Muddy Waters

Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do His work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won't be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of His body, the church.  (Ephesians 4:12-15 NLT)

Normally, I like to explain Scripture through stories.  Jesus was a storyteller.  The Old Testament is filled with stories.  I relate better to stories and so to many others I know.  So, I tell stories to help us understand Scripture.


This next series of posts, though, will depart from my normal pattern.  Here's why.  The topic I will be discussing has become very difficult to discuss in the world of Christendom.  In fact, this topic alone has caused church and denominational splits that are too numerous to count.  The topic is baptism.


Baptism and it's function in God's plan has become "muddy water" that people simply don't want to go into...including me.  However, I cannot avoid the topic simply because it is difficult to carry on a conversation without people starting to condemn one another to hell.  It is a central piece of God's plan for us, His followers.  Therefore, I will write about it.
I will be sharing Scriptures (and their references) with you.  I will also discuss the context of those Scriptures and why they are relevant to us today.


What I will ask of you is simply this: read what it says.  Look it up in your own Bible - your own favorite translation.  Check out the original Greek if you like.  Just please take the time to read what God has shared with us, not what your teachers have taught you.


I've moved across denominations throughout my life, so I hold not allegiance to any specific denomination or theological presupposition.  Jesus was not in a denomination.  The Apostles were not in a denomination.  They were simply listening to and following God.  That's what I want to do as well.


I'll be praying for you as you read through this next week of posts.  Pray for me, also...that I will serve you and others well.