Glory of God Prayer Group, St. Cecilia Parish, Wa Diocese, Ghana - Let Your Light Shine

Saint of the Day

The unexamined life

The unexamined life is not worth living. Socrates

Touch the dying

Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the unwanted according to the graces we have received and let us not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work. Mother Teresa

unwanted, unloved

Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat. Mother Teresa

Perfection of a man

This is the very perfection of a man, to find out his own imperfections. Saint Augustine

Will

Will is to grace as the horse is to the rider. Saint Augustine

Man cannot diminish God's glory

A man can no more diminish God's glory by refusing to worship Him than a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word, 'darkness' on the walls of his cell. C. S. Lewis

The safest road to hell

The safest road to hell is the gradual one - the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts. C. S. Lewis

Perfect moderation

To many, total abstinence is easier than perfect moderation. Saint Augustine

Seeking without that wert within

I found thee not, O Lord, without, because I erred in seeking thee without that wert within. Saint Augustine

Meaning of the universe

If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning: just as, if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with eyes, we should never know it was dark. Dark would be without meaning. C. S. Lewis

Beauty is the bait

Beauty is the bait which with delight allures man to enlarge his kind. Socrates

God dispenses beauty even to the wicked

Beauty is indeed a good gift of God; but that the good may not think it a great good, God dispenses it even to the wicked. Saint Augustine

Lay first the foundation of humility

Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first the foundation of humility. Saint Augustine

The real problem

The real problem is not why some pious, humble, believing people suffer, but why some do not. C. S. Lewis

Two kinds of people

There are two kinds of people: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those to whom God says, 'All right, then, have it your way.' C. S. Lewis

The desire is thy prayers

The desire is thy prayers; and if thy desire is without ceasing, thy prayer will also be without ceasing. The continuance of your longing is the continuance of your prayer. Saint Augustine

Pray and work

Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you. Saint Augustine

A simple smile

We shall never know all the good that a simple smile can do. Mother Teresa

Prayer does not change God

Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays. Soren Kierkegaard

Believe that you may understand

Seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. Saint Augustine

Analysis of video condemning water baptism for gentiles
(Understanding Acts)

 

It is very helpful to watch the complete video before reading my comments, so that you can have the full picture.

Someone referred me to this video when we were discussing about baptism. The video claims that water baptism is not required by gentiles for salvation. I have analyzed the video and given my thoughts on it. I would have loved to post my comments directly on youtube, but comments have been disabled for this video in youtube. (Note: the video is about 50MB). Enjoy.

 

This video has been brilliantly presented, and the person looking at it from the surface might get deceived by his eloquence and the force of his presentation. However, let’s go beyond these and look at the facts.

Summary of his point of view

First, let me do a summary of his point of view. His main point is that gentiles cannot be saved through water baptism. He even went further to call anyone practicing or preaching water baptism in our age as a heretic who will surely go to hell. This subject, therefore, is a matter of eternal salvation or damnation, and therefore of grave importance for all Christians.
Even though facts abound in the bible supporting water baptism, he has cleverly tried to isolate those facts by making two assertions: 1. that water baptism is for Jews, not gentiles, 2. that all the parts of the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John before the death of Jesus are Old Testament (OT). I believe that by making these assertions, he hopes to eliminate any bible passages that one may use to oppose his view. However, the truth can never be covered up.

Contradiction in his view

Please make sure you listen through the whole video at least once before you move along with me in this analysis, so that you can see the picture more clearly.
From the beginning of his presentation, he made clear statements that water baptism was for the Jews, but not for gentiles. Listen to his presentation at these times: 8:05 – 8:55, 20:36 – 20:55, 22:28 – 23:11. Then he later made other statements that contradict these. He said Peter and the others who preached before Paul added to the gospel. Listen to 24:10 – 25:05. Then he said Paul straightened out Peter’s message. Listen to 27:56 – 28:47. Wow! Can you spot the contradiction?
First he agrees that Peter preached water baptism for salvation, but only to jews, and that Peter’s message was appropriate (there’s more evidence if you listen to 11:08-11:22. Here he asserts that Peter switched from preaching water baptism to preaching the name of Jesus, and says God changed his mind on that. This means that God approved of Peter preaching water baptism). Then, later, he said peter added to the gospel when he preached water baptism for salvation (to the Jews, of course, since he asserts that Peter didn’t preach water baptism to the gentiles). He put the final nail in the coffin when he declared that Paul straightened out Peter on the gospel. It’s something that is crooked that needs to be straightened out, right? Anything that is crooked has something wrong with it that needs to be corrected, right? Therefore, he’s saying that there was something wrong with Peter’s message that needed to be corrected, which Paul did. According to him, God himself approved Peter’s message, yet it was crooked. This is huge contradiction with his first stand when he said Peter preached water baptism to Jews, which they needed.
I’m going to analyse both branches of his contradiction and disprove both.

