27. BAPTISM

Believe it or not, Paul baptized very few people.  There were only a few times that its  mentioned.  One time in particular was at Philippi, after an earthquake freed him from prison.  He baptized the guard and his family.

This following one of the many beatings he suffered through, because of his disdain of idols, and after releasing the demon in a girl, in the market place.

I use this dramatic event in my play, ALL THINGS TO ALL MEN.  There's no end of dramatic incidents in Paul's life that lend themselves to reenactment.

You'd think that this act of kindness would've been rewarded, but no.  As a result of freeing her, she was no longer a money-maker for her owner, thus the reason for the beating.

How many times have you been baptized?  For me, three times.  Once as an infant into the Episcopal Church, my parent's nominal affiliation.  Secondly, in the Pacific Ocean, off Malibu beach, by what I choose to call the "barefoot" Baptist Church.  The third time in a swimming pool by the World Wide Church of God.  You could say that I've been well baptized. 

Those were the times that I was baptized in water.  But, the baptism that took hold is when I was baptized into  the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

Paul says that, as members of the Ecclesia, we become a part of the body of Christ, through no effort on our part, and  we are baptized automatically into His Spirit .

Paul was not a Pastor.  He didn't dwell in any one church for any length of time.  He left it to others to hold whatever baptisms were conducted. He was too busy evangelizing as far and wide as possible.  He was a prophet, a teacher and a healer, but he let others  till the soil, where he planted. He calls himself the "wise foreman". He laid the foundation upon which others would build.

He even declared that he doesn't care who does the work, Apollo or whomever, as long as it's done for Christ..Paulnbob