Onward

Acts 19:11-22

And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, ¹²so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. ¹³Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” ¹⁴Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. ¹⁵But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” ¹⁶And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. ¹⁷And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. ¹⁸Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. ¹⁹And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. ²⁰So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.

²¹Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” ²²And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.

Immer Fort! A good friend and colleague often quoted his grandfather, who used that as a battle cry of sorts to keep moving forward. More accurately it’s Immer vorwärts, but the meaning was clear to him. Always forward! Keep moving. Don’t let up. Don’t stop serving, preaching, loving, inspiring! My friend, Mark, took that to heart. You can learn more about him and his ministry, “Always Forward Ministries” here.

He and his grandpa must have learned it from Paul. That was Paul’s M.O. And he shows it here. After the challenges and victories in Ephesus and Corinth, Paul sets out for Jerusalem. After that, he says, he will go to Rome. But given all that, he still has work to do along the way. He will pass through Macedonia and Achaia on his way to Rome. Grass won’t grow under Paul’s feet.

But notice the important caveat: He resolved in the Spirit to go to Jerusalem and on to Rome. Once before Paul and his missionary entourage had been prevented from going into southern Asia, and had heeded the Macedonian Call. The man in Paul’s vision said, “Come on over here and help us.” So Paul went to Macedonia, to Philippi. There the church’s formal mission first landed on European soil. Lydia was baptized, and she welcomed them into her home. Philippi became a vital support for Paul’s missionary efforts. His letter to the Philippians is, in part, a thank you letter for their support.

That’s a good combination: Always forward in the Spirit. There are times when God’s Holy Spirit takes us along paths we had never seen coming. There are times when we propose but God disposes in a different direction. We make our plans. But if we wish to be faithful we will say, as James warns us if it is God’s will we will go to this or that place…” (cf. James 4:13-15).

Sometimes it’s a still small voice that tells us, “Don’t go there.” Sometimes it’s our conscience that compels us to do the right thing. Maybe it’s the advice of wise and faithful friends that gives you direction. It might be that God leads you to a Bible passage that speaks clearly to the path you’re considering.

Whatever the case, as James warns, “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin” (James 4:17). We do well when we seek God’s guidance in our plans and proposals. By listening to Jesus’ words and renewing our minds (cf. Romans 12), we will know God’s will. And in the Spirit we must go there.

Book Burning

May 9, 2024

Acts 19:11-22

And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, ¹²so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. ¹³Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” ¹⁴Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. ¹⁵But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” ¹⁶And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. ¹⁷And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. ¹⁸Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. ¹⁹And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. ²⁰So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.

²¹Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” ²²And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.

I’ve never seen a book burning. It seems today to be totally out of favor. We don’t burn books. In fact we can hardly ban books. We can’t ban inappropriate books from elementary school libraries without a Supreme Court fight. Sad. Children should not have access to some books – even those which are appropriate for adults. In fact, in Jewish history, young boys and girls were not allowed to read the Song of Solomon until they were 30 years old – or so the legend goes (see this article).

But there is history of burning things deemed evil. Think of draft cards in the 60’s. Or the American flag during protests in the Middle East. Or effigies burned in Europe and sometimes in the United States. Some who protest the burning of books would gladly burn the edicts or policy papers that would ban them.

I think of Luther’s response to the Papal Bull that excommunicated him, calling him a heretic. He burned the document Exsurge Domine on December 10, 1520 it publicly, along with books of canon law and Church-supported theological writings.

This nor the book burning recorded here were acts of censorship. These were acts of repudiation. They were not saying, “You cannot read these books,” per se. But they were saying, “We won’t read these books any longer. We repudiate our practice of magic arts and divest ourselves of all that was involved in that practice. These people had a profound change of heart. They were dramatically converted. I’m reminded of Saul on the road to Damascus.

A couple in another city threw away their phallic shaped idol. A man in another city destroyed his “soft porn” DVDs. A couple in Arkansas abandoned their séances. A young man threw away and burned his Playboy magazines. There are times we must act to repudiate that which dishonors God and sustains a life apart from Christ. Perhaps there is something in your closet that needs to be burned or tossed. Do it now.

