Christian Foundations 7 - Baptismنموونە

BAPTISM FOR ME

I love it when God just puts me in the right place at just the right time. The reading today is an example of this. Philip was a leader in the Jerusalem church who got very specific instructions from God to hitch a ride in a chariot on a desert highway. God does not always speak this specifically, but when he does, it is very exciting. Along this highway came a very important Ethiopian official who really respected the Jewish religion and had been worshipping the Jewish God in Jerusalem. He was reading aloud from the Old Testament but had got stuck on a passage that he could not fathom. It did not make sense to him. This was Philip’s God-given opportunity. Read the whole baptismal testimony.

Read: Acts 8:26-39

Journal

1. What is God saying to me? Which verse is most significant?

2. What do I want to discuss/explore further?

3. What do I need to do?

4. Why was the Ethiopian guy so keen to be baptized?

Reflect

This story is another example of the close link in the New Testament between conversion and baptism. The Ethiopian official hears the gospel and wants to say yes to Jesus by being baptized. Philip whips him straight into the water and baptizes him. There is no series of studies to complete or check on how serious the guy is. Through his baptism, he is being transformed by Jesus and filled with God’s Spirit. It all happens together.

This is not usually our practice. Now baptism often comes some time after conversion. There may be some good reasons for this. Baptism for the early Jewish Christians was usually a very costly event. It often resulted in being ostracized by your family and community. It marked you as different. So you had to be serious about following Jesus to be baptized. These days the cost may not be as great and therefore the sincerity about following Jesus not as strong. But still, the closer baptism can be tied to your conversion, the better. This is the biblical way. It makes the symbol more meaningful.

I have sometimes heard Christians say, “I will be baptized when God speaks to me about it.” Well God has already spoken, as we have seen in these readings. It is not a matter of being good enough or spiritual enough. Baptism is not a symbol reserved for the most committed Christians. It is for everyone who has been saved by Jesus. Yes, you must have an intention to keep following Jesus, but baptism is about what Jesus has done for you, not what you will do for Jesus. If you have been saved by Jesus, then be baptized to tell everyone about it in the way God designed.

What if you have been a Christian for a long time – do you still need to be baptized? Yes, it is still important. There is no allowance in the New Testament for an unbaptized Christian. Baptism of course will not save you, but it will complete the conversion process. You see being saved by Jesus is a process and baptism is the last step. It is a bit like the place of the wedding in a marriage. You are committed long before the wedding, but it is the final step of the process.

One more thing. You may find that your baptism is one of the "highs" in your spiritual life to date (like the Ethiopian guy), or it may turn out to be another step of faith and obedience without much emotion attached. Whatever the case, you can be sure that God is immensely pleased with and proud of your obedience and that spiritual blessing will flow from your baptism.

Pray

Lord may I follow you in faith and may others be impacted by my baptism.

Respond

Talk to your mentor and/or a pastor about being baptized.