After church one Sunday afternoon, a four-year-old boy said, very seriously, "Daddy, will you let me baptize you?” The father laughed it off as a joke but then realized that his son was serious, because he kept asking him, "Daddy, will you let me baptize you?” Finally, not knowing if his son even knew what "baptism" meant, the father said, "Okay son. You can baptize me."
The son then came very close to his father, looked intently into his eyes, and said, "You're getting sleepy. You're getting sleepy. . . “
So many don’t get baptized because (like the boy in the story above) they don’t know really understand what it is.
Baptism is simply showing the world that you have made a decision to follow Christ.
- Maybe you raised your hand during a service and prayed the prayer of salvation.
- Maybe you prayed that prayer long ago and never took that first step of obedience by getting into the waters of baptism.
- Maybe you were Christened as a child in the Catholic Church and hesitate to get baptized as an adult. Remember, baptism as an adult doesn’t disqualify or negate the baptism you had as a child. We see it as confirming or completing it. You are telling your parents who had you baptized as a baby that you are now living out the faith they had in mind when you were Christened back then.
- Maybe you want to rededicate your life to Christ and enter the waters for a second time. The Bible doesn’t address the number of times a person can be baptized… only that each time they do it, they are rededicating themselves to live a life that honors God.
Baptism paints the picture to the world of what you have already decided on the inside. It’s a great message to friends and family about what God is doing in your life… and illustrates the decision you’ve made to give everything you understand about yourself to everything you understand about God.
What’s holding you back from getting baptized? Take today and search your heart… If you’ve made the decision to follow God with your life… why not join us at the beach near one of our campuses this weekend? You won’t regret the decision… and you’ll have a lot of fun in the process. Hope to see you there!
www.potentialchurch.com/baptism
