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      If Namaan had stormed off back to Syria he would never have been cured of his horrible skin disease.

      Namaan washed away his disease in the River Jordan; and through our baptism we are demonstrating that our sins have been washed away by the sacrifice that Christ made on our behalf when he was killed on the cross.

      Different churches practice different kinds of baptism, from a complete immersion in water, to sprinkling some water over a baby’s head. But what does the Bible say about baptism?

      In the original language of the Bible, the word used for baptism is Baptizo.

      Baptizo means overwhelmed, or immersed: for example, baptizo can be used to describe dyeing a woolen fleece.

      If you want to dye a fleece properly you need to make sure that it is completely submerged in the dye, every last bit of it; because if you fail to completely submerge it and soak it through, the fleece would be dyed unevenly and insufficiently.

      Baptism means a complete immersion.

      When you watch a baptism, you can appreciate how the act of immersion into water symbolizes the burial of your old life, and rebirth into your new life with God.

      Paul explains this symbolism clearly when he asks: “Don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

      For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin - because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.” (Romans chapter 6 verses 3 to 7 - NIV)

      Sprinkling or putting a little dot of water on someone’s head doesn’t really represent the washing away of sins; it doesn’t really demonstrate the death, burial and resurrection to a new life: it isn’t humbling, it isn’t a sincere demonstration of submission, as baptism should be.

      If you think that baptism isn’t so important, if you think that you can get along okay as a Christian without the need to be baptized, in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 3, we are told how Jesus arrived at the River Jordan to be baptized by John the Baptist.

      Jesus was baptized. I am definitely not a better person than Jesus. If Jesus was baptized, then I need to be obedient to God’s instructions and be baptized too.

      When Jesus asked John the Baptist to baptize him, John argued that it should be Jesus who should be baptizing him. But Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” (Matthew chapter 3 verse 15 - NIV)

      Baptism does not make you holy.

      Baptism does not save you from your sins.

      Baptism does not give you supernatural powers.

      Baptism demonstrates your sincere obedience to God.

      The Birth of Jesus Christ (Christmas)

      I hate to burst your bubble, but Santa Claus doesn’t have anything to do with the Christmas story.

      Before I start the real Christmas story, let me explain who Santa Claus was.

      Santa Claus is a translation of the name Saint [Santa] Nicholas [Claus].

      Nicholas was a Christian who was born over 200 years after the birth of Jesus Christ.

      Nicholas didn’t keep pet reindeers or live at the North Pole; in truth, Nicholas lived in an area that is near the Mediterranean south coast of modern-day Turkey.

      As an active Christian and an important person in the church, Nicholas helped lots of people; but the good deed he is best remembered for is the help he provided to a poor man who had three daughters.

      Apparently this man was so poor that he couldn’t afford to provide a dowry for his daughters, (a dowry is property or money that a bride brings into her marriage), and this meant that his daughters could never get married. In the culture of those times an unmarried woman had a very bad reputation - his daughters would be ruined.

      Nicholas resolved to help the poor man; but it would have been humiliating for him if Nicholas simply gave him a bag of money; so Nicholas cleverly filled three purses with gold coins, one for each daughter, and secretly dropped the purses down the poor man’s chimney late at night when the fire was out and everyone was asleep.

      However, so the story goes, the poor man had hung up his stockings to dry over the warm embers of the fire, and when Nicholas dropped the purses down the chimney, the purses landed inside the stockings.

      You can see how this story about Nicholas has been elaborated to make it look like Santa Claus comes down the chimney and fills your Christmas stocking.

      Unfortunately, despite the good Christian legacy of Nicholas, his modern representation as Santa Claus has nothing to do with Biblical teaching, and everything to do with the worldly exploitation of Christmas with modern sales and marketing techniques.

      What is Christmas really about?

      Perhaps the most astounding book in the whole Bible is also one of the most familiar: the first book of the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew.

      Why?

      Well, reading the Bible from the start, and having ploughed your way right through to the end of the Old Testament, when you turn the page and start to read the Gospel of Matthew, you realize that the promises and prophesies of the Old Testament are being fulfilled.

      Over and over again, Matthew explains how one prophesy after another is being fulfilled by Jesus Christ.

      Jesus Christ is undoubtedly the fulfillment of God's promises and the Old Testament prophesies. God’s promise to send a Savior is truly realized in Jesus Christ.

      The arrival of Christ is prophesied many, many times in the Old Testament, such as here in the book of Isaiah, when the prophet states that, ‘the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and call him Immanuel.’ (Isaiah chapter 7 verse 14 - NIV) Isaiah made this prophesy almost 700 years before the birth of Christ.

      Immanuel means ‘God with us’. This is a title, it is not a given name. Isaiah also prophesied that Jesus, ‘will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.’ (Isaiah chapter 9 verse 6 - NIV)

      Jesus Christ is the Son of God

      The Son of God did not begin life as the little baby Jesus who was born that night in Bethlehem. The Son of God appeared on earth in human form as the little baby Jesus, adopting the form of a human to live among us; however, the Son of God already existed before being conceived as a human by his mother Mary.

      Jesus Christ plainly states: “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” (John chapter 8 verse 58 - ESV) Abraham lived about 1,900 years before the time of Jesus.

      ‘In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.’ (John chapter 1 verses 1 to 3 - NLT)

      Here, the Word, with a capital ‘W’ is referring directly to the Son of God, Christ.

      ‘The Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.’ (John chapter 1 verse 14 - NLT)

      This clearly explains that the Son of God existed with his Father from the very beginning of forever; the Son of God became flesh, born on earth as a human, and

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