Tuesday, January 22, 2013
My personal response to what matters...
Love the Lord with all you have.
Love your neighbor as yourself.
Jesus died for our sins.
He was buried.
He was raised on the third day.
Make disciples everywhere.
These six statements sum up what we think matters at Southern Hills. This is the call of the elders to our flock. But last Sunday we began to explore a critical question for us.
So What?
And the first "so what" is an individual response to what matters.
We believe that happens in baptism.
Baptism is not a step, an outward symbol. It is not just correct theology, or right doctrine.
It is a response of faith to the good news that Jesus died, was buried, and was raised.
It is when you die with Jesus and are raised to a new life empowered by the Holy Spirit.
What shall we do? (Acts 2:38) and What must I do to be saved? (Acts 16:30) are not questions about the process of coming to Jesus. They are a cry for mercy, help, and how to rescue lives that were going the wrong way.
And in both cases the answer to that cry was to respond to Jesus in faith thru baptism.
Other people may see it differently. We do not speak for them. God is the author of salvation, not us. So we are not going to judge others. We will teach what we believe is in God's word. We will not give assurances where God did not speak. Translation: we are not going to tell you that you are going to hell if you are not baptized. We are not going to tell you that you are going to heaven if you are not baptized. We are going to speak where we believe God speaks. So you won't hear us talking about the Believer's Prayer or "letting Jesus into your heart". You will hear us calling sinners to repent and be baptized.
And if you do not respond to what matters individually, then this discussion is really a moot point to you. So read Colossians 2:12 to see what it means to be buried in baptism, and raised thru faith in the power of God. Then read Chapter 3 to see how you live after being raised with Christ. It is more than than being right. It is being right with God.
So at Southern Hills we are baptism people because we believe you have to really do have to "buy-in" to what matters.
so thanks to our elders for thinking thru what matters.
And thanks to Phil Ware, my co-teacher for the What Matters series.
But most of all, thanks God for giving your Son so by faith I will get to live with him forever.
Love your neighbor as yourself.
Jesus died for our sins.
He was buried.
He was raised on the third day.
Make disciples everywhere.
These six statements sum up what we think matters at Southern Hills. This is the call of the elders to our flock. But last Sunday we began to explore a critical question for us.
So What?
And the first "so what" is an individual response to what matters.
We believe that happens in baptism.
Baptism is not a step, an outward symbol. It is not just correct theology, or right doctrine.
It is a response of faith to the good news that Jesus died, was buried, and was raised.
It is when you die with Jesus and are raised to a new life empowered by the Holy Spirit.
What shall we do? (Acts 2:38) and What must I do to be saved? (Acts 16:30) are not questions about the process of coming to Jesus. They are a cry for mercy, help, and how to rescue lives that were going the wrong way.
And in both cases the answer to that cry was to respond to Jesus in faith thru baptism.
Other people may see it differently. We do not speak for them. God is the author of salvation, not us. So we are not going to judge others. We will teach what we believe is in God's word. We will not give assurances where God did not speak. Translation: we are not going to tell you that you are going to hell if you are not baptized. We are not going to tell you that you are going to heaven if you are not baptized. We are going to speak where we believe God speaks. So you won't hear us talking about the Believer's Prayer or "letting Jesus into your heart". You will hear us calling sinners to repent and be baptized.
And if you do not respond to what matters individually, then this discussion is really a moot point to you. So read Colossians 2:12 to see what it means to be buried in baptism, and raised thru faith in the power of God. Then read Chapter 3 to see how you live after being raised with Christ. It is more than than being right. It is being right with God.
So at Southern Hills we are baptism people because we believe you have to really do have to "buy-in" to what matters.
so thanks to our elders for thinking thru what matters.
And thanks to Phil Ware, my co-teacher for the What Matters series.
But most of all, thanks God for giving your Son so by faith I will get to live with him forever.
