Have you had the Water Baptism in Jesus’ Name?, continued

Praise the Lord, Beloved, and Greetings in the Name of the One who was “wrapped...in swaddling clothes, and laid...in a manger” (Luke 2:7). This humble birth was that of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is in His Name that I greet you.

Beloved, in continuance of our theme, “Have you had the Water Baptism in Jesus’ Name?” - Don’t you agree with me that it is more than proper to discuss this subject on the day when we celebrate Jesus’ birth? Why should this Biblical principle be difficult to understand? All of the blood, sweat and tears that Jesus endured have led up to this point. Today, all can be redeemed under His Name, through water baptism in His Name.

Precious Ones, regardless of how much Holy Ghost we have, or how good of a Christian we are, we cannot go to heaven if we don’t act on what we know about the proper and correct way to be baptized. The Adamic sins are on us until they are removed through baptism. Some Christians do not know this, so they cannot be judged by what they do not know. However, for those of us who know the truth, God expects us to walk in that truth. Scripture teaches us that “unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required” (Luke 12:48).

Chosen Ones, to know that Jesus’ Name should be over every baptism is considered “much” knowledge in the eyes of Jesus. Baptism in Jesus’ Name is also confirmed in the Book of Colossians - “whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him” (Colossians 3:17). Therefore, for those of us who have this knowledge, our sins will never be remitted or removed until we are baptized in water, with the Name of Jesus called over us. The titles of Father, or Son, or Holy Ghost, won’t remove the sins of those who know better. Must I remind you - the word “Father” is the title of a parent. It’s not a name. The word “Son” is the title of an offspring. It’s not a name. The title “Holy Ghost” represents Jesus’ agent sent to lead us “into all truth” (John 16:13), but it’s not a name! All I’m trying to say to this point is - Jesus wants His children who have been redeemed by His blood to bear His Name!

I will write more on this subject next week.
Until then, know this,
Merry Christmas,
In His Love,
Pastor William L McCoy

Have You had the Water Baptism in Jesus’ Name?, continued

Praise the Lord, Beloved, and Greetings in the Name of the One of whom the angel spoke when he told Mary, ”Thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Happy Birthday, Jesus! It is in His Name that I greet you.

Beloved, I must celebrate Jesus’ birth in this letter, because many of you will be gone for the holidays next week. For over 2000 years, our Lord and Savior has left a standard of excellence upon this world that no one can match or achieve in a lifetime. Jesus’ love, power, compassion, excellence, majesty, omniscience, and all of the best that can be seen in human flesh, are attributes that the most honorable men and women of this world will spend their lifetimes emulating. Let us be very thankful for the nature of our one and only true God, as we celebrate His birth. I can’t speak for you, but I don’t just love Jesus - I like Him also. There are some people who you are forced to love out of obedience to God’s commandments, but you don’t necessarily like them! Jesus is not in that category. I like his personality. Consider this with me - what if Jesus, with all of His power, were like some of his creation? What if He were self-serving, quick tempered and unreliable? All of us would be in a lot of trouble. I’m so glad that Jesus, even with all of His power, is still a good and excellent God, with the best of personality and character. This holiday season, help me to celebrate the birth of the one of whom Jeremiah said, “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is [His] faithfulness” (Lamentations 3:22-23).

Beloved, in continuance of our theme, “Have You had the Water Baptism in Jesus’ Name?” - Since we are celebrating the birth of Jesus, His Name should receive some attention at this time. The Name of Jesus should be over everyone who wants to enter into His Kingdom. Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not [the kingdom of God] by the door of the sheepfold [by His Name], but climbeth up some other way [trying to use some other name], the same is a thief and a robber” (John 10:1).

Chosen Ones, I must remind you that on the day of Pentecost, Peter condemned the crowd for not honoring Jesus as God while He was here on earth, dwelling among them. It is the same today - men focus on gifts, food and merchandise during this celebration time, rather than reflecting on the honor and character of the One whose birth is being celebrated. Peter preached so convincingly and forcefully that the people asked, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” When Peter saw their sincerity in wanting to know how to repair their mistreatment of Jesus, he said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:37-38).

Precious Ones, if you desire to make your salvation process complete and correct, and desire to remove the sin penalty you inherited from Adam, you must be baptized in water in the Name of Jesus Christ! This is not my opinion. This is a biblical fact. Scripture says, “Neither is there salvation in any other [name or god]: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). If you reside in heaven, this scripture does not apply to you. However, if you are like the rest of us who were born and raised on earth (under the heaven), then the scripture is clear that there is only Name that brings salvation. Let it be clear, without any misunderstanding, that baptism in Jesus’ Name by immersion in water is not a denominational ritual. It is a doctrine of scripture that must be observed.

