THE CHURCH IS ALIVE AND WELL ON PLANET EARTH

In recent years I have been fulfilling the role of a Christian Nomad. This has enabled me to see more clearly what is going on in different places and settings.
A couple of weeks ago I was able to attend an Anglican church in Berwick where "The Open Door" gave a presentation of the underground church in China, what an encouragement, what a challenge. I must read "The Heavenly Man" again. This is an account of the life and doings of a Chinese Christian.
After visiting a Church of Christ at Surrey Hills a couple of weekends ago, we went for coffee in a complex nearby, while there a young man I hadn't seen for some time came over and spoke with us, he said, "The church is powering on all over the place".
I wrote recently about a first communion and a baptism. Well, this last weekend we attended the Bayside church in Grovedale where one of our Grandsons, Jarred Holt, was being baptised. The church was full of young people. As is usual these days I seemed to be the oldest person present, which suits me fine as up to this point I haven't had to hang around with old people. Perhaps that day is approaching!
But back to the baptism, this was to be a baptism in water where the candidate is placed totally under the water. The Bible indicates that this is symbolical, not only of washing, but an identification with Jesus Christ in his death, burial and resurrection, and is reserved for people who "believe", often referred to as "Believer's Baptism"

Jarred was able to stand up and give a good account of why he was taking this step.
It was deeply moving for him, and I think also for all who were present as he paid tribute to Jesus Christ, and then to his mum and dad.
For me,my mind ran back something like 25 or 30 years when Jarred's father,(and our son) Greg Holt, stood in the Dandenong Baptist Church and have a similar, moving testimony. What can I say? God is good.
According to doomsayers, the church is about to disappear. How wrong they are.
The again, it may well do so. Have you never read, "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, and the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first, then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the lord"?
At that time the doomsayers can say, "I told you so"