How to keep from being weary – Pastor Andrew Grosjean
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How to return to the old path – Pastor Andrew Grosjean
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Is Jesus Welcome For Dinner
Is Jesus Welcome for Dinner
Thanksgiving is a great holiday, but it is more than just a day to eat a lot of great food. It is a reminder of what we should be thankful for. In it, we celebrate good food, precious family, fellowship with those we love, and our priceless freedoms. It more than the meal. It is more than entertaining. It is the time to be close to those that mean the most.
In this season of visiting and eating, there is another more important meal to which you are invited. Jesus says to every man in Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” We can learn a great deal about the human condition from this short verse.
First, notice that Jesus is outside the door of the person’s heart. This is because our sins have separated between us and God. Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” man is not basically good. We have a sin nature and it will control us if we do not get the deliverance of God in our life.
The good news is that God has made a way to take away our sin. Jesus sacrificed Himself to wash away our sin. But Jesus is a gentleman. He still knocks. Like all the people coming over for the Holidays, Jesus waits at the door until we come and welcome Him in.
This is the wonderful thing about God’s salvation. God does not expect up to face the challenges of our temptations, our sins, or even just the challenges of life alone. Jesus is not satisfied to direct you from outside. No, through the Holy Spirit, He comes into your life and heart if you are willing to just open the door. He wants to see you through it all. He wants to give you power to be victorious over every addiction even if it is just the addiction to sin.
But the thing that most people miss about this verse in Revelation 3:20 is that Jesus does not only want to come in and be in our lives. He wants to have communion. This is what is meant by God’s desire to “sup” with us. He wants to have spiritual supper with us.
During the holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas, it is not just a meal that draws us to other people’s homes. It is the desire to spend time with the people we love. That is God’s desire too. He knocks at your heart’s door because He wants to come into your life. He waits for your answer, because He will not force His way in. He wants to be close to you. He wants to forgive everything that you have ever done against Him. He wants to save us all from our selves and take us to Heaven. But God’s ultimate goal is to have communion with us. He wants us to be close to Him. He wants the same communion that we crave with our families and friends during these holidays.
That is the miracle of the Gospel. Jesus offers everything that we need for complete fulfillment in our life. And just like a true gift of the holiday season, the gift of salvation is completely free. You can not buy it. It is Jesus knocking at the door of your heart. You cannot pay Him to come in. You cannot clean up your own life to make it acceptable to Him. All you can do is open the door and let Him it. He is better than your holiday guests. He wants to clean up for you and with you. You cannot make yourself acceptable to God by cleaning up your life. You cannot clean yourself up to come to God. You come to God so He can clean you up.
Jesus is knocking at the door of your life. Will you let Him in to dine with you? Is Jesus welcome in your heart? If you have never opened the door to Jesus and asked him to save you and come into life, why not pray right now a prayer like this:
Dear Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and that has separated me from you. But You died to wash away all my sin. I hear you knocking at my heart’s door. Please come into my life and forgive all my sin. Please be the Lord of my life. In Jesus name I pray. Amen
How to have Personal Revival
Personal Revival: Introduction
Heb 12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. 12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; 13 And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. 14 Follow peace with all [men], and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
I. Chastisement (Intro)
Notice that this passage for revival starts with chastisement. God wants to help us. He wants to heal our weak hands, feeble knees, and lame feet. But before He can do His wonderful work of restitution and revival, He has to correct our sin and get it out of the way. This is the work of the great Healer, the Healer of our souls. The doctor removes shrapnel from an injury before he stitches it closed. So, with His saints God sometimes must chastise His children to get rid of sin before the healing. The difference between our physical shrapnel and spiritual shrapnel is that we do not want our to let the spiritual stuff go. We actually hold on to it.
But if we can let the great Physician do His work, we can have the personal revival in our lives that we need.
II. Changing
Notice that after God has to spiritually spank us, He wants to restore us. And if we learn from that chastisement, there will be healing. But God is never satisfied with only bringing us back to where we were before sin. He wants to bring us to a better place than we ever were before. So, not only does He want to take away our sin. He wants to bring a change to our condition. He wants to strengthen our hands. He wants to stabilize our weak knees. He wants to help us reach our goals in life. God will complete this change if we only allow Him to.
A. Hands (Work: lift up hands) I Thessalonians 4:9 But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. 10 And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more; 11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; 12 That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and [that] ye may have lack of nothing.
The first change that we need to make when it comes to personal revival is the lifting up of our hands. Now, lifting hands speaks of many things. It speaks of praise. For God calls us to lift up holy hands in praise to Him. When is the last time that you lifted up your hands of gratitude and praise to the One who is worthy of all glory?
Lifting hands also speaks of work. If there is going to be a sustained revival in our lives, then there must be a commitment to work. I Thes. 4:9 calls us to do our own business and work with our hands. If we will be honest to those around us, it takes some work.
1. Service
Notice that this passage in Thessalonians starts with brotherly love. This is the test that it is easy to fail. Often it is love to those that are closest that is the hardest to communicate. How often do we go out of the way to love our enemies, and be kind to those that hardly know us. Sometimes, we are the least patient with those that are close to us. They know us the best. So, we expect the most from them. When we would give a pass to those that are strangers, we are furious with those dear family members or co-workers that know us the best. This ought not to be.
Of course, we should love our enemies. But do not forget about “brotherly love.” Do not forget about being patient and kind to those closest to us. If we are going to have a personal revival in our lives, we need to have service in brotherly love to the people around us.
