Hey, it has been awhile, eh?

Well, a lot has happened since my last post...too much to relate all at once.

However, I'm married now, attending Christ URC in Santee, Ca. and marching toward my big ordination candidacy exam at the end of June.

I think I've also found my new study spot close to where I'm living: It's A Grind Coffee Shop

Needless to say, there are a lot of interesting people...Hillcrest, California is rather famous/infamous for that.

It feels good to be back in the saddle again, out there studying, and bearing witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ...no holding back.

"Can I be baptized while living with my boyfriend?"

What an interesting way to begin a gospel conversation.

That was the first question that the young lady mentioned in the post below asked. I've never been in a witnessing situation when that is the first question that comes out of the person's mouth. But what a helpful place to start that was!

The answer to that question is simple. No, you shouldn't get baptized while living with (code for having sex outside of marriage with) your boyfriend. Why? Once you understand all that baptism signifies and seals upon you, the reasons will become self evident. And off we went.

This might sound strange and foreign to some, but the first thing I read to her was Article 34 on baptism from the Belgic Confession.

We didn't read the entire article but I did pull out parts of it. And it was awesome. It was awesome because it was so helpful. Now, I had to explain some terms and phrases as we read it but here's what made it so awesome...the explaining of those terms became the perfect launching point into teaching her and showing her what the Bible says about who God is, what sin is, who Jesus is, why he shed his blood and the significance of that act, why it was necessary for him to obey the law in our place, what true faith is...etc.

For instance part of Article 34 reads, "It [baptism] washes and cleanses our soul from sin and regenerates us from children of wrath into children of God. This is not brought about by the water as such but by the sprinkling of the precious blood of the Son of God, which is our Red Sea, through which we must pass to escape the tyranny of Pharaoh, that is, the devil, and enter into the spiritual land of Canaan."

What a joy it was to stop and explain how Jesus "is our Red Sea, through which we must pass to escape the tyranny of Pharaoh, that is, the devil, and enter into the spiritual land of Canaan." In the process of telling her the story of how God delivered the children of Israel out of the bondage of Egypt and Pharaoh, caused them to pass through the Red Sea on dry ground, and eventually lead them to the Promised Land...I was able to communicate to her the amazing unity of the entire Bible, that there is one united story from beginning to end. And that all the Old Testament stories foretold and pointed forward to the person and work of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. Thus, Jesus is our Red Sea through which we must pass to escape the tyranny of the devil and enter into heaven. When one thinks about the meaning of baptism in such a manner, through the redemptive historical narratives of the Old Testament, the gospel truth it signifies and seals resonates deeply and powerfully in the soul. [A word to the wise, the Lord knew what he was doing when he instituted the sacrament of baptism!]

Now, it turns out that she had already been baptized as a baby in the Roman Catholic church, so she doesn't need to be baptized again. Article 34 of the Confession was useful for explaining why this is the case as well.

The Confession helped her understand baptism, the gospel, and the unifying theme of the Bible. She understood it all. She got it! And we're talking about a young lady in her late 20's who didn't go to college...and didn't even graduate from high school. Who says that creeds and confessions are outdated, useless, or too hard for people living in contemporary society to understand?!

During the course of the discussion it became very clear that the Holy Spirit had already been convicting her of her sin and bringing her to the place in life where she wants Christ as her Savior.

"How do I make Christ number one in my life?"

That was another question she asked. She was giving evidence of having a heart of gratitude. This is what a heart does when it understands its sin and misery and how it has been redeemed from all its sins and misery...it wants to show its thankfulness by asking that question in order to know how to honor the Lord.

I simply explained that having Christ as number one in your life looks like this...1. recognizing your sinfulness in that you have broken God's law and are worthy of hellfire punishment (guilt); 2. receiving with true faith, apart from works, God's gracious gift of Christ who lived perfectly in your place, died in your place receiving the punishment from God that you deserve, and rose again from the dead in your place (grace); 3. Living a life of obedience to God's commandments, forsaking sin and living unto to Christ, not to earn your salvation but to show your thankfulness for it and give evidence that you possess it (gratitude).

Granted, I didn't say those three things in the exact concise manner in which I just wrote them, but those are the things I did communicate to her in a much longer and more detailed fashion. I must confess that I wish I would have spoken of those things more concisely last night but I trust that how I did speak of those truths was helpful to her nonetheless. The net effect was the same.

Meagan, Samantha, and I talked with her for about four hours. It was really an amazing conversation. Then the four of us closed in prayer. The young lady prayed right along with us. It was a simple but beautiful prayer wherein she thanked the Lord for leading her to people who could explain Christ to her and for lifting a huge weight off of her shoulders.

What a tremendously beautiful prayer. What a privilege it was for us to bear witness to Christ and witness immediate fruit.

There is so much more that I could write...so much more was discussed...but the bottom line is this, that woman is ready to hear some formal evangelization, preached to her from the Word of God by an ordained minister on Sunday.

Hopefully she'll come to church with us sometime soon.