Do you know what happened to you when you were baptized? - Cyber Recovery Social Network Forums

*admin* · 01-08-2007, 07:41 AM

Meditation
Luke 3:15-16, 21-22

Readings

The Baptism of the Lord

Jesus may have taught his disciples divine wisdom, but this wisdom was filtered through the sometimes gritty, always human experience he had as a man living in first-century Palestine. This means that the words of Jesus on forgiving others reflect not only divine wisdom but his own experience as well. He could say that giving was better than receiving because he had given himself completely and received with great measure from his Father. And likewise, he could speak about the power of the Holy Spirit because, as a man, he himself had been filled with the Spiritâ€”a truth publicly manifested on the banks of the Jordan River.

At Jesusâ€™ baptism, the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove (Luke 3:22). This anointing began a new stage in Jesusâ€™ life. His public ministry would now be characterized by an outward display of miracles, preaching with authority, victory over demons, and more. There could be no doubt about it: Something very dramatic was introduced into the world on that day.

Do you know what happened to you when you were baptized? Do you know how much God is prepared to do in you and through you because you have received the Holy Spirit? Like Jesus, your baptism included power for ministry, with an added and amazing bonus. At your baptism, you (or your godparents) didnâ€™t just give your life to God. God gave his eternal life to you.

Along with the power to move the gospel out into the world, you have received a fundamental interior change. You are no longer bound to sin and death. You have been baptized, immersed, in the life of God. You are a new creation. Because the same Spirit that flowed in Jesus now flows in you, you have been made a sharer in Jesusâ€™ divine nature. Take time this week to read some of the following Scripture passages on baptism: Acts 2:38-39; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; Titus 3:4-7; and 1 Peter 1:3-4. Ponder these verses, and let God awaken your imagination and fill you with great expectation for all that you can become in Christ.

Almighty God, I am amazed at what you have given me in Christ! Open the eyes of my heart to see the spiritual blessings that are mine. Expand my understanding so that I may grasp all that is mine through baptism.

Isaiah 42:1-4,6-7; Psalm 29:1-4,9-10
--Online Christian Daily Devotion

*admin* · 01-08-2007, 07:47 AM

38Peter 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. 39The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call." Acts 2:38-39

21Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22

4But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:4-7

3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:3-9

01-08-2007, 07:41 AM	#1
admin Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 28,249	Do you know what happened to you when you were baptized? Meditation Luke 3:15-16, 21-22 Readings The Baptism of the Lord Jesus may have taught his disciples divine wisdom, but this wisdom was filtered through the sometimes gritty, always human experience he had as a man living in first-century Palestine. This means that the words of Jesus on forgiving others reflect not only divine wisdom but his own experience as well. He could say that giving was better than receiving because he had given himself completely and received with great measure from his Father. And likewise, he could speak about the power of the Holy Spirit because, as a man, he himself had been filled with the Spiritâ€”a truth publicly manifested on the banks of the Jordan River. At Jesusâ€™ baptism, the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove (Luke 3:22). This anointing began a new stage in Jesusâ€™ life. His public ministry would now be characterized by an outward display of miracles, preaching with authority, victory over demons, and more. There could be no doubt about it: Something very dramatic was introduced into the world on that day. Do you know what happened to you when you were baptized? Do you know how much God is prepared to do in you and through you because you have received the Holy Spirit? Like Jesus, your baptism included power for ministry, with an added and amazing bonus. At your baptism, you (or your godparents) didnâ€™t just give your life to God. God gave his eternal life to you. Along with the power to move the gospel out into the world, you have received a fundamental interior change. You are no longer bound to sin and death. You have been baptized, immersed, in the life of God. You are a new creation. Because the same Spirit that flowed in Jesus now flows in you, you have been made a sharer in Jesusâ€™ divine nature. Take time this week to read some of the following Scripture passages on baptism: Acts 2:38-39; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22; Titus 3:4-7; and 1 Peter 1:3-4. Ponder these verses, and let God awaken your imagination and fill you with great expectation for all that you can become in Christ. Almighty God, I am amazed at what you have given me in Christ! Open the eyes of my heart to see the spiritual blessings that are mine. Expand my understanding so that I may grasp all that is mine through baptism. Isaiah 42:1-4,6-7; Psalm 29:1-4,9-10 --Online Christian Daily Devotion

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01-08-2007, 07:47 AM	#2
admin Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 28,249	38Peter 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. 39The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call." Acts 2:38-39 21Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 4But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:4-7 3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, 5who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:3-9