, I'm gonna crawl up the steps." 48:20 And in the background the music was playing, 48:22 Take me to the water. 48:23 Yes, from tellers music. 48:25 There was not a dry eye, I'm reliving this. 48:27 Oh, I am too. 48:29 There was not a dry eye in the house. 48:31 And he said, no I'm going to crawl. 48:33 And he crawled up that step, he crawled up one at a time. 48:35 Turned around and sat, one step. 48:37 And we baptized him. 48:39 And what a day it was. 48:41 And so, you know, there are those who may, 48:42 and this was a sure sign of I'm humbling myself, 48:46 he could have easily had all the reasons not to do, 48:48 I can't, I have one leg. 48:51 He said if I live like this for the world, 48:54 I want to give this life just as I am to Jesus. 48:57 And so for those that may be saying, 48:59 well, I have physical limitations, 49:01 we've expressed a few ways here. 49:03 And I remember one more, oh, man. 49:06 Brenda. Brenda. 49:08 Remember Brenda. 49:10 I like to tell that story about Brenda. 49:11 She didn't have legs, did she? 49:13 No. No. 49:15 And Pastor CA is the one that baptized her. 49:20 You could tell it, you know it. 49:22 Well, she didn't have legs at all. 49:25 And she came to the knowledge of Jesus, 49:27 she was in living in the world, 49:28 and she heard of Him on the radio, 49:30 he had such an infectious laugh 49:32 which is what is making this man laugh so much, 49:34 I want to find out more about it 49:35 and it ended up the Lord uses His laughter 49:38 to lead it to the knowledge of the truth 49:40 and she had no legs at all. 49:42 So this was another baptism that was unusual, 49:44 she hung on to him. 49:46 And he was baptized with her 49:49 'cause he had to go under the water 49:50 while she grabbed on to him. 49:52 And he got wet while she got fully submersed. 49:55 So there's no outside of it, 49:58 I'm glad you said help a person understand 50:00 that this public expression empowers so many other people 50:03 to let them know that they could do that, 50:05 what's hindering me. 50:06 That 's right. 50:08 Well, when we found traveled abroad, 50:10 we have seen all kinds of baptisms. 50:12 And it's like it just tugs at your heart the desire, 50:17 to see your desire of people, 50:19 just given their whole life from head to toe 50:23 and I've seen wheelchairs in swimming pools, 50:27 you know, this portable swimming pools, 50:29 they have put, the deacons have carried people in a chair 50:34 and brought them in there and you know, 50:36 immersed a chair with the person. 50:39 And it's like what, you know, how people crowd over 50:44 to the baptistery to see everything. 50:46 And I'm looking and I can barely see what's happening 50:50 because my eyes are so full of tears, 50:52 it's like, oh, Lord. 50:54 It's a rejoicing moment. Yes, yes. 50:56 Definitely. Beautiful. 50:57 I remember we were in Australia and you were doing a baptism 51:01 with nothing but crocodiles in the river. 51:04 That's right. 51:07 They took a bite out of sin. 51:11 Oh, they told me afterwards, didn't tell me before. 51:14 They said, I went to the largest crocodiles 51:16 that live in this lake. 51:18 And I'm thinking, 51:20 now you tell me they put on a wet suit. 51:23 And they said and everybody watching it, 51:25 told me afterwards and I thought, "Oh, Lord... 51:28 Daniel in the lions' den. You know I'm glad. 51:31 You protected me for a special moment." 51:33 And I also want to say something else. 51:34 Thank you that was an amazing story 51:36 but you know our time goes by so quickly, 51:38 I want to add a couple of points here 51:39 because there's some people that got baptized 51:41 and they're discouraged that they haven't seen 51:43 the changes as quickly 51:45 as they want to see these changes. 51:46 And I want to encourage that individual, 51:48 those individuals that may be saying, "Oh, okay. 51:50 Oh, I got baptized and it's like been four months, 51:53 I've been two years now 51:54 and I fall sometimes I'm difficult." 51:56 But I want to, I want to look at question number eight. 51:58 And, Jonathan, you're the quiet one over here, 52:01 read question number eight for us in the... 52:03 Read that text in Philippians 1:6. 52:05 I want to just hit a couple of points here very carefully. 52:08 Question is should we feel discouraged 52:10 when we don't see quick changes after baptism? 52:14 So Philippians 1:6 says, 52:16 "Being confident of this very thing, 52:18 that He who has begun a good work in you 52:21 will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." 52:24 So the work begins, right? 52:27 But now I want to also, honey, our favorite scripture, 52:30 read that for us 1 John 3:1-2. 52:34 It says, "Behold what manner of love 52:38 the Father has bestowed on us, 52:41 that we should be called children of God. 52:46 Therefore the world does not know us, 52:49 because it did not know Him. 52:52 Beloved, now we are children of God, 52:56 and it has not yet been revealed 52:59 what we shall be, 53:01 but we know that when He is revealed, 53:05 we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." 