God Uses My Blog In Unexpected Ways

I posted to this blog for the first time on January 7, 2009. I wanted to help small churches be more effective in sharing Christ with all ages, but especially with the next generation. To my surprise, since that cold January day so many years ago, 152,042 people have visited my blog. Building a readership was slow, but now, depending on the month, 3,000 to 4,000 people visit my blog. I trust that as people read one of the 729 blog posts on 65 different topics, the original goal is being accomplished.

When I started my blog, I was serving as a bivocational pastor in Vermont. My second job was to direct the work of my denomination in the state. I assumed that the only people who would read it would be the small circle of friends I had in Vermont. Therefore, I was surprised when I recently analyzed some statistics on my blog to learn how people found it. As suspected, very few people found it because of me. In fact, only about 5% of visitors to my site were searching for my name. Good thing my goal was not to become famous, because that did not happen.

The vast majority of people who discovered my blog, did so though a Google search for one of the topics I write about. Though my blog posts are often about how small churches can be healthy and about the importance of reaching the next generation, those are not the topics that normally drive people to my site. God has a way of keeping us humble, even when over 152,000 people drop by to say hello! What did people read about on my site? I just did a complete analysis of my blog traffic and here is what I learned.

Without question, the number one search that draws people to my site is when they search for the key words “changing churches.” I wrote a post some time ago (read it here) about that topic. I have followed up on it a couple of times with related posts, but it is not a topic that I discuss frequently. Yet my limited posts on that subject have drawn a huge interest. A lot of people are considering changing from one church to another and my posts have apparently helped them think through that process.

The second key word combination that drives people to my site is anything with a combination of “Apollos” and “Jesus.” Though I do talk about Jesus a lot on my site, Apollos has only made a couple of posts. However, when people put those two words together, Google apparently thinks I have something worthwhile to say because my posts on the topic come up near the top of the search.

The third key word combination that drives a lot of traffic to my site is “types of sermons” and “how to deliver a sermon.” I have written extensively on these topics, especially as it relates to bivocational pastors and lay preachers. Since I write often about these topics, it is not surprising that the rather large volume of posts on those issues draws readers to my blog. I pray that my thoughts on the subject have been a blessing to many.

Finally, my various posts on the importance of baptism have drawn a lot of readers as well. As a Baptist, this issue is important to me. I thought my views were pretty mainstream but have been surprised when some of my posts on baptism produced controversial comments from those who hold to different views than I do on the subject. One particular post, on how baptism relates to church membership has drawn a large number of readers. On more than one occasion someone has quoted something I have written about baptism on other sites and I learned about it only after the fact when friends found it and sent me a link. Though I never thought of myself as an expert on baptism, apparently Google thinks I know more about it than I really do. It is interesting how God chooses to use us in ministry.

What is the point of this post? First, God's ways are not always our ways. Though I started a blog to accomplish a fairly narrow purpose, God has chosen to use it in other ways as well. Second, it is surprising what people are interested in reading. Though they do not always read the posts I want them to, I rejoice that anything they read on the blog helps others understand the Lord better and serve Him more effectively. Third, it is important to keep writing because the Lord has touched far more people through my writing than through my preaching. I have preached in churches as small as 6 and as big as 2,000, but if all the attendees were added together, it would be no where close to 150,000 people. Therefore, I am thankful that God has given me the gift of writing so that I can impact more people for the Lord. If you have a burden to write, I want to encourage you to pursue that calling. It may take awhile to build a readership, but just keep writing. God will use it in unexpected ways.

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Dr. Terry W. Dorsett is a church planter in New England. He is a happy husband, proud father, giggling grandfather, thankful cancer survivor, and the author of numerous books aimed at helping small churches become healthier and individual Christians grow in their faith. You can find his books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Dr.-TerryDorsett

Baptism: What Should We Believe?

The rite of baptism has been an important step in the spiritual journey of Christians since Christ Himself was baptized in the Jordan River. The story of the baptism of Jesus is so pure and powerful. God the Spirit showed His approval through His appearance of a dove. God the Father showed His approval by supernaturally voicing it immediately after the baptism. Clearly God wants people to be baptized. It sounds so simple and easy.

But the reality for many people is less simple and often not so easy. Many are confused about baptism because various churches teach different things. Many Christians want to walk in obedience to the Lord in this matter, but often are just not clear what that means. One way to cut through the confusion is to change our question from what does "the church" teach about baptism to what does the Bible teach about baptism.

