48. Did Jesus baptize anyone? John 3:22 vs. John 4:2

No. (They really think we’re stupid.)

John 3:22
After these things Jesus and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized.

John 4:2
(though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples),

So … no. Does it necessitate explanation?

Jesus and His disciples were at the river, and His disciples were baptizing people under His supervision and authority.

Shorter way of saying that? “Jesus baptized.” He was, via His disciples.

When we talk about John 6, we say that Jesus fed 5000 men (plus women and children). But Jesus didn’t really do much. Scripture tells us that He had the disciples organize the crowd. The disciples distributed food, and the disciples cleaned up the left-overs.

Why?

I don’t know, but I can think of a few good reasons:

• Jesus is the best leader ever. He was teaching His disciples how to do the ministry they were going to have to do when He left.
• God always has, and always will, use people to do His work.
• No one would have wanted Peter to baptize him, if Jesus was also baptizing people. The line would have been unending, and He would eventually have to turn people away when it was time to go, and how would those people feel?

In Chapter 3, John takes the short-cut of saying that Jesus baptized because it was enough to introduce the conversation, which was really about John the Baptism turning people over to Jesus’ leadership. In Chapter 4, John clarified the point.

Again:

Clarification is not contradiction.

Allow me to digress for just a moment.

*pulls soap box out of Mary Poppins carpet bag*

I love that this is garnering attention for spoken word. And, fine, loosely defined, it could be spoken word, but if you’ve never really listened to spoken word, don’t let this be your plum line.

It’s a fine poem, and the kid is a fine orator. But a lot of spoken word artists and enthusiasts would tell you that spoken word often mixes poetry and prose, weighs heavily on alliteration, messes with meter and internal rhyme scheme, and is more of a performance than a recital. It’s a good poem, and I’m sure the guy is genuine and passionate. I’m just … gonna continue to call it “a poem.”

On to business.

First, if you haven’t seen it, or haven’t seen the whole thing, start here:

Now, a Catholic priest responds. And he’s a little sassy about it. In a fun way. 

Touché.

He kind of makes the first guy seem like a punk kid, if you ask me. A well-intentioned, but perhaps over-confident, punk kid.

What do you think? Is there a winner? Favorite lines from each one? Are they even talking about the same thing?

Now, if you really want some spoken word, check out these:

(AND, while I don’t touch these three, far be it from me to hide behind a computer screen. My last attempt is here, starting at 0:40. There’s no swanky background music or fun camera action, but it’s there.)

47. In whose name is baptism to be performed? Matthew 28:19 vs. Acts 2:38, 8:16, 10:48, 19:5

Aaand we’re back.

Matthew 28:19
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,

Acts 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.

Acts 8:16
For as yet He had fallen upon none of them. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Acts 10:48
And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then they asked him to stay a few days.

Acts 19:5
When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

I love water baptisms. I didn’t really get it for a while, but once I understood I was next in line and I love it.

Jesus once said that He had come to fulfill the Law. The Old Testament details 600+ commandments necessary to maintain holiness so one can be in the presence of God. Surely – having fulfilled it all at the highest price, established a “new and better covenant,” preached salvation by grace through faith – no one believes that Jesus’ last words to His disciples were … more rules.

Water baptism is a beautiful sacrament that the Lord gave us.

Romans 6 describes it wonderfully,

4 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.

Water baptism is a public display of faith.

It is a line in the sand, a commitment. When we are submerged, we symbolize our death to the person we used to be and the life we used to live. When we are raised up, we symbolize our union with the resurrected Christ, and commit to living new lives in Him.

Some verses reference the “Lord Jesus,” some just “the Lord.” In Acts 8:38, not referenced by the poster, we’re simply told that Philip baptized a eunuch.

Each is discussing a circumstance, but none are directly quoting the ceremony.

Jesus told His disciples to baptize believers into the fulness of the Godhead: Father, Son and Spirit. All and each are God. If we commit our lives to One, we commit our lives to All.

In Acts 2, when Peter was talking to Jewish-background believers, he clarified that the “Son” is not a Messiah they were still waiting for, but Jesus the Christ whom they had seen and heard. Not to the exclusion of the Father and Spirit, but for the clarity of the people.

Same story in Acts 8 and 19. Non-Jewish people didn’t receive the gospel until Acts 10, so chapter 8 is talking about Jewish believers. Chapter 19 is going on in the Church in Corinth – again: believers clarifying the deity of Christ.

In Acts 10, we’re talking about the first non-Jewish believers, and scripture just says, “Lord.” Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all “Lord.”

Most people call me Lex, but my grandparents usually call me Alexis. I had a great-grandmother for a while who called me Kate. My close family call me Lexi, or Lexi Kate. My mom sometimes calls me Alexis Katherine, and Tony calls me Mrs. Wisniewski. None of them are wrong. None of them are talking to, or about, someone else.

The specific words that came out of anyone’s mouth during a water baptism are never noted, nor are they terribly important.

