Wednesday, January 8, 2020

Baptism and the thief on the cross excuse

Baptism and the Thief on the Cross Excuse
Rejecting to be baptized in water is a good indication that you have not truly repented, because all that the water baptism represents is the beginning of your journey with Jesus, that you have repented of the old lifestyle, to be raised in the newness of life with the Lord Jesus. That’s why you go under the water, to leave the old behind, to leave it in the grave or as DEAD. And then you come up, representing you’re going to live with the Lord in the newness of the life with a new heart and a new mind.
 But Christians today are rejecting baptism and making excuses, they say; “Well we don’t need that for our salvation…” and then they make doctrines around that, “It’s not a salvational thing, is just an obedience thing… but God Saves us by grace anyway…” So, on and on it goes with their excuses. But even Jesus Himself was baptized, not that he was a sinner, but he said; “Let us do this to fulfill ALL righteousness.”  And His ministry started AFTER He was baptized.
We are as Christians to follow in the path of Jesus. But many Christians are just making excuses, they don’t want to really repent, they don’t want to put the old life of sin in the grave, and they don’t care about baptism. They just blow off the things of God, and then they make their own interpretations of the Bible and what they should be doing and then they start living for God THEIR OWN way. You cannot live for God your own way and start your own ministry and build your own kingdom and think that you will enter God’s Kingdom. You will enter your OWN kingdom, but you won’t enter the Kingdom of God.
Those who make excuses will be excluded from the kingdom of God. One big excuse is that the thief on the cross… Jesus said to him, “Today you’ll be with me in paradise.” And he wasn’t baptized, therefore they say that justifies me and you, it justifies all of us not being baptized because, “After all, it’s not a salvational thing, Jesus let him in and he didn’t even have to be baptized...” Well, what is YOUR excuse? The thief was up on the cross! But what is your excuse that you can’t be baptized? If you’re just making excuses, then you’re not ready to go with the Lord, you’re not ready to follow the Holy Spirit.
 Everyone’s situation is different. The thief was up on the cross, he wasn’t going to jump down real quick to get baptized and then join Jesus back up on those crosses. But what is your excuse? What is holding you back from truly obeying the Lord and doing what He has called you to do? Will you be found as a man or woman of excuses? Or will you be found as a man or a woman of FAITH and true love for your Master?  May the grace of Jesus be with you