2 verses 19 to 21 - NIV)
Baptism
When I think of baptism I think of Namaan.
You can read about Namaan in the Old Testament book of 2 Kings chapter 5.
Namaan was a very powerful man; he was an important general in the army of the King of Syria. But despite his wealth and power, he was suffering from a horrible skin disease that was incurable.
One of his slaves was a young girl who had been captured from the Israelites; this slave girl told Namaan’s wife that she knew of a prophet of God called Elisha who could cure his horrible disease. Namaan went to see Elisha, arriving with great pomp and ceremony.
But Elisha didn’t even bother to greet the general; instead, he sent one of his servants to tell the great and mighty Namaan to go and wash seven times in the River Jordan.
Namaan was very angry. Elisha had snubbed him, and told him to do something ridiculous: why should he bathe in the River Jordan when he could bathe in far superior rivers back in Syria?
As Namaan was about to storm off back to Syria, one of his servants reasoned with him, arguing that they had come all this way, so why not just dip into the Jordan seven times while you are here? The servant argued that if Elisha had asked Naaman to do something difficult and impressive, he would have done it; but Elisha had asked him to do something very simple: just to wash in the river. So why refuse?
Namaan agreed with his servant’s logic; he went down to the river and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, just as Elisha had instructed him.
And Namaan was cured.
Namaan’s skin was regenerated as soft and clean as the skin of a young boy.
Baptism is that simple: it is being immersed into water.
If you really, really wanted to become a Christian, and you were told that you had to sit a difficult examination, fill in application forms, put on your best clothes and be interviewed by a panel of intimidating recruiters, you might think that this sounds like a reasonable condition for being granted eternal life and all the wonderful privileges of being a member of God’s family.
But you need to understand that Jesus Christ has already done everything for you, Jesus Christ has paid the price, Jesus Christ has made the sacrifice: all you need to do is believe.
God is not asking you to do something difficult: he is asking you to do something very, very simple.
Baptism is a simple act of obedience.
If Namaan had stormed off back to Syria he would never have been cured of his horrible skin disease.
Namaan washed away his disease in the River Jordan; and through our baptism we are demonstrating that our sins have been washed away by the sacrifice that Christ made on our behalf when he was killed on the cross.
Different churches practice different kinds of baptism, from a complete immersion in water, to sprinkling some water over a baby’s head. But what does the Bible say about baptism?
In the original language of the Bible, the word used for baptism is Baptizo.
Baptizo means overwhelmed, or immersed: for example, baptizo can be used to describe dyeing a woolen fleece.
If you want to dye a fleece properly you need to make sure that it is completely submerged in the dye, every last bit of it; because if you fail to completely submerge it and soak it through, the fleece would be dyed unevenly and insufficiently.
Baptism means a complete immersion.
When you watch a baptism, you can appreciate how the act of immersion into water symbolizes the burial of your old life, and rebirth into your new life with God.
Paul explains this symbolism clearly when he asks: “Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin - because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.” (Romans chapter 6 verses 3 to 7 - NIV)
Sprinkling or putting a little dot of water on someone’s head doesn’t really represent the washing away of sins; it doesn’t really demonstrate the death, burial and resurrection to a new life: it isn’t humbling, it isn’t a sincere demonstration of submission, as baptism should be.
If you think that baptism isn’t so important, if you think that you can get along okay as a Christian without the need to be baptized, in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 3, we are told how Jesus arrived at the River Jordan to be baptized by John the Baptist.
Jesus was baptized. I am definitely not a better person than Jesus. If Jesus was baptized, then I need to be obedient to God’s instructions and be baptized too.
When Jesus asked John the Baptist to baptize him, John argued that it should be Jesus who should be baptizing him. But Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” (Matthew chapter 3 verse 15 - NIV)
Baptism does not make you holy.
Baptism does not save you from your sins.
Baptism does not give you supernatural powers.
Baptism demonstrates your sincere obedience to God.
The Birth of Jesus Christ (Christmas)
I hate to burst your bubble, but Santa Claus doesn’t have anything to do with the Christmas story.
Before I start the real Christmas story, let me explain who Santa Claus was.
Santa Claus is a translation of the name Saint [Santa] Nicholas [Claus].
Nicholas was a Christian who was born over 200 years after the birth of Jesus Christ.
Nicholas didn’t keep pet reindeers or live at the North Pole; in truth, Nicholas lived in an area that is near the Mediterranean south coast of modern-day Turkey.
As an active Christian and an important person in the church, Nicholas helped lots of people; but the good deed he is best remembered for is the help he provided to a poor man who had three daughters.
Apparently this man was so poor that he couldn’t afford to provide a dowry for his daughters, (a dowry is property or money that a bride brings into her marriage), and this meant that his daughters could never get married. In the culture of those times an unmarried woman had a very bad reputation - his daughters would be ruined.
Nicholas resolved to help the poor man; but it would have been humiliating for him if Nicholas simply gave him a bag of money; so Nicholas cleverly filled three purses with gold coins, one for each daughter, and secretly dropped the purses down the poor
