What About Signs and Wonders

# 772- Today's Du-votional comes from: Mr 16:17 "And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 "they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." What are we to do with these verses? For the most part these signs are very foreign to what we could call American Christianity. First of all, let's establish a definition of signs. Without getting too technical with the Greek language, these signs spoken of here point beyond themselves to something that is far higher, of which it (the sign) is a specific indication. Simply stated they point to the presence and power of the ascended Jesus. They validated the gospel message. These signs were credentials for the apostles and their message, proving it genuine and exhibiting the fact that Jesus is indeed living and risen, and living and working through His church in the power of the Holy Spirit. This is the only purpose of these signs. Heb 2:3,4 says, “how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, 4 God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will? What's being said here? Jesus spoke of His death and resurrection and ascension when He walked this earth. This message was passed along by those who personally heard Him and witnessed it. God showed that He agreed with their testimony or witness through these various signs worked through the early church. Quite frankly they are no longer needed, for we have the witness of the New Testament.. Does that mean that God has stopped using signs? That would be foolish for me to say, especially with the evidence of tongue speaking, healing, and demonic deliverance (the latter especially evident in third world countries) still occurring. He can do as He wills. Just remember to be very cautious with signs. Remember that they are not for some glorious display of the flesh, they are given by God for the purpose of pointing to Jesus and validating the message. As Jesus said in Mt 24:24 "For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. Guard yourself from deception. Learn to trust the Word of God, for there is nothing false or deceptive in it. In light of what Jesus said in Mt 24:24, we can't say the same thing about signs and wonders.

Why Baptize An Infant?

# 771- Today's Du-votional comes from: Mr 16:"He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” One more very important thing to discuss concerning baptism, since it is linked to salvation, and is a means by which God brings His grace to us. (See preceding posts) Take the time to carefully and prayerfully reconsider what God's Word says about baptism and children. Suffer the little children to come unto Jesus through this God-given means of bestowing grace. Baptize infants. They are not innocent. They are conceived in sin and need cleansing and regeneration just as you and I do. Ps 51:5 “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.” But why baptize a child, they can't have faith can they? Beloved faith is not a matter of the mind, it is a matter of the heart (soul) It's why David was able to write in Ps 22:9 But You are He who took Me out of the womb; You made Me trust while on My mother's breasts. 10 I was cast upon You from birth. From My mother's womb You have been My God.” A nursing child can have faith! More than that, John the Baptist exhibited faith in the womb! Faith, (regeneration of the soul,) is one of the things accomplished in baptism. Titus 3:5 says, “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,” but as Mr 16:16 states, that faith must be nurtured and maintained, or we are lost. What great peace and comfort in knowing that children, who are born with wicked hearts are accepted by God through baptism, and what a challenge to nurture their faith as they mature.

The Holy Spirit Doesn't Waste Words

# 770 - Today's Du-votional comes from: Mr 16:"He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” Such a simple verse to understand and yet so many people just don't want to deal with it. We look for all sorts of loopholes to justify delaying baptism or denying its power. But the Holy Spirit doesn't waste words. “All Scripture is God-breathed,” (2 Tim 3:16) He could have just as easily said here, “he who believes will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned.” End of story. But he didn't! He added the condition of baptism to the salvation equation. Then, as if forseeing the possibility that some people will think that their baptism alone is enough to save them, He adds the latter part of the verse, which could be restated, “He who does not believe will be condemned even if they are baptized. Baptism and faith are forever linked together in this verse. Any separation of the two results in condemnation. In one sense, baptism is like circumcision. It's irreversable. You can't become uncircumcised, and you can't become unbaptized. It's one and done for both. There is never any need to be “re-baptized.” But it is possible to lose your faith! There can be times when the baptized need to be “re-faithed” if you will. They need to come back to Jesus. We call that repentance., a turning back to faith or personal revival. Jesus emphasizes this necessity of remaining in the faith in the latter part of this verse. “He who does not believe (baptized or not) will be condemned.” Be baptized and believe and be saved, but if you don't remain in that faith you will be damned! It's that simple.

God's Chosen Method Of Enrollment

# 768- Today's Du-votional comes from: Mr 16:"He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” There was a time when I was a proponent of “believer's baptism.” This was one of my “proof” verses. It plainly says, “believe and be baptized.” Believe first, and then be baptized. Seemed pretty cut and dried to me. But upon further review, I'd better be careful with using the order of appearance of words in Scripture to determine doctrine. As an example, what would you make of this statement. “In order to graduate you must be 18 years old and pass the test.” Must the student be 18 before he takes the test? No! That's not what is being said. It is simply stating two requirements for graduation. Likewise two requirements are listed for salvation in Mr 16:16. Belief and baptism. It doesn't say which one must come first. Look at Mt 28:19,20, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; “ The Greek grammar here indicates that disciples are made by first baptizing, then teaching! The essence of the great commission is to go into the world preaching the full gospel message of the necessity of baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, and the necessity of persevering in faith in the name of Jesus for salvation. Whether God's saving grace comes to us through hearing the word as an adult or whether it comes to us in baptism as an infant, we should have a strong desire to enroll ourselves and others in the kingdom through baptism. This is God's chosen method of enrollment. It is what He has ordained for His children to put on Christ. Ga 3:27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Proper interpretation of the Mr 16:16 passage leaves us with this conclusion: In the first part we see that baptism and faith are necessary elements of salvation, and in the second part we see that this faith must endure, because he who doesn't endure in faith (believe) will be condemned, baptized or not!

