SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 1/24/2018
10:14 AM
My Worship Time Focus: Symbolic
Confession
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Acts
10:46b-48a
Message of the
verses: “Then Peter answered,
47 "Surely no one can refuse the
water for these to be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we
did, can he?" 48 And he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus
Christ.”
In our SD from yesterday I mentioned that once a person
has become born-again there are a number of things that happen to that person
all at once, including being baptized by the Holy Spirit, as the Spirit of God
takes this new creation from the world’s system and places them into the Body
of Christ. Now as we look at our verses
for today the first thing that Peter says after he knows that they have become
true believers is “surely no one can refuse the water for these to be baptized.” Baptism follows conversion, and baptism always
follows conversion, so when you read about babies being baptized you have to
realize that this is not the Biblical way of doing things. I will have to admit that it was a little
over four years after I became a believer that I was baptized as there were
reasons as to what it took that long, including being baptized in a swimming pool
by a friend of mine who was a part-time pastor.
Once I realized that I needed to join a Bible believing church I had a
meeting with the Pastor at our house in which I had seven questions to ask him,
and depending on how he answered my questions would have determined whether or
not I would have joined that church. My
wife was already a member, and so this was a very important meeting for
me. The Pastor’s answers went along with
the answers to my questions and so I was thankful that the Lord had taught me
from His Word things that were important for me to understand as a new
believer. My wife’s first question after
our meeting, as she was not there, was about me being baptized. The correct answer was for me to be baptized
by the Pastor of this church to show my obedience to the Lord and also to
become a member of this local body of believers. Baptism always follows conversion is
something that all believers need to realize as this is what happens in the Scriptures.
Peter’s entire argument on having Cornelius baptized,
along with all who had accepted the Lord Jesus Christ’s provision for their
salvation was that they had received the Holy Spirit, so the next step was
baptism. John MacArthur writes “Baptism
thus plays no part in salvation. Through
it, believers publicly confess in symbolic fashion the inner transformation of
salvation. Rather than do it himself,
Peter wisely ‘ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ’ by the
Jewish Christians who accompanied him.
He thus involved the Jews in this momentous reality, knowing they would
then be even more willing to support it.
Peter could anticipate the reaction when he reported back to Jerusalem,
wand wanted all the support he could muster.”
Sweet Fellowship
Acts 10:48b “They then asked him to stay for a few days.”
I have to say that if I was in the shoes of Cornelius and
had experienced what he and some of his family had just experienced, that I
would have asked Peter and his friends to stay with me for a while to learn
from him, to talk to him about those three years that he had walked with Jesus,
saw His miracles, and just spent time with Him while He was on planet
earth. The desire to participate in
Christian fellowship is a wonderful part of being a believer and it shows that
a person truly has become a true believer in Jesus Christ.
John MacArthur concludes his 23rd chapter from
his commentary with the following works:
“This epochal chapter has witnessed the inclusion of Gentiles as equals
in the church. The last barrier has
fallen. Peter later described this great
experience in Acts 15:7-8: ‘7 After
there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, "Brethren,
you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth
the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 "And God,
who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He
also did to us.’ The way was thus opened
for the spread of Christianity throughout the Roman world through the tireless
missionary efforts of the early church.”
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: As I think back
on my early years of being a Christian, actually the first four years, I can
only praise the Lord for teaching me Biblical things from His Word or else I
could have gotten myself off the beaten path and ended up not following the
Word of God as God has and continues to teach me. Even though everyday seems to have its
battles to fight, in the end following the Lord is the only way for me.
My Steps of Faith for Today: Continue to study God’s Word each and every day,
to follow what He teaches me and to remember that the war has already been won.
Memory verse: Psalm 143:10 “Teach me to do Your will, for
You are my God; Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.”
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Because he disobeyed God at
Meribah-Kadesh” (Deuteronomy 32:48-52).
Today’s Bible
question: “With what did John baptize?”
Answer in our next SD.
1/24/2018 10:50 AM
No comments:
Post a Comment