What does the Bible teach about baptism?

The New Testament teaches that people repented of their sins and believed in Christ FIRST. Then they were baptized as an expression of that saving faith. Consider Acts 2:38 "Peter replied, Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." We find this teaching in numerous places and contexts.

For example, Phillip, a deacon, preached this same truth in Samaria. Acts 8:12 tells us the result of his preaching, "But when they believed Philip, as he preached the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized." Again, we notice they believed first, and then were baptized as a result of that belief. It might be important to note in this particular verse that it says that it was men and women who were baptized, not infants or little children. There are no examples of infants or young children being baptized in the New Testament. 

Another example, from that same chapter but in a different context, comes from verses 36-38. "As they were traveling down the road, they came to some water. The eunuch said, Look, there’s water! What would keep me from being baptized? And Philip said, If you believe with all your heart you may. And he replied, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Then he ordered the chariot to stop, and both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him" (Acts 8:36-38). Once again, we see that a man believed in Christ and was then baptized. One caveat about this passage is that it refers to believing with "all of our hearts." Clearly this is not just a general belief in God, or in the church as an organization, or even in Christ as a concept or idea, but a sincere and deeply held belief in Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God.

Sometimes we encounter people who are already religious and active in a faith community but have not yet been baptized. Should they be baptized when they come to believe in Jesus? We find the answer to that question in Acts 18:8, "Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed the Lord, along with his whole household. Many of the Corinthians, when they heard, believed and were baptized." This scripture tells the story of Crispus, who was a leader of the synagogue. Crispus was VERY religious and already a part of a strong community of faith. Yet Crispus was baptized AFTER he believed. What ever he had done to become part of the community of faith prior to his belief in Christ could not replace his need to be baptized as an expression of his new belief.

In each of the examples above the people first placed their faith in Christ. Then as an outward expression of that inner faith, they were baptized. The need to believe before being baptized was the clear teaching and practice of the early church. This clear truth is recorded in the Bible numerous times. Regardless of the confusion we may have in the modern church, there was no such confusion in the First Century. There is an important principle to learn in regards to this issue that also impacts other biblical issues, which is, if we stay with the timeless truth of scripture, instead of human tradition, our faith will be much clearer and less confusing.

Because of all the confusion over this issue, there are many people who were baptized by their parents as infants before they were old enough to understand what it meant to be a Christian. Though parents meant well by trying to make this choice for their children, faith is deeply personal and no one should make faith choices for another person. We all know people who were baptized as infants into some church and now that church does not meet their spiritual needs. It does not mean that church has no spiritual value, it just means that church is not right for that person. Such people often find themselves in an awkward situation of being baptized into a church they are no longer interested in being part of but may feel guilty about changing churches because they do not want to hurt their parents’ feelings. Many of these people have dropped out of church altogether because they could not reconcile this issue in  their own minds and now are Christians in name only, rarely, if ever, practicing their faith in a meaningful way. Others came to a more complete understanding of who Christ is and were born again. Now they struggle with the idea of baptism, because if faith is supposed to precede baptism, what are these Christians supposed to do? As challenging as it may be, if we strip away human  traditions and stick with scripture, then people who were baptized before they made a sincere commitment to Christ should be re-baptized. This is important because the Bible teaches that people should be baptized only AFTER they come to committed faith in Christ. Though human traditions are hard to change, when our traditions go against scripture, we must always side with scripture. Re-baptism should be done out of obedience to the Scriptures and with all due respect to the parents and family who were doing what they thought best when we were infants.

What Method Should the Church Use to Baptize?

The word “baptism” comes from the Greek word “baptizo,” which literally means “to dip under.” In the New Testament when a person was baptized they were always dipped under water as a picture of being completely immersed in Christ. Baptism is also a reminder of how Christ stood on the cross for us, was put under the ground for us, and rose again out of the ground for us. Baptism by immersion under water is the best symbol of this as the person stands in the water, is lowered under the water and then raised up out of the water. This symbol should be preserved as much as possible and only changed under rare circumstances.

What is the Connection Between Baptism and Church Membership?

