Acts 16:11-15: Salvation in Lydia’s Household
Introduction: The furniture in a church tells you something about its theology and what is important. In a Roman Catholic Church you have the altar front and centre, some churches have the band, Baptist churches usually have the pulpit, the baptistery and the Lord’s Table somewhere in the centre. Because it is the word of God that is given prominence in our worship, because it is God ministering to us not us to God which takes priority, the audible word and the visible word take centre stage. Baptism has fallen on hard times especially in our digital age where...
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Acts 2:38-39: The Promise of the Spirit
Introduction: Today we are having a baptismal service where some of the candidates were once baptised as infants and have since come to recognise that their parents cannot obey the call to repent and be baptised on their behalf, and so are being baptised today as their own act of obedience to Christ’s command. Today then I would like us to think carefully about the differences between infant baptism and believer’s baptism. We will not be able to look at every verse relevant to this discussion so we will look at one of the more important ones, Acts 2:38-39....
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Church Membership 2: Regenerate Church Membership
Introduction: What are the most important distinctives that make a Baptist Church a Baptist Church? You might think that believer’s baptism would be the first thing offered. This is not true! Baptists believe in the direct unmediated Lordship of Jesus Christ through His word in the local church. We do not need Popes or Presbyteries to know His will for our church. Baptists believe in the priesthood of all believers recognising that the Spirit has gifted every Christian for service in the church, and an ability to know God’s will through the word and Spirit and be responsible for...
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Acts 22:16: Rise and be baptised
No recording is available for this sermon. Introduction: Isaac Backus was a faithful American pastor who walked a long road to obeying Christ’s command to believe and be baptised. Isaac Backus was converted during the First Great Awakening in America, this awakening was full of the preaching of men like Jonathan Edwards, George Whitfield, and the Tennant brothers. Backus sat in the midst of these revivals and found his own heart hard and unaffected by the many that were being save around him. The Lord used this hardness of heart to awaken Isaac to His sinfulness and need for...
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