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  BAPTISM IN WATER
  by Zac Poonen
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Summary: Jesus commanded baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit, emphasizing the importance of repentance and discipleship.

Topics: "Water Baptism", "Repentance"
Scripture References: Matthew 28:19, Mark 10:13, John 4:1, Acts 2:38

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DESCRIPTION
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Zac Poonen emphasizes the importance of following Jesus' command to make
disciples, baptize them, and teach obedience to His commands. He
contrasts the biblical practice of baptizing repentant adults with the
modern tradition of baptizing infants and performing confirmations on
adults, highlighting the need for true repentance and understanding of
God's Word before baptism. The sermon underscores the significance of
intelligent reception of God's Word and repentance before being
baptized, as seen in the Acts of the Apostles.

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CONTENT
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One of the last things Jesus commanded His disciples before ascending up
to heaven was to: (i) Go and make disciples; (ii) baptize them in the
Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; and (iii) teach them to obey
everything that He had commanded. The order is important here. Only
those who were willing to become disciples were to be baptized. No one
else.

When babies were brought to Jesus, He laid His hands on their heads and
blessed them (See Mark 10:13-16). However, when repentant adults came to
Him, He baptized them through His disciples (See Jn. 4:1,2).

But today what do we see in many `churches'? Quite the opposite. Babies
are baptized; and hands are laid on the heads of the adults
(`confirmation')! This is the exact opposite of what Jesus did.

On the day of Pentecost, when many were convicted of their sin, Peter
told them to "repent and be baptized." The record goes on to say that
"those who received his word were baptized " (Acts 2:38,41).

It is clear that only those who were capable of intelligently receiving
God's Word and of repentance were baptized. And that's how it was in
every single instance recorded in the `Acts of the Apostles'.

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Source: https://sermonindex.net/speakers/zac-poonen/baptism-in-water/
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