John 1:12 NLT – But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.
The Bible tells us we become children of God when we believe in who Jesus is and accept Him as our Lord and Saviour. We become His children and a part of His eternal family. This means we join every person who has accepted Jesus in the last 2000 years!
When we accept Jesus we become part of the communion of saints that the Apostle’s Creed talks about. We are brothers and sisters with those alive today and those who have already gone to heaven.
God’s eternal family is big, very big. But the good news is there is room for more. The Bible tells us that God is being patient so every last person can make it in. He does not want any one to perish, but all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).
If you would like to accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, you can pray the prayer below.
Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Saviour. In Your Name. Amen
I just watched this special on the life and preaching of Billy Graham. Watching it brought me to tears many times. To me Billy was an inspiration in the way he stayed true to God and the message of salvation through Jesus. To hear him preach again and see people streaming to the front of stadiums to accept Jesus is priceless.
I have been reading up on Baptism afresh lately. Looking at the different churches and how they practice the sacrament down through the ages.
To give you some background. As an infant I was Baptised at our local Catholic church in Perth. My father’s family were Catholic and it was important to them that all the children and grandchildren were baptised.
From conversations I have had with my Mum I was held by the Priest at the baptismal font, prayed for and water was sprinkled/poured over my head in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
As a child and in to my teenage years I did not attend church after baptism. However, in my early twenties I felt a drawing towards God. I had a desire to read the Bible, learn to pray and I thought about attending church. I had some friends at work who were Christians who invited me to come to their local Baptist church.
After coming to faith in Christ the topic of baptism came up. Being a Baptist church they taught believers baptism by full immersion in the water. After talking with Pastor several times to make sure I understood baptism, I was baptised during a church service.
So in essence I was baptised twice. Once as an infant and once as a believing adult. Once by sprinkling water over my head and once by full immersion. This lead me to the question – which method is right – sprinkling or full immersion?
If we go back through church history we see that both methods have always been practiced. The Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran and some Methodists practice sprinkling (or pouring) on infants. While Baptist, Church of Christ and other evangelical and pentecostals generally practice full immersion of children and adult believers.
If we look at one of the earliest writings of the church in the Didache or Teaching of the Twelve Apostles as it is known (circa 80-120AD) it gives some instruction…
Baptism
And concerning baptism, baptize in this way: having reviewed all of these things, baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, in running water. But if you do not have access to running water, baptize in other water. And if you are not able to baptize with cold water, then baptize with warm water. But if you possess neither, pour water on the head three times, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. And before the baptism the baptizer should fast beforehand, and the one being baptized and any others who are able. Call upon the one being baptized to fast beforehand for one or two days.
We see from this that in the very early church they practiced both forms of Baptism. Both pouring of water on the head and full immersion in a body of running water were used. The key components were water and baptising in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Baptism certainly is an interesting topic when you research how it has been done down through the ages and how it is practiced today. The two keys for me is baptising with water and in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
I am reading a book called, “To be a Christian” that is in a form of question and answer Catechism for growing in our faith.
I am up to the section on temptation on page 77. I really like the way it addresses key questions, has a short answer with lots of Bible references. Below is a sample…
What is temptation? Temptation is any enticement to turn from faith in God and to violate his commandments. (Proverbs 1:8–19; James 1:14–15)
What are the sources of temptation? I am tempted by the false promises of the world, the selfish desires of my flesh, and the lies of the devil, all of which war against God and my spiritual well-being. (Genesis 3:1–8; Proverbs 30:7–9; Mark 7:15; James 1:13; 1 John 2:15–17)
What help do you seek from God in the face of temptation? I ask God to increase my faith to trust him, enliven my conscience to fear him, soften my heart to love him, and strengthen my will to obey him, that I may resist evil and stand in the face of temptation. (Proverbs 2; Matthew 4:11; Luke 22:31–32; 1 Corinthians 10:12–14; James 4:5–10)
Does God lead you into temptation? No. God never tempts anyone, nor is he the cause of any sin; but he does allow me to be tested so that I may grow in faith and obedience. (Genesis 22:1–18; Job 1:6–12; Psalm 11:4–5; Proverbs 17:3; Matthew 4:1; James 1:12–15)
What are ways to guard against temptation? As I abide in Christ, I can guard against temptation by praying for protection and strength, confessing my sins, recalling God’s Word, avoiding tempting situations, and seeking the support of fellow Christians. (Genesis 39:7–12; Psalm 119:9–11; Matthew 4:1–11; Mark 14:38; Romans 13:11–14; Ephesians 6:13–18; 1 Peter 4:1–2, 7)
I really love the question and answer format. I can see it would be a useful devotional and discipleship tool to help us learn and grow in our faith.
It is available online to purchase in paperback or hardback. I got a PDF copy from here.
My wife and I have been watching the Chosen tv series. It is something we have been meaning to watch for a while. We are really enjoying it a lot.
I think it would be really hard to bring the Bible to life on film, but the Chosen have done it really well. We have been brought to tears many times watching some of our favourite Bible passages on screen.
One thing I think that makes it so good is the writers have three Biblical experts who are advisers. They have a Catholic Priest, a Jewish historian and a Christian Bible scholar who read over the scripts to ensure it is true to the text and the cultural setting.
I really love the way Jonathan Roumie plays Jesus. He brings a level of teaching authority and strength when needed, but also a deep compassion for those suffering and those who have lost hope.
Jonathan (as Jesus) treats those who think they are perfect and religious with a firm rebuke and those who are genuinely trying to learn, grow and truly follow Him with love, compassion and encouragement.
The thing I have enjoyed the most is the way it has brought Jesus’ miracle to life. So far we have been blind eyes and deaf ears opened, violent seas calmed, paralytics healed, demons cast out and people raised from the dead.
One of my favourite scenes is the Roman soldier who asks Jesus to heal his servant boy at a distance. The way he calls Jesus Lord and then shows his unworthiness for Jesus to go to his house captures the moment perfectly.
I have really loved the Chosen so far. We have decided to buy the series on DVD so we can have it in our collection to watch again and again.
If you are interested in watching the Chosen you can watch it for free on their website at www.thechosen.tv.
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