Rather than be angry or short, let us strive to be kind and sacrificial. Let us work to do for others, setting aside our own plans sometimes. Let us have brotherly love and sacrifice in our lives so that we can have real revival with God.
2. Study
Notice the word “study” here in I Thessalonians 4:11. God says we have study to be quiet. This is how it is when we will serve others and work with our hands. It takes practice. It takes carefulness. We often start working, but then we forget or grow willingly lazy. We need some “stick-to-it-iveness” in our lives. We need to study and continue until the work is done.
3. Supply
Notice that God says that if we work with our hands, we will have what we need. The fact is that so many people in our time are having trouble making ends meet. It is times like these that we need to turn to God. We need to get a little creative. Try something new. . . but find a way to work. This times of financial hardship are times of spiritual adventure. They are times that we can see that God is going to provide for our needs. But we need to call on Him for guidance to get new direction when the old ways of provision dry up. This is His great promise in our times of revival. If we will lift up our hands that hang down and work, we will see His provision.
B. Knees
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B. Knees (Walk: carry burdens) Isaiah 35:3 Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. 4 Say to them [that are] of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come [with] vengeance, [even] God [with] a recompence; he will come and save you.
God’s natural progression in personal revival is to start with the hands and then move to the knees. By this we see that revival starts with fixing our work and then moving to our walk. In this progression, the people around us see the work of God blossoming naturally through our own responses to His grace. When you start getting back to work with God, the natural result is to see you get back to a proper walk.
When there is a knee problem, you need to start slowly. You work hard to get the knee working properly. The muscles have to restrengthen. They need to move and pull together in a coordinated unity that produces strength for the step. The process of healing is sometimes long. Make no mistake, in the end, the only way to restore the strength to the knees is to walk.
If we will have this revival in our lives. . . If we will go further with God than ever before, then it is time for us to get back to work and then get back to walking. We have to move forward. We get into this endless cycle. We repent of sin and move toward God. Then we grow a little. Then we get lax and fall back into sin and guilt. Then we repent and do the cycle all over again. In the end, we have not gotten anywhere. We need to stop the cycle and get to the walk. We need to move on in God’s plan for our lives, families, and churches. We have churches filled with spiritual cripples because no one is getting up and walking.
1. Commit to Work
When you look at this passage in Isaiah 35, you see the progression of strengthening our knees. As already mentioned, you cannot strengthen your knees until you commit to doing hard work.
2. Confirm Weak knees
Then we need to walk. We just need to walk forward with God. If we get to the walk, we will get back our knees’ strength.
3. Courage for Warfare
Notice that immediately following “confirm the feeble knees” comes the admonition for the fearful hearts. Too often those that have weak knees are weak because they are just too scared to move forward.
My friends, we know that our God has already won the battle. Why are we hiding behind every lame excuse we can find? We need to put our confidence back in God and get to walking forward.
C. Feet
C. Feet (Witness: straight path)
After lifting up our hands for work and strengthening our knees for our walk, we need to prepare our paths for our feet. Notice what you do when your feet or ankles are weak. You get all obstacles out of the way. This way the ankle does not twist again. So, in our spiritual walk, if we are going to keep walking forward, we need to get the pitfalls and potholes out of the way that will make us trip up again.
1. Clear Message make straight paths
God calls for a straight path for our feet. Over and over again in the Bible, feet are spoken of in the activity of soul winning. What is God telling us? Why do we need to make straight paths when it comes to soul-winning? He is telling us to keep our message clear. The Gospel message is simple and needs to be kept so.
Too many “preachers” want to complicate the message with their own education and rhetoric. God made the Gospel simple because He wants everyone to be saved.
Jesus died to pay for our sins and wash them away. We cannot buy that salvation by works or riches. It is free. And the power of God’s grace will not only take us to Heaven after death, but also give us the power to live in total fulfillment here on earth.
Preacher, keep the message clear and simple.
2. Complete Message Isaiah 52:7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
Notice the Good News in Isaiah 52:7 goes from the Good News of God’s grace. Then it moves to the fact that the Gospel brings us peace with God. It gives us salvation. But it also deals with promises and prophecy. God will reign. And because He will, we should allow Him to reign in our lives now.
Notice that the Good News is not done with salvation. We need to go on to all God’s promises. In other words, preach the whole council of God.
3. Communicated Message Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? 15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
We need to preach this Gospel. But who should preach the Good News? Well, the woman at the well did not know that she needed a college education to be a soul winner. No, the natural result of knowing Christ and His salvation is to tell others. If have been saved by the Gospel of Christ, you should be preaching it to others.
Tell the world that Jesus is your salvation and theirs too. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Just ask God to save you by the blood of Jesus. You can be saved today. If you are saved, who have you told today?
III. Communion
III. Communion (Conclusion) Heb. 12:14 Follow peace with all [men], and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:
A. Peace with all men
B. Purity from muck
C. Presence of Messiah
Notice what happens if we follow God’s plan for revival. We will achieve peace with those around us. We will have a living holiness with God. And we have the promise of communion with our Heavenly Father. There is nothing more that we could ask for. This is the end of the whole matter. This is what we need in our lives.
November 7, 2010sm
Why Church was Canceled Yesterday!
I don’t have time for church
Mrs. Elders was very sick and legitimately could not go to church. So, because his wife was sick, Mr. Elders did not go to church either. In stead, he went bowling. When anyone asked, he did not go because his wife was ill.
