Connection Central

Hello WAIO Team,

We are now baptizing once a month and the next one is scheduled for next Sunday (October 11th) right after the third service. I really enjoyed the new format. I gave us a chance to host family and friends in an atmosphere of intimacy and fellowship. We have it in TAMA Hall and it really makes for a great experience.

I have a chance to preach/teach about water baptism before the actual baptism and I thought I would share with you something new. I know know there is very little new, but I have discovered that NEW is what water baptism is all about.

NEW Name! Our baptism in water is the celebration of identification with Jesus Christ. We know that we are coming into a new family - being born anew and adopted as well. We are even being betrothed to Christ. Every one of these events are accentuated with a name change in the natural. Water baptism is the natural act that activates a spiritual reality. A new name is given to us. We are now "called by His name." Our old identity is buried with the Lord and our new name identifies us as His "beloved son, in whom He is well pleased."

NEW Heart! Water Baptism puts us under the surgical knife of the Holy Spirit. While we are "under", the Scripture declares that the old, hard heart is removed and a new heart is given. We exchange our "deceitful and wicked" heart for the heart of God that is infused with the love of God by the Holy Spirit. Our heart is "circumcised" and we are now opened to receive the word (law) of God to be written on our hearts. We do not receive the old laws of God etched in stone that record the do's and don'ts of righteousness. We receive the revelation and knowledge of the law of life in Christ. It's the law of love for God and love for others. This new heart beats with one directive - a love life. What we could not do before in the flesh, we are now able to do in the Spirit. For we have received from the Holy Spirit a new heart!

NEW Life! I suppose the greatest symbolism accomplished in water baptism is the "burial" under the water and the "resurrection" that follows. The scriptures are clear in relating water baptism to the deathe of the old and the birth of the new. We are baptised into the figurative Red Sea as Israel was in the flight from Egypt. This "crossing over" typified the passing away of an old life of bondage to sin and oppressive works and a resurrection to a land of promise , freedom, and abundance. By simple obedience, we enter into the promises of God to live free and possess a land of rich inheritance. We leave these waters with a fire of His presence by night and the cloud of His presence by day. We are resurrected to a new life. Jesus came to give life - and that LIFE is to be abundant.

If you have those in your family or in your LIFE Group that have not been water baptized, please encourage them to join us October 13th and enter into the NEW thing that God is doing. Just contact Santiago@wordalive.org to register.

New Name! New Heart! New Life! Coming soon to a baptismal near you!

Here's a nice format for prayer ministry I picked up in a recent conference. This format is especially applicable to those who are seeking freedom for bondage and inner healing.

1) Interview to obtain a starting point. Rather than trying to guess or discern the prayer need, why not ask? Matthew 7:7 says, "Ask and you shall receive." It is effective and efficient when the person himself states the area of need for prayer. This opens the door for ministry by engaging the will and confession.

2) Forgive. To forgive is to loose, release, dismiss, and completely cancel the debt. It means we cease to blame and feel resentment. A candidate for God's intervention can position himself to receive by identifying and removing any barriers to receptivity. Matthew 6:14 says, "For if you forgive (loose, release, dismiss, and completely cancel the debt) men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive (loose, release, dismiss, and completely cancel the debt) you." You can lead in the steps to forgive by helping to indentify those to forgive, vocalizing forgiveness for that offending party, and then leading in vocalizing a blessing and release to that offending person.

3) Repent to God. To repent is to change one's mind and purpose away from sin and toward God. True repentance involves both a confession of sin and a willing turning away from that sin and an embrace of the righteous and godly actions that are opposite that sin. I think it is not only important to turn away but to help identify what positive and righteous acts and attitudes will serve to help overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21).

4) Renounce the Enemy. To renounce is to disown and forbid the approach of that which is disowned. Sin gives access to the work of the Evil one and renders one a servant to the enemy in that area of sin. Having forgiven and repented, we are now in a position to evict the trespassing presence of the enemy in complete confidence. We have yielded to righteousness and are no longer subject to the influence of the enemy of our souls. You can now lead the person in vocalizing an eviction and dismissal of evil entities and their influences. James 4:7,8 says,"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the Devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you..."

5) Anoint to break the yoke of bondage. James 5:13-16 describes a powerful progression toward victory. The afflicted one solicits prayer, confessing his faults, is forgiven and raised up through the prayer of faith and the anointing of God. Anointing with oil can serve as a tangible touch point that signifies a sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. In receiving this anointing, a person identifies with God, disassociates with sin and the enemy, and positions himself for all the benefits of the effective prayer of faith. Isaiah 10:27 tells us that the yoke is destroyed through the anointing.