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April 2019

 
 

paSTOR`S PAGE

April 2019

April 7   

  

   Water baptism is the public testimony of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and at the same time, it is a covenant of consecration to the Lord. It is an external symbol of an internal change that is done by God through the Gospel and the Holy Spirit, and the faith and repentance of the believer. Why should we practice water baptism?

I. IT WAS INSTITUTED BY GOD – “John’s baptism—where did it come from? Was it from heaven, or of human origin?’ They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’” (Matthew 21:25)

II. IT WAS FULFILLED BY THE SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST – “When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased’ ” (Luke 3: 21-22).

III. IT WAS A PART OF THE SAVIOR’S TEACHING – “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

IV. IT WAS PART OF THEAPOSTLES’TEACHING – “Repent and be baptized, every one of you…” (Acts 2:38).

V. IT WAS PRACTICED AS A PART OF THE TEACHING OF THE FATHERS OF THE CHURCH AND ALONG CHURCH HISTORY –All Christian churches practice water baptism, in one form or another. Who should be baptized? Water baptism is reserved for those who personally respond to the message of the Gospel of the Lord, with faith and repentance. The Bible explains the fact that people who were baptized needed to do several things:

1. Believe in Jesus Christ, that He is the Son of God and the Savior of mankind (Mark 16:16).

2. They were to be taught the will of God (Matthew 28:20).

3. They had to accept the Word of God from the Gospel (Acts 10:47). Many of the fathers of the church, although they may have been baptized by their parents as children, still were baptized in water as adults: Ambrose, Jerome, Gregory of Nazianzus, Basil of Caesarea…

         Water baptism is the responsibility of every human being toward his Creator. Being faithful to God presupposes obedience to Him. Obedience to God means reading what He wrote to His people – the Bible. The Bible says, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16).

 April 14

 

    The winter holidays – the Incarnation of the Savior and the New Year, the election and consecration of new church leaders for a mandate, and the baptism have all come and gone. Next, we celebrate the Lord’s entrance in Jerusalem, the Resurrection of our Lord, the unified Holy Communion, and Pentecost. And we are just halfway through the year! The Lord has placed holidays and celebrations in the lives of humans for remembrance, worship, rest,
joy and fellowship. All these holidays create unity and belonging in the midst of a people, amplifying the sentiment of spiritual identity. Approximately 12 times a year we celebrate communion in the local church, but on Holy Thursday we have a unified Holy Communion,
fellowshipping together at the Lord’s table with the churches from our community. This is a great celebration, being a celebration of unity, of love, and of forgiveness.
     The purpose of the celebration is indispensable and complex:
1. A celebration gives meaning to the past, the events become real again in our memories. We forget the sacrifices made, the effort and weariness, remembering only the joy – and the joy is sufficient. In the midst of this celebration, surrounded by loved ones and holy people, we honor the God whose footsteps are present in each of our pasts.
2. A celebration confers beauty and emotion to the present. Being together before the Master in holy unity, wounds are healed, relationships are restored, collaboration and friendship is reaffirmed, vision is formed, and hearts are comforted. The past is simply a memory, the future is a hope, but the present is a great reality, and is in fact all we really have. “Yesterday” is gone, “tomorrow” is yet to come, but “today” is here, it is truly here. Sometimes we have the unwise habit of numbering our years, but God teaches us to “number our days”. This means that in a year we will do this approximately 365 times, not just once.
3. A celebration gives motivation and direction to the future. The entire treasure of experience until now makes us rich, changes us, and gives us wisdom.
          This Sunday we remember the Lord’s entrance in Jerusalem, being the Sunday that introduces the Holy Week. Halfway through is Holy Thursday, the Lord’s Communion, the remembrance of Jesus and His death. Through His death He overcame death, through His death He brought us life. We await with holy emotion the joy in fellowship of the Holy Communion in the context of a unified Communion. We lovingly invite you and joyfully await your presence!

