No matter where you sit on the “vitamin” debate, I think my misunderstandings of those neanderthal shaped sweet tarts and consequentely, being skeptical of my parent’s intentions, is not far from a popular understanding of baptism. Baptism is often misunderstood today as ‘additional’ in the life of a local church body, particularly referring to the ordinances; baptism and communion. I want to take the rest of this post to specifically refer to baptism, let’s call it- Vitmain B, eh eh?

Every local church is an outcropping, a smaller unit, of the larger universal big “C” church. In many places in Scripture, the apostle Paul refers to the Church as a body
(1 Corinthians 12:12-31). We are the body of Christ: with hands, feet, arms, hands, unity amongst diversity, body. Now, I’m not insisting that Paul ever used this to convey the consequences of not eating your vegetables, but I do think we can have some insights about the health of our local church body in comparison to our physical bodies. We need the essentials of food, water, and oxygen. The body of Christ, without the essentials of the Gospel through the means of preaching, teaching, praying, fellowshipping, etc. withers into a cold and frail figure. Much like breathing oxygen versus toxic fumes, eating food versus starving, and drinking water should be encouraged or more lovingly commanded, for the health of our bodies. The same is true for what brings health, purity, and vitality of the body of Christ. So what about baptism? Is it just an optional vitamin- good when you do, but not a bad thing when you don’t take it? Like my Flintstone vitamins, water baptism may get shoved under the furniture and between the cushions of misunderstanding and thought best to be forgotten- throwing the believer out with the bath water (my attempt at a baptist joke). Or, we take it obediently and celebrate it as good kids, but we completely miss the point of what it was even given to us for and why we are celebrating it.

So what is baptism’s role in the local body of Christ?

Water baptism is a beautiful thing that God has given to the Church. It is worth celebrating when someone comes out of the water during one of our gatherings. It is worth studying and knowing. The reality, though, is that water baptism is only going to be as beautiful, celebrated, studied, and known as the Gospel is beautiful, celebrated, studied, and known in the life of a church. Yes, it absolutely provides an opportunity to convey commitment, pursue membership, and the like for a local body of believers. However, we forget it as primarily a means of celebrating and remembering the grace of God in the life of believers in your local church. I don’t want to discount the miracle of a person’s obedience in getting baptized, but I hope you’ll see where this goes. Today, it is popular to teach our people and kids that first and foremost baptism is what you are saying about God. Baptism is understood rightly as an initial and primary way of saying; I love God, I trust God, and I’m obeying God. Nothing wrong with that; I totally agree. Where I think our understanding goes a little undercooked is forgetting the “priority of grace” in baptism. We can forget awfully quickly that our abilities of even having the capacity to love God, trust God, obey God, is a sheer act of God’s grace in us.

Let’s look at how Paul addersses baptism in Romans 6:1-4. It’s worth saying first, that Paul here doesn’t seem to be trying to give us his thorough theology of baptism in this passage. Instead, Paul is answering the question and critique of God’s grace from the end of Romans 5 and the question is re-stated in 6:1. Essentially it asks, “if there is grace when you sin, why not sin more?!” (antinomianism; or without law, for the bible geeks). In answering the question, Paul goes on to explain the grace of the believer’s union with Christ. This is where, through faith we are brought into the death of Christ, freeing us from sin’s reign and into the new life of Christ, living alive to God for God in the forgiveness of sins. Paul brings up baptism in verse 3 not to say that it was in your water baptism that you were united to Christ. Rather, he is wanting to draw their minds to their baptism to think on what is true of them in Christ, as symbolised in baptism. With the Gospel events of Jesus’ death and resurrection and our union with them in mind, when we hear or ask the question, “Can’t you just sin more because there is grace?”, it shows there to be a misunderstanding of grace and is answered with “No!!- you died to sin’s unchallenged influence when you were united to Christ’s death and resurreciton and raised to new life!” Now, our understanding of grace helps us say no to sin…not enable it (Titus 2:11-12). We gather from the way Paul refers to water baptism that baptism plays a signficant role in picturing and reminding the church of the grace of God in the events of Christ’s life on our behalf and our union with them.

Baptism is about the Gospel.

The Gospel is about Jesus.

Baptism is about Jesus.

In part 2, we’ll see more of what is celebrated specifically when a brother or sister is brought through the waters of baptism and how it blesses a local church.

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Interested in learning more about baptism?  We encourage you to check out Apex’s White Paper on baptism.  You can find it here.

Want to take the step of obedience in baptism?  Our Baptism Info Packet will guide you through the steps.  Check it out here!

While this conference is called a “marriage conference”, we are encouraging everyone from teenagers to adults to attend. God created the marriage relationship, and understanding it biblically is essential in understanding God’s commitment to His church. Teenagers, singles, dating couples, engaged couples, marrieds, divorced and widowed are all welcome to register for this conference.

Mark your calendars and register early for this conference in the Apex Missions Cafe. There are only 1,250 registrations available, and we expect a large crowd. Registration is available for Apex until February 3rd. Starting February 4th, Apexers and people who do not attend Apex can register. We have already heard from other churches who are interested in registering for the conference. We are excited to see how God will use this conference in the life of Apex and we hope that you will join us!

