The Tulip Driven Life

  Why Do We Baptize by Sprinkling/Pouring and not Immersion/Dunking? 1.        Ex. 24:8 Moses sprinkles people with blood of covenant. a.        Mt. 26:28; Mk. 14:24; Lk. 22:20, Christ says He “pours out” His blood of the New Covenant. b.        Heb. 9:19-20; 10:29 connect Moses to Christ, do not reject the blood of the new covenant by which you were sanctified, and thereby outrage the Spirit of grace. 2.        Ezek. 36:25-26 “I will sprinkle clean water on you .” Also says new hear and spirit is given, removes heart of stone. Compare this to the new covenant as promised in Jeremiah 31:31ff. 3.        Baptism does not mean “immersion”. It has a range of meaning of various washings/cleansings (you can bathe by taking a shower or a bath, sponge bath, etc.). a.        Acts 8:38-39, Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch go down into the water, but only after this is the Ethiopian said to be baptized by Philip. They both then come up out of the water. b.        If going in and comi

Who would deny that children grow steadily, day by day, and yet also experience several growth spurts? Likewise, we should seek daily, regular growth by the ordinary means of grace, which is Word, Prayer, and Sacrament. That should be given faithfully Sunday by Sunday, week by week, from the Church, and in Christian homes, Christian schools, etc. That's our baseline. We shouldn't expect or anticipate massive, constant revivals, constant spiritual growth spurts. Note, that isn't an anti-revivalist sentiment. That is a pro-revivalist sentiment. True revival is rare, and if persons are continually growing by the ordinary means, those in the Church shouldn't need a massive revival constantly (though we all need continual growth in the faith). But revival is good for believer and unbeliever alike. Revival could be a spiritual growth spurt, a huge jump in sanctification that lasts because rooted in the Word of God piercing the heart by the power of the Spirit. Revival could a