Things New and Old: Beautiful cries of obedience

Things New and Old

Ancient truths revealed in the Scriptures are often forgotten, disbelieved or distorted, and therefore lost in the passage of time. Such ancient truths when rediscovered and relearned are 'new' additions to the treasury of ancient truths.

Christ showed many new things to the disciples, things prophesied by the prophets of old but hijacked and perverted by the elders and their traditions, but which Christ reclaimed and returned to His people.

Many things taught by the Apostles of Christ have been perverted or substituted over the centuries. Such fundamental doctrines like salvation by grace and justification have been hijacked and perverted and repudiated by sincere Christians. These doctrines need to be reclaimed and restored to God's people.

There are things both new and old here. "Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things" 2Ti 2:7.

Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Beautiful cries of obedience

"See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?" cried the Ethiopian when he saw the body of water necessary for his baptism.

The lovely cry expresses the earnest pent-up desire of a child of God and believer in Jesus Christ to obey the will of the Father and of his Lord Jesus Christ. May we hear more such cries from the disciples of Jesus Christ, not only with respect to water baptism, but in all areas of life.

When the eunuch, already a child of God before he ever heard the gospel from Philip, was instructed in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, he was also made to understand his duty to be baptized. He was ready to obey the Lord's command but there was no water available to fulfill such command of the Lord. He understood full well that baptism is by immersion, and not by sprinkling. If it was by sprinkling, there was more than enough water with him in his chariot for such a purpose; but he knew sprinkling is no baptism!

See his excitement when he saw a body of water, probably in an oasis along the desert way, a condition necessary for his baptism. He had been hindered for toooooo long; he would not delay for another minute!

It was low tide, and we had to walk quite a distance.

Let us have the same earnest desire to do the Lord's will.

(We had a baptism on 5 March 2017. After our first service, we adjourned to the nearby beach facing the Straits of Penang. The weather was cloudy, and the tide was loooooow. It was already raining towards the southern end of the eastern coast. However, the Lord of heaven restrained the rain from coming to us until the baptism was administered. We had planned to have our Lord's Supper and lunch by the beach after the baptism. But a light drizzle started, so we moved back to the church premises and had a great time. After the public reading of the Members' Covenant, Sister Sue Lian was received into the church membership and partook the Lord's Supper with the church.

In the evening, the dear Brethren from Subang Fellowship took the church out to Hai Boey Restaurant for our Mirth Feast. It was a great time for the church.

All praise and glory to our blessed Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.