Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. Exodus 14:21
The crossing of the Red Sea is the greatest miracle in the history of Old Testament Israel. The Israelites had their Passover in the land of Egypt, which speaks of salvation. Our spiritual journey begins in a world of bondage. As we put our faith in the Lamb of God and the blood He has shed, we experience Christ as our Savior. We then begin our feast of unleavened bread, which is a picture of the believer feeding on the pure Word of God. Then we come to the Red Sea, which is a type of water baptism.
Very often, we in the Spirit-filled, Charismatic community put emphasis on the baptism in the Holy Spirit and play down the importance of water baptism. But water baptism separates you from “Egypt,” the house of bondage. Water baptism breaks the power of Satan, the “Pharaoh” of all bondage. It breaks the crippling ties of your old life. It destroys the power of the past that tries to pull you back into Egypt.
Something else happened at the Red Sea. “Thus Israel saw the great work which the LORD had done in Egypt; so the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD and His servant Moses” (Ex. 14:31). Water baptism causes faith to arise in the hearts of believers toward God and the church. It plants them firmly in the house of the Lord and causes their lives to flourish.
When Jesus came to be baptized by John, He declared, “It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matt. 3:15). Therefore, water baptism is also an act of righteousness. No wonder Jesus says, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16). Water baptism is part of the salvation package. It gives us the power to walk in the newness of life (Rom. 6:4).
Get yourself water baptized if you have yet to do so. If you have already done it, celebrate, meditate and remind yourself of the many benefi ts water baptism brings to your walk with God.
The crossing of the Red Sea is the greatest miracle in the history of Old Testament Israel. The Israelites had their Passover in the land of Egypt, which speaks of salvation. Our spiritual journey begins in a world of bondage. As we put our faith in the Lamb of God and the blood He has shed, we experience Christ as our Savior. We then begin our feast of unleavened bread, which is a picture of the believer feeding on the pure Word of God. Then we come to the Red Sea, which is a type of water baptism.
Very often, we in the Spirit-filled, Charismatic community put emphasis on the baptism in the Holy Spirit and play down the importance of water baptism. But water baptism separates you from “Egypt,” the house of bondage. Water baptism breaks the power of Satan, the “Pharaoh” of all bondage. It breaks the crippling ties of your old life. It destroys the power of the past that tries to pull you back into Egypt.
Something else happened at the Red Sea. “Thus Israel saw the great work which the LORD had done in Egypt; so the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD and His servant Moses” (Ex. 14:31). Water baptism causes faith to arise in the hearts of believers toward God and the church. It plants them firmly in the house of the Lord and causes their lives to flourish.
When Jesus came to be baptized by John, He declared, “It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matt. 3:15). Therefore, water baptism is also an act of righteousness. No wonder Jesus says, “He who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16). Water baptism is part of the salvation package. It gives us the power to walk in the newness of life (Rom. 6:4).
Get yourself water baptized if you have yet to do so. If you have already done it, celebrate, meditate and remind yourself of the many benefi ts water baptism brings to your walk with God.
No comments:
Post a Comment