When was the first baptism? Some might think Pentecost (Acts 2:38); others may say Jesus’ baptism, still others who have read 1 Pet 3:20–21 may say the Great Flood (Gen 6­—9). However, the first baptism (or antitype of baptism) occurs in Genesis 1. The entire world was originally submerged in chaotic waters (Gen 1:2). However, when God created the world, he removed the waters from the earth and then continued to create. This same symbolism is used throughout the Bible when God redeems his creation, thereby making them a new creation. This can be observed at the flood where water destroyed the earth and God (re)created the earth from it. It was used at the exodus where water was used to destroy the Egyptian army and create the nation of Israel (1 Cor 10:1).

This has a few implications on our understanding of baptism. First, baptism is something that God’s people have experienced across covenants. Therefore, those who claim baptism is unnecessary need to be aware that all of God’s people, both past and present, are baptized. Second, this helps us understand the new-creation symbolism involved with baptism. Whenever we come out of the chaotic waters, we, too, are a new creation like that described in Gen 1; 11; Exod 14. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Cor 5:17; ESV). I now encourage you all to study what it means to be a part of God’s new creation and how that effects how we live.

We want to wish all our Church family a Happy Thanksgiving.  Hope everyone stays safe and finds a way to spend some quality time with their loved ones, even if it is only virtually.  I can say this pandemic is definitely putting a damper on our holiday traditions.

Thankfully, there’s only 39 days left in 2020.  We can all say, “What a year this has been!”  In February the pandemic hit, and the United states seemed to shut down! Restaurants closed, cinemas closed, people were forced to work and school from home, March Madness was canceled, Opening Day was delayed and, if you can believe it, even the Lord’s Church doors were closed. I talked to one brother and he said this has been the worst year of his life. How can we give thanks?

In all circumstances give thanks!   1 Thess. 5:18

When we recap this year there really is still plenty to be thankful for! 

· Although the doors of our church were closed, we never missed a worship service.  We thank God that we have the ability to stream our services! 

· We were in prayer for two people in our church family that needed transplants.  We thank God that Barry Johnson received a new liver and Caleb Robbins a new kidney!

· We thank God that we have not lost one member of Summit to COVID!

· We thank God for the work Neville can do helping people cope with the anxiety, depression and hopelessness that come with a pandemic. 

· We thank God that were able to slow down and spend quality time with our family. We had more time to read, learn to cook and complete home projects.

· We thank God that our church family reached out to and supported one another with food and phone calls.

· We thank God for the new members at Summit, including Robert and Rachel Murphy as he begins his work as our associate minister.

O Give Thanks to the Lord for He Is Good. Ps. 107:1 

Brothers and Sisters, we are truly blessed!  During this Thanksgiving season we have so much to be thankful for, especially our Church family!  Do not forget to “Fix our eyes on Jesus” as we look forward to a better and more prosperous 2021.  God Bless!                        

Know that the lord is God, it is he who has made us, and we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.  Enter into his gates with “Thanksgiving.”  Ps 100 3&4

One of my “verse of the day” emails from K-Love this week was Colossians 2:6-7.

“⁶So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, ⁷rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”

Receiving Christ as Lord of your life through baptism is the beginning of a life with Christ, but you must continue to follow His leadership by being rooted, built-up, and strengthened in the faith.

Jesus wants to guide you through your daily walk of faith and we can follow His leadership by:

· Seeking to learn from His life and teachings by studying His word. It takes dedication, muscle and a shovel to be rooted and built up in Him.

· Committing to live for Christ by submitting to His will, not yours, to receive His nourishment.

· And recognizing His power is in you and you can accomplish all things through Him who gives you strength.

As Christians, we draw our life-giving strength from and through Christ. The more we draw our strength from Him, the more we will be full with a thankfulness that only He can provide.

Last week someone told me they don’t believe in life after death. It is hard to make an intelligent decision on Biblical matters if you have never seen what it says. For instance, many years ago Job posed a question “If a man die, shall he live again?” (Job 14:14). The Bible, in Hebrews 9:27, says yes – we will stand before God after we die. And then again, in Daniel 12:2, we read that, “And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt”.

Never has it been easier to read the Bible with a friend. While knocking on a neighbor’s door is a current faux pas, sharing a Bible Discussion and a cup of coffee via Zoom is quite acceptable. Invite a friend today for “coffee and Zoom”. You can ask the Bible (t.ly/ZmUk) for answers concerning, depression (Ps.34:17f), anxiety (Phil.4:6-8) , or loneliness (Isaiah 41:10).

Friend, if Jesus were to return today, to take the saved home, would you go with? If you are not sure, please contact me now for “coffee and Zoom”.

Christians often wonder, “What does it take to make a congregation successful?” Or, phrased differently, they ask, “How can our church better equip Christians to live like Christ?” The answer does not lie in having a wide range of ministries, nor does it have to do with breaking away from tradition. Rather, encouragement is one of the most effective practices to cause your church to grow. For the early church, encouragement was of the utmost importance for the church. In order to be prepared for the Lord’s second coming, Paul told the church to encourage and build one another up (1 Thess. 5:4). The author of Hebrews, who was writing to a church suffering much pressure from the world, commanded the church to encourage one another daily (Heb. 3:13). In fact, encouraging other Christians is one of the main reasons we should gather together as a body (Heb. 10:24–25).

