Prof. M. M. Ninan
Marthoma Church of San Francisco Bay Area
Why is the horse not laughing?
Levels of cognitions
Levels of cognitions
The Hebrew Cosmology
(Mar 4:11) And he said to them, "To
you has been given the secret of the
kingdom of God, but for those outside
everything is in parables;
(Mar 4:12) so that they may indeed
see but not perceive, and may indeed
hear but not understand; lest they
should turn again, and be forgiven."
We live in four floors
We live in four floors
The sacraments are
outward and visible
signs of inward and
spiritual grace, given
by Christ as a means
by which we receive
that grace.
Experiential
Sonship of God
through Christ
Spiritual
Assurance
Spiritual
understanding
Intellectual
anchoring
Intellectual
understanding
Fruits of the Spirit:
Christianity in
action
Tangible
Rites and Rituals
SACRAMENTS ARE MANY –
main ones are:
Family Prayer, Grace Before food, Sunday
Church, Bible Studies, Prayer meetings,Laying
on of hands, Hand shakes, Graduation parties,
birthday parties ……..???????
Baptism, Confirmation, Marriage, Ordination
Rites of Intensification
Prayer – family, group, community
Worship
Communion
Bible Studies
Revival meetings
The seven sacraments touch all the stages
and all the important moments of Christian
life. There is thus a certain resemblance
between the stages of natural life and the
stages of the spiritual life.
THE SACRAMENTS OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION
1. The Sacrament of Baptism
Mat 28:18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven
and on earth has been given to me.
Mat 28:19 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,
Mat 28:20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and
lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age."
Mar 16:15 And he said to them,
"Go into all the world and preach
the gospel to the whole creation.
Mar 16:16 He who believes and is
baptized will be saved; but he who
does not believe will be
condemned.
BAPTISM DOES NOT SAVE
It is only a process of making the person a
disciple.
Godfather
Parents
Community of Faith (Church)
Role of family in Discipling
Role of the Church in discipling
2. The Sacrament of
Confirmation:
Discipling
Lord’s Prayer
Apostle’s Creed
Nicean Creed
(Rom 10:9-10) because, if you confess
with your lips that Jesus is Lord and
believe in your heart that God raised
him from the dead, you will be saved.
For man believes with his heart and so
is justified, and he confesses with his
lips and so is saved.
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass
against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the Kingdom, the Power
and the Glory, For ever and ever.
Amen
3. Holy Communion
"Recall then that you have received the
spiritual seal, the spirit of wisdom and
understanding, the spirit of right
judgement and courage, the spirit of
knowledge and reverence, the spirit of
holy fear in God's presence. Guard
what you have received. God the
Father has marked you with his sign;
Christ the Lord has confirmed you and
has placed his pledge, the Spirit, in
your hearts." (St. Ambrose)
Baptism, Holy Communion, and the
sacrament of Confirmation together
constitute the "sacraments of
Christian initiation,"
You are a full fledged member of
the Church of Christ.
"For just as the body is one and has
many members, and all the members of
the body, though many, are one body,
so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we
were all baptized into one body-Jews or
Greeks, slaves or free-and all were
made to drink of one Spirit" (First
Corinthians 12.12, 13).
THE SACRAMENTS OF
HEALING
4.The Sacrament of
Reconciliation
Healing the mind and the spirit
"The father turned to his
servants:
'Quick! Bring out the finest
robe and put it on him. Put a
ring on his finger and sandals
on his feet.
Take the fattened calf and kill
it. We will celebrate and have a
feast, for this son of mine was
dead and has come back to
life. He was lost and is found.'
And the celebration
began." Luke 16:23-24
5. The Sacrament of
the Anointing of the Sick:
Healing the body
"If anyone is sick, let him call on
the elders of the Church. They
shall pray for him, anointing him
with oil in the name of the Lord.
The prayer said in faith will save
the sick man; the Lord will raise
him up and if he has committed
any sins, he will be forgiven."
James 5:13-15
6. The Sacrament of
Matrimony
Christian maturity - adulthood
"They are no longer two,
therefore, but one body."
Matthew 19:6
Ready to build a Christian family
(2Co 6:14) Do not be mismated with
unbelievers. For what partnership have
righteousness and iniquity? Or what
fellowship has light with darkness?
7. The Sacrament of Holy Orders
The whole Church is a priestly people.
Through Baptism all the faithful share in the
priesthood of Christ. This participation is
called the "common priesthood of the faithful."
Based on this common priesthood and
ordered to its service, there exists another
participation in the mission of Christ: the
ministry conferred by the sacrament of Holy
Orders, where the task is to serve in the
name and in the person of Christ the Head in
the midst of the community.
Servant robe of Priesthood
Mat 20:25-27 but whoever would be great among you must be
your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your
slave.
Washed with the
blood of the lamb.
Vestments
The upside down
world - Slave is
the King
HIGH PRIESTLY ROBE
The elements:
Seperated for holy purposes
1 Corinthians 11:23-28
For I received from the Lord what I also
delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the
night when he was betrayed took bread, and
when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said,
"This is my body which is for you.
Do this in remembrance of me."
.
In the same way also the
cup, after supper, saying,
"This cup is the new
covenant in my blood. Do
this, as often as you drink it,
in remembrance of me."
For as often as you eat this
bread and drink the cup,
you proclaim the Lord's
death until he comes.
Sacrifice of Praise
Kingdom Feast
Whoever, therefore, eats the
bread or drinks the cup of the
Lord in an unworthy manner
will be guilty of profaning the
body and blood of the Lord.
Let a man examine himself, and
so eat of the bread and drink of
the cup.
For any one who eats and drinks
without discerning the body eats
and drinks judgment upon
himself
1Co 11:30- 34 That is why many of you
are weak and ill, and some have died.
Greet each other
with a Kiss of Peace
But if we judged ourselves truly, we
should not be judged.
But when we are judged by the Lord, we
are chastened so that we may not be
condemned along with the world.
So then, my brethren, when you come
together to eat, wait for one another-- if
any one is hungry, let him eat at home-lest you come together to be
condemned.
Once and for all
This is the New Covenant
in My Blood
Agape Feast
Choose this day whom you will serve.
This is the church
This is the church
The body of Christ
This is the church
The body of Christ
Omega Point
(1Co 15:28) When all things are
subjected to him, .. God may be
everything to ever..y one
Worthiness to partake.
Holy things are for holy people.
Enter into the Joy