There are a number of scriptures in the New Testament that seem to link baptism and church membership by referring to the people who were baptized as being “added to the number” of the church. Some have interpreted the phrase “added to the number” as meaning that the people were placed on a church membership roll. This is possible, but there are other scriptures that appear to separate these two issues. For example, the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8 came to personal faith in Christ and was baptized in the middle of the desert. There was literally no church for him to join. Philip baptized him anyway, resulting in him being a baptized Christian but not a member of any particular church. History tells us that he later founded what has become the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. But that church did not exist at the moment of his baptism, therefore he could not join it. In this situation, baptism and church membership were not automatically connected. Therefore, we should be cautious about making them automatically connected in modern times. While baptism and church membership are not automatically connected, it is very important for people to make a commitment to a specific church so they can serve the Lord with their spiritual gifts and be accountable to the biblical authority of that church. Once a person has been baptized, they should prayerfully take the next step and become a member of a specific church. This would normally be the church that baptized them, but we know from the experience of the Ethiopian eunuch that it might not always be the case.

Conclusion:
Baptism was important enough for Jesus to set an example by being baptized Himself. In the

First Century, baptism was practiced by those who came to sincere personal faith in Christ, regardless of their previous religious expression. Have we taken this important step and been baptized after we have made a personal commitment to Christ? If we have, then we should find a church to join and begin to serve the Lord with passion. If we have not, then we should prayerfully seek baptism even if it means we must be re-baptized. Once we have been re-baptized, we should join a church so we can use our gifts to serve the Lord.

Our Last Youth Group

My wife and I have a deep burden for young people. For years we have poured ourselves into young lives in the Central Vermont area. We have been many lives changed over the years and rejoice to have been used by the Lord as a part of that spiritual transformation. Last night we led our last youth group meeting before moving to Connecticut to begin a new ministry. We will miss these young people greatly and they will always hold a special place in our lives.

Last night over 100 teens gathered to laugh, play, fellowship and to hear the Bible taught. They also came to witness the baptism of five young new believers. It was a very special time and I think it was the right thing to do on our last night with this group.

In an effort to make sure all the young people had one more chance to respond to God’s call to salvation, I decided to give the following Gospel presentation.

Revelation 3:20 - Listen! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in . . . .

•          Jesus loves each and every person. Jesus wants His chosen children to spend eternity in heaven with Him after we die.
•          Jesus is knocking at the door of our hearts trying to get us to let Him in. How often have we felt Jesus trying to get our attention, isn’t it time we listened?

John 3:3 Jesus declared, I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.

•          The reason Jesus is knocking on the door of our hearts is because He really does care about where we spend eternity.
•          One day each of us will die, and though we do not like to think about it, death will come to every one of us eventually. This may cause some of us to worry about death. But the best way not to worry about death all the time is to settle the issue of where we will spend eternity once and for all.
•          When death finally comes to us, our body will die, but our soul will live on in either heaven or hell.
•          Heaven is often referred to in the Bible as the Kingdom of God. Heaven is a wonderful place where there is no sadness, no pain, no fear and lots of rejoicing with family and friends.
•          Hell, on the other hand, is a place of pain and agony. There is no partying with friends or family. It is isolated confinement in darkness and dread for all of eternity. That sounds scary to most of us, and it should, because it is!
•          We do not talk about hell much because it does not make us feel happy, but not talking about hell does not change the reality of its existence.
•          Jesus says the only way to see the Kingdom of God (get into heaven) is to be born again. Being born again means having a time in our lives when we let the “old” sinful self disappear and we let a “new” spiritually transformed self appear. It is a spiritual transformation that happens inside of us and eventually works its way to the surface.

How Can We Be Born Again?

^•                Romans 10:9 - If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
•          Confess means to “admit.” We must admit that we cannot live right on our own and that we need Jesus to be the boss, the ruler, the controller of our lives.
•          Once we are ready to allow Jesus to be the boss of our lives, we must also believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. It is the resurrection of Christ that proves that Jesus is everything He claimed to be and it also proves He has power over everything. If Jesus can conquer death, He can conquer any problem that we face in life.

Romans 10:13 - "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

•          Being born again does not just happen; we must call upon God to save us.
•          Sometimes people refer to this experience as “being converted,” or “becoming a Christian,” or “getting the Spirit” or “finding religion.” It all means the same thing. It is a time in our lives when we admit that we need Jesus to be our Boss and we believe that everything He said was true and we ask Him to forgive our sins and save us. Some people mistakenly think they are too bad to become Christians. But the Bible says that everyone who asks the Lord to save them will be saved.

