Immerse Me

Matt 28:16-20

The Great Commission

16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Big Idea

Christian Baptism is the first act of obedience for the New Disciple: It is the passage right into embracing your new identity, living with your new family and embracing your new culture through the immersion process.

I. Go and make disciples

A. Baptize

B. Teach them

There is no disconnecting the command to make disciples from the command of baptizing and teaching (they are connected or joined with each other, to be missing one is to be missing them all.

Discipleship: In the Biblical context of Christianity it is a person who puts on Christ is all areas of his/or her life. Being a student of the Christ, or the Christian way of life

To teach this then, we much have Christ on in every area of our lives, or humanly speaking passionately, vigorously in pursuit of this very ideal.

Illustration

The best way for a researcher to understand a group, a subculture, a setting, or a way of life is to immerse themselves into that world…

The researcher "goes native" to get an in-depth and longitudinal understanding of the subject…

For example, when professor and researcher Patti Adler wanted to study the world of illicit drug trafficking, she immersed herself in the subculture of drug traffickers. It took her a great deal of gaining trust from her subjects, but once she did, she became a part of the group and lived among them for several years. As a result of living with, befriending, and participating in activities of the drug traffickers, she was able to get a real-life account of what the drug trafficking world is really like, how it works, and who the traffickers really are. She gained a new understanding of the drug trafficking world that those on the outside never see or know about…

Immersion means that the researchers immerse themselves in the culture they are studying. It typically mean attending meetings with or about informants, becoming familiar with other similar situations, reading documents on the subjects, observing interactions in the setting, and essentially becoming a part of the culture…

It also means listening to the people of the culture and really attempting to see the world from their point of view. The culture does not just consist of the physical environment, but also of particular ideologies, values, and ways of thinking. Researchers need to be sensitive and objective when describing or interpreting what they see or hear…

Sociology Research

Crossman, Ashley. (2017, April 11). Immersion. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/immersion-definition-3026534

To baptize or Greek baptizo: meaning to immerse or to saturate.

Name: literally or figuratively means ones nature character and authority

Quick Notes: Trinitarian Formula vs Jesus name (Act 10:48)

Acts 8:38; Acts 9:18 (Paul’s Baptism)

I Cor 1:13-17

Examples God’s divine names speaks to his nature and character

Yahweh h Rohi “The Lord is my Shephard”

Yahweh Shammah “The Lord who is there or present”

Yahweh Shalom “ The Lord is Peach

El-Elyon “ The Most High God”

El-Shaddai “ God Almighty”

Peoples names who have been changed

Abram to Abraham

Shari to Shara

Jacob to Israel

Timeless Spiritual Principle

Christians should be Immerse in God’s nature character and authority

II. Immerse in his Nature I Tim 4:6-16 (Be Absorb in Godliness or being Holy).

A. What is nature: Ones essences or state of being, it speaks to the sum total of a person. (God is Holy)

B. Holiness

1.Holiness in relation to God refers chiefly to his moral perfection

a.Ps 99:9 “ the Lord our God is Holy”

b. Isa. 6:3 “Holy Holy Holy is the LORD Almighty” Intensely Holy is the Lord

2.Holiness is manifested or reveled

a. Love

b. Righteousness

C. God has made us to be Holy

Lev 11:44 and I Pet 1:16

III. Immersed in his Character Philippians 2: 5-11

A. What is Character: The attributes/behaviors that make up and distinguish a person. A persons Character flows out from one’s nature.

1. Christ is the reveled character of God. Col 2:15, 19 Heb 1:1-3

B. Humility

1. Birthed out of Love: covers or immerses or saturates a multitude of sins.

Phil 4:7-8 II Peter 1:5-8

2. Heb 5:8/ Phil 2:8 Obedience until it hurts

IV. Immersed in his Authority and Power. Josh 1:1-9; Act 1:8

A. What is Authority (The ability and the power to carry out a task)

Phil 2:12-13 NLT

B. Rom 6:1-14 Authority is reveled in Obedience

The Big Idea Reframed

God’s desire is that we would allow him to saturate our lives and then bring others into the life that we live for and through Christ. This is how you baptize people, this is how you disciple and teach new converts. You immerse them in the life that we live for and through Christ.