**The act of baptism is found throughout the new testament scriptures and it can be a worthy subject of careful study. Ultimately, we should let all the accounts of baptism recorded in the bible, and all the clear instruction about it inform our beliefs. Below are some passages from God’s word for us to consider.

From Mark's gospel, we are quickly introduced to the idea of baptism; 

1 This is the beginning of the Good News about Jesus Christ, the Son of God, 2 as the prophet Isaiah wrote:

“I will send my messenger ahead of you.
    He will prepare your way.” Malachi 3:1 

“There is a voice of a man who
    calls out in the desert:
‘Prepare the way for the Lord.
    Make the road straight for him.’” Isaiah 40:3

4 John was baptizing people in the desert. He preached a baptism of  (repentance)- changed hearts and lives for the forgiveness of sins. 5 All the people from Judea and Jerusalem were going out to John. They told about the sins they had done. Then they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6 John wore clothes made from camel’s hair and had a leather belt around his waist. He ate locusts and wild honey. 7 This is what John preached to the people: “There is one coming later who is greater than I. I am not good enough even to kneel down and untie his sandals. 8 I baptize you with water. But the one who is coming will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

**John was at the Jordan river, calling people into the waters for a ritual cleansing as a way to demonstrate their confession of sins and repentance towards God. They were immersed in the waters. Baptism is immersion.

Jesus came to immerse us in the Holy Spirit; that is to take us into the breath and presence of God. As he finished his ministry here among his people, he left them with this commandment...

                                                                                                     From the gospel of Matthew, 28th chapter

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All power in heaven and on earth is given to me. 19 So go and make followers of all people in the world. Baptize them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach them to obey everything that I have told you. You can be sure that I will be with you always. I will continue with you until the end of the (age) world.” 

**As the disciples called men and women to Jesus for salvation, they were baptized with water, declaring their allegiance to the Kingdom of God that Jesus preached. Confessing their sins and turning their lives to follow Jesus as the way the truth and the life;  they considered the eternal reward far greater than the temporary cost. The message of Jesus that "all power in heaven and earth was given to me" was the declaration that he is the messiah (the anointed one). He is the King of the Jews and the King of Kings. Because of his message of salvation, in his name only, he was murdered, spearheaded by the ruling elite of his day. For any who chose to follow him, they risked the same fate. Public baptism was total commitment. The same is true for many around the world today.

**What is this eternal reward that outweighs the cost?

Let the apostle Paul show us where it begins...      From the letter to the Roman church, 6th chapter

6 So do you think that we should continue sinning so that God will give us more and more grace? 2 No! We died to our old sinful lives. So how can we continue living with sin? 3 Did you forget that all of us became part of Christ when we were baptized? We shared his death in our baptism. 4 So when we were baptized, we were buried with Christ and shared his death. We were buried with him so that we could live a new life, just as Christ was raised from death by the wonderful power of the Father.

5 Christ died, and we have been joined with Christ by dying too. So we will also be joined with him by rising from death as he did. 6 We know that our old life died with Christ on the cross. This was so that our sinful selves would have no power over us, and we would not be slaves to sin. 7 Anyone who has died is made free from sin’s control.

**Finally, hear these words from Peter, to you...

36 “So, all the people of Israel should know this truly: God has made Jesus both Lord and Christ. He is the man you nailed to the cross!”

37 When the people heard this, they were sick at heart. They asked Peter and the other apostles, “What shall we do?”

38 Peter said to them, “Change your hearts and lives and be baptized, each 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. 39 This promise is for you. It is also for your children and for all who are far away. It is for everyone the Lord our God calls to himself.”  Acts 2

**Water baptism is a response of obedience and a courageous picture of our trust and devotion to Christ.

We are a Holy Assembly.

**In the Old Testament we read how the Hebrew slaves were called out of Egypt to gather in the wilderness before their God. By the hand of Moses they were delivered from bondage, and through the mighty acts of El-Shaddai (Hebrew for God Almighty) the first Holy Assembly came together at the foot of Mt Sinai. It was there that Yahweh declared He would have a people for His own possession; to guide them and bless them, and to be loved and obeyed by them for their good and His Glory! These would be a people of distinction, separated from all others, to carry the name of The One True God into the lost world. A Holy people.

*A covenant people. To be in covenant with God is much like a marriage. A beautiful relationship of a Husband's commitment of love, protection and provision met with the promise of the bride's purity and surrender given only to Him.

As Israel's journey with YHVH-Yireh (Hebrew for Yahweh will provide) continued through the wilderness and into the promised land, He would meet with them as they gathered in mobile tents to worship. It was during these days that the people received commandments, laws and statutes, the duties of observing Holy Days and festivals, and instruction in righteousness; in other words- the Torah. It was the light for their path.

 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.      psalm 119

**Soon the mobile tent gave way to Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem. Splendor and beauty now adorned the House of God, and it's centerpiece of glory was the Ark of the Covenant, and of course the very presence of El-Olam (Hebrew for The Everlasting God). It's altar was covered in the blood of bulls and goats continually, the sacrifices ordered by God to maintain their relationship and cover their sin. National Israel had emerged and the holy assembly is now to be led in Torah through her prophets, priests and kings.