Did Peter preach heresy?

Let’s take it that Peter’s message about water baptism was wrong right from the beginning. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus declared that when he built his church, the gates of hell would not prevail against it. This means that this church cannot be destroyed by the devil. This includes the church being corrupted. This is OT, according to him, right? But those are the words of Jesus anyway. Then Jesus declares in John 16:12-13 that the spirit of truth would come and lead the apostles into all truth. Now, to tell me that after these promises, the day of Pentecost, the day that Jesus’ promise was fulfilled, came, the apostles received the Holy Spirit and went out to preach, and the first message their leader preached was heresy. Unbelievable! The gates of hell prevailed against Christ’s church on the very day of its birth, then! In both Matthew 16:19 and Matthew 18:18, Jesus told his disciples that he had given them the authority to permit and prohibit on earth and it would be done same in heaven. Paul was not even a disciple when Jesus made this declaration. To say that what Peter declared was heresy and Paul, who came onboard later, had to straighten him out is pure madness. It is obvious that the charge of heresy can never be levelled against Peter if we believe in the words of Christ, especially since the presenter has declared that this subject is a matter of eternal consequence. But this charge is exactly what his later contradiction levelled against Peter. Sad.

Peter preached water baptism but only to Jews? Water baptism is for only the Jews?

There is a saying that “actions speak louder than words.” It would be wrong for us to look at only what Peter said, ignoring what he did. Both contribute to our understanding of his belief system.
The presenter quoted the event of the encounter of Peter with Cornelius and his household. However, funny enough, he seems to have missed the whole point of the events in that encounter. The short story is that God directed Peter to preach to Cornelius and his household. While Peter was still speaking, and before Cornelius and his household were baptized, they received the Holy Spirit. To understand this encounter better, we need to look at the events and statements before and after Cornelius and his household received the Holy Spirit.
It’s interesting to know that the Jews and gentiles shared nothing in common. Read Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, John 4:5-29, especially verse 9. So even after Jesus’ resurrection and the apostles being empowered by the Holy Spirit, Peter still held the notion that Jesus’ salvation was only for the Jews. This is why God had to first speak to him in a vision before sending him to Cornelius and his household. In that vision in Acts 10:9-20, God showed Peter ritually unclean animals and asked Peter to kill and eat. Peter didn’t understand the vision until he was sent to Cornelius and his household. He declared in Acts 10:34-35, “I now realize that it is true that God treats everyone on the same basis. Those who fear him and do what is right are acceptable to him, no matter what race they belong to.”
After Cornelius and his household received the Holy Spirit, Peter declared, “These people have received the Holy Spirit, just as we also did. Can anyone, then, stop them from being baptized with water?” – Acts 10:47. This statement is very central to the understanding of the encounter of Peter with Cornelius and his household. The question to ask is that if water baptism was not needed for salvation of the gentiles (remember that we’re dealing with gentiles here, not Jews), why did Peter insist on baptising Cornelius and his household even after they had received the Holy Spirit? There shouldn’t have been a need for their water baptism. Now study Acts 10:47 carefully. The way Peter put his statement indicates that water baptism was what would start the salvation process for Cornelius and his household, not the reception of the Holy Spirit (of course, the Holy Spirit has his own place in the salvation story, but that's a different topic). The fact that the Holy Spirit was poured out on Cornelius and his household was just proof to Peter that God had accepted them, and therefore he should baptize them to receive salvation. God was still dispelling the notion from Peter that the salvation of Christ was meant only for the Jews. Peter confirms this with his statement in Acts 15:7-8, “After a long debate Peter stood up and said, "My friends, you know that a long time ago God chose me from among you to preach the Good News to the Gentiles, so that they could hear and believe. And God, who knows the thoughts of everyone, showed his approval of the Gentiles by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he had to us.” God gave them the Holy Spirit to show his approval, not to indicate that the gentiles did not need to be baptized with water!