The Sheer Grace of Baptism

# 768- Today's Du-votional comes from: Mr 16:15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” This is how the Holy Spirit spoke the great commission through Mark. In verse 15, the disciples are told to go into the world preaching the full gospel of salvation. In verse 16, they are given the message to preach. The full gospel message has two parts. Baptism and faith. Baptism is a vital element of the salvation equation! However it seems to be missing in much of the gospel preaching we hear today. Not so for the early church, and let us be open to learning from them! Read the book of Acts! You can't escape the fact that the necessity of baptism is almost always uttered in the same breath with the necessity of faith. What did Peter say in his first sermon? “Repent and be baptized,” (Acts 2:38) When Phillip explained the gospel to the Ethiopian eunuch, he included the necessity of baptism. We know this because the first thing the Ethiopian asked for was baptism! (Acts 8:37) Seriously, ask yourself, “Why would he do that if Phillip hadn't included it in his gospel presentation. More importantly, keep your heart open to what I am about to say: Since baptism is a necessary element of salvation, (He who believes AND (my caps) is baptized will be saved;) we must look at it not as an act of obedience on the part of the individual. Rather it is an act of obedience on the part of the church, as they respond to the great commission. To view it as an act of individual obedience is to embrace salvation by works. Baptism is something that God does through His church FOR individuals, and it is sheer grace. When this is rightly understood, the baptism passages will come alive for you in Scripture: By grace (God's activity) in baptism, we receive the Holy Spirit: Ac 2:38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. By grace, (God's activity) in baptism, we are “born again.” Joh 3:5 Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. By grace (God's activity) in baptism, we are saved, washed, regenerated, and renewed! Tit 3:5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, By grace, (God's activity) in baptism, we are saved and guilt is removed from our conscience. 1Pe 3:21 There is also an antitype which now saves us--baptism (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, By grace (God's activity) in baptism, our sins are washed away. Ac 22:16 'And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.' Baptism is not something we do for God, but something He does for us.

There Is No Other Way

# 767- Today's Du-votional comes from: Mr 16:15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” Jesus has just dressed the disciples down for their unbelief concerning His resurrection from the dead. Unbleief will not cut it in His kingdom. In effect, He was saying, “Hey guys, that failure you just had to believe My witnesses? It's a killer! And anyone who does not believe your full report (the gospel) will not be saved.” These are My rules for salvation!” It's like the Holy Spirit tells us in Ro 10:9, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” But it's not just the message of the resurrection that must be believed. It is the full gospel message. This message includes repentance, (godly sorrow over sin,) and full reliance on the finished work of Jesus on the cross. It is a God-given understanding that Jesus paid for all the sins of the world and anyone who receives Him possesses that truth, and are given the right to be called children of God. Joh 1:12 says, but as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: Faith (belief) in Jesus and His finished work on the cross on our behalf will always be a necessary element of salvation. This is a vital truth that must be guarded and proclaimed as we go into the world. There will always be those who insist that there are other paths to eternal glory, and that the Christian religion works within the tenets of other religions. We must resist these attempts to water down the words of our Lord who said, Joh 14:6b "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

You're The Only Jesus Some Will Ever See

# 766- Today's Du-votional comes from: Mr 16:14 Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.” Jesus has appeared to Mary Magdalene, then the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. He did not chide Mary for her initial unbelief, but He did offer a mild rebuke to the two disciples, lamenting the fact that they were so slow to believe all that the prophets had written about His death and resurrection. Lu 24:25 Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! But now He appears to the eleven as they gather for an evening meal. And the first words out of His mouth are, “Hi guys! Glad to see you!” Not! The first words were a strong rebuke against them for their failure to believe the witnesses He has sent! I mean c'mon, if they won't believe the trusted witnesses that Jesus sent, how can they expect others to believe their report? No wonder He was upset! This is the crux of the matter for all mankind from the very beginning. Will I, will you, believe the witnesses that Jesus has sent to us? Jesus isn't showing up in self-evident bodily form at our dinners, Bible studies, etc, to prove He has risen from the dead. He is not going to walk alongside these disciples or us in plain view for all to see! They like us must rely on the witnesses that God has provided. These witnesses, from Moses, to Elijah, to the Apostles, to the Sacraments, embody the Law, the Prophets, and the Gospel, and their testimony is found in the Word. The Bible. When Peter spoke of His experience on the Mount of transfiguration, he included this advice. “we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention,” (2 Pet 1:18) Pay attention to His Word! Further, Jesus does not walk alongside us in visible form, rather He lives in us in spiritual form. This is where He is prominently seen today,. Remember THIS as you live today: “You're the only Jesus some will ever see.”