Israel's history is well recorded in the Old Testament. Cycles of obedience and blessings, then sin and judgement. These cycles led to brokenness, despair and captivity. Yahweh's beloved holy assembly was scattered like sheep without a shepherd. His voice of hope was soon placed into the mouths of His messengers, His forgotten ones would soon be sought out and restored by Yahweh Himself. 

The Servant’s Mission          from Isaiah 42

“This is My Servant; I strengthen Him,
this is My Chosen One; I delight in Him.
I have put My Spirit on Him;
He will bring justice to the nations. 

He will not cry out or shout
or make His voice heard in the streets. 

He will not break a bruised reed,
and He will not put out a smoldering wick;
He will faithfully bring justice. 

He will not grow weak or be discouraged
until He has established justice on earth.
The islands will wait for His instruction.” 

This is what God, Yahweh, says—
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people on it
and life to those who walk on it— 

“I, Yahweh, have called You
for a righteous purpose,
and I will hold You by Your hand.
I will keep You and appoint You
to be a covenant for the people
and a light to the nations, 

in order to open blind eyes,
to bring out prisoners from the dungeon,
and those sitting in darkness from the prison house. 

I am Yahweh, that is My name;
I will not give My glory to another
or My praise to idols. 

The past events have indeed happened.
Now I declare new events;
I announce them to you before they occur.”

After 400 years of silence, John the baptizer clears the way for the savior through his preaching of repentance and baptism...

*Now Jesus, God's servant, reveals his ministry...    from Luke 4 (quoting Isaiah 61)

16 So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. 17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: 

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 

To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”

 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

**Who are the poor and brokenhearted,  who are the captives, the blind and opressed ?

**Whom did the anointed Yeshua (Jesus) come to preach the good news to ?

*He answered that question himself...      from Matthew 15

21 Then Jesus left Galilee and went north to the region of Tyre and Sidon. 22 A Gentile woman who lived there came to him, pleading, “Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! For my daughter is possessed by a demon that torments her severely.”

23 But Jesus gave her no reply, not even a word. Then his disciples urged him to send her away. “Tell her to go away,” they said. “She is bothering us with all her begging.”

24 Then Jesus said to the woman, “I was sent only to help God’s lost sheep—the people of Israel.”

**All of the promises Yahweh made to His beloved forgotten ones were to find fulfillment in this Yeshua. He was sent by His Father to seek out and bring salvation to the lost sheep of Israel. To be their promised Shepherd and lead them back to Qedosh-Yisrael (the God of Israel).

*Yet the story continues...     again from Matthew 15

25 But she came and worshiped him, pleading again, “Lord, help me!”

26 Jesus responded, “It isn’t right to take food from the children and throw it to the dogs.”

27 She replied, “That’s true, Lord, but even dogs are allowed to eat the scraps that fall beneath their masters’ table.”

28 “Dear woman,” Jesus said to her, “your faith is great. Your request is granted.” And her daughter was instantly healed.

**Yeshua's restoration of Israel brought healing to the nations, as was foretold.   from Isaiah 2

Torah From Jerusalem 

It will come to pass in the last days
that the mountain of Adonai’s House
will stand firm as head of the mountains
and will be exalted above the hills.
So all nations will flow to it. 

Then many peoples will go and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of Adonai,  (Lord & Master)
    to the House of the God of Jacob!
Then He will teach us His ways,
    and we will walk in His paths.”
For Torah will go forth from Zion
    and the word of Adonai from Jerusalem.

**The gospel call of Jesus was given to his disciples and they were commissioned to take salvation to Israel, the nations and to the ends of the earth!

**All of us who have received salvation in Jesus are part of this Holy Assembly that has been from the beginning. We have been grafted in through the new covenant in His blood!

from Romans 11

16 If the first piece of bread is offered to God, then the whole loaf is made holy. If the roots of a tree are holy, the tree’s branches are holy too.

17 It is as if some of the branches from an olive tree have been broken off, and the branch of a wild olive tree has been joined to that first tree. If you are not a Jew, you are the same as that wild branch, and you now share the strength and life of the first tree. 

**Those of us who are called the church, have become one with the holy ones of Israel- God's chosen.

from Ephesians 2

11 You were born non-Jews. You are the people the Jews call “uncircumcised.” Those who call you “uncircumcised” call themselves “circumcised.” (Their circumcision is only something they themselves do on their bodies.) 12 Remember that in the past you were without Christ. You were not citizens of Israel. And you had no part in the agreements with the promise that God made to his people. You had no hope, and you did not know God. 13 Yes, at one time you were far away from God. But now in Christ Jesus you are brought near to God through the blood of Christ’s death. 14 Because of Christ we now have peace. Christ made both Jews and non-Jews one people. 

16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 

We live according to the instruction of God's revelation.

from Acts chapter 2,

42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 

from 2nd Timothy chapter 3

definition- The word doctrine is the English translation of the Greek word didaskalia. It simply means teaching or instruction.

All doctrine is contains objective truth that God has revealed in His word, and instruction in righteousness so that we can live godly lives for His Glory.

objective truth concerned with..

instruction in righteousness..

examples

in practice

We are members one of another.

one faith, one baptism, one God

adoption, brotherhood

peace and love, not as the world gives

Our lives have abundance, as we gather around the table in communion.

With one another and in Christ,

communion with God our Father.