{"id":543,"date":"2018-10-29T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2018-10-29T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/resource\/celebrating-the-ordinances-in-a-replant\/"},"modified":"2020-06-21T21:48:29","modified_gmt":"2020-06-22T01:48:29","slug":"celebrating-the-ordinances-in-a-replant","status":"publish","type":"resource","link":"https:\/\/www.namb.net\/church-replanting\/resource\/celebrating-the-ordinances-in-a-replant\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating the ordinances in a replant"},"content":{"rendered":"
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When we think of church revitalization, it\u2019s easy to think about things that need to change. Maybe it\u00a0is<\/em>\u00a0time to toss out the old, hideous carpet. Maybe it\u00a0is<\/em>\u00a0time to fix stained ceiling tiles. Maybe it\u00a0is<\/em>\u00a0even time to consider a name change.<\/p>\n

But some things shouldn\u2019t change.<\/p>\n

Your commitment to preach the Word comes to mind, as does faithfulness in things like prayer, evangelism, and disciple-making. I mean, you know these things.<\/p>\n

But perhaps there\u2019s something we overlook in church revitalization, and one of them is even in most of our names! I\u2019m talking about baptism and the Lord\u2019s Supper, the two ordinances of the church.<\/p>\n

What are they?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The “Baptist Faith and Message 2000” states:<\/p>\n

Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer’s faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Saviour, the believer’s death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus. It is a testimony to his faith in the final resurrection of the dead. Being a church ordinance, it is prerequisite to the privileges of church membership and to the Lord’s Supper.<\/p>\n

The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience whereby members of the church, through partaking of the bread and the fruit of the vine, memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming.<\/p>\n

Matthew 3:13-17; 26:26-30; 28:19-20; Mark 1:9-11; 14:22-26; Luke 3:21-22; 22:19-20; John 3:23; Acts 2:41-42; 8:35-39; 16:30-33; 20:7; Romans 6:3-5; 1 Corinthians 10:16,21; 11:23-29; Colossians 2:12.<\/p>\n

What do they do?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now, beyond the obvious \u201cby immersion of a believer in water\u201d and the bread and the cup, perhaps these two important facets of Christian worship have become an afterthought in your church. Maybe the baptistery hasn’t been used in a long time, or the Lord’s Supper has turned into more of a routine, like turning on the lights upon your arrival.<\/p>\n

First, a replanted should find out how the church has observed these ordinances in the past. If it\u2019s been a while since there\u2019s been a baptism, consider asking some of the longer-tenured members what they remember about baptisms in the past. When I was baptized, First Baptist Grand Prairie would record each baptism and, after the service, give a certificate to those baptized.<\/p>\n

Second, when it comes to the Lord\u2019s Supper, perhaps you\u2019re in a context where there are not enough deacons to pass out the elements. Or maybe you don\u2019t have deacons at all. Ask around and see what the church used to do. I still remember as a kid watching the deacons in my church, who would meet early in the morning each quarter and \u201cpractice\u201d passing out the trays around the pews.<\/p>\n

What should be changed?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The answer might very well be \u201cnothing.\u201d Or, in your research, maybe you can offer some tweaks to make baptisms and the Lord\u2019s Supper return to something special in your church.<\/p>\n

Here are a few ideas:<\/p>\n