Although they each had at different times come to the knowledge of their individual need for Jesus as savior, the timing worked out that they were all ready to make the public profession of their faith together. Our church had a special baptism service with great music and the personal touch of reading each participants written testimony as they were being baptized.
So "Adopted"...why the title? I love the comment by J.I. Packer in Knowing God: "Our understanding of Christianity cannot be better than our grasp of adoption." We as christians are adopted into the family of God by grace through our faith in Jesus. None of us are natural-born children of God. Ephesians 1:3-8. Romans 8:23 also speaks of the doctrine of adoption. Adopted for Life by Russell D. Moore shares the beautiful story of adoption: intertwining doctrinal adoption with what we may call "real" adoption. How cool that God had a plan for adoption all along...Moses, Jesus, us, and the fatherless/orphan.
D, D and D,
You are so precious
to us! Daddy and I have prayed for you to make this decision since you were in my womb.
"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge-that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." Ephesians 3:16-19
