Baptism Gathering
Saturday, August 15th - 9:00AM
Sylvan Beach Park
In just a few days, we are going to have a time in which
people are baptized down at Sylvan Beach.
I have been asked the questions, “Who is being baptized and why are they
being baptized?” Those are excellent
questions. While I have answered several
times I thought it good to post these answers so all minds would be clear.
First, let’s talk about what baptism is not. Being baptized isn’t a lucky charm, a magic
spiritual event, or some sort of religious act that is going to change your
life into something better. If all you
are is “getting dunked” then all you are is “getting wet.” There is no spiritual power or magic water in
the act of baptism itself. Being baptized
doesn’t change your standing with God.
Being baptized doesn’t fix your life.
But that isn’t to say that baptism isn’t important. It can be very important.
Baptism is a sign. In
scripture when a person chooses to abandon all else and follow Jesus as His
hope for this life and the afterlife, he symbolizes this decision by being baptized. This is an “outward” sign of an “inward”
change that has been made. In Acts 8,
the Ethiopian Eunuch decided to follow Jesus.
He then asked Phillip if he could be baptized. And immediately he was. This differs from Infant Baptism in the
fact that a baby cannot cognitively choose to follow Jesus. A person is baptized after a decision to
follow Jesus has been made.
Baptism is also a reminder of the death, burial and resurrection
of Jesus. It gives an illustration of
what Jesus has done for us and we identify ourselves publically with Him by
being baptized. Baptism also is a
picture of Jesus “washing away all our sin.”
In the Bible, water is often symbolic of cleansing.
Additionally, some people were baptized as children/teens
and then as adults choose to reaffirm their commitment to follow Jesus – kind of
start fresh – by being rebaptized. This
is an outward declaration that even though they are a follower of Jesus, they
are recommitting themselves to follow Him in a more genuine way. While there is no biblical precedent for this,
there is nothing that prohibits it either.
A baptism such as this can be a powerful “reboot” in ones walk with God.
There may be some that are reading this that have given up
on “the church thing.” Maybe as a kid
you “walked the aisle and were baptized” only to flame out after a while. Maybe you have been hurt/disappointed by a
church or pastor. Let me say this – don’t
confuse Jesus with church/pastors/Christians.
I know that in my years of church
work I hurt/disappointed people unintentionally. Churches/pastors will disappoint you, maybe
even give up or discard you, but Jesus never will. I know Christians are supposed to be like
Jesus – but much of the time we really don’t a good job treating people like He
would. Maybe you can take this
opportunity to reconnect to Him and let Him take care of the church thing for
you. He hasn’t given up on you. No matter what you have done, He loves
you. You can’t change what has been –
but with Him, you can change what will be.
Just because it has been doesn’t mean it has to be anymore.
If you want to talk – about baptism or anything else –
message/email me.
Mark
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