If we are ready to call upon the Lord and ask Him for salvation, we could pray a sincere prayer something like this:

Dear God, I believe that Jesus came to earth and died on a cross for my sins. I am sorry for my sin and I want to turn from living my way and start living Your way. Right now I ask You to forgive me of my sin and help me be born again. To the best of my ability I promise to let you be the ruler of my life and to follow you always. Amen.

Conclusion:

Anyone who sincerely prays that prayer will be been born again and will go to heaven when the time comes for their body to die. They will have a change of attitude and lifestyle that will start inside and work its way to the surface. To help that attitude and outward change come faster, we should pray and read the Bible regularly and come to church as often as we can. In the Bible, people who were born again got baptized by being immersed under water as an outside sign of the inner change they experienced. Those who have been born again should speak to a pastor about being baptized as soon as possible.

How Baptism Proclaims the Triune Nature of God

As I prepared to baptize nine new believers this morning, I spent time contemplating the baptism of Jesus. We find that story in all four of the Gospels, but the passage I happen to be studying this week was:

 
Matthew 3:13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. ¹⁴ But John tried to stop Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and yet You come to me?” ¹⁵ Jesus answered him, “Allow it for now, because this is the way for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him to be baptized. ¹⁶ After Jesus was baptized, He went up immediately from the water. The heavens suddenly opened for Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on Him. ¹⁷ And there came a voice from heaven: This is My beloved Son. I take delight in Him!

This passage has a lot to say about the importance of baptism. But what many people miss is that it also has a lot to teach us about the importance of the Trinity. Take a moment to look at each verse and meditate on what they say.

Verse 13 - Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him.

•               Jesus and John were cousins. John was a powerful preacher who called people to repentance.
•               Repentance means turning from our way and towards God’s way of living. Repentance begins in the heart, as we realize the depth of our sinfulness and our need for a Savior. Once we repent, our outward actions begin to change.
•               We also become more spiritual and often want to express our spirituality in public ways. One of those ways is baptism.
•               Baptism was actually an important part of the spiritual life of many Jews. Before Christ came, baptism was used by various Jewish sects as part of their spiritual journey toward holiness. John the Baptist borrowed this ancient Jewish practice during the early days of the Christian era to help people outwardly demonstrate the inner repentance they had already had.
•               Imagine how John felt when Jesus showed up to be baptized.

Verse 14 - But John tried to stop Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and yet You come to me?”

•               When Jesus came to be baptized, John tried to stop Jesus. The reason John tried to stop Jesus was because Jesus had no sin to repent from ( read 2 Corinthians 5:21, I Peter 2:22, 1 John 3:5). John rightly realized that Jesus was more righteous than John himself.

Verse 15 - Jesus answered him, “Allow it for now, because this is the way for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him to be baptized.
•               Jesus was fully aware that He did not need to be baptized as a sign of His repentance from sin. But He also knew that baptism was the way that Christians were to declare their faith publicly. Therefore, Jesus wanted to set an example by being baptized Himself.
•               If Jesus, who did not need to be baptized, was willing to take part in this spiritual experience, why would those of us who need our sins washed away refuse to be baptized? Like Jesus, we should be happy to be baptized.

Verse 16 - After Jesus was baptized, He went up immediately from the water. The heavens suddenly opened for Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on Him.

•               This is a powerful moment in the history of the world. In verses 16-17 we see the entire Holy Trinity manifested at one time. God the Son was present in the form of Jesus. God the Spirit was present in the form of a dove. God the Father was present through speaking words of affirmation to Jesus.
•               Though the Trinity can be a hard concept to understand, it is important for us to grasp it. The Doctrine of the Trinity teaches us that there is ONE GOD who manifests Himself in three different people. Though there is no perfect illustration that can help our limited human minds understand the complexities of how one God can appear as three different people, the best illustration is that of a man who is a father to his children, a husband to his wife and a manager in his business. In this illustration, there is just one man, but that man relates to different people in very different ways depending on the role he is in at any particular moment.
•               In the Old Testament, God demonstrated Himself as a Father to teach us the rules of how to have healthy lives. In the Gospels, God demonstrated Himself as the Son, born of Mary, who walked among us so that we could relate to His life. In the current era, God demonstrates Himself as the Spirit, moving in our hearts, convicting us of sin, giving us His gifts and helping us live productive lives with meaning and purpose. Throughout the Bible there is just one God working in the world. That God gives us a clear set of rules to follow in our lives and then, when we break them, helps us understand forgiveness and grace, and then empowers us to live rightly.