The Christian life is anything but easy. The world will try and discourage us and cause us to slack off, be embittered, or give up our faith altogether. We need to constantly remind each other of the truth and why we began to take up our crosses. If you cannot visit with someone to encourage them, call or text them to keep fighting the good fight. Write thoughtful, encouraging letters to your brothers and sisters. If you need encouragement yourself, call someone who you know could encourage you or read the Scriptures (Rom. 15:4b). We always need encouragement to stay faithful in order to overcome the world (1 John 5:4). 

1 Thessalonians 2:8 – So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

I print everything.  I know how to write in cursive, and I have good penmanship but, more often than not, I choose to print.  I have read that people who print everything do it because they are hiding something, or don’t want to reveal too much of themselves.  I am not sure that’s true, but I don’t know for sure. 

As the mask debate rages on in our country, the truth is that most of us wear some kind of mask.  There is something about us, or our lives, that we are trying to hide or don’t want to reveal.  We may be insecure about certain things.  We may have things in our past that we are ashamed of or embarrassed by.  Maybe we have been hurt by others in the past, or we are afraid of being hurt if we share too much.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica, ‘we were ready to share…our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.” As Christians, we are called to love one another, encourage one another, serve one another, bear one another’s burdens, to confess our sins to one another, and forgive one another. As the family of God, we are to share ourselves with each other.  Our true, genuine self. After all, our authentic self is much more interesting than our perfectly curated self anyway. 

God has given us the Church, His body, to endure and thrive in this life.  We are to love God, love our neighbor and love ourselves.  To truly love one another we have to want to spend time with, and share our lives with, one another.  Begin to take off your mask and share yourself with your brothers and sisters. Slowly, if you must.  The family of God, the Church, will be stronger the more authentic we become.

What is your biggest obstacle to seeking the Lord? Is it you, your ego, your pride, your selfishness, or your idols? Obviously, it could be just about anything. So, let us rather focus on the solution.

The Jews are in captivity in Babylon. Since they will be there for 70 years the Lord encourages them to marry and have children. He culminates the statement by saying: Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV) — ¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Through the Prophet Jeremiah God gives us the solution. Jeremiah 29:12–14 (ESV) — ¹² Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. ¹⁴ I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

Church, we have been in “captivity”. We have tried to carry on business as usual. Now the Lord is preparing to bring us back. He says the first step is “you will call upon me and come and pray to me”. And the result is “and I will hear you”.

Father God, help me to be fervent in prayer as I seek your face with all my heart.

Israel struggled with idolatry throughout much of its history up until the exile in 587 BC. Two Canaanite deities come up frequently as stumbling blocks to the Israelite faith: Baal and Asherah. Baal was the Canaanite storm god who promised to give rain for their crops. Asherah was a goddess who promised fertility to women. Both of these elements, weather and fertility, were something that humans had no power over themselves, and yet they needed both for the survival of their people. Along with meeting their needs, however, these deities were made even more alluring by their practice of religious prostitution (cf. 1 Kings 14:23–24). Males and females would dedicate their bodies to the service of the goddess Asherah, and they would worship her through a sexual act (a possible reference is in Num 25:1–8).

Modern idolatry, while different, is also dangerously similar. Our society often turns to other “gods” to save them in times of need. Some devote themselves to scientific knowledge and humanism in order to solve the world’s problems. Others worship money to solve their issues. Still others turn to entertainment and pleasure in order to help ease their sorrows. Let us make sure that we guard our hearts from such motivations. Let us be mindful to turn to the One, True God in our time of need instead of these false gods. Let us trust in him to fill all of our needs!

And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”  Galatians 4:6

If you have known me for any time at all, you probably know that I am the anti-handyman.  After many honest attempts to develop my abilities to repair things around the house, I am satisfied that I am not handy.  If that trait is genetic, I should be the person you call to fix something at your house.  Sadly, even though my Dad can fix anything, I cannot.  I am likely to turn the small problem into an expensive disaster. 

There is a tremendous confidence that comes from knowing you have a dad who has your back.  It gives confidence to try something that’s just a bit harder than what you are comfortable with.  It provides peace of mind that if something goes horribly wrong, there is someone to call.  Bottom line is there is no substitute for a dad.

Paul gave the Galatian Christians permission to call Yahweh, the holy, all powerful creator of the cosmos, Dad.  They could call the being whose name is too holy to even pronounce, Papa.  How shocking this statement must have been to the original reader.  Once we realize the kind of relationship God wants with his children, it changes everything.

We can have the confidence to reach for something that seems a little too hard for us.  We can have peace that someone has our back when things get tough.  We can relax with all the stiff ritual and formality and just rest in the presence of Dad.

In unsettled times, it is a great blessing to remember that Dad can fix anything.