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We believe that there are only two ordinances in the church; baptism and the Lord's Supper.
Baptism does not save a person from their sins but Christ commanded his disciples to baptise people in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Matt 28: 19) The Great Commission, as expressed in Matthew's gospel makes it clear that a person becomes a disciple before they are baptised. This means that people can only be baptised in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit if they first believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour and understand what they are doing. 'Baptism' is a word that is used in the dyeing industry and can only mean 'by full immersion'. The Lord Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper on the night he was betrayed (1 Cor 11: 23-26). This 'feast' is a memorial feast and is dedicated to the memory of our perfect Saviour. We believe that all believers can partake of the feast and no ordination is required for Christian men to participate in the celebration of the feast. It is important for a person to prepare themselves before they celebrate the feast (and to confess their sins to make sure that they don't celebrate the feast unworthily (1 Cor 11: 27-32). All Christians are priests and can come directly to God through Christ without needing any person, currently alive or dead (1 Pet 2: 5-9). |