Borrowed Faith

May 8, 2024

Acts 19:11-22

And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, ¹²so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. ¹³Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” ¹⁴Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. ¹⁵But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” ¹⁶And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. ¹⁷And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. ¹⁸Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. ¹⁹And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. ²⁰So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.

²¹Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” ²²And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.

She sat in my office – many years ago – as one who had lost hope. She had struggled in her marriage and now it seemed completely hopeless. She had prayed. She had tried to make things better between her and her husband. But he was having none of it. He was done. She was sure there was nothing she could do. And she had given up on God. At that time she was not only without hope. She was without faith.

I did something in that moment and told her that I would believe for her. She didn’t believe in God’s power to change things. She didn’t believe prayer would do any good. But I did believe. I had seen God answer prayers. I was convinced that there was hope and a future for her and her husband. I told her, “You may not believe, but I do. I am going to believe for you.”

To some extent that cannot be done. God has no grandchildren, they say. In other words, we are children of God by faith, but not by ancestry. Just because your mom believed, you cannot claim her faith. That’s what the sons of Sceva were trying to do. They thought they could invoke Jesus by means of Paul’s faith – not their own. Did they learn a lesson! Wounded and bleeding they learned it.

Sometimes Jesus recognized a person’s faith which triggered his act of healing. But I think of the little girl who was laying dead on her bed. Jesus raised her, and there is never a commendation of her faith. But the faith of the father…that’s another issue. He certainly believed Jesus could help. But when it comes to the widow of Nain, there is no indication of faith on her part, and Jesus raised her son from the dead!

Faith finds the grace of God already there. Faith does not cause God’s grace. So when I believed for that struggling wife, or the father of the little girl believed for the sake of his daughter, we looked for something that was already there.

Soon after I spoke and prayed with the struggling wife that day, I took a long drive to meet a fellow pastor for study and prayer. During that drive I prayed. I mean I prayed fervently. I couldn’t wait to hear the next day how things were. So when I called her and asked, she said, “You wouldn’t believe…” There had been a miraculous turnaround that very afternoon we spoke. I didn’t cause that. I was simply convinced that God was going to act to save that marriage. And he did.

Not so much for the faith-borrowing hubris of the sons of Sceva. They wanted the glory that didn’t belong to them. It simply didn’t work.

Handkerchiefs and Aprons?

May 7, 2024

Acts 19:11-22

And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, ¹²so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. ¹³Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” ¹⁴Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. ¹⁵But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” ¹⁶And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. ¹⁷And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. ¹⁸Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. ¹⁹And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. ²⁰So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.

²¹Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” ²²And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.

On the one hand I don’t have a clue, so I could stop writing right now. On the other hand, I need to say something about the handkerchiefs and aprons people were taking – having touched Paul’s skin – and people’s “diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.” What is that all about? Superstitious nonsense? Overzealous embellishment? Wishful thinking? Propaganda?

One commentator opined, regarding the handkerchiefs and aprons:

These were not magical objects. Rather, the Holy Spirit was pleased to manifest his powerful presence so strongly through Paul that the Spirit’s presence sometimes remained evident in connection with objects that Paul had touched. As had happened at Samaria (8:9–13), Cyprus (13:6–11), and Philippi (16:16–18), the powerful forces of pagan magic (19:19) and religion connected to demonic activity (vv. 12, 15; cf. 1 Cor. 10:20; Eph. 6:12) were confronted by the far more powerful work of the Holy Spirit ministering through Paul. (ESV Study Bible Notes)

I think that’s a reasonable explanation. Something similar is recorded in Acts 5:15 where people sought to have even the shadow of Peter fall on them in hopes of being healed. No matter how you explain this, however, it is far removed from our modern day experiences. We call the doctor. We go to Urgent Care. We take a pill.

Of course we pray as well. But sometimes those prayers are a spiritual bandaid to cover all our bases rather than a first line of defence in the fight against disease. But we do pray. And sometimes we see the hand of God far more miraculously obvious than others.

That’s a good reminder that God is the true healer of our body and souls. He heals sometimes miraculously. Sometimes medically. And sometimes mercifully – when he takes us from this veil of tears into the clear and gracious presence of Jesus. And on the Great Last Day we will experience that full and complete healing ourselves – forever.

