Classifieds...of a different kind

...just so you know, I'm waiting for my wife and kids to wake up from their naps; that's why I have the time to blog right now...

I picked up the latest Good News, Inc. magazine from the church we go to. Now, our church, Grace Fellowship of San Diego, holds the meetings and services in a Seventh-day Adventist church building. There is no connection or affiliation between us and the SDA, and I think there's just way too many Ellen G White books hanging around (especially in the room we use as our nursery), but anyway...

Back to the magazine. I was just skimming through to see if any of the articles caught my attention. There's usually one or two. I got to the classifieds, and noticed there was a section titled "Ministries." Hmmm. What's that? Who'd got an ad in there?

I saw one that caught the eye, mostly because someone would actually send one in and have it say what is says. Here you go:

LOOKING FOR church that baptizes in "Jesus name" not Father, Son, Holy Ghost

I do feel sad for the guy or gal. They have their theology mixed up; he or she is most likely Oneness Pentacostal; could be the rare follower of modalist monarchianism (the last fellow I encountered who followed that stony roadway used profanity and a barrage of insults mixed with those colorful explitives to "witness" the truth and "defend" the "faith"). Plus, they feel the need to post an ad in a Christian publication to find a church that will tickle their ears with just the right message to pull them into their congregation.

Well, let's go back to the Scriptures and see what the Word says about baptism. As in the ever quoted Matthew xxviii.19,

βαπτιζοντες αυτους εις το ονομα του Πατρος και του Υιου και του Αγιου Πνευματος

Even from the Greek, Christ instructed us to baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.