Message: The Joy of Salvation and Baptism – Acts 8:36-39 by Pastor John Khng There are Three Lessons we can learn from the Baptism of the Eunuch. I. Baptism is for Believers only – Acts 8:36,37. Salvation is by Grace through Faith – Eph. 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” - Ephesians 2:8-9 Baptism does not save us. It is not a work that we do to earn salvation. Baptism is obedience to God’s command and comes after salvation. I am saved therefore I want to get baptized not I want to get baptized in order to get saved. Question: Is there a age limit for baptism? The Bible talks only about believer’s baptism so the age limit is when a child is able to exercise faith in Christ and testify that he or she has accepted Christ as their Saviour. Reason for not baptizing babies is because they are not able to exercise faith. II. Baptism should follow immediately after Salvation – Acts 8:38 How long must we wait after salvation to get baptized? As soon as you know you are saved, you should be baptized. Those who are not sure, could make sure of their salvation – good to face the command early and be an obedient Christian rather than live in uncertainty about one’s own salvation. III. Baptism is a Joyful Proclamation of our Faith in Christ – Acts 8:39 - A picture of what takes place in our heart. - A public testimony of our faith in Christ Baptism is by immersion – Acts 8:38-39 “they went down both into the water” - Acts 8:38 “when they were come up out of the water” - Acts 8:39 Baptism can be held in any place where there is much water – Acts 8:36 John 3:23, “And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.” Baptism shows forth our identification with Christ in His death, burial and resurrection. "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:" Romans 6:4-5 Baptism of Wang Ming Dao ln the afternoon of the 5th we five took our baggage and left the school. We stayed overnight at an inn. There again arose thoughts of doubt and fear in my heart, and my mind was vacillating and restless; I suffered acutely The next day we set out to find a place with water for the baptism. lt was the period of 'Little Cold' and a few days earlier it had snowed for two whole days. The ground everywhere was covered with a blanket of pure white snow, and the river was frozen over with thick ice. We went along the city moat, towards the south, looking for a suitable place. We came to a bridge over the river and underneath the bridge was a sluice. The water from above the sluice cascaded down like a small waterfall. Because of the constant movement at this point the water could not solidify into ice and what we saw was like a small pool. There we stopped. After we had prayed, standing on the snow, Mr Ju went down into the water. The four students and I then took off our wadded garments and put on thin garments. We then went down into the water. Shih Tien-min, the student who had left school out of sympathy for me, decided on the spur of the moment to join us. He was also baptized. I still remember how, as I came up out of water, my long hair turned immediately into a stick of ice. As soon as I took off the thin garments they became hard and solid like thin boards - Wang Ming Dao and Charismaticism, Pages 44 to 45 The eunuch "went on his way rejoicing." - Acts 8:39 - Rejoicing in his salvation and his baptism.
