BAPTISM

1- This ministry is for believers who believe in the name of Jesus  Christ only, and its mission is not to preach Christ, as the channels of evangelization of faith in Christ are available everywhere in all languages on social media.

2- Baptism will be performed through the Internet. The day of the service and its time will be determined for those who have well understood the meaning of Baptism and the true purpose of this Holy Sacrament. It will be done through video conferencing.

3- An explicit explanation of the concept and the spiritual meaning of “The Sacrament of Baptism” will be given to the baptismal seeker, ” buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.” (Colossians 2:12.) as well as the steps of preparation and spiritual rehabilitation that proceed with the blessing of receiving this sacrament, ”Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.” (Mathew28:19.)

4-The Bishop will pray on the water where the baptismal seeker will immerse. We will provide an explanatory video of how this will  practically be done to those who send their requests.

5- There are spiritual experiences and signs that the baptismal seeker feels to make sure for us and for him that he became spiritually ready to accept this grace.

The Stages that the Baptismal Seeker will go through are:

1-  Accepting Christ And Receiving The New Nature.

“no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.:(2Corinthians 12:3.)

This verse proves and confirms that the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, reveals Himself to all people, even unbelievers and unbaptized, and He works in them.

• “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”(John 1:12-13.)

• The new nature is a gift from above, that is from Christ, the Son of God, descended from heaven. But how was it given to the man, and in whom death and corruption work? The Word of God, coming down from above,””And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I am from above”, (John8:23), “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.”(John 3:13), took a body of our nature, that is, capable of death,” For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells;”(Romans 7”17,) but death does not work in it, nor does it prevail over it, because it is without sin, “the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.”(John 14:30). Then He confronted the devil and his death, on the cross. The devil, with his death, came upon the life in Jesus. Jesus’ life swallowed death and defeated and abolished it. “ O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans7:24-25.) 

•  Christ cast the devil into the abyss. After Christ overcame death in His body, that is, our nature, which was defeated and bound by death, He raised His body, our body and nature, from death. He renewed our nature and our body by resurrection from the dead. 

• When I unite with Christ, this victory becomes for me. This is the definition of salvation according to the Early Fathers of the Church. And this is the work of the Holy Spirit in us. ”For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin.  For he who has died has been freed from sin.  Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,  knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.  For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. “(Romans 6:5-19.)

• The renewal of nature is not a step event or limited in time and space, but a way of living that begins with a voluntary decision and conscious choice from the bottom of the heart to reject everything against Christ's work in us. When a man meets the love of Christ and tastes how wonderful and loving He is, he feels the light has entered into his profound entity and given him true joy and peace. Therefore, he refuses to lose this joy and love and transforms his will from obedience to the devil and his thoughts to obedience to Christ and the Holy Spirit. 

2- Repentance and Confession

“Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts2:38.)

“who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:3.)

Sin is not the breaking of the Ten Commandments, but according to the New Testament it is man’s choice and surrender of his will to the devil’s lustful desires and will. It is the evil spot that entered man, because where sin is, there is the spirit of sin. Sin is the separation from God’s life and union with the devil and his death.”You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. “ (John 8:44.)

Repentance, then, is not just admitting sins and getting forgiveness, as been learned in the past from the Old Testament, and it is not just an apology, but it starts from the point of understanding that sin is death and destruction and that Christ is the only way for salvation, and that you need to move from death to life.

3- BASIC LEARNING of the meaning of FAITH, THE TRINITY, SALVATION, THE CHURCH.

4- PRAYERS OF LIBERATION from the bonds of sin, evil spirits, and the spirits of witchcraft.

5-  THE BISHOP PRAYS to the baptismal seeker to receive the grace of being born again in the Holy Spirit.

NOTE:

The seeker of baptism must respect all religions and all Christian denominations, keep the faith in his heart, practice love with everyone, and follow the catechism that we will offer to preserve the grace he received in baptism and abide in righteousness and holiness. Amen. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you;”(Mathew 28:20)

 St. Athanasius Church will pray faithfully and warmly for the grace of Baptism for all who sincerely apply for the Sacrament of Baptism and desire to receive the rebirth in Jesus Christ. They must come forward with faith, reverence, and humility to receive this Great Sacrament and the power of redemption and liberation in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.