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Saturday, July 20, 2013

National Mirror: Burial, resurrection dimensions of baptism, Pastor Adewunmi (2)

National Mirror
All the Facts | All the Sides 
Burial, resurrection dimensions of baptism, Pastor Adewunmi (2)
Jul 20th 2013, 23:04, by Our Reporter

Pastor Segun Adewunmi of House of Prayer Ministry explains the burial and resurrection dimensions of baptism. Excerpts:

Burial

To bury is to totally immerse and submerge. It is a situation where the believer is totally dipped into water and to be fully covered by the water, to demonstrate a complete rejection of the world and what the world stands for.

The reality is that man was born in iniquity and into iniquity as acknowledged by David in Psalm 51:5. Man has an animal soul that struggles for vainful things. We can see that as soon as a baby's hand is strong enough to hold anything, he takes whatever he finds into his mouth. Man struggles for both what he needs and what he does not need. The struggle makes him brutal, wicked and unkind to others. His worship of God is for the purpose of achieving his aims and objectives without seeking to know why God created him and how to meet the goal of God. Burial is not a temporary relocation of personality from soul to the spirit but a complete forsaking and rejection of the above, never to be remembered:

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal." (John 12:24-25)

The burial dimension of baptism is to foreclose backsliding. It demonstrates endowment. It is like a white cloth that is dipped into a dye. It takes the exact colour of the dye to the extent that bleaching cannot return it to its original colour.

Burial also demonstrates a huge faith in God's ability and love. It tells of the insurance and assurance that insulate the believer against the tests, temptations and trials that can derail him. It even goes beyond faith but also adds faithfulness. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego demonstrated these before king Nebuchadnezzar:

"Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.

But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up" (Daniel 3:16-18)

What these fellows meant was that they were committed enough to God and would rather perish in the furnace instead of worshipping the idol. Even though they were not physically baptized they were thoroughly regenerated in their hearts. Burial in baptism can as well be called commitment to God.

Regret

The way some believers talk about their past after salvation creates the impression of a regret. A woman who fought physically in the market after saying a lot of obscene things later told her opponent to thank God that she was born again, otherwise she would have done much more. A lot of people create the impression of nostalgia for their past, they recall the pleasure of their past critical actions. These were physically buried during immersion but were not mentally buried.

Perfect submission

Burial is a place of perfect submission to His will. An example of such submission is that of Saul when he encountered God on his was to Damascus. The incident occurred as follows:

"And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:

And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest:

it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do." (Acts 9:3-6)

The change of heart is captioned in Acts 9:6 "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do"? He was ready for His will. Resurrection Resurrection is rising from the situation of death. Death could be physical, mental or spiritual. An example of mental death is what the father of the prodigal son said after the young man came back. Indeed baptism is "the coming back home" of the prodigal son. Resurrection brings to a climax, the opportunity made available to believers through the Lord Jesus. To resurrect is to have the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Resurrection is being set free:

If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed. (John 8:36)

To be set free is to be released from bondage. Resurrection is our freedom from the external enemy but complete freedom is freedom from ourselves because the real enemy targeted in baptism is ourselves. When we resurrect we are reconciled with Him and raptured to operate in his consciousness which surpasses the understanding of the world:

"And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:

And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all." ( E p h 1:19-23) "And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:" (Eph 2:6)

Through resurrection God has put us in a secret place:

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. (Psalm 91:1-2)

"I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee. (Ps 32:8-9)

Indeed! Resurrection is victory over the world.

"And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Matt 16:18-19)

"And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee." (Jer 1:19).

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