BAPTISM

Congratulations!

Your decision to be baptized in water is a public declaration that you are a Christian—a child of God. You are following Jesus’ last instructions to his disciples in Matthew 28:19 & 20 to “baptize people in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”

Day of Water Baptism:

 

  1. All Water Baptism candidates must attend a pre-service meeting on the day of baptism, beginning one hour before the service. At this meeting we will:
  2. We will collect any application forms (see next page) that have not yet been turned in. Please bring it with you to the Baptism meeting, if not already submitted. Your testimony is a brief explanation of how you came to Christ and of your intention to serve Him going forward. You may have the opportunity to share a short testimony publicly during the baptism service.
  3. We will pray with you that your baptism will be a deeply meaningful and spiritually transforming life experience.
  4. Celebrate your new life in Christ! Please invite family and friends to attend your baptism service, so that they might share in the joy of this experience with you. If they do not yet know the Lord, this will be a wonderful opportunity for them to witness your obedience and may encourage them to take their own next step!

 

What to Bring:

 

  1. A towel.
  2. A pair of shorts. (women may wear a swimsuit underneath).
  3. Dark colored t-shirt. (women may wear a swimsuit underneath).
  4. A change of clothes in a plastic bag.
  5. Sandals, if so desired.

 

Water Baptism Scriptures

Water baptism is a public declaration that you are a new creation in Christ. Before the baptism event, please review these Scriptures:

Water baptism is not an option. Jesus said in Matthew 28:19 & 20 “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 of you. And
surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Jesus’ last instructions to His disciples were that they go, teach and
baptize, and if it was a command for them to baptize, then we understand it is also a command for us to be baptized.
Peter makes that very clear in Acts 2:38, “Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the
forgiveness of your sins.’” “Repent and be baptized” is a command. In Acts 10:48, Peter makes another statement concerning water
baptism to the people of Cornelius’ house who were already saved, “He ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.”
Water baptism does not cleanse us of our sins. The Apostle Paul stated in Romans 10:9 & 10, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus
is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are
justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”

Water baptism does not cleanse from sin. It is the repentance of our heart and subsequent confession of our mouth that bring salvation.
Peter, in 1 Peter 3:21, says that water baptism does not save us, but that it is the, “Pledge of a good conscience toward God.” So when
you enter the waters of baptism, your sins are already forgiven. They have already been washed away, not by water, but by the blood of
the Lord Jesus Christ because of His death—His substitutionary death on the cross for you.

Water baptism is by immersion. The word “baptism” actually means immerse. In Matthew 3:16, we read that Jesus, “Went up out of the water,” of the Jordan River. In Acts 8:38, speaking of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch, we read, “then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water.” It was
obvious this was a large enough body of water that both of them could “go down into” it.

Water baptism follows repentance. In Acts 2:38, Peter said, “Repent and be baptized.” Any form of baptism prior to personal
repentance is scripturally invalid.

Water baptism indicates several very important things. When you walk into the waters of baptism, you are publicly announcing, “I
am a believer and follower of Jesus Christ.” In Acts 8:37, Philip said, “If you believe with all your heart, you may be baptized.” 

I have died to my old life. In Romans 6:6-10, we read, “For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over Him. The death He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God.”

I have been raised with Christ to a new life. In 2 Corinthians 5:17,the old has gone, the new has come!
Paul tells us, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation;
the old has gone, the new has come!

Application for Water Baptism

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