Mrs. H. Partee did not go to worship God at church because she had a Tupperware party. Though the Partees were not hurting financially, Mrs. Partee felt driven to build her home business because she forgot that she used to be driven to build up the work at the house of God. Mrs. Partee invited her friends from the home party to church many times before. She could not figure out why they would not come. Of course, the friends wondered why they would want to go to church when Mrs. Partee was not even excited about church herself.
Church was cancelled for Mr. Ballden. He decided that he needed to have a family day. He had worked overtime all week. So, he slept late and watched tv on Saturday. Sunday was the only day he had for the family day. He woke up early, before dawn, to get a good parking spot and make good time driving. They had a great time at that ball game. Although by his actions, he taught his kids that Church was not important on Sundays when there was a game, he did wonder why his kids never got as excited about Church as they did about the game. Incidently, because Mr. Ballden did not go to Church, he did not put in his offering, making that the second Sunday in a row since he slept in last Sunday.
I have to many problems to go to church this week
Mr. Will Cash skipped church because he was so discouraged about the finances of the Church. He has been just so disheartened for some time about the people that do not support the church with tithes and offerings, that it has seemed pointless to put in his own offerings. After all, why should he when so many people do not? The finances are such a lost cause after all, that Mr. Cash cannot even enjoy church anymore. So, he just did not go to service or give offerings. Incidently, this made in impossible for the treasurer to pay the electric bill this week.
Brother Gomer Cheatowski decided that he could not go to church because of his wife Delila. He found out last month that last year, his wife had lied to him. Last year when Delila said that she was working all night on a big project at work, she had actually gone and spent the evening at an old boy friend’s house. Delila has sworn for the last month that nothing happened. Gomer said that even if nothing did happen, he is still angry she did not come home to her family, her house. Gomer is tired of people asking how things are going with his family, so yesterday, he chose to go to another church where he was not a member without even thinking that that was the same thing he was upset at his wife for doing last year. After all he went to church somewhere. That was all that mattered.
The teen ager, Nick Owl, felt terribly sick Sunday morning, so he slept through Sunday School. He woke up in time for morning service, but he felt like he just had to get some more sleep. N. Owl finally woke up at 2:00 pm and started to fell better about 5 o’clock. Of course, he could not go to the evening service because his on-line game team was in the middle of a vast military campaign. The battle was starting soon. It was so massive a quest that it was sure to last until 4:00 am, just like it had Saturday night. Maybe he could get to church next week if his team could accomplish the mission objective, capturing the magic talisman, the jeweled cross of the Dark Monk Cathedral.
Bored in Church
When it comes to church, it is about the kids. Right?
Mr. Moralle refused to go to church yesterday in protest. Although he was not a member, he has been going for about a year. He likes it and the people, but every time the preacher starts talking about people living together out of wedlock, the sin of drunkenness, the need for soul winning, or money, he lays out of church for a week or two. That ought to teach the preacher to keep the subject matter in the proper bounds.
Though they were members, the Youngers decided to look for another church. There is not enough youth activities for their kids. Sure the pastor had asked Mr. and Mrs. Younger to help out with youth group, or at bring their teens out to the activities. But the Youngers complained about driving distances and time. So, now they go to another church that is farther away from their home.
Mrs. Momney heard about the Youngers. Her kids kept saying that they did not want to go to church because it was too boring. So, they decided Saturday night that they would try the church that the Youngers were trying.
How often do you have to go to church in order to be right with God?
Pastor has to go to church. He’s paid to be there.
Too many people to name did not go to church yesterday because they just did not feel like it. Some did not go because they do not like the music any more. Others did not go because their were no dramatic skits. Others did not go because there are not any attractive people of the opposite gender. Some thought the preacher is too angry. Others thought he was too boring. Some thought he did not read enough Bible, others said it was too much. Some were sick of the preacher quoting other preachers. Others said there were not enough jokes. Some did not like the preacher because he did not visit enough. Others did not like how much the pastor was in their business.
So, the Pastor called off service yesterday saying that there was a storm warning. But that was not the real reason. Pastor called off because of how many members he knew would not come to church. He also felt tired of being the only one committed to always being faithful. Of course, he was not the only one committed, but he felt like it. He would not admit it to himself, but he felt, “Why should I be the only one that comes out to church when others won’t?”
Maybe some more pills will help.
No one really cares about going to Church anymore. Right?
If the pastor, or deacons, or any of the members had shown up for the church, they would have met three people at church yesterday that they did not expect. They would have met Mr. Learner. He was new to the area, just starting at the university. He had promised his grandma that he would try to find a church. Oh well, at least he could say that he tried to go to church. What was the big deal with church anyway? These people canceled yesterday, it was not that big a deal for them. When he found that church was not open, he decided to go to a kegger he had been invited to.
The second person that tried to go to church yesterday was Miss, Hurtz. She was not rich or powerful, but she still had a home-made bandage on her left wrist from last night. She was looking for some hope, or maybe an answer. She had thought that maybe Church could help. But of course, no one was there. So, she went home to take some more pills.
The third person that tried to attend service yesterday was the deacon’s son who had worked up enough courage to try to come back. He had left home and church a year ago. He wanted to come back all year but had been too angry with them all, even though he knew deep down he was wrong. The deacon’s son was sure that he would if he was going to see his parents yesterday, Church was where they were going to be. After all, they had always made him go every service when he was still living at home. Seeing them at church seemed less threatening than going to the house. He just hoped to get something worked out. He really did not want to stay away any longer, that was until he pulled into the church parking lot and saw that no one was there. He was right about his parents after all. As he left the parking lot, he had one word for his parents, the pastor, the whole church: Hypocrites.
Who was in your spot at Church this week?