The Father, Son and Spirit are three Persons in One Godhead. The Son is Jesus who is the Christ and our Lord.

You can download the PDF for free here.

Piper posted the free link at the beginning of the week, saying,

“Bloodlines is one of the most autobiographical books I have written. It tells my story from racism to the path of redemption. I preached on the theme of Bloodlines yesterday to mark Martin Luther King weekend. The title of the message was “From Bloodlines to Bloodline.” I argued that God is calling his people to move from the alienation of many bloodlines to the reconciliation of the single bloodline that began on the cross of Christ.

“I urged my people to read the book. Not because I care about selling books, but because I want them to know my story, to be aware to the global relevance of the issue, and to feel the hope that comes from the power of the gospel.”

Have you read it? Thoughts?

This post is a follow-up to the very popular, “What To Do When You Disagree With Your Pastor,” and yesterday’s, “When To Leave Your Church.”

Your reasons are serious and biblical. Your spouse, if applicable, agrees with you, and you have a few other local churches in mind to check out. Now,

how do you actually … leave?

The common thing to do is disappear. Just stop going, and don’t say anything to anybody.

Don’t do that.

Hopefully you can’t do that. Hopefully you’re volunteering in some capacity, or your kids are involved in the youth group, or you and your spouse are part of a small/home group – all of which would make it difficult to just stop showing up. Hopefully.

Meet with your pastor.

Call or email to set up an appointment, and get together. Calmly and humbly and honestly explain why you feel like this congregation is not a good fit for you and/or your family. 

• Tell him, or remind him, what you’ve done to settle your issues via Matthew 18, and what the result ultimately was.
• Assure him that you harbor no ill will, that you have nothing against him or his leadership team, but that you just feel it’s time to move on.
• Reassure him that you’re not angry and you’re not trying to start an argument; you just wanted make sure everything was clear and leave on good terms.

If you are harboring ill will, or you are angry, or you can’t have that conversation in a calm manner, then you need to spend some time in prayer before your meeting. Maybe he is wrong. Maybe he did hurt you. Maybe you don’t respect him. You can still forgive, as you’ve been forgiven. Don’t leave angry.

If you go to a megachurch, and you can’t get together with your pastor – or you don’t think it wouldn’t matter because he wouldn’t know your name(s) anyway – have that conversation with someone on staff, or someone in leadership. The person who runs the ministry you volunteer in, or the small group you attend, etc.

Not with the crabby woman whom you frequently talk to while waiting to pick up your kids. That’s gossip. That doesn’t count.

Then, go quietly.

You don’t need to broadcast your decision. If someone asks you, of course, be honest, but err on the side of caution. You don’t need to tell everyone who asks what you think the pastor’s many personal faults are, or how you think things should have been run, etc. “We didn’t agree with leadership,” or, “We couldn’t support the vision at that church,” are sufficient explanation for strangers and acquaintances. Don’t be drawn in.

The bait you will hear in your ear is that the pastor or the church is leading people into error, and someone needs to expose it.

Someone needs to tell the truth. Someone needs to do something.

Someone does. And He will. But that’s not your job.

You still don’t know every side to the story. You still don’t know what happens in the church offices on Wednesdays, or in the pastors home during the evenings. You don’t know the calling that God has on someone else’s life, so you need to leave it alone. He’s not your servant (Romans 14:4).

We are all responsible for our own faith and our own salvation – you, me, that pastor, and the guy sitting on the fourth row every other Sunday. We will all be judged in perfect righteousness by the only One who is perfectly righteous. Don’t try on those shoes.

Pray for the pastor. Pray for leadership. Pray for the congregation. God is well able to speak, open eyes, create change, etc. It’s still His Church, His bride, His body. Flawed or not, you don’t want to be found harassing His love when He comes for her.

(Now, clearly, if there is a financial swindle going on, or abuse of some kind, then yes, you have an obligation to report that to the proper authorities, but hopefully it wouldn’t have taken you this long to do that.)

If you need to leave, and you’re ready to leave, (1) have a mature conversation with leadership, and (2) go respectfully.

Thoughts? Questions? Anything I missed?

I wrote a little piece almost a year ago called, “What To Do When You Disagree With Your Pastor.” It still gets a lot of action, and people still find this site every day by typing things like,

“what to do when you don’t respect your pastor.”

The post was written from a privileged position, but I guess I had forgotten how privileged. I’m blessed to sit and work under a pastor who I know is a man of integrity, and one who hears from God.

Not everyone, I am reminded, is so fortunate.

After several heart-breaking stories in the comments on that post, I thought it needed a couple of follow-ups.

I still believe that that four “steps” laid out in that post will solve most issues, but clearly there are exceptions.

Disclaimer: As with “What To Do When You Disagree With Your Pastor,” I’m not in any way qualify to offer advice, except for my years on a church staff. I offer that, and this, advice, as an otherwise “normal” person who has seen behind the proverbial curtain.