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2013 Pacific Rim Regional Fundamental Baptist Fellowship International Conference (A Summary)20/6/2013 Title: Serving for the glory of God
Main Sponsor: Bob Jones Memorial Bible College Venue: Gospel Light Baptist Church, Philippines 28 May to 30 May 2013 Taking off 27 May It only seemed like yesterday when we first heard about this Bible conference to be held in the Philippines. After signing up for the trip, we were hoping that more would sign up but nonetheless we were thankful that Brother Chew’s boss eventually approved his leave application at the eleventh hour; and that Samuel could join us for the full trip. With much anticipation for the refreshing and rejuvenation of God’s words, apprehension of the extreme hot weather and possible anti-Chinese sentiments owing to the recent island spat between China and Philippines) and work burden for Chew, we were grateful to be on our way to the land of thousand islands. We were also thankful for the sweet fellowship of faithful brethrens and sister who sent us off at the airport, and for the assurance that the church was praying for us. Touching down We touched down safely in the Philippines and were welcomed by Brother Cedric’s family. They were all waiting to pick us up to send us to the hotel. We marveled at the number of high-rise buildings which were mostly condominiums that had sprung up around the airport area. We were spared the notorious traffic jam as it was well after 10pm and with Brother Cedric driving like a local who knew the short-cut ways, we headed for our dinner/supper at a much-anticipated Jolly Bee outlet within one hour. With happy tummies, we headed into dreamlands to prepare for the great feast of God’s blessing the next few days. by Samuel Chng
1. Be a non-conformist Don’t let the world squeeze you into its mould, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” – Romans 12:1 Don’t let Hollywood or your friends be your guide to what is proper and improper in dating. Your standard should be God’s Word, the Bible. Your unsaved friends will probably laugh at you for this, but we shouldn’t be surprise, as “The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” – 1 Corinthians 2:14. 2. Honour your parents “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise)” – Ephesians 6:1-2. As children, we need to obey our parents in the Lord and submit to the rules and regulations they set down concerning dating. by Lee Kai Ling
My Sunday school class recently concluded our study on the Book of Job, a book that is set in beautiful, perfect prose and draws attention to numerous themes pertaining to the very nature of man - his righteousness, his suffering, his pride - and the sovereignty of God. Though dissecting nearly every chapter into its smaller bits to fully understand God’s word in a short frame of time was ‘mentally stressful’, I have been deeply blessed by the lessons. I trust that the youths in my class share similar sentiments and beholding these wondrous truths and teachings will certainly strengthen our spiritual walk with the Lord. The fiery interaction between Job and his three friends was heavily discussed as it reflects a larger picture of how society works today – how we view the actions of others and act upon them. As Job’s friends brandish their best weapons to smite him and persist in breaking down this most righteous man while he painstakingly tries to uphold his integrity to those who are ever ready to correct him in order to prove themselves right, the issues of Humility and Judgment set in. How often do we detect the errors other people make and spring up at the chance of catching them red-handed? How often do we stand on the pedestal and cast disapproving eyes on the sins of others in order to prove our worth? How often do we single out little details and minute errors and put a brother or a sister down whilst establishing ourselves to be better off? How often have we sat down with a brother or sister-in-Christ and speak to the person in the spirit of meekness and love, rejecting the sin, and not the sinner? Do we share each other’s burdens? by Bethany Khng
“And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills” (Deuteronomy 33:15). Philippines. The verse in Deuteronomy 33:15 describes a land that belonged to Joseph one of the sons of Israel, a land that was bountifully blessed by the Lord God. However, the land of Palawan, one of the 7,000 islands of the Philippines, was nothing like Joseph’s mountains. There were ‘precious things’ indeed, the indigenous local natives, who live in small crude huts or shelters tucked out of sight in the ‘lasting hills’ of Palawan. Poverty, however, is etched on the faces of the people, although the land is rich natural resources. This is the journal entry of a ‘reluctant missionary’ who tagged along, ‘reluctant to let go’ of her half-completed school work to go on a missions trip organized by the Church from 11 – 17 December 2012. With an attitude such as this, one wonders if the Lord’s blessings will flow or cease because one person is not getting her priorities right! But God is good. He did bless us – He did bless me, despite my unwillingness to ‘let go’ and let Him have His ways with me. He watched over us, guided and protected us; He kept the mini bus we were travelling in from breaking down (it was known to be unreliable!) so that we were none the worse from the experiences, except throwing up a couple of times (in handy plastic bags or in the sea!) Still, we survived the ordeal with precious lessons learnt. by Lee Kai Ling
