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1 Now, it happened that while Apollos was away in Corinth, Paul made his way down through the mountains, came to Ephesus, and happened on some disciples there. 2 The first thing he said was, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? Did you take God into your mind only, or did you also embrace him with your heart? Did he get inside you?" "We've never even heard of that - a Holy Spirit? God within us?" 3 "How were you baptized, then?" asked Paul. "In John's baptism." 4 "That explains it," said Paul. "John preached a baptism of radical life-change so that people would be ready to receive the One coming after him, who turned out to be Jesus. If you've been baptized in John's baptism, you're ready now for the real thing, for Jesus." 5 And they were. As soon as they heard of it, they were baptized in the name of the Master Jesus. 6 Paul put his hands on their heads and the Holy Spirit entered them. From that moment on, they were praising God in tongues and talking about God's actions. 7 Altogether there were about twelve people there that day. (Acts 19:1-7 The Message)
Happy Thursday ConCafe Family, and a special day for you, dear Friend as you spend time with God and His word. I pray it bring you blessings and peace as you fight the battles of life. As I write this, I do so with a broken heart as what many of us witnessed what happened at Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. There is, in my opinion, no way to justify what we saw; we saw domestic terrorism against our country. I write this on Wednesday afternoon and I do not know what tonight will hold in terms of more violence. Let us pray for all people, and let us lift our nation in prayer. May God share His peace with all of us in these United States of America.
We continue our journey towards Sunday's celebration of the Lord's Baptism. And today's passage gives us an insight into the nature of baptism.
We, as United Methodists, have two sacraments; baptism and communion. And though other denominations may have the same number of sacraments, the interpretation and understanding of each may be as varied as the number of churches who hold the same beliefs. Take for example, the passage we just read. Paul and Apollos were co-evangelists for Jesus. They loved to baptize people after they came to faith; yet, their baptisms as this passage lets us know, were different. While Apollos was in they city of Corinth, Paul made his way to Ephesus. While there he happened to come upon some disciples there and Paul asks if they received the Holy Spirit when they came to faith. "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed? Did you take God into your mind only, or did you also embrace Him with your heart? Did He get inside you?" Paul meant business; he wanted answers to know what his assignment from God was with this group. Their reply made him know exactly what he needed to do; share the Holy Spirit. They knew they had received the same baptism as John the Baptist had offered to all who gathered at the River Jordan, and that was known in the words that Paul uses; "John preached a baptism of radical life-change so that people would be ready to receive the One coming after him, who turned out to be Jesus. Paul pressed them to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, under the name of Jesus, and as he laid his hands on their heads, the Holy Spirit entered them. From that moment on, they were praising God in different languages, exactly like Acts 2 (The Day of Pentecost); and they gave witness to God about His actions in their lives. And unlike that day in Jerusalem where 3,000 were present and baptized, there were twelve people there that day.
The baptism of John, the one which Jesus participated in, was for the forgiveness of sins; a symbolic washing of that which God was doing within the person's spirit; ridding the person of all his/her sins. Notice the reference above to "radical life change so that people would be ready to receive the One coming after him. The baptism at Pentecost was an empowering baptism; the disciples were from that point on, empowered to give witness to Jesus in all the world. The use of tongues showed that God could and would communicate with all people in their own language, so they could hear the marvelous things that God was doing even in their own communities. The baptism offered in our churches is first, a rite of initation, where the infant presented, becomes a member of the worshiping community; taking the place of the covenant offered to Abraham that God said would be for all, from the youngest to the oldest; which Wesley took to mean infants. The Confirmation that comes after baptism is a form of fully sharing with the baptized infant that which s/he under went and what it all means, and allows for the confirmand to publicly declare their faith in Jesus Christ. The baptism is done in the name of the Trinity; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, symbolizing the involvement and empowerment of the Godhead in this sacred, incarnational moment; where Christ is remembered for His participation in this rite offered at the Jordan River. Baptism is saying to those who feel unwanted; you belong to Me, and I am with you, I love you, I will walk with you, I will bless you, and I will protect you; thus my title for today: It's what's for life.
PRAYER: Loving Father, again, we hear of Your great love and we rejoice; truly we matter to You and we accept that willingly and joyously. Bless our nation witih peace, and fill our hearts with love and not fear. Let us work together for the good of this nation and the entire world. Make us truly worthy of what You have shared through the gift of baptism; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Remember your baptism and be glad!
Receive my blessings of joy and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