I will write more on this subject next week.
Until then, know this,
Have a blessed and Merry Christmas.
Please return home safely.
In His Love,
Pastor William L McCoy

Have You had the Water Baptism in Jesus’ Name?, continued

Praise the Lord, Beloved, and Greetings in the Name of the One who said, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39). These words are accredited to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is in His Name that I greet you.

Beloved, in continuance of our theme, “Have you had the Water Baptism in Jesus’ Name?” - Christians who have not been baptized in Jesus’ Name have not been baptized correctly. The New Testament teaches us that the Holy Ghost should follow a person who is saved. In other words, signs and indications of the Holy Spirit of God should be seen when a baptism is applied correctly to a soul. You would be surprised to discover that there are millions in the so-called Christian society who say that they have been baptized, but who have never heard of the Biblical principle of “speaking in other tongues” - an indication of the presence of the Holy Ghost. You will also find that most of their problems stem from the lack of a proper baptism.

Precious Ones, this is nothing new. Paul had to deal with this challenge in his day. He came across a group of believers (see Acts 19:1-6) who had been baptized by John the Baptist (the cousin of Jesus). Paul asked them, “Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?” They answered, “We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost”. Notice that Paul immediately began to question their baptism. He asked them, “Unto what then were ye baptized?” They answered, “Unto John’s baptism”. Today, true men and women of God have to teach the truth to believers who have been infected with false teaching (or minimal and sub-standard teaching). Paul had the same challenge. That’s why he explained to them that they had only been baptized as a sign of repentance, but that “they should believe on him which should come after [John], that is, Christ Jesus”. What I like about these believers is that once they heard the truth, they readily and immediately obeyed the new knowledge of the proper way to receive baptism. It did not matter to them how long they had been walking in the other way. Oh, Beloved, I would love to see more Christians exemplify the same attitude today. Many are convicted and know better, but have too much pride to be re-baptized, for fear that they may appear to be misinformed or less spiritual. However, the believers who Paul encountered didn’t have that problem.

Children of God, scripture records that “when [the believers] heard [Paul’s revelation of this baptism principle], they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus”. After they obeyed in receiving the correct baptism, they received the full and complete blessing that God wants all believers to experience. “...when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied [they foretold, through the Holy Ghost, good things to come for the church]”.

I will write more on this subject next week. Until then, know this,
I love you all SO very much,
In His Love,
Pastor William L McCoy

Have You had the Water Baptism in Jesus’ Name?, continued

Praise the Lord, Beloved, and Greetings in the Name of the One who said, “I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work” (John 9:4). The Author of these words is none other than our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is in His Name that I greet you.

Beloved, in continuance of our theme, “Have You had the Water Baptism in Jesus’ Name?” - If water Baptism is so important to our salvation that we cannot see the Kingdom of God without it (see John 3:3), then we must make sure to find the right way to be baptized. I don’t understand why Christians don’t believe that there is a right way and a wrong way to be baptized. Most people understand that there is a right way and a wrong way to save money, pay bills, do laundry, prepare a meal, further their education, have proper table manners at a restaurant, or report a fact in a newspaper. Yet, we find that some Christians get offended when one dares to mention the subject of correct baptism.

Chosen Ones, being immersed in water does not automatically mean that one has been baptized properly and correctly in the eyes of God. The Name of Jesus alone must be called over a baptismal candidate to make it a correct baptism. When one says, “I baptize you in the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, all in Jesus’ Name”, that’s wrong. When one says, “I baptize you in the Name of God’s Son”, that’s wrong. The only way to be sure that we are baptized in the right way is to use the Bible as our guide to this salvation principle.

Precious Ones, it only makes sense to obey the words of the Jesus of the Bible, if we claim to serve the needs of the Jesus of the Bible. Therefore, let us remind ourselves what the Jesus of the Bible said about baptism, and how He said that it should be done. Our Lord said, “[Because all power in heaven and earth is mine], 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). Beloved, the Name of all three who bear witness in the Godhead is Jesus!. No denomination makes this baptism right. The Jesus of the Bible makes it right.

I will write more on this subject next week.
Until then, know this,
I love you all SO very much,
In His Love,
Pastor William L McCoy