The Great Commission was given to us by our Lord. “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19). This is not a matter of choice; it is a command. We are to teach, direct, urge and do all we can to get our new converts baptized.
For a number of years at Elkton, Maryland, we baptized 125-130 each year. The strong emphasis was placed on getting professions of faith. Some 600 to 700 were being saved, but only a small percentage were obedient in baptism. Only two or three per week were responding.
It was then that Dr. John R. Rice began to plead with pastors and churches to set goals and baptize two hundred or more in one year’s time. After reading the plea, I immediately wrote Dr. Rice and told him to count us in. We set out to get two hundred. We set a goal the next year of three hundred baptisms.
I preached on the subject and asked for thirty people to accept a goal of ten each for the coming twelve months. Thirty-four people responded, and we set out to help our new converts to obey the divine command of Jesus.
By the end of the year, we recorded 404 baptisms. I began to baptize three times each week. I practiced getting into the water and out again as rapidly as possible to conserve time. I can do it now in twenty-two seconds. The next two years the number of baptisms grew again to 513 and 574.
When I became pastor at Louisville, Kentucky, we baptized 522 in ten months. We set out to go well over six hundred for the twelve month period. The next year, we planned to reach and baptize one thousand. God enabled us to reach our goals.
What I am saying is that the initiative and leadership in this matter is left in our hands, not the new Christian’s. It is important that the new convert understand responsibility to submit and obey the command of the Lord.
There are at least three Bible reasons why the new convert should be baptized.
First, it is obedience to His divine command. We need His blessing on our lives. Disobedience will cut us off from all the blessings.
Second, it is following the pattern set forth in the Word of God. Immersion pictures the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and identifies each of us with Him.
Third, it is a factor of unity in the local church. Spiritually, we have all been baptized by the Spirit into one body. As we identify with Christ and with other Christians in public baptism, we see that we are the same kind as others who do the same.
NEXT MONTH: WHO SHOULD BE BAPTIZED?
*****************************************
OUTLINE FOR OUR COURSE ON THE BOOK OF JOHN
The following is the outline for the John course used by ATS at the graduate level. This is an excellent course, taught by Dr. Jimmy Hayes in a practical verse-by-verse account of the Book of John.
If this course is not in your program of study, you can purchase it for$150. Please call the seminary @ 1-800-525-1611 or email ccd@andersonvilleseminary.com for more details.
Outline #1 of Lectures for the Book of John
Lecture 1
I. Introduction
A. Theme (John 20:31)
II. John 1:1-5
A. Man must give account to God
B. Attack creation and Word of God
C. Jesus is Creator
D. Life is in Jesus (John 5:24)
E. Jesus is light (John 8:12; 9:5)
III. John 1:6-10
A. John the Baptist
B. False Lights
IV. John 1:11-12
A. Jesus Rejection
B. Sons of God
Lecture 2
I. John 1:12
A. God puts Lucifer (Satan) in position over Earth
B. Satan attempts to take over God’s Position (Some Angels Rebel)
C. Hell Created for Satan and angels (Matthew 25:41)
D. Adam was son of God (Luke 3:28) and put in charge of Earth but sinned
E. Satan has children (John 8:44)
F. Abraham gets title Deed to earth and passes on to descendants
Next Thursday will be tryouts for the church choir. They need all the help they can get.
For those of you who have children and don’t know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Baptist Church. Please use the double doors at the side entrance.
The Fasting and Prayer Conference includes meals.
The title of Sunday morning’s sermon is “Jesus Walks on the Water.” The title of the Sunday evening sermon is “Where is Jesus?”
Don’t let worry kill you–let the Church help.
Eight new choir robes are needed due to the addition of several new members and the deterioration of some older ones.
Please place your donation in the envelope with the deceased person that you want to remember.
The ladies of the church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.
Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B. S. is done.
Our Youth basketball team is back in action on Wednesday. Come out and watch us kill Christ the King.
At the evening service tonight, the sermon will be “What is Hell.” Come early and listen to our choir practice.
*****************************************
REMINDERS FROM THE GRADE DEPARTMENT &
THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT
Please be sure that you send in your completed test at one time. Many times we will receive test papers that are incomplete because the student left out a page or the back of the answer sheet. We cannot grade the test in a timely period if we have to contact you to send the remainder of your test.
Please be sure to include your FULL name on your exam and payments! We have several students with the same first and last names. The only difference is the middle initial or name. We need this to ensure that the proper person receives credit. Don’t let your hard work go to waste.
*****************************************
GRADUATION 2013
Even though we have just celebrated with our 2012 graduates, we don’t stop thinking about graduation for a year. We want students to begin making plans for our 2013 graduation on (Friday) May 24, 2013. Although, we do not begin signing people up for the ceremony until January 1, 2013, we want you to know that you can begin making arrangements NOW! On the ATS home page, www.andersonvilleseminary.com, you can click on the “Form” tab and then click on “Onsite Graduation,” to see the information about hotels, cap and gowns, cost to attend, pictures, items for sale at graduation, etc. We would really like to meet our students so start planning your budget early and plan to attend the 2013 graduation.
ATS Goal: 150 graduates to attend – Prayer warriors please pray DAILY that we meet our May 2013 graduation goal!
*****************************************
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Each student that attended the May 2012 graduation, should have received your pictures by now. If you have a problem, please email Julie Weeks at grades@andersonvilleseminary.com and she will help you track down the problem with Shelia Waters.
Next year we will be using Heritage Photography for our graduation pictures. Information will be posted about prices as soon as it becomes available.
Please keep Kim Fenn in your prayers as she continues to have Iron Replacement Therapy.
Please remember to tell your fellow pastors and friends about Andersonville Theological Seminary. We want to continue to spread the Word of God throughout the world.
Please continue to pray for Stephanie Davis who works at ATS. She has cancer but at the present time she is cancer free. Please pray that she continues to be cancer free. She helps ATS by grading tests at her house by using the professor’s answer keys the professor provides ATS.
Please pray for Brooks Davis who works at ATS. He has diabetes.
Please pray for Hunter who has autism. Julie and Jason Weeks of ATS appreciate the prayers for him!
ATS would like to thank Stephanie Davis who writes the newsletter from her home for ATS.
*****************************************
NEW ITEMS
ATS now has medallions for sale. At the ATS graduation students who graduate with honors will now wear the gold honor cord purchased from Brooks Davis and a medallion purchased from ATS that has the student’s honor status engraved on the medallion. Picture of medallion should be going up this week under the form tab on our website.
ATS now has window decals for sale. ATS will also have a picture of this under the form tab this week.
*******************************
ANNOUNCEMENTS
If you do NOT put your name on your work, we regret that it will have to go in the trash!
Keep a copy of all work that you send in during a program until you have your degree in your hands!!! Clerical workers can make mistakes. We are not perfect, even though we would like to be. Therefore, we cannot over stress; DO NOT SEND ATS THE LAST COPY OF YOUR WORK.
ATS is not responsible for work lost in the mail.
When the grade department receives an exam by email which does not have the test form number, it will be emailed back to the student so the proper information may be included. Exams without test form numbers will not be printed or given to the graders.
THANK YOU for putting your first, middle, and last name on exams. This helps so much since many students have the same first and last name.
Grade reports are mailed out by regular US Mail every Thursday. Please allow 3 weeks for grading of your exams.
