Baptisms @ The Village - He Still Speaks!

Village Church,

I’m feeling today that I don’t have the words to express my deep joy and thanks for all Jesus did in our midst Sunday as we gathered as His Saints.  With that said, I’m compelled to attempt at least, to lay some words to what I clearly sense God saying to our church – namely, that He STILL speaks.

Sunday we all learned how God spoke to a six-year-old boy in our church.  On an average weekday morning, little Samuel awoke from his sleep, having had Jesus come and speak to him in his dreams.  It was a night just like every other night, but it was a night that would be like no other night this boy has ever known.  On that extraordinarily ordinary night, Jesus spoke to Samuel in his dream, telling him that he “needed to become a Christian by committing his life to Him, and being baptized.”  Little Samuel awoke, convinced Jesus had come to Him, convicted that Jesus was calling Him, and committed to consecrating His life to Jesus that very morning.  It reminds me of how God spoke to another boy named Samuel nearly 3,000 years ago.  “And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, ‘Samuel!  Samuel!’  And Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant hears.’”  God has been speaking to little boys for 3,000 years, calling them to Himself.  And He still does today.  Incredible.  Irresistible.  Irrefutable.

Sunday we all learned how God spoke to a young college student, giving him an ‘impression’ that he would be baptized Sunday.  He called his uncle Saturday night, asking him if he could come to church with him Sunday.  The invitation was made and accepted.  His uncle said nothing about the upcoming baptism, and the young man said nothing about sensing the Lord telling him he would be baptized.  Yet as he arrived Sunday and saw the baptismal, he was assured God had spoken to him, and knew without a doubt that he would indeed be baptized that day.  Incredible.  Irresistible.  Irrefutable. 

Sunday some of us saw how God also spoke to a single dad through the preaching of the Word.  As the Scripture was opened and the Word was preached, God called this infrequent attender to attend to Him.  As the Word was preached about a “new beginning for sinners,” God was speaking to him that he was the sinner, and it was he that needed the new beginning.  As the Word was preached about a “new beginning for anyone,” God was saying that he was the one.  After the preaching of the Word, the singing of songs, the witness of baptisms, and the fellowship of believers, this infrequent attender attended to the voice of God and confessed that he needed a new beginning, and that he knew a new beginning was only possible in and through Jesus.  God spoke through His Word as He always does, and it accomplished what He wanted, as it always does – the salvation of a sinner.  That single dad was single minded in his decision to follow Jesus, and was baptized immediately in front of a group of stragglers and clean-up crews.  The shouts of forty seemed as loud as the shouts of hundreds as he emerged out of the water.  As the baptismal was being literally drained and dismantled, his life was being spiritually filled and fortified.  Incredible.  Irresistible.  Irrefutable.

During this Advent season God is reminding us that He is a God who comes.  He has come, He is coming, and He is coming again.  It has become crystal clear to me that during this Advent season He is also reminding us that He is a God who speaks.  He has spoken, He is speaking, and He will speak still.