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Quote: The story is told of the preacher who went to pastor a particular church. He was one who was fond of preaching on water baptism. Week after week he would preach about baptism. Finally in desperation, the deacons requested that he allow them to pick his scripture text for the following Sunday's message. He agreed. They assigned him the text Genesis 1:1. "There", they said, "let us see him get a sermon on baptism out of that verse." When he got up to preach, he announced the agreed upon text. His opening sentence then followed, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth is two-thirds water. Today's subject is Water Baptism."

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Quote: "Baptism is like a wedding ring: both [a wedding ring and baptism] symbolize transactions. A wedding ring symbolizes marriage, just as baptism symbolizes salvation. However, wearing a wedding ring does not make you married any more than being baptized makes you saved." A small six-year-old child can wear her mother's wedding ring, but we know that she's too young to be married. And in the same way, a person can be baptized without having accepted Jesus Christ into his or her heart.

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Quote: The clearest example that shows the meaning of baptizo is a text from the Greek poet and physician Nicander, who lived about 200 B.C. It is a recipe for making pickles and is helpful because it uses both words. Nicander says that in order to make a pickle, the vegetable should first be 'dipped' (bapto) into boiling water and then 'baptized' (baptizo) in the vinegar solution. Both verbs concern the immersing of vegetables in a solution. But the first is temporary. The second, the act of baptizing the vegetable, produces a permanent change. When used in the New Testament, this word more often refers to our union and identification with Christ than to our water baptism. For example, Mark 16:16. "He that believes and is baptized shall be saved." Christ is saying that mere intellectual assent is not enough. There must be a union with him, a real change, like the vegetable to the pickle!

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Book: "When Heaven Invades Earth" Buy from www.amazon.co.uk or www.amazon.com

Author: Bill Johnson

Quote: The baptism of the Spirit makes a lifestyle available to us to which not even John (the Baptist) had access. Jesus whetted our appetite for this lifestyle through His example, then He gave us the promise of its availability.

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Quote: A drunk stumbled along a baptismal service on Sunday afternoon down by the river. He proceeded to walk down into the water and stood next to the Preacher. The minister turned and noticed the old drunk and said, "Mister, Are you ready to find Jesus?" The drunk looks back and says, "Yes, Preacher. I sure am." The minister then dunked the fellow under the water and pulled him right back up. "Have you found Jesus?" the preacher asks. "No, I didn't!" says the drunk. The preacher then dunks him under for quite a bit longer, brings him up and says, "Now, brother, have you found Jesus?" "No, I did not Preacher." The preacher in disgust holds the man under for at least 30 seconds this time brings him out of the water and says in a harsh tone, "Friend, are you sure you haven't found Jesus yet?" The old drunk wipes his eyes and says to the preacher..."Are you sure this is where he fell in?"

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