To Be Confirmed
0 comments | Posted by St Peters on 18 Sep 2011 in From Steve's Study ::
Today, at 6pm, nine members of our church will stand up to be confirmed by our regional Bishop Glenn Davies. You may be aware that there is no mention of “Confirmation” in the Bible, so why are they doing this? What is “Confirmation” all about?
First and foremost, it is about “confirming” the promises made on your behalf as a child. These promises were that you would turn your back on the ways of the world and the devil & commit your allegiance to Christ. As an infant, it is not possible to make these promises yourself, so confirmation is simply the candidate standing up and saying, “the promises my parents made, I now take on for myself”. In other words, it is a way of saying, “I want everyone to know that I believe in Jesus, I’ve asked him to take away my sin by his death, & I’m going to live with him as a my personal Lord from now on”.
This, of course, has huge ramifications for the lives of those to be confirmed. During this service, they will be accepting the obligations that come with being one of God’s people – commitment to studying and applying God’s word, being devoted to prayer, showing love and compassion to others, & seeking to see God’s kingdom grow as they share the hope they have with others.
We also have an important part to play in all of this, for they are asking us to be there to support and encourage them in this commitment. So please pray for all those being confirmed today (Anita Chang, Emily Layson, Abraham Maruta, Regan Mooney, Samar Noble, Isabelle Ramos, John Shailer, Alison Sue & Gordon Sue), that God would fill them with His Spirit, strengthen their faith in him, & empower them to live lives that honour and glorify him until the day of Christ’s return.
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