I feel a nudge to ask these questions: Are you baptised in water as an adult believer? Maybe this next year, 2022, you will start by being baptised? Or maybe you will encourage others to do so?
In baptism we are initiated, crowned, chosen, embraced, washed, adopted, gifted, reborn, ‘killed’, and thereby sent forth and redeemed. We are identified as one of God’s own, then assigned our place and our job within the kingdom of God. Baptism is an act of worship; Baptism is a reminder that we cannot save ourselves; Baptism is an external expression of an internal reality; Baptism publicly announces that we are not ashamed of Christ.
Can you imagine instead of Easter, Pentecost or some other special event where a group are baptised that it is every Sunday? Can you imagine every service holding a baptism for someone who came to Christ that week? Is this too weird to imagine? Is this wrong? Is this beyond our imagination?
The Greek definition of the word baptism is a washing or purification by means of water (from baptismos = to immerse, submerge or dip). Water baptism is the submersion of a Christian believer in water, it is symbolic of the death and resurrection of Jesus and the believer’s death to sin and new life in Jesus. It is symbolic of cleansing and is also a command of Jesus.
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28 v 19)
It is a command given to us. Jesus obviously intended baptism.
Can you imagine next year being full of stories of baptisms?
Happy Boxing Day!
Missions Paul 