Philip baptizes gentiles

We read in Acts 8:5-12 that Philip baptized Samaritans (gentiles).

Do gentiles also need water baptism for salvation?

It is evident that both Peter and Philip didn’t think that only Jews needed water baptism for salvation. Why did they not think that way? They were instructed by Jesus himself to baptize ALL. Jesus said to them, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” -Matthew 28:18-19. Jesus instructed them to make disciples of all people and baptize them all. It’s clear that both Peter and Philip understood this instruction to include gentiles, so they baptized gentiles too. Who are we to question the instructions of Jesus when even Peter didn’t question them?

Did Paul baptize gentiles or not?

It’s amazing to find out that even Paul baptized gentiles! A few quotations will be helpful.
Acts 18:1-8
Acts 16:16-33
Other interesting bible passages concerning water baptism
Matthew 3:16 – Jesus himself received water baptism
John 4:1-2 – Jesus’ disciples baptized
Acts 22:1-16 – As Paul recounts his conversion story, he makes an interesting revelation about his own baptism which was not captured in the original story in Acts 9. This is just one prove that not everything that Jesus and his disciples did and taught were written down.

Does it mean ‘water baptism’ when ‘baptism’ is mentioned in the bible?

One may argue that most of the quotations I’ve stated do not mention water baptism, but just baptism, which would/could refer to the Holy Spirit baptism.
It’s a fact that people baptized with water. Examples are John the Baptist at the Jordan, Peter and Cornelius and his household (Acts 10), Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8:26-38).
It’s true that John the Baptist said that, “I baptize you with water to show that you have repented, but the one who will come after me will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” – Matthew 3:11. However, it wasn’t stated the exact procedure by which the Holy Spirit baptism would take place. Was one to undergo water baptism and then receive the Holy Spirit (Holy Spirit baptism)? Was one just to accept Jesus and mention is name in order to receive the Holy Spirit? Nothing Specified. It’s true that Cornelius and his household did not get baptized before they received the Holy Spirit, but I’ve already explained why it happened that way. On Pentecost day, the 120 disciples were not baptized before they received the Holy Spirit. What we don’t know is whether they had been previously baptized or not. No evidence really that they were not baptized before receiving the Holy Spirit.
However, we do have evidence that when baptism is mentioned in the bible without qualification, it refers to water baptism. In Peter’s encounter with Cornelius and his household in Acts 10, they received the Holy Spirit and then were baptized. In the encounter of Philip and the Samaritans in Acts 8, they were baptized and then later Peter and John laid hands on them to receive the Holy Spirit, Acts 8:14-17. In Acts 19:1-6, Paul found some disciples in Ephesus who had been baptized with the baptism of John the Baptist, he baptized them in the name of the Lord Jesus and laid his hands on them to receive the Holy Spirit. In Acts 2, Peter instructed his listeners to receive baptism for the forgiveness of their sins and then to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
In all of the above scenarios, we see that the baptism and the reception of the Holy Spirit were two separate events. It is therefore evident that when baptism is mentioned in the bible without qualification, it does not refer to Holy Spirit baptism, but water baptism.
Also, in Acts 2:38, even though water is not mentioned, the presenter in this video does agree that it was water baptism.

 

This guy is simply not "rightly dividing".

 

The bottom line: Paul believed in, accepted, received and practiced water baptism! And he baptised gentiles!!

 

