---------------- Short Stories for Shepherding Materials English Version
God's dividing the sea into a dry ground!
Story shepherding material
Lesson 15 The Spiritual Meaning of Baptism
Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and disciple all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
The Israelites had been enslaved by Pharaoh’s tyranny for more than 400 years. God called Moses to ask Pharaoh to release God’s people to serve God in the wilderness. Pharaoh kept hindering them from releasing them to serve God.
When the Israelites finally came out of Egypt, but Pharaoh still led his army to chase after them. The Israelites saw the Red Sea ahead and pharaoh's army behind. They had no way out and became very afraid. Moses said to them
"Do not be afraid; stand firm, and see the salvation of Jehovah, which He will accomplish for you today, The Lord will fight for you; just be silent (=don't worry, just trust in God firmly)"
God told Moses to lift up his staff toward the Red Sea, and God divided the sea into a dry land in the midst so that the Israelites could walk on dry land in the midst of sea to cross the Red Sea.
Then, Pharaoh and his army also followed down to the dry ground in the midst of the Red Sea. God also commanded Moses to lift up his rod toward the sea, and God restored the water back to the sea, and God drowned to death all the Egyptian and no one was left. The Israelites saw the great power of salvation that God had exercise against the Egyptians, and they feared God and believed in God and His servant, Moses.
【Spiritual Meaning of Baptism】
Baptism is the termination of the old creation and the organic union with Christ to become the new creation and a member of the Body of Christ.
【 Baptism is not a formality or ritual, but our union with Christ]
1) On The "Negative" side _ to terminate our old creation
When baptized into Christ, we are baptized into His death. His death has separated us from the world and the power of Satan's darkness is to terminate our natural life, old nature, our self, our flesh and even the history of our entire old man.
2) On The "Positive" side _ to be united with Christ and with the Body of Christ.
The genuine baptism is like grafting, for example, the limited human life is like a peach of poor quality, for example, human love, patience is small, sour, dry, and less. The infinite life of Christ is like peach of excellent quality, such as God's love and patience are great, sweet, flowing, and manifold)
Baptism is the grafting of poor peach to excellent peach, so that the nature of human life as poor peach can be uplifted from smallness to greatness, bitterness to sweet, and a small amount to overflow. By God's infinite love and patience make us united in oneness with all the members of Christ (Christians).
Therefore, to be baptized means having 2 unions as follows -
a) "Individually " having an organic union with "Christ".
b) "Corporately" having an organic union with the "Body of Christ".
【The crossing of the Red Sea signifying baptism】
By crossing the Red Sea, the Israelites came out of Egypt, were saved by God from the tyranny of Pharaoh, and brought into a realm of freedom. What a salvation !.
Likewise, our baptism today also saves us from Satan's bondage and brings us into the realm of absolute freedom in Christ.
【 Believing and being baptized making One complete step 】
Believing and being baptized are one complete step, and they are indispensable. Thus these two should go together.
1) Being baptized without believing is just an empty and outward ceremony.
2) Believing without being baptized is only to be saved inwardly but without outward confirmation.
Thus, our believing still requires an outward expression. This outward expression is baptism.
Believing and being
baptized can be compared
to using our two feet to take
a single step.
First , our believing
can be compared to the first half step forward of one foot.
Then our baptism can be compared to the completion of the step with the other foot.
Together, believing and baptism make one complete step.
----------------牧養材料中文文字稿小故事牧養材料
神使海水分開,變成乾地!
小故事牧養材料
第十五課 受浸的屬靈意義
太 28:19 所以你們要去，使萬民作我的門徒，將他們浸入父、子、聖靈的名裏。
以色列人在法老的暴政之奴役之下四百多年,神呼召摩西要求法老釋放神的百姓到曠野裡去事奉神,法老一直攔阻,不肯釋放他們去事奉神。
當以色列人終於出埃及時,但法老仍帶軍兵在後面追趕，當以色列人看見前面有紅海,後面又有追兵,無路可走,非常害怕,摩西對百姓說,
『不要懼怕，只管站住，"看耶和華今天向你們所要施行的拯救, 耶和華必為你們爭戰；你們只管靜默，不要作聲(=不要煩惱或害怕,要專心依靠神) 』
神吩咐摩向紅海舉杖，神把海分開,中間變成乾地, 好使以色列人可走在海中的乾地而過了紅海。
這時,法老及軍兵也都跟著下到紅海的乾地。神又吩咐摩西向海舉杖，神使海水回流復原，神就淹死了法老和所有軍兵,一個也沒有剩下,以色列人看見耶和華的拯救大能，就敬畏和相信耶和華和祂的僕人摩西。
【受浸的屬靈意義】
受浸就是了結舊造,與基督有生機的聯結，成為新造及基督身體的肢體。
【受浸不是形式或儀式，乃是我們與基督聯合的表明】
一)在"消極"一面_了結舊造
我們浸入基督，也就浸入祂的死。祂的死將我們從世界和撒但黑暗的權勢分別出來，也就是將我們天然的生命、舊性情、己,甚至我們整個舊人的歷史，都了結了。
二)在"積極"一面_與基督聯結,成為神的新造,基督身體的肢體
真實的受浸是如接枝,例如人的有限生命如同品質較差桃子,例如屬人的愛,忍耐都是小,酸,乾,少的 。基督的無限生命如同品質優秀水蜜桃,例如神的愛,忍耐都是大,甜,湧流,多方的)
受浸是較差桃子接枝於優秀桃子,就使人生命如較差桃子仍存在,卻被拔高,能從小變大,苦變甜,少量變湧流,不只成了優秀水蜜桃的複製,也因著活出神無限的愛和忍耐,能跟所有的基督的肢體(基督徒)聯結合一。
所以,受浸使信徒有2個聯結-
a)不只在"個人"一面,進入與"基督”有生機的聯結。
b)更在"團體"一面,進入與"基督的身體"有生機的聯結。
【過紅海表徵受浸】
藉著過紅海，以色列人出埃及,蒙神拯救,脫離法老的暴政，並且被帶到一個自由的領域裏。這是何等的救恩。
同樣，今天我們的受浸也是拯救我們脫離撒旦的捆綁，並把我們帶進在基督裏完全的自由領域中。
【信和受浸合起來，纔完成完整的一步】
信和受浸,是完整步驟,缺一不可,這二者應當並行。
1)受浸而不信_只是虛空外面的儀式。
2)信而不受浸_只是裏面得救，卻沒有外面的確認。
所以,我們的相信仍需要外面的表明；這外面表明就是受浸。
相信和受浸，是一體的兩面。信而受浸可以比作我們用”兩隻腳走一步"。
首先,我們的相信可以比作踏出第一隻腳向前走了““前半步”““,
然後 我們的受浸可以比作 再用另一隻腳來完成"““後半步"““。
信和受浸""合起來"""，纔完成完整的一步。
