The Art of Worship- On Baptism

The following is a small excerpt from my book, The Art of Worship (2t2 Ministries). A friend raised the question about baptism in Linked4Ministry, a discussion page for church leaders. I posted this excerpt and decided to post it on this blog as well. The book is available on line, and in all ebook formats.

In Exodus 12 God spoke to Moses to reveal that he had one more plague to bring on the people. He had already turned water to blood, sent gnats, flies, locusts, and frogs, turned the skies dark, killed livestock, rained hail and fire, and gave people boils. But now this last plague was an important one. In this plague, God revealed that he was going to kill the firstborn of every family. This was the beginning of what came to be known as the Passover. They were told to take an unblemished lamb and kill it at twilight. “Moreover, they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they eat it” (v. 7). Then in verse 12–13, God explains why. “For I will go through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike down all the first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments—it is the Lord’s Passover. And the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.”

         There was nothing special about the blood they used. It did not have any special powers. It was only a “sign.” One might have said, “Look I am a Jew; that should be enough. Putting blood on my doorpost sounds to me like we are being saved by our works. God saves me, not the blood on the doorpost, so if I don’t apply the blood to my doorpost, God will still save me.”

            What would have happened to anyone who did not apply the blood as directed? They would have died! But the blood was only a sign. Why would they have died? Ah, we come down to the real issue of what God was asking of his people. The blood on the doorpost was an act of obedience for all who believed in the Lord. Their faithful obedience provided their salvation.

            We honor those who were obedient during the Passover. We praise their faith, and we recognize that the blood was simply a sign of their submission. Yet, so many fail to make the connection that baptism is an act of faithful obedience as well. Are we so willing to throw baptism out and risk the consequences when Jesus makes his final “pass” over us?

            Baptism is the believer’s act of faithful obedience—a willingness to publically share the grave with Jesus, and be raised with him that we may share his resurrection and walk in a new life. This act of faithful obedience is also a powerful act of worship.

            Baptism was not a new idea born in the church. The Jews baptized non-Jewish peoples who came to the Jewish faith. They did so by immersion, and by rule, baptism (mikveh) had to be done in at least 40 sa’ah”, which is about two hundred gallons. That was enough water to bury the repentant person fully.

            The baptism of Jesus showed his obedience to his own father. An act of worship caused Jesus to go under the water and come back up out of the water. The result of his worship was that the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove. As the dove landed on Jesus, the Father spoke from heaven saying, “This is my beloved son, in whom I am well-pleased” (Matthew 3:13–17).

            Before the baptism of Jesus, when was the last time that the entire Trinity was involved in a single event with their individual roles described? The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were all involved in creation. You would be hard pressed to find any other passages in Scripture between creation and baptism (the picture of re-creation). The important point here is that this act of worship, the baptism of Jesus, was a very important event in the ministry of Jesus.

            Water baptism was not the only baptism described in the New Testament. In Mark 10, Jesus described a baptism of suffering. Jesus was referring to his obedience to the cross. He mentioned it again in Luke 12:49–50.

            The phrase, “baptize . . . with the Holy Spirit and fire” is also used in Matthew 3:11–12. Those words were spoken by John, who described his baptism as being of water, but that Jesus would unleash fire when the Holy Spirit was given—which was fulfilled at the beginning of Acts.

            So many New Testament passages speak of baptism. It is our blood on the doorpost, the act of obedience before we are ushered into the land of promise. But how is baptism an act of worship? When we are baptized, our worship is being expressed on three levels: 

A Baby Fawn

          Some experiences happen on a regular basis. Though they are special, we tend to grow accustomed to them, and forget their significance. On the other hand, some events happen only once and will likely never happen again. This is the kind of even that happened today.

   

         A deer was hanging out in our yard this morning. This part is not uncommon at all. This deer, however, would not leave.  The dogs would chase her, and she would simply circle around and come back to the same area. Since this is very uncommon, I decided to investigate. What I found, genuinely surprised me, because in the freshly cut area, in a small patch of shade was a newborn, clean, but still very tired from the birthing experience. Since the dogs knew where the fawn was, something needed to happen if the baby was going to live.

   

         I wasn't even sure it it was alive since there was not movement. When I reached out to feel the soft warm skin of this brand new baby, the fawn jerked and drew in a deep breath. Placing my arms around the helpless creature, I picked it up, and carried it to a grove of trees in hopes that mom, who watched my every move, would take over the care of her baby. Though the deer eat our plants, and make messes on the grass, holding this newborn changed my attitude about them.

            As I held this new, soon to be wild, animal in my arms, I thought about how carefully God handles us. We make messes of his creation, and tear up the flowers and trees to erect ugly concrete structures. We live sinful lives following after our own desires. Yet, when we are in a dangerous place, unable to save ourselves, our God gently lifts us up and takes us to a better place. The Bible says, “As the deer longs for streams of water, so I long for you, O God” (Psalm 42:1 NLT). Two hundred yards from where this tiny fawn now rests is a small lake. I am sure mother was trying to reach that place before giving birth. Soon, this little baby will long for the cool, fresh water.  May I never forget my need for God.

        I don’t know what the final outcome will be for this tiny spotted creature. I hope the mother, who was confused by what was happening, will understand what I have done. For now, I must watch from a distance.

    

Learning From the Birds

            There is an amazing event that takes place every June in the Denver area. The barn swallows come out by the thousands. They divide up into smaller groups, with each group locating themselves around major intersections. At each intersection, the birds swoop and dive, barely missing cars, sometimes touching the ground, and sometimes actually touching cars as they fly by. What they do is pure artistry, like a ballet that takes place all day long. 

            What is the point of the invasion of the birds? Well, there is another phenomenon that takes place at the same time. The month of June brings a brown moth that is harder to see, but present nonetheless.  They enter houses and irritate families when they swarm around lights and windows.

            What do the two events have to do with each other? The answer is fascinating. Cars driving on the roads collide with the flying moths, sometimes on the windshield, and others in the grill area. When the vehicles approach the intersection, they slow, and eventually stop for the light. This allows the moths to fall off of the vehicle and on to the ground. When that happens the birds take advantage of the vehicle’s work and enjoy a great meal.

            Birds know something that we should understand and apply to our own lives. They put themselves in the place of greatest opportunity. They swarm at the intersections with the most cars, because that is the place where the most bugs will be found.

            Are you putting yourself in the place of greatest opportunity? Are you gravitating to the location

where you receive the most blessings? The Bible identifies that intersection as the place of prayer. God wants us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). It is like gathering at the biggest intersection knowing that all trials, needs, and decisions travel through that intersection. All blessings pass through the intersection of prayer. Are you in that place?