Other errors noticed in the video

Contrary to what the presenter wants us to believe (Listen to 10:50 -12:31), there was no transition from preaching water baptism to preaching the name of Jesus, by Peter. Right there in Acts 2:38, Peter preached the name of Jesus when he said that the baptism they were to receive would be in the name of Jesus. He preached it right there together with water baptism.
Moreover, yes, in Acts 3:13-16, Peter did talk about the name of Jesus. However, in connection with what did Peter mention the name of Jesus? In connection with eternal life? No, it was in connection with healing (of the body), so this text is misplaced in this argument where we’re talking about eternal life.
Acts 4:10-12 (Listen to 13:00 – 14:13) – It is nowhere said that we are saved by only the name of Jesus, without water baptism. If I say that salt makes soup sweet, am I saying that pepper, onions and all the other ingredients are not needed to make the soup sweet? No. At that moment, only salt was of concern, the others were not, so I simply mentioned salt without mentioning the others. In the same way, if the name of Jesus was mentioned without water baptism does not mean that water baptism is not essential. Remember Jesus instructed his disciples to baptize in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. There is prove that the name of Jesus and water baptism go together. The name of Jesus was simply isolated because it was the only thing of interest at that moment.
Listen to 29:00 – 29:11 – Paul was not invited to the meeting. It was rather Paul, together with others, who brought the matter to meet with the apostles. This may be trivial, but it’s still a misrepresentation of fact.
Listen to 36:50. I’m now confused :). First he said water baptism was ok for Jews (meaning Jews could be saved through the preaching of Peter). Later he said Peter was wrong for preaching that message and was straightened out by Paul. Then he comes back here to say that the Jews of today can only be saved through the preaching of Paul. I don’t know when the preaching of Paul took over from the preaching of Peter as the means of salvation for the Jews anyway.


Unless otherwise stated, all quotations taken from the good news bible

There is hope

There is hope for a tree that has been cut down; it can come back to life and sprout. Even though its roots grow old, and its stump dies in the ground, with water it will sprout like a young plant. ({bib=Job14:7-9}). Take heart, the Lord of Hosts is still able, the mighty God of wonders is still at work, the rock of ages is gracious and Jehovah Jire is still providing our needs according to his riches in glory in... Read more>>>

About the Faith Outreach Ministry

Introduction to the Faith Outreach Ministry “But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power, and you will be witnesses for me in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8 Background information on the Faith Outreach Ministry Basis of the Faith Outreach Ministry In 1991 the Catholic Charismatic Renewal organised a Life in the Spirit Seminars (LSS) program for some members, and as the Lord promised in Acts 1:8, He poured... Read more>>>

Wrong moral living or wrong moral teachi…

Difference between wrong moral living and wrong moral teachings Some people confuse the two concepts of wrong moral living and wrong moral teaching. If we study scripture carefully, we will realize that right from the beginning God has condemned both wrong moral living and wrong moral teaching. However, we also realized that even so, there has been no period in history when the world has been completely rid of evil or wrong moral living. Abraham, for instance, could not wait patiently for... Read more>>>

Auto-panic

It is as if most human beings are configured to be automatically  afraid whenever there are challenges. This auto-panic device makes even some Holy Spirit filled Christians to cry out, complain and wish for a return to their former ways of life when they go through a test.  In fact, when this auto-panic device is activated, it automatically uninstalls any faith application. Therefore, at this stage, anxiety, fear, worry, hopelessness, dejection etc. begin to control such a person. The people of... Read more>>>

Respect dignities

When we despise dominion and speak evil of dignities we break the divine pattern and bring a tide of curse upon ourselves and those under our care. As those under our authority behold how we treat those in authority over us, they will become fuelled by the same spirit and start to treat us in a similar manner. Once this spirit enters into a community, that community will burst apart at some point fracturing along personality lines. This is the... Read more>>>

The unconditional love of Jesus Christ w…

{bib=Matthew 13:44-46} Have you ever fallen in love? Do you remember when the phone rang and he or she was on the other end? Your heart fluttered with excitement. You couldn’t wait to see your loved one again. However, the romantic attraction you’ve ever had is nothing compared to the way Jesus loves you. You’re always on his mind. To him, you are the “pearl of great price” ({bib=Matthew 13:46}). He gave up everything for your salvation. If only this would... Read more>>>

Guarding our social lives to attain spir…

Teaching for Sunday 30th October, 2011Teacher: Felix Dordaa Mahama Text: {bib=John 15:17-19}. We are in the world but we are not of the world What is our social life? The Lord tells us that even though we are in the world we do not belong to the world. Through our brother Paul in {bib=Romans 12:2}, He tells us again that we should not conform to the standards of the world. We live in the world everyday; eating, drinking, sleeping, working and interacting with... Read more>>>

Understanding the book of Acts

Analysis of video condemning water baptism for gentiles(Understanding Acts)   It is very helpful to watch the complete video before reading my comments, so that you can have the full picture. Someone referred me to this video when we were discussing about baptism. The video claims that water baptism is not required by gentiles for salvation. I have analyzed the video and given my thoughts on it. I would have loved to post my comments directly on youtube, but comments have been disabled... Read more>>>

The different world of blurred future of…

The world is more than rotten The world has changed completely into what I can’t describe. Will I say rotten? Oh no, it will be an understatement. Some youth say, “We are in the 21st century.” Some also say, “We are the future leaders.” Other youth say, “We are civilised.” Still, others say, “Computer children.” Indeed this twenty-first century has changed. Things are now upside down, which has made the road to righteousness very rough for the youth and difficult to... Read more>>>

Is the Bible the Final Authority?

