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Wednesday, October 24, 2007

One Special evening in November





In Scripture there are two ordinances that are given to the local church that have great beauty and great meaning. One of these ordinances is baptism. This is a step of faith for those who have trusted Jesus through which they publicly identify with the God of the Bible and express their commitment to follow Christ. Baptism is for any and every person who has trusted the death and resurrection of Jesus alone for their forgiveness of sin and their eternity in heaven. Baptism is not what a person does to try to get to heaven. This is a work and the Bible is clear that we are saved by grace through faith, not through works. Baptism is for those who already know they are going to heaven because of their faith in Christ. Have you ever been baptized since you received the Lord as your Savior?

The second ordinance is that of communion through which we celebrate the ministry of Christ in our lives as believers. Here at Grace Church, our communion service involves three elements. First, is the washing of feet which is a celebration of the present ministry of Christ in our lives as He daily cleanses us from our sins. Second is the love feast which is a small meal that celebrates the future ministry of Christ where at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb Jesus Himself will come forth and serve us. The final element of communion is the bread and the cup which is a celebration of the past ministry of Christ as He died on the cross to pay our sin debt.

On one special night in November we will have the opportunity to worship the Lord through both of these wonderful ordinances. On Sunday night, November 4, beginning at 6pm, we will have a special night of worship that will include a baptismal service and a celebration of communion. The evening will begin with some worship followed by a very informal opportunity to wash each others feet symbolizing the daily cleansing of Christ in our lives. Following this we will have the opportunity to witness several people following the Lord in water baptism and sharing their testimonies of how they came to know Jesus.

After the baptisms are completed, we will have our love feast as we have an informal time to enjoy some refreshments (each family is asked to bring one plate of finger foods) while we take the time to move around and get to know each other better as brothers and sisters in Christ. This will then lead into our final aspect of the evening as we focus our hearts and minds through music on the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and partake of the bread and the cup which symbolizes the body and blood of Christ which was sacrificed as payment for our sin.

This is going to be a very special evening of worship through participating in these wonderful celebrations. If you have trusted Christ to be your personal Lord and Savior, you are invited to join us on Sunday evening, November 4, beginning at 6pm, as we celebrate together everything we are and everything we have because of Jesus Christ. Child-care will be available for nursery through preschool age children. Don’t miss this special night of a combined baptism and communion service in worship of our Lord.

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