Philippine Asian News Today Vol 19 No 13 | Page 24

24 RELIGIOUS PHILIPPINE ASIAN NEWS TODAY July 1 - 15 , 2017
Wisdom from the Word
Ben Berto

This We Believe Absolutely .. Baptism by Immersion-2

And being assembled together with them , He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem , but to wait for the Promise of the Father , “ which ,” He said , “ you have heard from Me ; 5 for John truly baptized with water , but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now . Acts 1 : 4-5 , NKJV 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 . 39 For the promise is to you and to your children , and to all who are afar off , as many as the Lord our God will call .” Acts 2 : 38 , 39 NKJV
By baptism according to the Bible , one needs to believe and accept the truth of the gospel by hearing , or reading and instructed thoroughly in the Scriptures . Babies don ’ t know anything and can ’ t believe anything , but as per Seventh-day
Adventist doctrine , they could be dedicated to the Lord just like the child Samuel , whose mother Hannah , dedicated to the Lord after he was weaned , and he served the Lord all his life . The Nazirites are dedicated to the Lord all their lives and go through life without having their hair cut , one example was Samson who judged Israel for twenty years . He was extraordinarily strong as long as he kept his vows as a Nazirite .
The picture that you saw in the first article was placed there without my knowledge . That wasn ’ t immersion but pouring water on the person . Jesus came out of the water so it meant he was submerged . The Scripture proves my point . Enough said ?
WHY JESUS WAS BAPTIZED
The candidates should receive complete instruction in the Christian faith , and they should have a basic understanding of both the theory and the practice of the
Christian life . For this reason , it is not appropriate to baptize infants and young children . Older children should receive baptism only after they are sufficiently mature that they can understand the seriousness of the step they are taking .
The Bible teaches that that baptism is by immersion . One of the primary reasons for this is the books of Romans and Colossians , where Paul compares baptism to the death , burial , and resurrection of Christ ( Romans 6 : 1-6 , Colossians 2 : 12 , 13 ). This symbolism would not have meant anything to the early Christian church if they had practiced any form of baptism other than immersion . EXAMPLES OF BAPTISM Two New Testament accounts of baptism illustrates baptism by immersion : that of Jesus , who was baptized by John the Baptist , and that of the Ethiopian , who was baptized by Philip . In both cases the Bible says that the candidates went down into
the water and came out of the water ( Matthew 3 : 16 , Acts 8 : 38 , 39 ). The very word baptism comes from the Greek word baptizo , which means “ to submerge , to put under water .”
Baptism should come after the candidate has repented of his sins , confessed them , and separated himself from them . This should include faith in Jesus ’ pardoning love and the commitment to a new life in Him which , through the power of the Holy Spirit , is the best way to live . In addition to providing the Christian with a new and more fulfilling relationship with Jesus , baptism also introduces him to a new relationship with Christ ’ s church on the earth — a group of believers that is known for their love for God and for their neighbours . Baptism is the entry point for membership in the church .
Baptism should not be undertaken lightly . Rather , it should indicate a radical change in the direction of a
person ’ s life . Just as baptism by immersion in John ’ s day prepared people for the first coming of Jesus , baptism by water and the Spirit today will help to prepare those who love Him for His second coming .
For prayer , questions and Bible study , call Ben at 604-581-1278 , Junjun at 778-927-8040 , and Stanley at 604-700-3053 . You are invited to worship with us every Sabbath ( Saturday ) at the Abundant Life Community Seventh-day Adventist Church at 13062-104 Avenue , Surrey . Welcome .
Our new shepherd , Pastor Leomar Macaraig also takes care of the Vancouver Filipino and Burnaby FilCan SDA churches . His phone number is ; 604-928-3579 . Every Friday , we have a Bible Study with the Pastor . Everybody is welcome to attend , whether you are a Seventh-day Adventist or not . The Word of God is for everyone . Our address is 9495- 132 Street , Surrey .

Moments

Fr . Jerry M . Orbos , SVD

Do you really know ?

The story is told about three friends who were at a bar and saw a customer who was drunk . Thinking that he was dead drunk , and knowing that he could not possibly make it home alone , they decided to accompany him . Along the way , he fell down several times . When finally they turned him over to the wife , she said : “ Thank you so much ! But what did you do with his wheelchair ?”
Often we think we know , or pretend to know , but do we really know ? In today ’ s Gospel ( Mt . 11 , 25-30 ), Jesus says : “ No one knows the Son except the Father . No one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal Him .” Do we really know God ? We talk about Him , preach about Him , but do we really know Him ? We can truly know God if we really take time to listen to Jesus , and allow Him to reveal Himself to us . Even in prayer , especially in prayer , let us talk less , and listen more to God .
Jesus tells us today : “ Come to me all you who labor and are burdened , and
I will give you rest .” If we really know God , there is no reason for us to be anxious or worried . We have the assurance that He will give us rest , and that we are not alone in our burdens and pains .
Jesus also tells us today : “ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me , for I am meek and humble of heart .” If we really know God , we cannot and should not be proud . It is amazing how some people can claim that they know God and even claim to be close to Him , but are proud and arrogant . If we really know God , we must become more and more meek and humble like Him .
“ Humility ” has become such a lonely word in our present day and time . It seems that people have become more rough , proud and angry in thought , word and deed . We have to learn meekness and humility again and again .
“ For my yoke is easy ,
and my burden light .” We have the privilege to have a God who wants to share our load with Him . Do you feel overburdened ? That ’ s because you have not quite learned to surrender to and trust in the Lord . You are still a control freak , and still rely more on your worldly position and possessions rather than on the Lord . Just let go , and let God .
Let us share each other ’ s burdens . Let us help carry the load of others . There are a lot of people suffering around us . WWW . PHILIPPINEASIANNEWSTODAY . COM
There are a lot of realities and issues that confront us in our country . Now is not the time to say , “ I don ’ t know and I don ’ t care !”
If you cannot share the load of others , at least please don ’ t become a load to them . They have enough of their own .
July 11 is the Feast of St . Benedict who taught us “ Ora et Labora .” Pray and work ! Yes , as someone once put it , let us pray as if everything depended upon God , and work as if everything depended upon us .
We pray to St . Benedict to protect us from the snares of the evil one , from accidents , and sickness , and shield us from bad people with bad intentions . May St . Benedict intercede for us to live holy lives , and give us the grace of a holy death .
“ May the Holy Cross be my light ; may the dragon never be my guide ; be gone , Satan ; never tempt me with your vanities ; what you offer me is evil ; drink the poison yourself .” Let us continue to pray and propagate this prayer of deliverance by St . Benedict .
Thought for the journey : “ Always highlight your blessings . Replace any negativity with positivity . Think happy thoughts , speak happy words , do happy deeds . Inspire yourself ! Give someone a compliment , do a random act of kindness , take chances , start living life to its fullest . No matter what others may throw at you today , smile and give your blessing instead . Life is too short to be spent on useless thoughts and negative feelings .”
Think about this : “ Our Christian goal in life is Godliness , not happiness ; character , not reputation ; virtue , not wealth ; faith , not fame ; the approval of God , not that of men .”
A moment with the Lord : Lord , help us to really know You , and become more like You . Amen . ( Inquirer . net )