You call yourself a Christ-follower. Maybe you made that decision recently, or maybe a very long time ago. So, what is the next step for you? For some of you, the next step is baptism.
Now, I realize for many of you, that can be a scary concept. That’s why I’d love for you to read to the end of this blog post.
For 2000 years, baptism has been a marker and response of the lives Jesus has changed.
And if you haven’t been baptized since you’ve decided to follow Jesus, we’d love to help you take this step. If you want to drill down on what Christian baptism is all about, I think you will find this message really helpful.
In the meantime, here are seven reasons I encourage you to be baptized as your next step:
- Obedience. Jesus said that you should be baptized when you trust your life to him. He even modelled this very thing for us when he was baptized in the Jordan River (Matthew 3:16, Mark 1:10).
- You’re afraid. The fact that you’re afraid is actually a sign you should be baptized. Your biggest breakthroughs often come on the other side of your biggest fears.
- It will form a milestone in your life. In the same way graduation marks finishing school or marriage marks the beginning of a new relationship, so baptism marks the beginning of your new faith journey. Anyone who commits their life to following Jesus is ready to be baptized (Acts 8:12).
- You were baptized as an infant, or you completed confirmation classes. For those of you who were baptized as babies or children or did confirmation classes, it means your parents had a desire to see you grow up to follow Jesus with your life. We think that’s great. Now we would invite you to take the next step of baptism by immersion and make that faith your own personal choice. Even if you have been following Jesus for years, but haven’t been baptized by immersion (the way Jesus modeled it for us), we think it’s an important step for you.
- God will use your story. Yes, we will share your faith story verbally or on video. Why? When else will your story be heard by hundreds or even thousands of people? God will use your story to impact the stories of others (whether you think your story is exciting or not!), and we'd love to help you share your story in a meaningful way.
- Your family and friends will celebrate… and be impacted. When we baptize you on a Sunday, we encourage you to invite your friends and family to come with you. For many of them, this will be a rare trip to church. Who knows what God will do in them as they watch what Jesus has done in you?
- We’ll make it as easy as possible. It’s a big step, so let us take care of the details. We’ll coach you through your story to make it easy. And on the day of, we’ll give you a bathrobe, towels, and even a T-Shirt to wear (and keep!) to mark this important milestone in your faith. We worry about the details, so you don’t have to.
So what’s keeping you from being baptized?
You can start the process right now.
We’re already cheering for you!
Jeff