 

 

 April 21

 

 


   Resurrection from the dead is a miracle with no logical explanation. Birth, growth, illness, and death are natural but resurrection is supernatural. The inexplainable resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ stands in the middle of Christianity as a symbol of the all-powerful Divinity. He is unique, He has risen, death could not hold Him. He was born in a miraculous way, coming into the world from a previous existence that was eternal; He was resurrected in a miraculous way, He ascended into heaven in a miraculous way and He will return in a miraculous way. His life and messianic activity is filled with miracles. The greatest problem of humanity, namely death, was resolved through God’s solution in the person of Jesus Christ: resurrection. To the death brought by man’s sin, God offered resurrection, through Christ. Death is no longer a problem – it is merely an event, an experience, a passing to eternal life. Death did not frighten the Lord’s disciples because through death they entered eternal life.
   This is how we explain the inexplicable phenomenon of the martyr’s deaths throughout Christian history. They died joyful, calm, because in reality, they were moving towards God. They exchanged the temporary for the eternal, the finite with the infinite, rotting with everlasting, weakness with strength, earth with glory, tears with joy. This is why the Bible makes this seemingly unnatural affirmation: “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord” (Revelation 14:13). This is how the Bible explains the phenomenon of death. For born-again believers, human life is not the only life, but rather the temporary preparation for the true eternal life. Faith in God is not just for this life. Rather, the Apostle Paul says, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied”. (1 Corinthians 15:19).
The resurrection of Christ is the most powerful evidence for our future resurrection. The power of God that raised Him from the dead will also resurrect us. His resurrection is the evidence that resurrection is possible. When we celebrate the Resurrection, we proclaim the power and Kingdom of God, we proclaim His sovereignty and reign. Through His resurrection we go beyond death, through resurrection the guilt of our sin remains in the past, through resurrection we enter eternity. This is the gift of God through Christ! In fact, we were born with our certificate of guilt in hand, because of the original sin we were born into. The sin in which we lived demanded punishment, the punishment that truth and justice applies. There was no escape. Then Jesus Christ was incarnated, taking upon himself the guilt of the world, before the righteousness of God. In His justice, God placed upon Jesus all the sins of the approximately one hundred and ten billion people who have walked on the dust of this cursed Planet Earth. With all the guilty certificates in his pierced hand, Christ died the death for all. Before He gave His spirit, as he hung on the cross for all of our sins, He cried out “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing!” (Luke 23:34). Christ died for us. Our sins exist no more. Christ was resurrected from the dead. Like Him, we will also rise from the dead. He died for our sins, while we must die to sin. Unfortunately, too many people remain dead in sin. Resurrection is not possible in the presence of sin, only the punishment of hell.
    Today we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ which foreshadows our future resurrection. His resurrection is the ultimate example of our future resurrection. Christ has risen and we too will rise!

 

  April 28

The choice of a life partner is one of the great privileges the Creator offers to man, but at the same time, it is also one of the greatest responsibilities. The success of the marriage depends in the greatest measure on the quality of the choice. Chapter 24 in Genesis presents the principles used by Eliezer, Abraham’s servant, sent to choose a wife for his son, Isaac.
I. THE PRINCIPLE OF COMPATIBILITY
The risk of disagreement in marriage is equal to the intensity of noncompatibility between the spouses. Abraham insisted upon this subject when he affirmed “you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac” (verses 3-4).
II. THE PRINCIPLE OF GUIDANCE
Eliezer, an old man with a lot of experience prayed to God, asking for a sign to identify the right woman: “May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac” (verse 14). It is fundamental for us to remark the fact that the sign had to do with the young woman’s character – hard-working, polite, hospitable, with initiative – The sign had to do with the young woman and her character, not with chance.
III. THE PRINCIPLE OF AESTHETICS
One of Rebecca’s characteristics, the young woman chosen for Isaac, and also of the other women in the pleiades of Biblical heroes, was beauty. It is wise for us to mention the fact that beauty is in a great measure, very subjective: “What is considered beautiful is not really beautiful, what I like is beautiful”. This means that no matter how other people quantify the beauty of a woman, she is beautiful to her husband.
IV. THE PRINCIPLE OF CHASTITY
The virginity of a young woman reflects her values and purity. All the great women of the Bible with which God wrote history are mentioned as being virgins before marriage. The lack of integrity and righteousness in modern society not only does not appreciate the virginity of a young woman, but mocks it.

V. THE PRINCIPLE OF OPPORTUNITY
Understanding perfect timing is not a principle just of war and business, but also of marriage. The Bible mentions that after Eliezer prayed, God sent Rebecca to the well with a pail on her shoulder.
VI. THE PRINCIPLE OF CONFIRMATION
The decision to get married will bring joy and assurance to the young couple’s life if it will be confirmed by three courts: their own conscience, their parents and God. Rebecca’s parents consented to the marriage of their daughter.
VII. THE PRINCIPLE OF CHOICE
The quality of a choice is given by the partner’s knowledge. The verification of choice is given by the partner’s confirmation. The practice of the choice is given by cohabiting with the partner. 

The dream of every human being to have a happy family is dependent on the quality of the choice and the principles used.