Saturday, June 11, 2016

Following Through

This past Sunday our youngest followed through in believer's baptism. This was a few years in the making. He had prayed to receive Christ as his personal Lord and Savior when he was six. Then,when he was nine during vacation bible school he went forward to make a public profession. He is a child that loves to perform with a group but does not like to be the center of attention. He didn't want to be baptized right away and we did not push him. We also were trying to figure out this new dynamic of spending a lot of time with the hubby's mother helping to care for her. Our pastor would ask me periodically if he was ready to be baptized and with the hubby's work schedule I just kept saying we didn't know when. This year he turned thirteen and is old enough to help teach in our church's vacation bible school. Our church has requirements to teach, you must be a member that has asked Jesus to be your personal Lord and savior and have followed through in baptism by immersion. You also need to attend our new member class to help you understand what our church's beliefs are and how we reach out to others to tell them about Jesus.

We attended his new member class on Saturday and told our pastor that he needed to be baptized. He asked if he'd like to do it the next day and he said yes. It totally surprised me because he had discussed with me about how nervous he was and concerned about being the center of attention. Then he said it's okay mom, our pastor explained everything. It's not about me, it's about following what Jesus did and showing others his death and resurrection through my baptism.

 If you declare with your mouth, 
“Jesus is Lord,” and 
believe in your heart that God 
raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 
Romans 10:9

 having been buried with him in baptism, 
in which you were also raised with him
 through your faith in the working of God, 
who raised him from the dead.
Colossians 2:12

and this water symbolizes baptism 
that now saves you also—not the removal 
of dirt from the body but the pledge of a 
clear conscience toward God. 
It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
1 Peter 3:21