One more thought occurs to me in regard to this strange episode. There are times we just don’t know how to understand a particular Scripture. I like the advice of Martin Luther in those instances: When you come to a part of the Bible you don’t understand, praise God and keep on reading. In other words, don’t let the few confusing parts of the Bible keep you from dealing with the clear passages. There is plenty to understand and apply to our lives.

A second thought: don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know,” when it comes to spiritual truths and Bible passages. That’s one thing Lutherans are supposed to do well. When we don’t know, we admit it. And we don’t bind people’s consciences to things in the Bible that are not clear. After all, We know precious little about the totality of God’s character and being, but the little we do know is precious!

God at Work

May 6, 2024

Acts 19:11-22

And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, ¹²so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them. ¹³Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” ¹⁴Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. ¹⁵But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” ¹⁶And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. ¹⁷And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. ¹⁸Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. ¹⁹And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. ²⁰So the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily.

²¹Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” ²²And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.

Tom is an outstanding, dedicated, and successful servant of Christ. The church he serves is growing spiritually and numerically. The ministries he guides and supports are touching people’s hearts and changing people’s lives. The attention and accolades he receives are turned immediately toward God. “I am a clay vessel,” he says. “God is the one who is at work. I am his instrument.” Tom doesn’t care whether he gets the credit for any success as long as God gets the glory.

Robert is an up-and-coming church leader. He is on the front page of his church’s national newspaper. He is invited to event after event. He is sought after as a speaker, and envied by many in his church denomination. There is never a need to search for him. He manages to find the limelight wherever he goes. He’s happy to be recognized and receive the kudos for any successful ministry effort. He’ll also look for any trick or ploy to gain an advantage.

Tom is like Paul. Robert is like the sons of Sceva. Paul was completely dedicated to the work of God’s mission. Sceva’s sons were dedicated to using Paul’s fame and power to make a name for themselves.

On other occasions Paul would meet opposition, and even failure. Whether being stoned and left for dead, imprisoned, or ignored or opposed, Paul knew what it was like to struggle. But he never had to face it because he was pretending to be someone else, or borrowing someone else’s fame. And Paul didn’t fade into ignomy when he met opposition. Sceva’s sons run out of the house naked and wounded, never to be heard from again.

When someone’s skill and competence is not complemented by their character, dangerous things happen. If character is lacking, competent people can do great harm. God shaped Paul’s character through his suffering and hardships. We can keep this in mind whenever we meet challenges and difficulties of any kind. God is at work not only in the times of glory and success, but also when we face trials and tribulations. For our good and the good of others.

Today’s Psalms for May 5, 2024

May 5, 2024

Please pray these psalms with me on this Lord’s Day

Psalm 5:1-3

Give ear to my words, O Lord;
    consider my groaning.
²Give attention to the sound of my cry,
    my King and my God,
    for to you do I pray.
³O Lord, in the morning you hear my voice;
    in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for you and watch.

Psalm 35:27-28

Let those who delight in my righteousness
    shout for joy and be glad
    and say evermore,
“Great is the Lord,
    who delights in the welfare of his servant!”
²⁸Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness
    and of your praise all the day long.

Psalm 65:1-8

Praise is due to you, O God, in Zion,
    and to you shall vows be performed.
²O you who hear prayer,
    to you shall all flesh come.
³When iniquities prevail against me,
    you atone for our transgressions.
⁴Blessed is the one you choose and bring near,
    to dwell in your courts!
We shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house,
    the holiness of your temple!

⁵By awesome deeds you answer us with righteousness,
    O God of our salvation,
the hope of all the ends of the earth
    and of the farthest seas;
⁶the one who by his strength established the mountains,
    being girded with might;
⁷who stills the roaring of the seas,
    the roaring of their waves,
    the tumult of the peoples,
⁸so that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs.
You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.

Psalm 95:1-7

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
    let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
²Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
    let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
³For the Lord is a great God,
    and a great King above all gods.
⁴In his hand are the depths of the earth;
    the heights of the mountains are his also.
⁵The sea is his, for he made it,
    and his hands formed the dry land.

⁶Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
    let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
⁷For he is our God,
    and we are the people of his pasture,
    and the sheep of his hand.

