Some things just need to be written down so I can remember it years later. This is one of those things.
A few weeks ago, one of Seth's co-workers got baptised and invited our family to watch the event. Seth knew this guy was making some serious changes in his life and he wanted to see what kind of church he found and what they believed. It was a huge celebratory event complete with a family cook-out and swimming.
When we arrived, we were a little nervous. This looked like a rough crowd. What did they believe? Do they attend church just for the sake of attending church or are they serious about being followers of Jesus? Honestly, it was hard to not judge them. I really really tried to not jump to conclusions because I knew I did not know their story and God knows their hearts. I prayed for my own judgmental heart a lot while waiting around for supper! With smoking, bikinis, and other things, it didn't look like a church group at all.
But, after we were done eating and we listend to a couple of guys sing praise songs, most of which I had never heard of, the pastor got up and gave a short devotion. He explained how he was a drug addict and hit rock bottom. He came to a point where he had to choose between killing himself or giving his life to Christ. He chose Christ. He went on to explain that baptism does not save a person. Baptism is a symbol of what the Holy Spirit has already done in the believer.
Praise the Lord! This guy seems to be biblically sound.
We all moved towards the pool and one by one, people got in. The pastor talked about each person, then each of those people told everyone why they wanted to be baptised. Then we prayed for each person and then they were eached baptised. It was awesome. We were watching people who have been trapped in some sort of sinful life and were now choosing to give that life up for Jesus. This church was created just a couple of years ago to reach out to the addicts, alcholics, the "low lifes" that some people think would never get saved. We were watching miracle after miracle as people outwardly expressed their inward change of going from death to life.
During the prayer for one of them, I felt the need to open my eyes. I don't know if I heard something or what caused me to open my eyes at that moment. But, I opened my eyes to see my 6-year-old struggle to reach the side of the pool. She had accidentally slipped in and we weren't sitting by the shallow end where she could touch. She can swim, but she can't keep her head above water when necessary. I quickly grabbed her arms and helped her out. She was safe, but it was a scary moment that only a few of us witnessed. Praise the Lord for moving me to open my eyes during the prayer and for watching over her!
Anyway, we were overjoyed to watch Seth's co-worker show his faith in Jesus by getting baptised. His wife also was baptised. Although we didn't know any of these people, we knew we were connnected by the blood of Jesus. These people who truly accepted Jesus as their Savior were our brothers and sisters. Many of them still have a long road of recovery and overcoming temptations ahead of them. They will need our prayers to keep their eyes on the Lord and not fall back into the lifestyles they were once dying in.
So, it wasn't your typical church group and it was a baptism unlike I had ever seen before. But I'm glad we went. I'm glad we could see believers who live outisde our own little bubble of what we think Christianity should look like. We saw Jesus, real and living and changing lives. Praise God for this church, for that pastor, and for saving people from all walks of life. God is love and He does not want anyone to perish.
Baptism does NOT save. Only by trusting Jesus as your Savior, believing that you cannot save yourself but God Himself came and took your punishment on the cross. He rose again and is alive and He wants you to live with Him for eternity. God has already done the work. You just have to believe.
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