Tuesday, November 4, 2008

COR's First Child Dedication and Baptism

“In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.”
- Colossians 2:11-12

“The church is generated by the right preaching of the Word; the church is contained and distinguished by the right administration of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.”
- Mark Dever, Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, p. 10

“Baptism is important precisely because it is tied to the gospel, to the saving work that Christ accomplished in his death and resurrection.”
- Thomas Schreiner, Believer’s Baptism, p. 1

“Similarly, when a person is baptized, he takes upon himself the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matt. 28:19): he becomes God’s person, distinguished from all the other families of the earth. And the Lord’s Supper signs and seals the New Covenant in Jesus’ blood, by which we are separated from the world (Matt. 26:28; 1 Cor. 11:25).”
- John Frame, The Doctrine of the Christian Life, p. 413



Dear Christ Our Redeemer Family and Friends,

Last Sunday was a glorious day at Christ Our Redeemer Church. As a new church plant we experienced two ‘firsts’. First, six children were dedicated to the Lord. Jack Bowen, Abraham Gerving, Anaya Hamilton, Ethan and Felix Haugans, and Jason Wakefield came forward to be prayed for and both their parents and the church were given a charge to raise them under the influence of the gospel. This was a very happy occasion. And then following the morning service we went to The Marshall Center in Vancouver for a baptismal service and potluck. At the baptismal service Emma and Paul Hanger, Joey Ellis, and Lydia and Nathanael Morse made public professions of faith and were baptized. It was a wonderful encouragement to hear the testimonies of each person’s love for the Savior. This was another happy occasion.

I thank God for His work in our midst. To see parents with a desire to raise kids that love the Savior, and to see young people eager to make a profession of faith and follow the Savior is a great encouragement and joy. Make God give us many more child dedications and baptisms in the years to come.

I’m thankful to be serving the Savior together with you.

Dan

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