Baptism Celebration
Water baptism is a “public declaration” that you have received Jesus Christ
into your life and have decided to live in obedience to Him. It is an outward
demonstration of an inner change of the heart. It is a symbol of the death,
burial, and resurrection of Christ. Just as Jesus died, was buried, and then
rose again…baptism symbolizes that you are ready to submit to God’s
authority, give up your old way of life, and receive a new life in Christ.
(Romans 6:3-11, Colossians 2:12)
Jesus modeled baptism for His followers (Matthew 3:13-17). He commanded
His disciples to baptize new believers (Matthew 28:19-20). The early church
practiced water baptism in obedience to Christ (Acts 2:38-41).
A New Life In Christ!
The Greek word for “baptize” means to dip or fully immerse an object into a
liquid. Historical situations and church traditions have brought us different
methods of baptism such as sprinkling or pouring. However, the Biblical
description of baptism indicates that the person stepped into the water, was
totally immersed in the water, then came up out of the water (Matthew 3:16;
Mark 1:9-10; Acts 8:38-39).
Many people were baptized or christened (usually a sprinkling of water) as a
child. Some groups even hold that infant baptism brings the child into the
family of God as a Christian. We understand that parents desire God to have
an influence in the life of their children, however, there are no instances in the
Bible where an infant was baptized. The requirements for baptism in
Scripture were repentance and faith in Christ Jesus, which indicate that the
individual being baptized must be old enough to make his or her own
decision to follow Christ (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38-39; Acts 8:37; Acts 16:29-32).
We look at what happened at the baptism of Jesus to learn what can happen
for us when we follow the Lord in water baptism (Matthew 3:15-17).
- Awareness - The heaven’s opened up. Often we are able to understand the working of God in a whole new dimension.
- Authority - The Father spoke. By our obedience we declare that we are under the Father’s authority and are drawn into a closer relationship with Him.
- Anointing - The Holy Spirit descended. The dove, a symbol of the Holy Spirit, descended on Jesus. Water baptism acknowledges that the Holy Spirit has come to live in us.
A Public Declaration!
Water baptism is an opportunity to take a stand. It’s an act of obedience to
God’s will that proclaims to the world that you are living a new life with and for
Jesus! When you’re baptized you are declaring:
1) My Old Life is Gone…It’s Dead! - When you go under the water…it is a symbol of dying and being buried under the ground. The person you used to be…no longer exists! The old you has been buried. You are declaring that you are no longer going to think or behave like you used to. (Romans 8:2-7)
2) I Now Have New Life! - When we bring people back up out of the water…it signifies a resurrected life that operates according to the Word of God and the Power of the Holy Spirit. There’s nothing “magical” about the water, but something supernatural does happen when, through water baptism, we declare that we are not the same people we used to be. When you are baptized…you don’t just get wet. Something spiritually significant takes place when you proclaim to the world that you are going to live your life for Jesus! (1 Corinthians 5:17)
Practical Baptism Details
- Wear a dark t-shirt and shorts / swimsuit / pants that you don’t mind getting wet.
- Wear undergarments while being baptized.
- Bring a towel and a dry change of clothes.
- When being immersed: hold your nose, close your mouth, and hold your breath. Relax and allow those baptizing immerse, assist, and lift you up.
- The person baptizing you will recite what Jesus told His disciples saying, “I now baptize you, ‘In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit’” (Matthew 28:19).
- To sign up for water baptism, simply click the button below and fill out the form online!