Psalm 125

Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
    which cannot be moved, but abides forever.
²As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
    so the Lord surrounds his people,
    from this time forth and forevermore.
³For the scepter of wickedness shall not rest
    on the land allotted to the righteous,
lest the righteous stretch out
    their hands to do wrong.
⁴Do good, O Lord, to those who are good,
    and to those who are upright in their hearts!
⁵But those who turn aside to their crooked ways
    the Lord will lead away with evildoers!
    Peace be upon Israel!

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016.
Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

The Kingdom of God Part 2

May 3, 2024

Acts 19:1-10

And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. ²And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” ³And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” ⁴And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” ⁵On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. ⁷There were about twelve men in all.

⁸And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. ⁹But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus. ¹⁰This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord.

Jesus has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death.

Jesus did this so that I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness.

This is because Jesus is risen from the dead. He lives and reigns to all eternity.

This is most certainly true.

– Based on the explanation to the Second Article of the Apostle’s Creed in Luther’s Small Catechism

The rule and reign of God is established by a hard fought and won battle. The forces of evil aligned against Jesus, God’s Son. The Jewish religious leaders conspired with Roman government officials to put Jesus to death. Satan himself tempted Jesus in an effort to thwart his mission to seek and save the lost, establish his true kingdom in a broken world. Even the world participated, darkness shrouding the earth during the crucifixion of Jesus.

And for a time the world, Satan, and Jesus’ enemies thought they had won. Life could go on apart from Jesus’ interference and God’s meddling.

But when Jesus rose from the dead, he proved that he had won. Life had overcome death. Justice had prevailed over corruption, brutality, hatred, and sin. This is the means of our salvation. This is the foundation of Jesus’ kingdom, his rule and reign.

We live under Christ in his rule and reign of grace and truth. His is the way of life and salvation, glory and joy. Jesus is Lord because he is Redeemer. When I was lost, he found me. When I was ensnared by sin, he forgave me. When I was dead he made me alive. When I was blind, he gave me sight. He did all this so that I may live under him in his rule and reign.

We live in the rule and reign of Christ now. By grace. Through faith. It is not now by sight. But one day we will live there by sight. Faith will be vindicated. Hope will be fulfilled. Love will hold us together with him. An eternal glorious day!

Validation

May 1, 2024

Acts 19:1-10

And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. ²And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” ³And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John’s baptism.” ⁴And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” ⁵On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying. ⁷There were about twelve men in all.

⁸And he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. ⁹But when some became stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus. ¹⁰This continued for two years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks.

I bought a “Rolex” watch in Beijing, China many years ago. I paid $5.00 for it. I knew it wasn’t the real thing, even though it looked like the real thing. It never has run. I took a photo of a beautiful flower on the table at dinner on that same trip. It looked real enough to me. And it was real. It just happened to be made of silk.

The real thing when it comes to baptism is twofold. First it is the plain and simple words by which Jesus instituted baptism, “in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Perhaps it goes without saying that those words would be different in each different language. Spanish: “en el nombre del Padre, del Hijo y del Espíritu Santo.” German: “m Namen des Vaters und des Sohnes und des heiligen Geistes.” Greek: “εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος.”

I mention this because there is another aspect of true Christian baptism that bears considering. There are those so-called churches which may use similar words and even baptize people with those words, but whose confession denies the truth of who Jesus really is, or which denies the Trinity as the true expression of God’s majestic nature. The confession of the gathering of believers is of vital importance to true and authentic baptism.

It would be so good if there was a validating sign showing that a baptism was true and authentic – like there was in Paul’s day. In that case, it was a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit. This was likely speaking in tongues, or some other outward manifestation. It is significant that these are recorded in Acts when the Gospel message breaks new territory. The manifestation seems to be for the sake of the Gospel itself, not to prove the faith of the person being baptized.

This is an echo of Acts 2:43, “And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.” These signs and wonders validate the ministry and mission of the Early Church.

Today the validation is not in the pastor’s character who baptizes, nor even the name of the church in which one is baptized. (Don’t get me started by saying, “I was baptized Lutheran.” That’s simply not true.) The validity of baptism is found in the Words used and the confession of the Gospel held by the community of believers where one is being baptized.

Lutherans acknowledge any baptism with water – by pouring, sprinkling, or immersing – in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. These words, combined with water place us into a community of grace and truth in which God is glorified and sinners are saved. There’s no better validation than that.

Baptism

April 30, 2024