This article has been inspired by the conflict that exists within Christianity mainly due to the interpretation of the bible (the genuine cases). First of all it is important for us to understand the place of the bible in Christianity before we can properly apply it to Christian spirituality. This article seeks to use the dealings of God with his people Israel, the dealings of Jesus and the apostles with the early Christians, the bible itself and common sense to... Read more>>>

Marriage Software

This is what a guy wrote to a Systems Analyst -(Marriage Software Div); Dear Systems Analyst, I am desperate for some help! I recently upgraded my program from Girlfriend 7.0 to Wife 1.0 and found that the new program began unexpected Child Processing and also took up a lot of space and valuable resources. This wasn't mentioned in the product brochure. In addition Wife 1.0 installs itself into all other programs and launches during systems initialization and then it monitors all other system... Read more>>>

Do miracles still happen in the Catholic…

The answer to the question of whether miracles still happen in the Catholic Church has always raised follow-up questions in my mind. Yes, I know that miracles still happen in the Catholic Church, but if so why are so many Catholics still into idolatry, consulting gods and mallams everywhere at the sight of any small problem? Why do many Catholics not hear about these miracles? How important are miracles in the Catholic Church and in our relationship with God? I believe that... Read more>>>

The Lord's prayer

Our Father, who is in heaven, holy is your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen. OR Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give... Read more>>>

Pack your things and give them to me to …

Drama this Morning:  My wife and I were having a serious quarrel when I said to her, "Pack your things and ...." At that moment her phone rang, so I had to stop for her to receive the call. It was her dad. The phone was on speaker so I could hear what he was saying. After the usual pleasantries between father and daughter, he said: "my daughter, I have transferred $1,000,000 into your account, give your husband $500,000 out... Read more>>>

Knowing the God you serve: God will forg…

Teacher: Felix Dordaa Mahama Text: {bib=Judith 5:17-21} What if I were God? Would I be able to forgive the many wrongs that people do, even after they confess? When I examine my own thoughts and emotions and when I listen to contributions to the Friday morning toaster programme, I wonder what would happen to us if God were a human; He is so full of mercy and compassion, sometimes I wonder if I were God I would be able to forgive some of... Read more>>>

Who has more followers: God or satan?

Please finish reading before you do anything else right now; read this to the end. My name is God. I know you will give your time to me. I love you and always bless you. I am always with you. I need you to spend 30 minutes of your time with me today. Don't pray. Just praise. Today I want this message across the world. Will you help? Please drop everything & pass it on. Tell the devil you are... Read more>>>

My prayer for you

I pray that you may prosper, more so in your soul, in the name of Jesus Christ. May Jehova Jire  provide all your needs according to his riches in glory. May he who saved the Israelites from the tyranny of the Egyptian king rescue you completely. May he who is all-knowing and source of all knowledge and wisdom give you the needed grace this day and help you understand the dream you just woke up from. May your enemies look... Read more>>>

Lesson from the story of Joseph.

The brothers of joseph thought they were pushing him away from his dream of being who God said he would be. Little did they know that they were rather pushing him into it.   Read more>>>

My soul belongs to Yahweh

Oh, satan, I pity you. I've just been reminded that my soul belongs to Yahweh, so u can't touch it. You are indeed a great loser.   Read more>>>

The agenda is on - The six stages of soc…

Social Deception very often is a process by which wrong becomes right, and right becomes wrong. It’s a complete paradigm shift of opinions, standards and morals that is achieved softly, subtly and often takes a generation to entrench into society. Those who engineer it are very deliberate and structured in their approach.   If you want to know what I am talking about, find out your mother’s views on things like sexuality and marriage and compare them with yours. The contrast in... Read more>>>