Your “Equality” is Not Equal, Christian’s Guide to what is Equal.
Introduction: Is Tolerance Enough?
Everyone is calling for equality today. Tolerance is not enough. Equality demands acceptance and approval.
There was a day when equality meant that every person was created by God with certain inalienable rights. This is certainly true, always has been, always will be true. God has made all humans of equal value whether female or male. God loves all humans equally whatever the nationality, skin color, age, education, economic or social status. God even loves all equally, regardless of sinful habits.
Somehow the valid notion of equality of all and inalienable rights has gotten hijacked. Just because all people are of equal value does not mean that every decision is equally valid.
Somewhere, the definition of liberty got changed in meaning. It is the ability to do what you should. But now people think it is the right to do whatever you want. The problem is that people often want to do evil things.
Just because you can choose something does not make it a valid choice. Just because you want something or even feel like you need it, does not make that choice right. Nor does it even mean that you really do need it, just because you feel that you do.
Our human laws should and often still do (in America), protect our ability to choose what is right for ourselves and our families. But the ability-to-choose does not equal the right-to-choose-anything-we-want. To put it another way, man does not ever have a right to do what is evil. While you do have a right to choose, you do not have a right to do what is wrong.
Those who call for equality in America these day are really asking for a right to do what is wrong. The standard of equality has been subverted by some who want everyone to embrace their immoral choices and lifestyles. But immorality is not equal to marriage.
Genesis 2:23, “And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. 25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.”
Intolerance against Christians is thousands of years old.
1. Filth Is Not Equal to Cleanness
God has designed a beautiful physical relationship for husband and wife. The way He made our bodies is made for that intimate relationship. It is healthy for husband and wife physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Immorality, however, is filthy and it leads to all manner of unhealthy results, physically and spiritually.
Those who follow after the desires of base sinful nature are never satisfied. In part, it is because they become addicted to the thrill of doing wrong. But with every addiction, the thrill is lost the longer they indulge in it. In order to keep the thrill, a person has to do more, always more. This is why people find themselves doing things that they never thought they would do. It is a downward spiral in to more extreme and unhealthy behaviors.
This is part of why today’s sodomite works so hard to project an image of cleanliness and neatness. Their secret activities are filthy, dangerous, unhealthy, and contribute to illness and disease. Yet they still want acceptance and affirmation from society. Even Sodomites once knew it is wrong but they have drowned out their own consciences. So they demand others’ approval. But no matter how hard you try to cover up the filth of immorality, it will never be equal to cleanliness.
You have a choice between living in filth or in God’s complete righteousness. If you ask Christ’s forgiveness, He will wash away your sin and give you His righteousness which is perfect. Revelation 22:11, “He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. 12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”
Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Does the Media in America treat Christians with fairness in comparison to other sections of society?
Illness Is Not Equal Health
Smokers in America want equality with non-smokers. Many think that it is unfair that they cannot smoke wherever and whenever they want to smoke. They want equality, but unhealthy tobacco use is not equal to a tobacco-free health.
This is true in so many areas. Drug use exposes people to all manner of illness. That is why doctors always ask, “Any history of smoking, drinking, drug use?” They know that these things harm us. Those people may want to act like they are being as healthy and responsible as those that do not indulge. This is why they often hide it from others who are not addicted. But these unhealthy actions are not equal to healthy ones.
Those doctors would be wise in today’s climate of unhealthy immorality to also ask, “Is there any history of sexual promiscuity, sodomy, or risky/abnormal behaviors.” Each of these immoralities can expose people to physically unhealthy consequences. All of these devastating health problems could be completely avoided by living an abstinent life (if single) or a moral marital life (if married). Doctors do not ask these things today. They would not dare. They do dare to ask if there are firearms in the house. They argue that having guns is a medical concern, but they ignore the much more certain dangers of unhealthy sodomy.
We are like the emperor who has no clothes when we try to act like those who are promiscuous, immoral, or sodomite are living in a healthy way. The truth is so easy to see if we are just willing to see the truth. These people that do these things are exposed to all manner of disease. This is part of why the life spans of such people are significantly shorter than those who live in God’s plan for morality. No. Unhealthy is not equal to healthy.
God wants us to be in health in our souls and in our flesh. But neither is possible when we live in wilful sin. III John 2, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.”
Addiction Is Not Equal to Freedom
There is a saying attributed to Mark Twain. “Quitting smoking is easy. . . I’ve done it hundreds of times.” The fact is, a person who is addicted to something is a slave to that addiction.
It may not be easy to define an “addict.” However, if a person keeps doing something harmful, they are probably an addict. If someone keeps doing what they know they should not do, there probably is some level of addiction. God says that if we are do sin, we are a slave to sin. Romans 6:16, “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”
Immoral or promiscuous people are addicts whether they believe it or not. They may not recognize it just like the alcoholic or the drug abuser. They often say, “I could stop any time I want to.” This is the nature of addiction, they do not want to. The real point is that they continue to do what they know they should not.
Then there comes a stage before the addict realizes the stranglehold of the addiction, where they feel like they have to indulge even though they no longer want to do it. Addicts find themselves in bondage to drugs, alcohol, immorality, and sodomy. They come to the conclusion, “This is just the way I am.” Then, “If others really loved me, they would accept me.”
Addicts want acceptance and equality, but addiction is not equal to the real freedom to choose what is right.
