Sermon Tone Analysis

Acts 19:1-7

Do We Rebaptise?

Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus.

There he found some disciples and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?”

They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”

So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?”

            “John's baptism,” they replied.

Paul said, “John's baptism was a baptism of repentance.

He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”

On hearing this, they were baptised into the name of the Lord Jesus.

When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.

There were about twelve men in all.”

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nabaptists was the derisive name given by religious leaders of the state churches to our forebears in Europe.

Our forebears were said to rebaptise, hence the name—ana (again) baptists (baptisers).

The charge is appropriate … if the baptism received prior to that which the Anabaptists taught was valid.

If, on the other hand, those professing Christians identified with the Great State churches of Europe—Lutherans, Presbyterians, Anglicans and Catholics—did not baptise but only performed a ceremonial rite without biblical authority, their adherents had never been baptised.

In order to explore more thoroughly this controversial though fascinating area of church history, it is necessary that we appeal to the Word of God.

It will prove especially helpful for us to focus on an incident in the early history of the churches when some who were presumed to have been already baptised were compelled to be baptised again.

The incident in question occurred when the Apostle Paul arrived in Ephesus.

There he encountered some disciples.

At least the individuals he encountered appeared superficially to be fellow Christians.

Paul queried them on their doctrine.

Before moving farther, I must comment on this point.

Reading the account at hand, we might draw the conclusion that something in the language or in the life of these disciples caused the Apostle concern.

However, it is more likely that we should understand that Paul’s habit upon encountering any claiming to be disciples was to seek to define their beliefs.

He did this through questioning their foundational faith.

The apostolic church was commended for/ test[ing] those who claim[ed] to be apostles but [we]re not, and /… for having …/ found them false/ [cf.

*Revelation 2:2*].

Apparently, those early saints had learned this from the Apostles.

I fear there is far less discernment demonstrated today among the saints of God.

While living in Duncanville, Texas, I was invited by a pastor of a nearby church to exchange pulpits.

“Brother Stark,” he said, “my people would love to hear you speak.”

I was hesitant to address his people and I informed him of my reluctance.

As politely as possible I declined his invitation to address his people.

I was rather forthright in my refusal to permit him to address my people.

In conscience I could give no recognition to his message before my own congregation.

Pressed to reconsider, I told him that should I address his congregation I would need to either violate my conscience or I would gravely insult him.

He was obviously surprised and asked why I would say such a thing.

We were, after all, both evangelicals!

“How do you say that a person is saved?”

I inquired of him.

“Well,” he began, “one must believe that Jesus is the Son of God.”

“And…?”

I prodded.

“Well, he must be baptised in the Name of Jesus only,” he offered.

“And…?

I continued.

“Well,” he stammered, “he must be filled with the Holy Ghost as evidence by speaking in tongues.”

“And…?”

I urged him on.

“Well, he must hang on to the end,” he reluctantly offered.

With that final word from him, I explained my position.

“My presence with your people would only create hardship for you.

I will be glad to address your congregation.

However, I have only one message—it is salvation by faith in the Risen Son of God … plus nothing and minus nothing.

When I address your congregation, I will point out to them that to add anything to that apostolic message is to nullify grace and to make oneself superior to Christ.

Do you still want me to speak at your church?”

Without hesitation he quickly responded, “I don’t think it would be a good idea.”

Dear people, it is not meanness on my part, nor is it mere theological pettiness, when I say that the doctrine which that man espoused is errant.

He had given the people /eggs of vipers/.

/Whoever eats their eggs will die/ [cf.

*Isaiah 59:5*].

Consequently, whatever baptism his group performs is not New Testament baptism.

There can be no fellowship between error and truth; thus, there could be no fellowship between that man and myself.

I worry about the churches of this day who embrace every religious body in the mistaken belief that we are to demonstrate tolerance.

Scant discernment is exercised by the professed people of God in our rush to hail every religious organisation as fellow saints.

We are not saved because we are religious.

We are responsible to test those who say they are apostolic but are not.

We are to ask the hard questions of those who wish to be received as fellow believers together with us.

In a previous church, a woman expressed her displeasure with me, in no small part because I used a particular cult as an example of a group which is conservative but unbiblical.

She was upset because she had apparently once been affiliated with that particular cult.

If that group wishes to be accepted as Christian, let them renounce their error of the investigative judgement.

Let them renounce the teaching of Azazel.

Let them renounce the confusion arising from their attempt to mix law and grace.

Let them renounce the teaching that worship on Sunday is the mark of the beast.

Then perhaps we can begin to discuss whether they are Christian or merely another cult arising from the untaught American frontier.

We ought not to shrink from confronting error, probing through questioning until we have established that those who wish to be accepted as Christian can be demonstrated to actually be fellow saints.

Our example in this is the Apostle Paul as he questioned the disciples he encountered in Ephesus.

Focus on the text with me so that together we may discover what the Word teaches.

The question before us is whether we baptise or whether we rebaptise.

The distinction is more important than we dare imagine.

If we rebaptise, then we are in error.

In that case we Baptists are divisive within the broader Community of Faith and stand opposed to Scripture since there is /one Lord, one faith, one baptism/ [see *Ephesians 4:5*].

If, on the other hand we baptise, then it is we who hold to Scripture despite popular opinion and we can count ourselves as friends of God who exalt His Word and His will.

Discipleship and Baptism — The people Paul encountered in Ephesus were called disciples [*verse one*].

The term disciple, though neutral, tells us something of the supposition of the missionary band.

The missionaries presumed, posssibly by virtue of the practises of this group, that they had encountered fellow believers.

But had they?

The missionaries were cautious in extending acceptance to every group.

Just as Mormons and Adventists wish to be accepted as Christians in this day, so non-Christian groups in that day sought acceptance as Christian.

Virtually every religious society meets for some form of ceremony associated with their particular sectarian practise.

Most will identify their communal activity as worship.

That activity may be highly structured, bearing the stamp of antiquity for authority.

That activity may be somewhat looser, permitting the participants opportunity to innovate according to the dictates of their heart.

What I would caution against is drawing the conclusion that simply because a group is met for religious purposes and because they perform some particular ritual that they are worshipping the Living God.

Ezekiel describes the worship of the leaders of Israel in *the eighth chapter* of his prophecy.

/There before me was the glory of the God of Israel, as in the vision I had seen in the plain./

/Then he said to me, “Son of man, look toward the north.”

So I looked, and in the entrance north of the gate of the altar I saw this idol of jealousy./