'Baptism is God's work for All Nations'     

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,    baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them...

The Great commission is not  what we do  but what God does for us in the power of the words  'baptizing and teaching' sinners in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  The Great Commission is about the work that God has already  done for us in Christ's death, suffering and resurrection and now compels us to go out to All Nations. There is no greater danger than to feel guilty and burdened by the pressure of those who try to turn this free act of God's mercy  in the Gospel into men's work  driven by the law.  In the great commission, Baptism is instituted as a "sacred act in which only God Himself joins His Word of promise to water, and by which He alone offers, gives, and seals the forgiveness of sins earned by Christ".  That is to say,
that God has made a saving promise- not men- and has attached that promise to the act of baptizing sinners of all ages and from all nations, with water in His name. 

In the picture above,  Basim, a former Muslim from Iraq who was baptized two years ago as an adult, is now bringing his nephew Joseph to be baptized as an infant, thus the words " All Nations".  Hazim who is Basim's twin brother, whose entire family was baptized three years ago (6 members), shared the Gospel with his twin brother who also brought his entire family (4) to the Holy waters of Baptism.  Two families,  12 members, infants, babies, children, boys and girls,  young and adults entered the Kingdom of God and received  the gift of forgiveness in the same manner regardless of age.  God in the Great Commission calls us to Baptize all "Peoples", Jesus suffered, died and rose again that they may not perish but have eternal life.       

Only 'through His saving actions, Christ purchased and won salvation for all.  Baptism indeed delivers and bestows the benefits of Jesus' redemption upon children as much as He does upon their parents who bring them to the same waters of baptism. 

Islam teaches that man is not born a sinner and that Original sin started and ended with Adam and Eve in the garden.  That man is responsible for his own sin and thus given the Quranic Sharia as a guide to do good works in order to be saved from the wrath of Allah. However, all practicing Muslims must wash themselves (5 times a day before each prayer) in order to be in the presence of Allah.  But in their  Lutheran catechism, this   large family is being  taught the truth about sin that leads to death and how in their Baptism God washes them from the inside once and for all for eternal life.

The power of the Holy Spirit works in God's Word,

Aland, the son of Basim, being Baptized by   Pastor Karim

convicting the parents of their original sin which they pass to their children-yes, even their infants (Psalm 51:5, Acts 2:38- 22:16). Therefore, every child is, by nature, an object of wrath (Eph 2:3) this is why Basim has brought his own child to the waters of HolyBaptism.  Because he knows, in it, the Lord tears down the barriers of sin that separates us - children and adults- from God.  Basim and his brother Hazim are fully and truly convicted in their hearts that Baptism frees their children from the eternal consequences of sin.  Through the forgiveness of sins, infant Joseph and his cousin Aland, have the same place in the lap of the Father as does the only-begotten Son.  "Baptism is God's family affair for All Nations."

Monday, August 8^th, 2011 was a special day for POBLO-TX at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church. It was also a very special day for Nita Karki, our ESL Coordinator. Nita graduated in June 2011 with her Masters in ESL. The focus on the evening was to share her story about coming from Nepal to the United States for higher education with our ESL students and their children. The reason for sharing her story was to inspire them to study hard and achieve success in their lives that all dreams are possible for those who work hard and trust in the Lord!

All the children who attended the ESL Summer Connect program with POBLO-TX, received new backpacks with school supplies from Pastor Karim Baidaoui provided by Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Carrollton.   Thirty- five children received backpacks, six toddlers received smaller tokens of crayons and toys and nine surprised children received packets of school supplies.   All the children's faces were beaming with smiles of pride and joy!

We are so grateful to Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Carrollton for providing us with backpacks loaded with school supplies and Bibles. We are also very thankful to Phil and Margaret Ball and their congregation Our Redeemer Lutheran Church from Longview for bringing extra school supplies for our ESL children.