You have a choice to live in addiction to deadly sin, or you can come to Christ and be free to do what is right. Romans 6:21, “What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. 22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Guilt Is Not Equal to a Clear Conscience
Today, those who do wrong cry for equality with those who do right. They clamor in bitterness over “unfair” treatment. This person is subverted in their own soul. They refuse to deal with their own guilt, so they blame those who lift up the standard of right and who decry evil. Those who live in guilt tend to think that the only reason they feel guilty is because of those who insist on God’s standards.
The guilty fail to realize that those that live with a clear conscience live in joy, not bigotry or hatred. Those who are addicted to wrong are hurting themselves by their own guilt. Guilt lowers the immune system’s protection. It makes the body more susceptible to disease.
Guilt hurts outsiders as well. Those that love the guilty person hurt for that guilty person. They are concerned and burdened because they wish they could help their loved one. The guilty person often becomes bitter, angry, insecure, self destructive, or suspicious of others, just to name a few things. Though people outside see these things, the guilty person often does not see it about themselves, being in denial.
Today those that live in wrong lifestyles and practice destructive evils call for equality. But they will never get it because guilt is not equal to a clear conscience.
There is no victimless sin. Everyone is connected to the sinner. God is grieved. Those that love the sinner are defiled by the sinners bitterness. Hebrews 12:15, “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;”
Is “Equality” the real thing that Progressives want, or is there another agenda?
Disobeying God Is Not Equal to Obeying
God is a loving God. He is not an unstable, unjust, capricious entity. On the contrary, He makes covenant with man. God keeps His promises.
He is a just God. Justice is not the same as fairness, but God does justice. Because he is just, He gives knowledge of the law through the Scripture. And because He is loving, He even gives us the power to obey His law. This power is called grace. God gives this power/grace to all who by faith rely on His promises.
The problem is that we have a sinful nature. We have the desire to do wrong because of this fallen nature. But also because of our choices.
It would be easy to say, “I was born this way.” The next natural step in logic is, “Since I was born this way, God must have made me this way.” Then this flawed logic says, “Since God made me this way, it must be okay.”
However, some people are born with the tendency toward anger. We do not excuse murder. Some are born to a family with a history of greed. We do not excuse stealing. And though some families have a history of debauchery, we cannot justify immorality of any type.
Exodus 20:5-6 says, “. . .for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.” All sinners are born that way, but that is not an excuse for doing evil. Just because you are born a sinner does not mean you have a right to do whatever you want. Jesus said in John 8:34, “. . . Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.” This is the core of every addiction. When you indulge in any addiction, you become its slave.
So, disobeying God is not equal to obeying God.
Gods true Equality is better than man’s false equality.
• All men are equal in Gods eyes: Sinners. Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
• All men are loved equally by God, no one better than another.
• All men were valuable to Jesus who died in their place. John 3:16, 17 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”
• All men that believes in Christ are changed for the good by God. II Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
• All men that ask for God’s salvation will receive it. Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
• All men that are saved will eventually become like Jesus Romans 8:29, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.That is the real equality that all of us need.”
Outline:
1. Filth Is Not Equal to Cleanness
2. Illness Is Not Equal Health
3. Addiction Is Not Equal to Freedom
4. Guilt Is Not Equal to a Clear Conscience
5. Disobeying God (sin) Is Not Equal to Obeying (righteousness)
Does Hebrews 6:4-9 Teach Loss of Salvation. Calvinism vs Arminianism
Calvinism vs Arminianism
Hebrews 6:4-9 is a passage that is very confusing to most believers. There is not much teaching on this passage, apparently because of how confusing it seems. This passage can be understood, however, by carefully “dividing the Word of truth” (II Tim. 2:15). This article is meant to look at this passage in relation to two major “isms” in the Christian world Calvinism and Arminianism.
Calvinism and Arminianism are systems of doctrine built in reaction to each other. Both of these doctrinal standpoints has some truth and some error. The truth lies between the two, namely in the Word of God.
Heb. 6:4 “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, 6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. 7 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: 8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. 9 But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.”
Is the Bible clear on the question eternal security and losing salvation?
Does Calvinism properly understand the Sovereignty of God?
Calvinism, emphasizes the sovereignty of God. Of course, God is sovereign. However, in the effort to counteract the false doctrine that says you can lose your salvation, they do not consider the Bible’s full teaching on God’s sovereignty. The Calvinist problem with sovereignty is that it does not fully apply the condescension of God.
The condescension of Christ is the doctrine that Christ gave up certain rights (that He had as God) to come and die for us. Another way to put it is that Jesus humbled Himself. He became man, then a servant to the Father and to man, and then to die for us. Jesus was still God in nature the whole time. But He voluntarily limited His own rights for a time.
The Bible shows us that God the Father limits Himself as well. In Phil. 2:9, we see God lift up Jesus above Himself. “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name.” God has lifted Jesus’s name above His own in Ps. 138:2, “I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.” John 1:1 tells us that Jesus is the Word. God has lifted up Jesus (the Word) above all His holy name (JHVH). This is a humility of the Father before the Son.
Similarly, the Father has limited His own sovereignty to give man an individual choice. Just like Christ condescended to become man by giving up His rights to Godhood, so the Father also condescended to give man the ability to choose to say “no” to God. Jos 24:15 “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” If God did not actually empower us to make a valid choice, His command to choose would be empty and vain. God’s words are never vain.
Can God still be completely sovereign and give us the ability to say “no” to Him?
People who think salvation can be lost, don’t understand salvation’s covenant.
