Sunday, September 14, 2014

Baptism: Buried With Christ and Raised to New Life

Tonight was our church's annual outdoor Baptism service and what a great time it was. 84 men, women, and children were baptized this evening. I had the privileged of baptizing 20 children myself. It was an honor and I pray they understand baptism true meaning.

During baptism, believers are symbolically buried with Christ as they are immersed under water and then raised with Him to a new life. However, without genuine belief in the gospel message of Jesus Christ, a person is simply dunked under the water. While baptism is only symbolic, nevertheless, once a person makes a commitment to follow Jesus Christ, He will empower them through His Spirit to obey His teachings and do great works for the kingdom. Ultimately, a person who receives the gift of salvation has agreed to take off their "old self" (Romans 6:6) and put on the new.

It is my prayer that these boys and girls who received Christ tonight and were baptized will begin to learn what it means to crucify their "old self." It's no longer about them, they now have a Lord to obey.

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