53:09 Okay. So right now. 53:11 When are we children of God? Right now. 53:13 Right now. When we're children of God? 53:14 Right now. He's our Father. 53:17 When we enter into this relationship, 53:19 it's not just a commitment to a church, 53:22 that's why we fellowship together, 53:24 baptism brings us into a fellowship. 53:25 So if you might be one of those individuals that said, 53:27 I want to be baptized 53:29 but I don't want to join the church, 53:30 you don't understand baptism. 53:32 The Lord adds to the church. You see iron sharpens iron. 53:35 That's right. 53:36 So Tita, Pastor Dinzey, Donald, Jonathan, Angie, 53:40 we all grow together and like leaves and trees 53:45 and flowers and bushes and roses. 53:47 And we all grow together, we're in the garden of God. 53:50 And so we have to grow together. 53:51 I was gonna say when you talked about trees, 53:53 I just think about that image, we have all these trees, 53:55 you got a strong one that comes, they all stand 53:58 but you have two or three trees and they snap, 54:01 they need that support. 54:03 That's what church is support, 54:05 we're supposed to support one another. 54:07 It's really important. 54:08 You know there's this video in our 3ABN archives 54:12 that I remember and it was, it's a Russian baptism, 54:17 baptizing a Russian. 54:18 This man is coming out of the river 54:20 and the camera man followed him for a while 54:23 and there was this joy in his face 54:27 because he was born again. 54:29 And, you know, you think of the joy 54:31 of a parent seeing a child being baptized 54:34 or somebody that I've seen husband 54:38 or wives that their spouse got baptized 54:40 and there's this rejoicing and hugging and it's amazing, 54:43 it's an indescribable joy. 54:46 And the Bible says that there's more joy in heaven, 54:49 over one sinner that repents 54:51 and over 99 that needed not repentance. 54:54 And I've seen joy on earth over someone being baptized, 54:57 but the joy in heaven, 55:00 I would love to be there to see that 55:03 because what I've seen on earth brings joy to my heart. 55:06 And so if anyone, you know, 55:08 is watching hasn't taken this step to be baptized, 55:12 it's the best thing you could do. 55:14 I would encourage anyone 55:15 that has not taken this step to be baptized, 55:17 God bless, I know, Pastor, 55:18 maybe you want to make an appeal to that since 55:20 we have praise too. 55:21 Yes and, you know, we talked about baptism of the water, 55:23 we talked about baptism of the Spirit, 55:25 there's also baptism by fire. 55:28 And I want to mention that baptism 55:30 brings us into a relationship with Jesus. 55:32 But for Him to finish the work in us, 55:35 sometimes He has to take us through trials. 55:37 That's right. 55:38 To weed out all the things 55:40 and you know there's no joy in melting the gold 55:44 but there is joy in scraping away the dross. 55:47 So we could come out like pure gold 55:49 and I don't know of any Christian 55:51 that hasn't been through trial. 55:52 Can I get one? 55:54 If you're a Christian that's never been through trial 55:55 let us know. 55:57 But the appeal is... 55:58 Much tribulation. Through, how much? 56:00 Much tribulation will enter the kingdom. 56:03 And one day we will look like Jesus. 56:05 Amen. 56:06 Because He's got us ready being confident the work he begins. 56:09 So whatever your age whether you're a young man, 56:11 a young woman, whether you are not hitting the teens yet 56:14 but you have a connection with Jesus 56:16 because of the family in which you were raised, 56:18 nothing hinders you. 56:20 You might be old or beyond 30, 40, 50 years you might say, 56:24 "Oh, I just what use is there for me, I'm beyond 75, 80." 56:28 If you're still alive 56:30 and you want to be in the kingdom of God, 56:32 this is where you say, "Lord, I confess my sins, 56:36 I accept Jesus as my Savior. 56:38 I want to be in that redeemed host." 56:39 Baptism is waiting for you too. 56:41 You may be on a bed and not able to get up, 56:44 you say, "What hope is there for me, 56:46 I can't even walk, I can't move." 56:47 We've given some examples, 56:49 if you ask the pastor to come 56:51 and lead you to that relationship, 56:52 the repentance of your life and this new walk with Christ, 56:55 there's hope for you too. 56:57 And, but there's nothing, 56:58 there's nothing that could hinder you by faith, 57:02 if you accept Jesus, repent of your sins, 57:04 nothing will prevent you 57:06 from responding to the voice of Jesus 57:07 when He comes back. 57:09 Can we say amen to that? Amen. Amen. 57:10 And so today we extend this appeal 57:13 from our family to yours. 57:15 Amen. Amen. That's right. 57:17 Jesus said to Nicodemus which we say to you, 57:20 we must be born again, if you're born in Christ Jesus, 57:23 we will all be in the kingdom of Jesus when He comes. 57:26 May God bless you on behalf of 3ABN 57:29 to walk with Jesus, to get to know Him 57:31 and to respond to the call of the Life Giver 57:33 when He returns. 57:34 Until we see you again, may the Lord bless you. 57:36 Happy Sabbath. |
Revised 2017-09-18