A problem with Arminianism is that it lifts up the individual choice of a person to such a high degree that it makes man’s choice more powerful than God’s covenant-promises about eternal security. Once a person receives the gift of eternal life, they enter into covenant with God. It is not that the person no longer has a choice. In deed, Christians often choose to resist God’s grace after salvation and backslide. But the only thing that can nullify a life long covenant is death. God will never die. And Jesus said in John 11:26, “And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” So, once the covenant relationship is entered into, there is no nullifying of the salvation covenant, no matter what choices to are made.
Arminianism then protests, “Then we can all live in sin and it will not matter?” Certainly not. The person who could have chosen to reject Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit before salvation, is not the same person that has been indwelt with the Holy Spirit of God. The Spirit convicts, and the Father chastises the son He adopts. A truly saved person does not have the same desire to sin like the unsaved person does.
What do people fall away from if not salvation? The Place of Repentance.
One of the problem texts for both sides of this debate is Hebrews 6:4-9. The problem is that this passage looks like it is talking about loss of salvation. If this were proper interpretation, that would obviously be a problem for Calvinist doctrine, and would contradict other Scriptures. Calvinist doctrine rightly teaches that a saved person cannot lose his salvation. Nor can a truly saved person choose not to be saved anymore. This passage, if it did mean loss of salvation, would also be a problem for the Armenian side, and would still contradict other Scriptures. It would mean that if a person did lose his salvation, he could never get it back. It would negate I John 1:9. In the writer’s experience, most conditional security people teach that if someone loses his salvation, he can always repent and in a sense get it back.
The answer for both sides is that this passage does not speak about salvation, until verse number 9. Rather, it refers to a place of repentance before salvation. Christians mistakenly understand this place of repentance to mean the same thing as salvation. However, the Bible teaches here in Hebrews 6 (as well as in other passages) that the place of repentance is somewhere short of salvation.
For example, the Bible teaches that Esau sought the place of repentance. Hebrews 12:17 For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears. While the text here is specifically talking about the history with Esau and Jacob, the writer of Hebrews is applying it to a certain spiritual condition. That condition is when a person knows they need to trust in God but in stead turns away from God. Then the place of repentance is closed to them.
How can an unsaved person once be enlightened?
Looking at Hebrews 4:6-9 will help, to understand what this place of repentance means. Verse 4 starts a sentence that is not finished until verse number 6. There are several phrases in between verse number four and six. To understand the simple thought, please omit those phrases for one moment.
Verse 4 starts, “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened . . . 6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance.” Now, it is easy for Bible students to misunderstand this “enlightened” phrase. Many assume it means the guidance of the Spirit that a Christian receives after salvation. However, verse number six states that the place they are falling away from is, in fact, a place of repentance rather than salvation. This is further confirmed by verse number 9. “But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.” The phrase, “shall fall away” is parapipto, which means (from 3844 and 4098 in Strong’s) to fall aside, i.e. (figuratively) to apostatize, fall away.
Hebrews 1-2 shows Christ is greater than angels. In chapter 3, He is greater than Moses. In 4, He is greater than the Sabbath. In 5, He is greater than the Aaronic high priest. Then in Hebrews 6:1-3, Paul (assuming he was the writer) indicates that he wants to turn a corner in the book of Hebrews and move past the basic issues of leading up to salvation, namely “the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God.” Then in verse number 9, he says that he is now going on to talk about salvation. So, Paul is indicating that what he spoke about in verses 4-8 are actually something short of salvation. This place of repentance is, arguably, a border between being unsaved and saved. This is the “place of repentance,” spoken of in Hebrews 12:17. It could be considered the doorstep to salvation.
In Ephesians 2:1, Paul tells us that man is dead in trespasses and sins. Man’s spirit is dead before God. Death is separation. When man committed sin, it separated him from a sinless God. Man’s dead spirit cannot hear God’s call to salvation without God’s empowerment. It cannot accept salvation without His empowerment. He cannot even know that he is a sinner without God’s empowerment. The only way that man is able to know his situation is through the Holy Spirit’s grace. This is what Heb. 6 is referring to as this place of repentance. These are the things that God does for men at the doorstep of salvation so that any that will can enter in to His eternal life.
It is important to take each phrase between verse 4 and 6 and examine them individually. The first is “has once been and enlightened.” Since this phrase is not speaking about salvation (vs. 9), the question must be asked, “When does an unsaved person become enlightened before salvation?” The answer is obvious. It is speaking of when the Holy Spirit of God convicts a person and makes them see their sin. Notice the word is “once.” They are not given the eternal enlightenment of salvation, but just a taste, so to speak.
The next question is, “To whom does this light appear?” John 1:9 says the Jesus is light and He is the light that lights every man that comes into this world. This light is a part of and indivisible from the grace that brings salvation to man. Obviously, not everyone receives the light, just like not everyone receives the grace unto salvation. But this light, at the doorstep of repentance, does appear to all men as John 1:9 states. Titus 2:11 reiterates this truth. “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.” As this place of repentance is like the doorstep of salvation, this enlightenment seems like the “porch” light. And how powerful a light it is that it should shine for the whole world to see!
How can an unsaved person taste of the heavenly gift?
The second phrase in Hebrews 6:4 is, “[A]nd have tasted of the heavenly gift.” Notice, that the word here is “tasted.” The heavenly gift is obviously salvation. However, it says that they have tasted of salvation. There is a lot of difference between tasting a meal and eating a meal. In the same way, no one can even know they need to be saved without the Holy Spirit’s touch. At the point of repentance, the Holy Spirit empowers a person with just a touch or a taste of what salvation and forgiveness means. Otherwise, we could not even be drawn to salvation in our dead spiritual state.
