PREPARING FOR ADULT WATER BAPTISM
Why should I be Baptized?
It is one of the two ordinances Jesus has told us to do. (The other being Communion.) (Ordinances are activities we do out of obedience because Jesus Christ told us to. He has ordained them.)
Matthew 28:18-20
“The Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Jesus chose to be baptized as an example to us. (Matthew 3:13-16; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21; John 1:31-34)
Baptism is symbolic of the spiritual occurrence that happens at the time of salvation:
*Immersion symbolizes our choice to put to let our self/carnal nature die with Jesus Christ.
*Being raised up symbolizes the resurrection of a new spiritual life but even more so, being resurrected as Jesus Christ was resurrected.
*It also publicly states “I believe in Jesus Christ!”
Colossians 2:12
“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.”
*What do I bring with me?
Bring shorts and a t-shirt that can get wet. Bring a towel and water shoes or shoes that can get wet. There are facilities to change your clothes @ the church and also when we do an outdoor lake baptism.
*What will I be asked to do?
Come prepared to share a short testimony of WHY you wish to be baptized. All baptism participants will be asked why they wish to be baptized before the actual process begins. This is your opportunity to declare your salvation experience in a brief few sentences.
The Pastor(s) will instruct you how to hold your arms so they can lower you into the water.
*Other questions regarding Water Baptism:
*Do you need to be baptized before you can ask for the Holy Spirit? No
Acts 10:47-48
“Then Peter said, “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.”
Ephesians 1:13-14 “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.”
*Is there a time limit (from the time of your salvation) to when you should be baptized?
As soon as you can.
Acts 2:38a
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ”
*Do I need to be immersed if I have been sprinkled as an infant?
Scripture is clear that belief comes before baptism.
Mark 16:16
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
*Does this verse mean that I am not saved unless I am baptized?
No. Read the end of the verse, those who do not believe are the ones who will be condemned.
*Can you go to heaven without being baptized? Yes.
*Why do we say, “In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit”?
Because that is the way Jesus asked us to:
Matthew 28:18-20
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
This statement reminds both the new convert and other believers that salvation and the Christian life that follows are possible only through the working of the entire Godhead.
*How will baptism affect my faith?
As an act of obedience, your faith will grow.
*What happens if you walk away from your faith and then return, do you need to be re-baptized?
No, not necessarily. However, some adults do chose to do this as their own expression of rededication.
Baptism focuses on the death, burial, resurrection of Jesus Christ and what it has permanently done to alter the spiritual state of the human race.