Verse 17 - And there came a voice from heaven: This is My beloved Son. I take delight in Him!

•God the Father was pleased with the baptism of Jesus. God is also pleased when we are baptized. He takes delight in us when we publicly proclaim our faith in Him.

Have we delighted God through baptism yet our lives?

The Damascus Road Experience

A sermon developed by Dr. Terry W. Dorsett based on Acts 9:1-10, 17-18.

Introduction

Saul was from a prominent Jewish family and had all the right credentials and connections. He was well educated and was extremely religious However, the religion he followed was the Pharisee’s brand of Old Testament legalism. Saul actively persecuted those who followed the grace filled teachings of Jesus, even to the point of participating in the stoning of one of the deacons of the church.

Verse 1 -Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord. He went to the high priest

•             Acts 8 shares a powerful story of how lay people in the church were making a difference in the world through sharing their faith as they went about their daily business. Acts 9 contrasts how Saul was being cruel to the church, even as the church was being such a positive influence on others.
•             The Greek word for “breathing” is empneomapeiles, which actually means “breathed in.” The implication is that with every breath that Saul breathed in, he became angrier and more hateful toward the things of Christ.
•             Knowing that his radical views were not consistent with how people should treat each other, Saul looked for powerful allies to make his viewpoints seem more main stream. He went to the high priest, Caiaphas. That is the same high priest who had Jesus crucified. Not exactly an impartial leader!
•             We live in a culture that is becoming more and more negative toward Christianity. It seems that many people are becoming more and more angry and hateful toward Christians with every breath they breathe. Look at the recent hate speech directed at the CEO of Chik-fil-a. Bigots and narrow minded haters from the left attacked him for simply saying that he believed in traditional marriage. He did not attack anyone or say one negative word to or about anyone. He simply stated what he believed about marriage and his critics went crazy. They knew their views were bizarre, so they sought to recruit key leaders to their cause in hopes of making their viewpoints seem normal.
•             This should not surprise us; after all, Revelation describes how bad it will get as the return of the Lord approaches. We are also reminded of Isaiah 5:20 “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.” No matter what the mainstream media may say, evil is still evil, sin is still sin, wickedness is still wickedness, and no amount of shouting, yelling, or boycotting of chicken sandwiches will change the truth from being the truth. And just because a famous celebrity or politician believes a lie and proclaims in on the Internet and nightly news, that lie does not suddenly become truth.

Verse 2 - and requested letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

•             When Saul realized he could not accomplish his evil on his own, he sought official recognition for his campaign of terror, and he got it! He was not content to just practice his beliefs on his own, he felt compelled to impose them on others. Saul wanted to enforce his will on the 50,000 Jews who lived in Damascus. In Saul’s time, Damascus was a 6-8 day journey away from Jerusalem. Why would Saul want to travel so far to silence Christians?
•             We should not be fooled into thinking that those who want to remove Christianity from public life in our nation will be content to just do it in their own little corner of the world. They feel compelled to make all of us accept their ungodly view of the world. Why?
•             Saul was propelled by the power of Satan to attack the church of Christ. Today, those who lead the attack on Christianity are also fueled by the power of the evil one. Satan seeks to devour our world for his own evil purposes (1 Peter 5:8).
•             In Saul’s time, Christianity was called “the Way.” This was a reference to Isaiah 40:3 and refers to the HOPE that those who follow Christ have. The reason the enemies of Christ are so hateful is that the HOPE they see in us convicts them of their sin. Instead of turning from their sin, they try to destroy our HOPE.

Verse 3 - As he traveled and was nearing Damascus, a light from heaven suddenly flashed around him.

•             Saul was nearing his goal of destroying the church in Damascus when God intervened.  Acts 22:6 tells us that it was near noon when God showed up. When the LIGHT OF CHRIST shines on a person, everything changes!

Verse 4 - Falling to the ground, he heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

•             Saul got knocked off his high horse, literally! Sometimes God has to knock people off their high horse in order to get their attention. It is not because He is a mean or angry God; it is because He loves His enemies so much that He will do what it takes to give them a chance to change their ways before it is too late.
•             Notice that the Lord said that Saul was persecuting Him. When someone attacks the church, they are attacking the Bride of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2). Men, if someone attacked OUR bride, how would WE respond? Jesus loves the church, just like a groom loves his bride. So when God’s enemies go after the church, they should not be surprised when Jesus knocks them off their high horse. Modern day opponents of the church will face the judgment of Christ.

