As a member of the body of Christ, we are charged to be baptized in water to outwardly express our commitment to God. We confess that he is our Lord, and we turn away from our old life. After baptism, we are bonded to Jesus and because of Jesus, we are renewed each and everyday. We are then charged with living a life dedicated to not only following God, but teaching others about God.
This image to the left was taken following the 4 baptisms we had in 2 services the morning of my first baptisms. The basket was full of used towels, but there were still more ready to be used!
Why Water Baptisms?
I was raised in a very conservative church environment. We sang hymns with no instruments, we took communion weekly, and drinking any kind of alcohol was frowned upon. Growing up in church gave me the foundation of old and new testament stories (kid versions, of course), the ability to read music, and a community of believers. I’m forever grateful to my bible teachers and my parents for being involved in the congregation and showing me the importance of God and faith in my everyday life. Water baptisms were another pillar and arguably the most important in our church’s statement of faith. We believed being immersed in water just as Jesus was by John the Baptist was the only way we were to show our commitment to Christ.
13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”
15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.
16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
Matthew 3:13-17 NIV
How honored John must have been to baptize Jesus after some convincing and knowing full well that Jesus should have been the one baptizing him. John had been preaching about Jesus and baptizing others as a sign of repentance. John was able to baptize through water, symbolizing the washing away of sin. After Jesus was baptized, symbolizing the beginning of his mission (journey) and recognition from God as his own son, believers were baptized in the name of the Holy Spirit. Now, when we baptize new believers or those returning to Christ, we usually say something along the lines of “I now baptize you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” The newness of life we are being baptized into is washing away sin, but also giving us a new breath of life through the Holy Spirit. We can be filled with the Holy Spirit we can ask it to lead us, guide us, and we can take comfort in it’s presence. Even as I’m writing this, I’m overwhelmed by just how close God wants to be to us and baptism is the missing link to that connection and closeness with God.
The newness of life we are being baptized into is washing away sin, but also giving us a new breath of life through the Holy Spirit.
If you’ve never witnessed a baptism, it is life-changing. It’s always been an emotional experience for me. Although, I don’t remember the first baptism I saw, the feeling has always been the same, my heart is overjoyed with excitement watching a new follower of Jesus commit their life to Christ in baptism. Tears aways form in the corners of my eyes at the excitement and freedom one feels when they come up out of the water. It’s palpable.
The Baptizer
Recently, I was honored with baptizing students for the first time. My heart was filled with so much joy when I was asked to perform the baptisms during services by our campus pastor. I don’t think “baptizing someone” was on my personal “to-do” list, but when my pastor asked me, I didn’t know how much I wanted to baptize someone. You can imagine my reaction if I cry watching baptisms, how I reacted dunking someone and pulling them up from the water with my own hands.
The overwhelming feeling after stepping into the warm pool, a bright light shining on myself and my good friend (about to be sister in Christ), and all eyes on us, had my nerves all jumbled. What I experienced next was a sense of peace, and I just began to speak the words I’d practiced over and over in my head. They just poured out with such ease and something I had never done before felt second nature and completely natural to me. I was humbled. In that moment, I went from a believer to a life-changer. My faith was confirmed, challenged, and yet deepened all in the same moment.
Water’s Ready For Who?
At the end of Matthew before Jesus ascends to Heaven, he gives what is known as “The Great Commission” to his disciples…
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.
Matthew 28:19 ESV
Here’s the thing, we talk about the water being ready for those who haven’t been baptized, but the water is ALSO ready for those who wish to bring others to Jesus in baptism. I’m honored, I serve a loving and faithful God. A God who has blessed me with so many things, one of those things being the opportunity to connect with young people and bring them closer to Him.
delightfullyboldlife.com 