This event of the Holy Spirit’s touch or taste could be likened to someone who receives a life-giving electrical shock of a defibrillator. The defibrillator can restart a heart that has stopped. When it is stopped, the electrical signals of the person’s natural body are not working. They are dead. An outside force of electricity is used to restart the heart.
Another example is that of a car that has no alternator, and the battery is dead. The car must have electricity from an outside source given to the car in order for the car’s engine to turn over. One car can charge up the battery, and the car without the alternator can run for a while. But it will die as soon as the battery is depleted. As long as the jumper cables are hooked up to the no-alternator car, the car can run off the other car’s electricity. This is like what happens to us when we are united with the Holy Spirit of God at salvation. He continues to give us the electricity, spiritually speaking, for us to keep living in the spiritual life forever. However, the person who receives the electricity from the jump start and then unhooks the jumper cables will not stay running on their own power. That is because they do not have an alternator that is producing its own power. This is what the sinner who refuses the indwelling for the Spirit does. He takes the touch of grace that empowers him to know his need for salvation, but refuses to unite with the Spirit for eternal life. He turns away and is lost.
Spiritually speaking, as our spirit is dead in sins, the Holy Spirit gives a taste of His heavenly gift to the unsaved person so that they can know that they even need to be saved. In giving us a taste of the salvation, the Holy Spirit is empowering our ability to respond to Him and accept it. When one accepts salvation, he moves through the door, off the doorstep of repentance. If he refuses the taste of the heavenly gift, he has turned his back on repentance.
How can an unsaved person be a partaker of the Holy Ghost?
The third phrase of Hebrews 6:4 is perhaps the most difficult, “[A]nd were made partakers of the Holy Ghost.” Fundamental Bible teachers have rightly taught that at the moment of salvation, the Holy Spirit comes into our spirits and indwells us forever. So, when we see this phrase, “partakers of the Holy Ghost,” it sounds very much like salvation. If that were what it meant, that would mean we could lose our eternal life. If we can lose it, how long was the eternal life. But remember, verse 9 tells us that the former verses were not talking about salvation. So, how does an unsaved person become a partaker of the Holy Ghost before he is saved?
The Holy Spirit of God is also called the Spirit of Grace (Heb. 10:29). In order for anyone to be saved, God has to give the grace unto salvation to the unsaved person. When a person is at the place of repentance, the grace that the person receives is not separate from the Holy Spirit Himself. In some small way that person at the place of repentance has become a partaker of the Holy Spirit. That is because the sinner has in some way partaken of the grace unto salvation.
Arguably, this phrase can not mean anything else. If it means salvation, then the rest of the Scripture that guarantees eternal security is in error. But the Scripture on covenant salvation stands. All Scripture can be brought into harmony with the others if we understand them correctly. Hebrews 6 makes it evident that a person at the place of repentance (though not yet saved) does somehow partake of the Holy Spirit by experiencing the Grace unto salvation.
How do unsaved people taste the good Word of God?
The next phrase in verse number 5 is, “And have tasted the good word of God. . .” The idea of eating God’s Word is a an idea that occurs many times in the Bible. Prophets were told to eat the book the God gave them. Moses likened the mana to the Word of God. He said that the reason why God gave the manna was so that man would know that he must feed off of the Word of God spiritually. But notice that this phrase in verse 5 does not say that the person has eaten the Word. Again, it says “tasted.” The grace unto salvation allows an unsaved person to know how good the Word of God is. God allows them to spiritually taste it the Word. Now if the person goes through the door of salvation, then the Word of God can dwell in the Christian’s life richly (Col 3:16). But if the person turns away from the place of repentance, not only are they not saved, but they are now responsible for knowing the truth and rejecting it.
Just like the term “enlightened” refers to Jesus’s work in the world, and just like it says that people are made partakers of the Holy Spirit at the moment of conviction, so they have tasted of the Word of God. Here, it is arguable that the Word of God means more than just the Bible. It also means that they have tasted of the goodness of Jesus who is the Word of God. This is supported in Heb. 6:6 where it says that the person who turns from repentance crucifies the Son of God afresh.
Hebrews 6:1-8 is Paul’s version or explanation of the unpardonable sin. Jesus calls the unpardonable sin the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. Then the Holy Spirit, through Paul says that the blasphemy that is unpardonable is against Jesus. This is appropriate for the Holy Spirit to emphasize Jesus here. After all, Jesus said that the Spirit would do this (Jn. 16:13). Yet notice that Heb. 6 takes into account both the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (partakers of the Holy Ghost) and against Jesus as well (tasting the good Word, putting Son of God to open shame).
How do the unsaved taste of the world to come?
The last phrase is, “[A]nd the powers of the world to come.” Apparently, God is referring to all the joys of heaven in this phrase. When we are convicted to salvation, God gives us a taste of heaven. If a person walks through the door of repentance, they receive eternal life presently. This is evidenced many times in the Bible, but look at two verses just to demonstrate.
Eph. 2:5 “Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:” Notice that it does not say that we will be made to sit in heavenly place. It says that the saved already are there. Physically, we are not, but spiritually we are. That same spirit that is reborn at salvation is there. Our eternal life does not start when we die. It is the moment we enter into Jesus, the Door of salvation. This is a “present tense salvation.” It is right here, right now for those that are saved.
God allows the unsaved person to be aware that Heaven, in the form of communtion with God, is real at the moment of conviction to repentance. If the person turns away from that, they are turning their back on salvation and all the joys of eternal life. There is no more place left for them except the damnation of hell.
