This Sunday we do one of the things that is most important and exciting about being part of a New Testament church. Baptism is a big deal for several reasons, and I want to invite you, if you have never been baptized, to join us.
Baptism is the next step after accepting Jesus as your Savior. In fact if you read Acts 8 and the story about Phillip and the Ethiopian you get this picture lived out.
Acts 8:36 NIV
As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?”
A change was happening in the Ethiopian’s life, and he was ready to keep walking with Jesus. Is that true of you?
From our church new member class you will find this:
Christian baptism by immersion is an act of obedience symbolizing the believer's faith in a crucified, buried, and risen Savior, the believer's death to sin, the burial of the old life, and the resurrection to walk in newness of life in Christ Jesus.
We believe that baptism is by immersion or fully going in to the water. The water has no special power in and of itself. The act of baptism is something Jesus did, see Matthew 3, and we are to do what Jesus did.
Baptism reminds us of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus as well as how our sins are washed away by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.
I’d like also to remind all of us how the truth of baptism impacts the church family. When a person decides to go through baptism, we now have the responsibility to encourage the one who was baptized. If they are living like a Christian and serving, we ought to be giving them great encouragement. If this person choose to live against God’s truth, we ought to encourage them to live differently. We really are our brother and sister’s keeper.
Have you been baptized? Maybe the time is right for you to take this next step.
Colossians 2:12-13 NLT
For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins.
I close with a passage from Paul. It is powerful word about our faith and how we have identified with and been changed by Jesus!
Romans 6:3-8 NLT
Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? 4 For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. 5 Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. 6 We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. 7 For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. 8 And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him.
NOTE: Help our team with CUBA missions. I will be making a trip to Cuba to support the FCA leaders. Donations of medicines and hygiene products as well as money are needed with the trip. Let me know if you would like to help.
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