Last Sunday was an amazing morning at Kilsyth South Baptist Church (KSBC) with 6 people publicly declaring their faith in Jesus Christ. Leading up to the baptism Richard Gordon (Youth Pastor @ KSBC) shared a few thoughts on baptism – some of the practicalities of baptism and some of the barriers that stop people from being baptised. Here are a few of his points:
(1) Baptism Practicalities
Water – It is filled with just normal tap water and is nice and warm.
There is nothing special about the Water BUT something Very Special about the Event.
When you witness a baptism in a Baptist church… the person being baptised are fully immersed in the water.
WHY?
Because the Word Baptize in the original Greek simply means to immerse.
They are qualified to be Baptised because all 6 have made a decision in their life to have a personal relationship with Jesus. For some that was a while a go and for others it was more recent.
That is why it is known as ‘Believers Baptism’
Baptism is a SYMBOLIC act and I like the way this book called ‘Baptism in Water & Spirit’ puts it:
‘Baptism is an enactment of the death and resurrection that took place in us when we were converted – our old life died and was buried, and a brand new life in Christ has begun.’
This idea is backed up through the bible… here’s an example from Colossians 2:12
‘You were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to a new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.’ (NLT)
Here’s a question I’ve heard asked ‘If Gods word says Believe and be Baptised, why are there believers who are not Baptised?’
That’s a good question and all I can say is there can be many (2) Barriers for people… Here’s a couple:
1. Some people think they need to know a certain amount about God or be a better person first.
There will always be more to know AND Gods word tells us that none of us are perfect, we are all going to fail at keeping with Gods principles for life at times…
If you know Jesus and your motivation is you want to keep growing in Him then Baptism is an option I would encourage you to consider.
Quote from Baptism in Water and Spirit:
Baptism in water is an act of Worship and Submission unto the Lord, not a statement of how much a person knows.
2. Some people think they’ve missed their opportunity
Maybe you’ve accepted Jesus a long time ago and to be baptised now you may feel awkward or a bit embarrassed.
God is concerned far more about OBEDIENCE to Him than the timing of it.