Today, I read in bewilderment and with amusement an article in the Star newspaper promoting a movie "The Coffin" which is based on a Thai ancient ritual called Non Loeng Sadorco (which literally means "Lie in Coffin, Rid of Bad luck"). This is based on a Thai practice of giving money to temples to purchase coffins for the poor. The practice evolved when donors wrote down : "I want to transfer the good karma I've accumulated (from buying a coffin) to my loved one who has passed away" on a piece of paper and pasted it on the coffin that they had bought.
This ritual took a bizarre turn when donors lie in the coffin (with its lid shut but not completely) while a group of monks performed the death rites on them as if they were dead. And when the donor rose from the coffin the monk read a chant of new life. Many participants felt as if they were reborn after the ritual - with their bad karma buried behind them. Before any of you readers out there do likewise, may I suggest to you a better way to rid yourself of the past and be reborn.
The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5 : 17 : " Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!". For the Christian, when he has opened his heart to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour, he is said to be "born again". In the gospel of John, Jesus said to a Pharisee named Nicodemus : " Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
One of the acts following the acceptance of Jesus as Saviour for the Christian is the act of "water baptism" which is a significant act of obedience depicting our new identity in Jesus Christ. The word baptism comes from the root word "baptiso" which means to be totally submerged in water. This act involves the person entering into the water (declaring that his old life is gone), and then he is submerged in water (a symbol of being buried with Christ) and when he steps out of the water, it represents that he now has newness of life (being resurrected with Christ).
My friend, if you are reading this article and have not yet been "born again", may I invite you to say this prayer of faith :
"Lord Jesus, I thank you for your love for me. I confess that I am a sinner and thank you that you died on the cross for my sins.
Lord Jesus, I now invite you into my heart as my Saviour and Lord. I want to be born again and start life anew and have abundant everlasting life.
I pray this in Jesus' most precious Name. Amen"
If you have prayed this prayer, I would love to hear from you and congratulate you. God Bless you and may you be "born again" this way rather than the "coffin ritual" way !
This ritual took a bizarre turn when donors lie in the coffin (with its lid shut but not completely) while a group of monks performed the death rites on them as if they were dead. And when the donor rose from the coffin the monk read a chant of new life. Many participants felt as if they were reborn after the ritual - with their bad karma buried behind them. Before any of you readers out there do likewise, may I suggest to you a better way to rid yourself of the past and be reborn.
The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5 : 17 : " Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!". For the Christian, when he has opened his heart to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour, he is said to be "born again". In the gospel of John, Jesus said to a Pharisee named Nicodemus : " Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."
One of the acts following the acceptance of Jesus as Saviour for the Christian is the act of "water baptism" which is a significant act of obedience depicting our new identity in Jesus Christ. The word baptism comes from the root word "baptiso" which means to be totally submerged in water. This act involves the person entering into the water (declaring that his old life is gone), and then he is submerged in water (a symbol of being buried with Christ) and when he steps out of the water, it represents that he now has newness of life (being resurrected with Christ).
Water baptism is, in essence, a funeral. It is an act of faith in which we testify, both to God and to the world, that the person we were before is dead and buried, and we are raised as a new creation in Christ. This is beautifully illustrated by the following Scripture :
"Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."- Romans 6:4
My friend, if you are reading this article and have not yet been "born again", may I invite you to say this prayer of faith :
"Lord Jesus, I thank you for your love for me. I confess that I am a sinner and thank you that you died on the cross for my sins.
Lord Jesus, I now invite you into my heart as my Saviour and Lord. I want to be born again and start life anew and have abundant everlasting life.
I pray this in Jesus' most precious Name. Amen"
If you have prayed this prayer, I would love to hear from you and congratulate you. God Bless you and may you be "born again" this way rather than the "coffin ritual" way !
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