If you’re thinking about leaving your local church. Ask yourself these questions:

1 – How long have I been at this church?

If it hasn’t been very long, ask yourself how long you were at the church before this one. If you’re changing churches on a regular basis (annually, say), consider that the common denominator is you. You may have had some misfortune, but you may also be impossible to please.

If you’ve been at that church for one week, take a deep breath. If you’re looking for a church, give each one three or four consecutive weeks. Everybody has off days, and it may have been the week you showed up. (Of course, if something really unbiblical was happening – animal sacrifices or blood-letting or something – get out.)

2 – Why are you thinking about leaving?

Be honest.

Bad Reasons:

• Someone hurt your feelings
• You feel like no one cares about you
• Your favorite social justice issue not represented in their printed information
• You tried out for the worship team and got turned down
• The bathrooms are too dirty

Those are usually things that Holy Spirit is trying to refine in you, or ministries you need to volunteer for, etc. If your reason(s) has to do with you, it’s probably because of you – not because of the rest of the church.

Good Reasons:

• You believe that the core beliefs of the congregation are unbiblical
• You are unable to support the vision that leadership has received, and is pursuing
• You are unable to support leadership – after having privately discussed your issue with the person in question
• The teaching, or the leadership, is misrepresenting Jesus and His gospel in some way

If you disagree with your pastor, and you’ve obeyed Matthew 18 without resolution, then maybe this particular local church is not for you. Most pastors would prefer that you find a local church you can support, instead of staying at theirs in disunity.

Does your spouse agree with you?

If you’re married, you need to be in agreement. Especially if you have children. As a student ministry leader, I beg you on this point. Your family needs to be in unity.

Where will you go instead?

Spend some time on Google before your last Sunday at your current church, and find at least three other possibilities.

People often hurry out and theeen … start to sleep in on Sunday mornings, and start making excuses. A year later you’ll be a weak believer who has been separated from the fold. If you have kids, you’ll suddenly find yourself raising them without a local church, and you don’t want to be there.

Tomorrow we’ll talk about how to leave your church, if you really feel you must.

Thoughts? Anything I missed?

$12

No worship event I’d rather be at than a John Mark one.

Last I heard, the “& Friends” was unannounced, but not All The Bright Lights this time. *pouty face* I’m sure whomever it is will be grand.

You in? Worshipped with JMM and his team before? Testify.

but this bill that’s being pushed through Congress – without any main stream media attention – could shut us all down in a heartbeat.

If you haven’t been following SOPA, the video above is a good intro.

Some of us were crossing out fingers that it would die or get buried while Congress was on holiday recess, but it didn’t. It will go to the Senate at the end of the month.

The fact that it’s being pushed so quietly just after the 2012 NDAA was signed is kind of terrifying.

The government is giving themselves a lot of power, and that’s not how this country is supposed to run. I’m not a conspiracy theorist, but no political body or leader should have the power to shut down a website in a moment’s notice with no evidence of illegal activity. Neither should a government have the right or the power to detain anyone they deem is an “enemy” without due process. Both powers combined is a disaster waiting to happen, and something I never thought could happen in this country.

The end of the video directs you to this website:

http://www.fightforthefuture.org/pipa

Go.

Type in your name and zip code, and they’ll send a letter expressing your deep concern about SOPA to your representatives in Congress.

Matthew 6:14
“If you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”

Forgiveness is good for the soul.

It’s hard, because we feel like someone doesn’t deserve to be forgiven.

But then again, neither do we deserve to be forgiven.

It’s hard, because we’re hurt, and we have a right to be hurt. What was done to us is not okay, so we feel like it shouldn’t be excused.

But forgiveness is not excuse. Forgiveness doesn’t make the action okay. It just makes you okay.

Remy pointed me to a cool website called PostForgive.

You’ve probably seen PostSecret, the website and/or the books. It’s probably by that, but it’s healthier. It’s not about sharing secrets that you’ve never told anyone, it’s about publicly forgiving people you need to forgive.

Check it out.

I recently finished reading a collection of sermons by J.B. Lightfoot, and in scanning over my highlights I was reminded of a controversial passage. I submit to you:

“Art and culture are God’s own gifts, legitimate embellishments of life, even of worship, which is the highest form of life. But if culture aims at displacing religion, if art seeks to dethrone God – why, then, in the highest interests of humanity, be it our prayer that the sword of the barbarian and the axe of the iconoclast may descend once more, and sweep them ruthlessly away” (Loc 44).

Most of us recoil at the conquerors of old who would destroy centuries of culture and art. We cringe at stories of libraries and/or museums burned, and beauty lost forever.

But many Christians are also against “displacing religion” and anything that “seeks to dethrone God.”

So … Thoughts?

When does art go from sacred to dethroning God? How could art displace religion, or where would the line of self-exaltation be drawn? Is there gray area, or does every piece fall into one category or the other?