Why you need baptism

I don’t really know why baptism is so controversial in the religious world, but an investigation in the Bible will show why baptism is so important. Why should you be baptized?

• To obey Christ (Matthew 28:19)
• To be saved (1 Peter 3:21)
• To enter the kingdom (John 3:3, 5)
• To have remission of sins (Acts 2:38)
• To wash away sins (Acts 22:16)
• To walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4)
• To be in the one body (1 Corinthians 12:13)
• To put on Christ (Galatians 3:27)

Seeing how all these verses establish its importance, why would anyone want to fight against being baptized? It is clearly needed for someone to go to heaven!

Kyle Campbell

Transubstantiation

In John 6:48, we find the words of the Lord, “I am the bread of life.” The Lord adds the remark to the Jews, “Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.” It had power to perpetuate life only for a short time; but He continues, “This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof and not die” (vs. 50).

It will be noticed that His flesh did not come down from heaven, and that bread which came down from heaven is that of which if a man shall eat, he shall not die. Then He follows with the remark, “I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If any man eat of this bread (which came down from heaven) he shall live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” Here he uses the flesh, as that which they saw and dealt with in crucifying Him, metonymically, or a part for the whole. The Jews, however, understood Him to mean His flesh literally, and so does the Roman church, and the Jews inquired, “How can this man give us flesh to eat?” The Lord did not explain the matter to them, but added, “Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you have no life in you” (vs. 53).

They were looking at it in the literal sense, and did not see how they could eat His flesh, or how the eating of it could give life. The doctrine of transubstantiation had not yet been born, and the idea of the bread and wine being changed, in the ceremony of consecration, into the real flesh and blood, so that they could eat the flesh and drink his blood in the communion, had not yet entered into the minds of men. Nor did our Lord mean any such thing, but He Himself, who came down from heaven, is that bread of life which if a man shall eat, he shall never die. But the eating is not literal any more than the bread is literal or the flesh. We partake of that bread, or of Him who came down from heaven, by hearing of Him, believing on Him, and being united with Him. In becoming His disciples, learning of Him and following Him in all things, we eat or partake of that bread, or of Him who is the way, and the truth and the life.

He proceeds: “He who eats my flesh, and drinks my blood, has eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day” (vs. 54). He who believes on Him, receives Him, follows Him, loves Him and obeys Him, in the sense He intended, eats His flesh and drinks His blood; but not in the communion any more than in the other part of His teaching, or other appointments. In coming to Christ, and becoming His disciples, we are made partakers of Him, of “the divine nature” and our salvation is in Him.

“My flesh is food indeed,” says he, “and my blood is drink indeed. He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood, dwells in me, and I in him.” Following Him a little further on, verse 57, He says, “As the living Father has sent me, and I live by the Father, so he that eats me, even he shall live by me. This is the bread that came down from heaven; not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead; he who eats this bread shall live forever." The eating is partaking of Christ, the bread that came down from heaven; this is done by faith, in receiving, following and obeying Him; doing His commandments, that we may enter by the gates into the city and have a right to the tree of life.

Benjamin Franklin

When I preach

I’ve been storing this article on my computer for several years, and I thought it might be time to post it on this blog. The author is unknown to me, but it does accurately represent the kind of thoughts a preacher of the gospel feels. Preachers cannot be obligated to men. If they are, they cannot preach the gospel with the kind of boldness that is often needed. Let this short poem encourage you as a preacher, or give you insight into what your own preacher constantly faces.

When I preach, there are some who say,

They could listen to me all day.

Others think I preach too long,

And some think I go about it wrong.

Some say my sermon is much too deep,

To others, it’s shallow and they go to sleep.

Some report I hold them spell bound,

While others squirm and look around.

Some speak of me as an orator,

But others feel I’m a perfect bore.

Some believe I have no light,

And others think I preach just right.

Some affirm that I’m too bold,

Others wink and say I’m cold.

Some used to say I was much too young,

But others declare my spring has sprung!

Some folks tell I have met success,

Others think my work is a mess.

Some have said my pay is too low,

When they discover the pace I go.

Still others say it is above the peak,

“Why he only works three hours a week.”

From all this, ‘tis plain to see,

That as a preacher, I’m up a tree.

Condemned if I do, condemned if I don’t;

Criticized if I will, criticized if I won’t.

I can’t please men of such discord,

So I’ll just keep trying to please the Lord.

Kyle Campbell

The importance of obedience

James 1:22-25 says, “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.”

We should want to be a doer of the word. The Bible is not for display, analysis, or contemplation. It exists to be obeyed! So important is it to be obeyed that James later says, “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (James 2:10). The “whole law” in vs. 10 is the “royal law” in vs. 8. This is the law of Christ.

We can’t pick and choose what we want to do. As we learn our responsibilities to God, we have to put what we learn into practice. James 4:17 says, “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.” If you would like a good role model, use the Bereans who would “search the scriptures daily” to see how to measure up to God’s standard (Acts 17:11). If you are failing, then repent and obey they way you should -- the way God wants you to!

Kyle Campbell

Being deceived

The phrase, “Be not deceived,” is found in three places in the New Testament. The first occurrence is in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10: “Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.” The second is in 1 Corinthians 15:33: “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners.” The third occurrence is in Galatians 6:7, where Paul writes, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”

One of the purposes of the Bible is to keep us from falling into evil. This is the reason that we have warnings such as the three listed above. If we are tempted to fall, we cannot blame God for the temptation (James 1:13). James 1:16-17 says, “Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

People often try to justify what they do, but do not be deceived. Do not believe in Calvinism, Premillennialism, Catholicism, changes in the teachings of salvation, alterations of the doctrine of the church, compromises in morality (dancing, smoking, drinking, gambling, immodest apparel) etc. All of these are “doctrines of devils” (1 Timothy 4:1), and will cause you to be lost if you believe in them and follow them.

Kyle Campbell

Who is greater?

Jesus said in Luke 22:27, “For whether is greater, he that sitteth at meat, or he that serveth? is not he that sitteth at meat? but I am among you as he that serveth.” The measure of greatness in the kingdom of God differs vastly from that of the world. The world idolizes the rich, the powerful, the beautiful, the athletic, and even the immoral. The world claims it is demeaning to serve others. However, God’s kingdom completely rejects the world’s measure for esteem, giving the greatest honor to the one who serves most. The person who serves selflessly and without complaint is greatly appreciated in the kingdom of God.

When Jesus and His disciples entered the upper room, the disciples looked for a prominent place to sit; Jesus looked for a place to serve. As they waited to be served, Jesus took a towel and basin and washed their feet (John 13:1-15). Christians like to consider themselves servants, but are content to be treated as servants? We are tempted to adopt the world’s evaluation of importance. But when we look to Jesus as our model, we see that it takes a far more noble character to serve than to be served.

The world will regard your importance by the number of people serving you. God is more concerned with the number of people you are serving.

Kyle Campbell