Another Scripture to consider on this “present tense salvation,” is I Jn. 5:13 “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” If a person is saved, he has eternal life presently.
The Sower, the Seed, the Water, and the Fruit.
Coming back to Hebrews, verses 6-8 reiterate the same truths as verses 4-6. “For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: 8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.”
Paul said in I Cor. 3:6-9 that many people are involved with the salvation of a soul. Some plant the seed. Some water the seed. Some reap the harvest when someone actually receives Christ’s salvation. Hebrews 6:4-8 indicates what happens in that process for those who reject Christ’s salvation. And in verses 7 and 8, God puts it in the same terms as the seed and the sower, Luke 8:5-15 and I Cor. 3:6-9.
The seed or planting is the Word of God, the Gospel of salvation. The water of I Cor. 3:6-9, is the Grace unto salvation. And the fruit is salvation. The earth that the seed is sown on is the heart of a man. The planting or sowing is the place of repentance, in Heb. 6:4-6 terms. But only the person who brings forth fruit is truly saved. The ground that does not, its end is to be burned.
But as Paul said, “We are confident of better things of you, and things that accompany salvation.” The person who comes to salvation must first come to the God empowered place of repentance. He has the power to know/experience the truth by the ministration of the Holy Spirit’s grace unto salvation. This person also has a God empowered ability to make the choice to accept or reject. Otherwise, the Scripture would be pointless when it says in Jos 24:15, “[C]hoose you this day whom ye will serve . . .” God’s Word “choose” would be an empty word if there was not in fact a God empowered choice.
There is a choice that God empowers every person to make at the place of repentance, the doorstep of salvation. God is a gentleman. God does not force any one to love or hate Him. God teaches that love happens only when both sides make a free will choice to love. Just as God does not force anyone to love Him, He does not force anyone through the door of faith or salvation. He woos. He calls. He empowers. But every man still has a God empowered choice to say no.
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Who is Jesus Christ?
Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Son of man, came into the world to save men from the guilt and condemnation of sin, offering His blood as an atonement which is available to all who exercise faith in Him.
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1Cor 3:17
If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
Mark 6:41a
And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, . . .
Mk 6:42-43
And they did all eat, and were filled. And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes.
Andrew Grosjean
Andrew
Canaan Baptists Church is the Best church around that I could recommend and I am glad to have been a member for a full decade!
Can you really be 100% sure you’ll goto heaven
Many followers of Jesus Christ look for the assurance of salvation in the wrong places. We tend to seek assurance of salvation in the things God is doing in our lives, in our spiritual growth, in the good works and obedience to God’s Word that is evident in our Christian walk. While these thing can be evidence of salvation, they are not what we should base the assurance of our salvation. Rather, we should find the assurance of our salvation in the objective truth of God’s Word. We should have confident trust that we are saved based on the promises God has declared, not because of our subjective experiences.
How can you have assurance of salvation? Consider 1 John 5:11–13: “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; [and] he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” Who is it that has the Son? It is those who have believed in Him (John 1:12). If you have Jesus, you have life. Not temporary life, but eternal.
God wants us to have assurance of our salvation. We should not live our Christian lives wondering and worrying each day whether or not we are truly saved. That is why the Bible makes the plan of salvation so clear. Believe in Jesus Christ (John 3:16; Acts 16:31). “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Have you repented of your sins? Do you believe that Jesus died to pay the penalty for your sins and rose again from the dead (Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21)? Do you trust Him alone for salvation? If your answer to these questions is “yes,” you are saved! Assurance means freedom from doubt. By taking God’s Word to heart, you can have no doubt about the reality of your eternal salvation.
Jesus Himself assures those who believe in Him: “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand” (John 10:28–29). Eternal life is just that—eternal. There is no one, not even yourself, who can take Christ’s God-given gift of salvation away from you.
We hide God’s Word in our hearts so that we do not sin against Him (Psalm 119:11), and this includes the sin of doubt. Take joy in what God’s Word is saying to you: instead of doubting, we can live with confidence! We can have the assurance from Christ’s own Word that our salvation will never be in question. Our assurance of salvation is based on the perfect and complete salvation God has provided for us through Jesus Christ.
What is Baptism?
Christian baptism is the means by which a person makes a public profession of faith and discipleship. In the waters of baptism, a person says, wordlessly, “I confess faith in Christ; Jesus has cleansed my soul from sin, and I now have a new life of sanctification.”
Christian baptism illustrates, in dramatic style, the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. At the same time, it also illustrates our death to sin and new life in Christ. As the sinner confesses the Lord Jesus, he dies to sin (Romans 6:11) and is raised to a brand-new life (Colossians 2:12). Being submerged in the water represents death to sin, and emerging from the water represents the cleansed, holy life that follows salvation. Romans 6:4 puts it this way: “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.”
Very simply, baptism is an outward testimony of the inward change in a believer’s life. Christian baptism is an act of obedience to the Lord after salvation; although baptism is closely associated with salvation, it is not a requirement to be saved. The Bible shows in many places that the order of events is 1) a person believes in the Lord Jesus and 2) he is baptized. This sequence is seen in Acts 2:41, “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized” (see also Acts 16:14–15).
A new believer in Jesus Christ should desire to be baptized as soon as possible. In Acts 8 Philip speaks “the good news about Jesus” to the Ethiopian eunuch, and, “as they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?’” (verses 35–36). Right away, they stopped the chariot, and Philip baptized the man.
Baptism illustrates a believer’s identification with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. Everywhere the gospel is preached and people are drawn to faith in Christ, they are to be baptized.