This world is so vast; this earth is marked by diversity and its inhabitants differ in beliefs. Once again, another classmate comes along with the ‘Big Questions of Life’. What do we live for? What’s the purpose of life? Can Christianity answer all questions? Are miracles for real? Do we look to religion just because we are weak and need something to depend and place our hopes on? Sometimes, they don’t bombard with questions. They hurl a statement in my face. Christianity is a blind faith, a figment of imagination. I swallow them in, all of them. Many a time, in order to prove my faith, I find myself embarking on this route where I choose to rationalize, painstakingly making use of all the logical arguments in my head. Yet these extensive table discussions and debates leave us without any conclusion and only more confusion. by Ho Leng Li
Daily, I am challenged to be creative about meals to meet the growing appetite and demands of my growing sons and unspoken high standards of my husband. (Why? He has been overly exposed to restaurant-style food due to his constant travelling and his many business social functions) I considered myself least fussy in my family when it comes to food. I love soft diet but to the ever growing male members, they need variety and meat dishes to feel like they have eaten something ‘sensible’. The only pork and chicken flavoring I was exposed to is dark soya sauce. Surely there is something I can create on my own for my family that originates from ‘Mommy’! by Lee Jia En
Time certainly flies. As cliché as that may sound, I have never imagined that my 3 years in Polytechnic would have gone by so quickly. Sometimes as I look back to the day I first entered Ngee Ann to pursue the Engineering Common Programme (ECP) course, I cannot help but feel that God has been blessing me so much throughout this whole new journey. Today, I have graduated with my diploma! I grew up in this church and it has always been comforting to know how much God has been with all of us, especially the youths. Watching how each and every one of us move from one stage to another, emerging stronger, bigger & taller; I know God has been good to us and as He has promised, “The LORD our God be with us, as he was with our fathers: let him not leave us, nor forsake us: (1 King 8:57)”. But most importantly, I have grown to learn that God has a plan for us and we should continually put all our faith and trust in Him. by Pastor John Khng It is very common for Christians to claim the promise that God will supply all their needs based on Philippians 4:19 which says, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” without looking at the verse before which says, “I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God.” – Philippians 4:18 The “But” in verse 19 tell us that the promise is especially for those who were mentioned in verse 18 although we can claim the promise whenever we are in need of God’s provisions. The promise in verse 19 is an encouragement to those who are taking care of the needs of others just like the Philippian Christians. When we take care of other people’s needs, God will take care of our needs. What are needs? Needs are the “must have” for survival. What are wants? Wants are the “wish to have” but not necessary must have. Apostle Paul was in prison in Rome at that time when the Philippian church sent him a gift through their messenger, Epaphroditus. As a prisoner, Apostle Paul would have been viewed as someone who was in need, being deprived of the many essential things in life. Yet Paul was a contented man because his focus was on Christ and not on his own needs. Paul said, “Not that I speak in respect of want (wish to have more than is needed): for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.” – Philippians 4:11-12 Paul knew how to abase and how to abound which means he was able to handle himself well in every situation in life, whether he is having needs or having abundance. He could live a contented life because as He testified in verse 13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me.” There is a New Perspective that we can gain from the following story. A Jewish man in Hungary went to his rabbi and complained, “Life is unbearable. There are nine of us living in one room. What can I do?” The rabbi answered, “Take your goat into the room with you.” The man was sceptical, but the rabbi insisted, “Do as I say and come back in a week.” A week later the man returned looking more distraught than before. “We can’t stand it,” he told the rabbi. “The goat is filthy.” The rabbi said, “Go home and let the goat out, and come back in a week.” A week later the man returned, radiant, exclaiming, “Life is beautiful. We enjoy every minute of it now that there’s no goat - only the nine of us.” (Reader's Digest [12/81].) Contentment is more a matter of our perspective than of our circumstances, isn’t it? By focusing on Christ instead of our needs and our circumstances, we can rejoice in the Lord always. Philippians 4:4 says, “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, rejoice.” by Hazel Tan
Early April, I left Singapore for Los Angeles, California for a six month internship stint with an American company for academic credit. Prior to leaving Singapore, I was experiencing a lot of issues with my visa documents. They were severely delayed by three weeks, and initially I thought, “Maybe God doesn’t think this is good for me,” and if so, so be it. But somehow the Lord opened the door to LA, and honestly I did not have any idea what He had in stored for me. But through it all, I was aware that He was with me every step of the way as Psalm 121 says: 1I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. 2My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. 3He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. 4Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. 5The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. 6The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. 7The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. 8The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore. |
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