Verse 5 - “Who are You, Lord?” he said. “I am Jesus, the One you are persecuting,” He replied.

•             Saul asked “who are you?” – Who did Saul think it was?  Notice Saul said, “Who are you, Lord.” The Greek word for Lord in this verse actually just means “sir” and was a sign of respect, not deity. But five minutes before this event happened, Saul would not have even given God respect. Things were about to change very quickly.
•             The response to Saul’s question was “I am Jesus!” Jesus did not need to debate Saul to prove His existence or His power; He just had to speak His name to Saul.  There is power in the name of Jesus.
•             At the name of Jesus:
Sinners repent – Acts 2:38
Those same sinners are justified – 1 Corinthians 6:11
We find newness of life – John 20:31
New believers are baptized – Acts 8:12
The sick are healed – Acts 3:6
The uneducated become leaders – Acts 4:13
Christians are united – 1 Corinthians 1:10
Demons flee – Acts 16:18
EVERY knee will bow and EVERY tongue will confess that JESUS is Lord! – Philippians 2:10

Take a moment to think about the power of the name of Jesus.

http://youtu.be/KZii7zjj3m4

Verse 8 - Then Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing. So they took him by the hand and led him into Damascus.
•             Saul was so shaken by the name of Jesus that his whole carefully constructed evil world came crashing down around him. He was temporarily blinded by the light. The once proud, well educated, wealthy, leader had to be led around by the hand in humility and timidness.

Verse 10 - There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. And the Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias! Here I am, Lord! he said.

•             Saul needed someone to help him understand what Jesus was doing in his life. The Lord spoke to a faithful Christian named Ananias. We know little about Ananias other than he was a deeply committed follower of Christ (Acts 22). But when the Lord asked Ananias to help Saul, his response was, Here I am, Lord. We know that Ananias was nervous about helping Saul (verses 13-14) because of Saul’s reputation of hating and hurting Christians. But God had big plans for Saul (verse 15) and Ananias was a part of them.
•             When we feel led of God to witness to a person, it may well be that God has recently knocked them off their high horse and they are flailing around blindly looking for answers. God may choose to use us to show them those answers. We may be nervous, but we must respond in obedience.

Verse 18 - At once something like scales fell from his eyes, and he regained his sight. Then he got up and was baptized.

•             Ananias went to Saul and prayed for him. Scholars are unclear if literal “scales” fell from Saul’s eyes or if this was merely a metaphor for him finally being able to clearly see that Jesus was real and had a plan for his life. Either way, Saul went from being an enemy of Christ to a follower of Christ.
•             Saul’s first response as a new believer was to be baptized. Baptism is the first step of obedience to the Lord and the outward way that we express our inner faith in Christ. Believers who have not yet been baptized should do so as soon as possible.

The rest of the story:

•             Saul eventually changed his name to Paul.
•             He became one of the most effective apostles in the early church.
•             He started churches all over the known world.
•             He wrote nearly half the New Testament.
•             He literally changed the world!
•             Incidentally, modern “haters” just cannot stand Paul, they “breathe out” hate against his writings every chance they get.

Conclusion:

•             Christ centered churches offer HOPE by making a positive difference in the world.
•             Those who are under the influence of Satan will hate Christ centered churches.
•             We must keep witnessing to the “Sauls” of this world so they can have the opportunity to become “Pauls” through the name of Jesus.

Genuine Faith Must Precede Religious Ritual

A sermon based on Galatians 3:27-4:7 developed by Dr. Terry W. Dorsett

Historical Background on Galatians:

•               Galatians was written by the apostle Paul to churches scattered across central Turkey that he had personally started to reach non-Jews.

•               Some Jewish Christians had come into the area after Paul left and told the non-Jewish believers that they had to follow all the Old Testament laws and Jewish traditions in order to be real Christians.

•               This was causing a lot of confusion because Paul had told them that all they needed was faith in Christ alone for salvation.

•               The first three chapters of Galatians make it clear that both Jews and non-Jews are saved by faith in Christ and not rituals or traditions.

•               This does not mean that rituals and traditions have no place in our spiritual journey. It simply means that rituals and traditions ONLY have value if we first have FAITH.

