Periodically I have occasion to teach children in a discussion format.  One of the questions I like to ask is the title of this mini-blog.  If the student says, "Yes," then I ask them to define a Christian (which is more difficult than one may imagine).  If the student says, "No," then I ask them, "Why not?," which always brings forth a number of interesting comments.  The frustrating and wonderful thing about Jesus Christ is that He doesn't fit our categories.  He is unique, sanctified, special and one of a kind..."the only-Begotten"; which doesn't mean "generated", it means unique..the One and Only.  Since He is the "One and Only" even His baptism is unique.  He wasn't baptized to repent from sins committed.  He wasn't baptized because He put His faith in Himself.  He wasn't baptized to join a church or to become a Baptist!  So why was Jesus baptized?  I'd give away the sermon for Sunday if I answered right here and right now but I will tell you this.  Jesus was baptized in complete harmony with the two basic or fundamental ideas that define baptism.  You'll hear more about that on Sunday AM (October 7, 2012) and you'll be able to witness these realities on Sunday PM as we baptize nine believers.  What is perhaps even more important than His baptism is what happened before and after His immersion in the Jordan.  Are we ready for this kind of King? 

I wish hell wasn't real.  I don't want anybody to go there.  The idea of eternal wrath repels me.  I'd rather not even talk about it.  Recently, one of our members gave me a book titled, "Hell is Real (But I Hate to Admit It)".  It is the story of a pastor who graduated from a conservative seminary and entered pastoral ministry with a secret...he didn't believe in hell.  He believed hell was a concept incompatible with God's loving nature and therefore dismissed it.  As he began to study the Scriptures (which you'd think should have happened in Seminary  ), he began to realize that God's nature is more than "nice."  It was shocking to him to discover how often the mercy and wrath of God were both mentioned in the Bible. Of course it is a lot easier to talk about God's love, acceptance, grace, forgiveness etc than it is to talk about wrath, judgment, hell and the lake of fire...yikes!  Our study this week will unpack the visit of the Pharisees and Sadducees to John the Baptist.  JB didn't hand them a Welcome Packet and give them a cup of coffee.  He addressed them as a "brood of vipers" and warned them that the "ax was being laid to the root of the tree".  That doesn't seem very loving to these men "just seeking baptism."  Yet, it is in fact loving to warn people of the wrath to come.  It is evidence of our depravity that we deem immersion into the life of God so lightly that we would complain about the alternative.  We should run to this wonderful offer of God...the Creator of Heaven and earth wants to be our Dad, why wouldn't we jump at that opportunity?  Refusing the good life of God can only have one alternative, and even though it is an unpopular subject it is still in the best interest of our "neighbor" to say so.