For more information:
Stop by the table in the Apex Missions Cafe, contact the Apex office at 937.432.9022 or contact me directly.

Phil Depp
937.432.9022 x204
phil.depp@apexcommunity.org

This blog post was written by Phil Depp, Team Lead for Biblical Counseling and Discipleship.

Monday through Friday of this week, you will hear from leaders of the various areas of ministry here at Apex. We hope that these summaries of the past year are not only an encouragement as we move into 2012, but they are a continual reminder of our desperate need for God as we seek to do the things He has called us all to.

We are excited to see what His plan is for us as part of His church, His bride in 2012. We hope you are as well.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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-orphan care resources-

10 Ways That You Can Support the Orphan, Fatherless, and Lonely

1. Pray for them!

• Make them a regular part of your prayer life and the prayer times of your House Church family.
• Fast and ask God to deepen your understanding of His call to seek out the lost, lonely, & needy.

2. Speak up for them.

• Use your various social media outlets to raise awareness for their needs.
• Become a court appointed special advocate for a child in foster care – www.nationalcasa.org

3. Provide for their needs.

• Sponsor a child. (see info below)
• Send supplies or financial gifts to a reputable orphanage, especially those internationally in highly impoverished areas.
• Organize a food/supply drive.

4. Support those who support them.

• Pray for the families around you that are adopting or providing foster care.
• Contribute financially to a family in an expensive adoption process.
• Offer to babysit, mow lawns, provide meals, etc. for adoptive/foster families.

5. Protect them from harm.

• Become a foster parent or emergency foster parent for children in transition. (see info below)
• Start or join an effort to build orphanages, children’s homes, etc to keep them off the streets.

6. Visit them where they are.

• Find a local orphanage or children’s home and spend time getting to know the people there.
• Go on a mission trip to serve orphans nationally & internationally. (see info below)
• Take a meal, Christmas gifts, etc to a local foster group-home.
• Become a mentor. (see info below)

7. Give sacrificially to them.

• Support reputable orphan care organizations on a regular basis.
• Contribute generously to an adoptive family to help them off-set their costs.

8. Encourage them.

• Sponsor a child, support them financially, & encourage them through your letters.
  (see info below)
• Join in efforts like Operation Christmas Child or Shoes for the Shoeless.
• Become a mentor or tutor for those needing help. (see info below)

9. Mobilize your church for them.

• Help your house church figure out ways you can regularly be involved with the lost, lonely, and needy.
• Help them stick with it and continue!

10. Adopt them.

• Give a child a home through international, domestic, or foster care adoption. (see info below)
• Adopt a young adult who has aged out of the system.

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Apex’s Local & International Orphan Care Partners:

• Big Brothers Big Sisters – www.bbbsgmv.org
• Specialized Alternatives for Families and Youth “SAFY” – www.safy.org
• Shoes 4 the Shoeless – http://shoes4theshoeless.org/
• Back 2 Back Ministries (Mexico) – http://www.back2backministries.org
• Heart to Honduras – http://hth.org
• Christ’s Hope International (Zambia) – http://www.christshope.org/
• Compassion’s Child Survival Program – http://www.compassion.com/thompsoncsp
• Passion Center for Children (Malawi) – http://passioncenterforchildren.org/
• Lifeline Christian Mission (Haiti) / Haiti Bagging Day – http://www.lifeline.org/

A Few Local Foster Care & Adoption Agencies:

• Montgomery County Children Services – www.mcohio.org/services/childrens_services
• Greene County Children Services – www.greenecsb.org
• Agape For Youth – www.agapeforyouth.com
• Specialized Alternatives for Families and Youth (SAFY) – www.safy.org

A Few International Adoption Agencies:

• America World Adoption – www.awaa.org
• Gladney Center for Adoption – www.adoptionsbygladney.com
• Christian World Adoption – www.cwa.org
• All God’s Children International – www.allgodschildren.org

Local Child Mentoring Programs:

• Big Brothers Big Sisters – www.bbbsgmv.org
• Agape for Youth – www.agapeforyouth.com/get_involved.php#mentoring

International Child Sponsorship:

• Compassion International – www.compassion.com
• Children’s Hopechest – www.hopechest.org
• World Vision – www.worldvision.org
• Amazima Ministries – http://www.amazima.org/sponsor.html

General Orphan Care Resources:

• Help for Orphans – www.helpfororphans.org
• The Christian Alliance for Orphans – www.christian-alliance-for-orphans.org
• Visiting Orphans – http://www.visitingorphans.org/

If you have further questions or would like to talk to someone regarding orphan care, email us at gathering@apexcommunity.org

We are currently auditioning for:
Kettering

• vocals
• electric guitar
• bass
• keyboard
• stringed instruments

Xenia

• vocals
• drums
• bass
• electric guitar
• keyboard
• stringed instruments

Men of Apex, mark your calendars for April 15-16 (Friday 7-9pm and Saturday 9am-2:45pm). We will be hosting a two day men

Click here to view the embedded video.

In this video from the September 25th/26th gatherings, Apex staffer Drew Clemens continues Fall Focus by highlighting the ministry of connecting people to the community. He introduces several members of the connecting team, emphasizes Apex Orientation, and reviews our new online tool, “The City.”