•               Once we discover real faith in Christ, then we begin to find meaning and value in the various traditions and rituals of a particular church.

Verse 27 - For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ like a garment.

•               After having made a strong case that religious rituals only have meaning if genuine faith comes first, Paul then addresses an important Jewish tradition that became a key element of Christian theology, the ritual of baptism.

•               Jews used baptism throughout their early history in a variety of ways.

•               In Jewish thought, baptism symbolized purity of heart, soul, mind and body.

•               Jewish people were often baptized several times throughout their lives as they achieved various spiritual milestones.

•               Certain Jewish sects practiced DAILY baptism as a part of their religious celebrations.

•               When John the Baptist arrived on the scene, he borrowed this ancient Jewish custom as a symbol for Christian repentance.

•               Jesus Himself endorsed John’s use of this symbol by being baptized even though He did not need it.

•               Jesus also commanded us to preach the Gospel and baptize those who accept it.

•               Baptism was an important religious tradition in Jewish culture, but they had lost the meaning of it because they no longer had faith.

•               Likewise, when we are baptized, or take part in other religious rituals, without faith, it leaves us feeling empty.

•               But when we have real faith, our baptism is like a wonderful garment that fits well.

•               Though we will never be worthy on this side of heaven to approach God the Father, because we are covered with Christ, we can approach God with confidence.

•               We approach God not in our own strength or power, but in the Name of Christ alone.

•               But if we are not IN CHRIST when we are baptized, then it does nothing for us but make us wet. This is why faith MUST precede baptism.

Verse 28 - There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

•               Once we find genuine faith in Christ, then all the barriers between us fall away.

•               In Christ we are not ranked by our level of Bible knowledge, or our race, or our economic situation, or our gender.

•               In Christ we are ranked by the grace of God as equals and we can go as far with the Lord as we allow our faith to take us.

Verse 29 - And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise.

•               Once we belong to Christ, then we become an heir to all the riches, power and glory of God the Father.

•               Though we may not have received all that yet, it has been promised to us.

•               If God has promised us so much, why have we not yet experienced the reality of those promises?

Verse 1 - Now I say that as long as the heir is a child, he differs in no way from a slave, though he is the owner of everything.

•               Paul uses the example of a child who is the heir to a fortune but cannot use any of that money because he is not yet of age.

•               Though such a child technically owns it all, it does him little good until he reaches maturity.

•               Likewise, we have often not yet experienced all the realities of God’s promises because we are still immature in our faith.

•               We often act like spiritual children when we should be moving toward maturity.

•               It is amazing how many people have been Christians for five years or longer but act like they just got on the Jesus track yesterday.

•               Though we may yet not be as mature as we hope to be, are we more mature in the faith than we were five years ago?

•               We will never be able to experience all the promises of God if we remain babes in Christ.

Verse 3 - In the same way we also, when we were children, were in slavery under the elemental forces of the world.

•               Before we became Christians we were in slavery to our sinful nature.

•               All the religious rituals in the world are unable to free us from our slavery to sin.

•               We must first place our faith in Christ.

•              God is full of grace and gives us time to grow.

•               But we cannot use God’s grace as an excuse to not grow.

Verses 4-5 - When the time came to completion, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

•               There comes a time when God the Father expects us to grow up.

•               This was important enough for God the Father to sacrifice His only Son Jesus on the cross to redeem (buy back) us from the world.

•               Our spiritual growth cost God His Son.

•               Do we really appreciate His sacrifice?

•               But God not only bought us back from sin, He has also adopted us as His children.

Verse 6 - And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba, Father!”

•               God knows we cannot do this on our own, therefore He sent the Holy Spirit into our hearts to help us grow.

•               How often has the Spirit told us to do something, or NOT to do something, and we ignored Him?

•               When we ignore the Spirit, we are acting childish.

Verse 7 - So you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

•               When we let the Spirit guide us, we begin to grow up.

•               When we begin to grow up, we no longer act like the slaves to sin we once were.

•               Instead we begin to act like the heir of God that we are.

•               Various rituals in the church are designed to help us along the way to maturity, but if we do not start with a foundation of faith, the process bogs down.

Conclusion:

1. The value of religious rituals is in the faith that under-girds them.
2. Though we were once in slavery to sin, genuine faith in Christ frees us from that slavery.
3. God wants our faith to mature so that we can experience all of His promises. 
4. Religious rituals that are under-girded by faith can help us in mature in our faith.