What is the status of your Christianity? Is it growing or shrinking? Is it possible to know??

Well, the answer is yes you CAN know.  You can know if you are progressing.

 There are many status checks in the New Testament, but the Baptism of Jesus has 3 you can see quickly. And if needed, we will help you make the changes.

At the end of the day, John was baptizing the last of the people, according to Luke 3.21.

Jesus now requests John to baptize him. John somehow knows that his cousin is God’s anointed one, Messiah, Christ.

At first, John resists baptizing him. John knows this man is not a sinner needing repentance, like everyone else. John told him, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” John recognized he was not perfect, sinless, but that Jesus was. So John’s usual answer about repentance did not apply to Jesus.

But Jesus asked John to baptize him anyway, but for a unique reason. Jesus said, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to FULFILL ALL RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Then John consented.

Jesus, the sinless one, was being baptized to “fulfill all righteousness.” Jesus knew from the beginning of his ministry that he would be fulfilling, or completing, the Old Testament law. Later he would say,  “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. Numerous times it is written that he was fulfilling what Isaiah the prophet had predicted. Jesus’s ministry, beginning with his baptism, was for the purpose of COMPLETING WHAT WAS RIGHT.

Here is the first status check. It does not matter whether it is just beginning your walk with Jesus or you have been at this a while. DID YOUR BAPTISM DO WHAT WAS RIGHT?

If your baptism was to join a church, well, that purpose for baptism is not found in the Bible. So, it was not for the right purpose.

The correct purpose is found in Acts 2;38 where it says, And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ fOR THE FORGIVENESS OF YOUR SINS,…” Getting your sins forgiven is the right thing to do.

So how are you doing? Are we off to a good start, or need some improvement??

At this same event we find a second status check.

After Jesus was baptized, what did God record for us to know?

He recorded 3 accounts that all agree. Matthew said it this way, “And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him;”

Up till this moment, Jesus did not have the ability to do any miracles. And now he can use the power to obey God the Father. He can now start to heal any disease, feed 1000s at a time, raise the dead and much more. All this Holy Spirit power focused on helping others.

Here is a 2nd status check.

According to Acts 2;38 you received the Holy Spirit at your baptism. So, Are you using the Holy Spirit to help others?

The Spirit that indwells Christians today does not do miracles like Jesus did. But he does help us to remember Bible scriptures, and the scriptures remind us of the caring, understanding people we ought to be. So we help the sick or infirmed, we fed hungry individuals, and we drive older people to medical appointments, we check on people with phone calls. We are always looking for ways to serve.

So, let’s compare. Jesus used the Holy Spirit for the benefit of others. If you are doing the same, then your Christianity is going the right direction.

There is one more status check in this event.

At the beginning of his public life, Jesus’ baptism was given a huge stamp of approval by his father. “And a voice came out of the heavens: “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased.” His heavenly father acknowledged him as being spiritually successful.

Any Christian, whether a newbie or ancient, can know of their relationship with God and their spiritually success. Ephesians 1:18  I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that YOU WILL KNOW what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, …

Let’s NOT ignore Paul’s message to the young preacher Timothy, in 1Tim 3:15,”…if I delay, YOU MAY KNOW how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth..

John the apostle spoke to Christians who had an active faith when he said, “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, THAT YOU MAY KNOW that you have eternal life.

So, if you are telling others what Jesus has done for you,

if you are doer of the word and not just a hearer,

if you work against discrimination,

if you show your faith by your actions,

if you have taken off the old self and clothed yourselves with Christ,

and other similar actions, well, you can trust that GOD WOULD APPROVE of you trying to be like him.

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Thank you for watching. Until we can visit again, goodbye for now.