faith, hope, love

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Sunday, October 25, 2009. One year ago yesterday. That was the day I was finally baptized. I say finally because it was definitely a long time coming - too long. I have known since I was young that when I became a professing believer of Jesus Christ, I had to be baptized; not out of pure necessity but out of obedience as an outward symbol of what has taken place within me.

In grade 10 I heard a Sunday school sermon on being a follower of Christ. The speaker blatantly preached these verses:

"Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned."
-Mark 16:16

This verse is not necessarily saying that believers who are not baptized will be condemned, but rather the focus of this verse is that believing and being baptized go together. A sort of one package deal.

The next verse is 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. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'"

Lastly, the verses that hit home for me..

"Then he said: 'The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.'"
-Acts 22:14-16

Though these verses, originally spoken by Ananias, are being retold by Paul (formerly called Saul) about his conversion, I believe it is very relevant for us today. As the speaker read these words I felt a personal conviction; God has chosen me.. I will be his witness.. what am I waiting for? I realized then that as a follower of Christ and one who associates myself with him, I had absolutely no reason not to be baptized. Of course I thought up a few excuses such as being uncomfortable in front of crowds (not to mention in a tank of water about to be dunked..), etc. And though that was a legit concern of mine, it was still no legitimate excuse to disobey Christ - the one who died on a cross to make my life worth living.

I ignored these convictions for years until, what I believe to be predestined encouragement of my best friend and an older well respected man at my church, descended upon me. I continued to try to disregard these thoughts -- I felt like Jonah trying to escape his assignment to Nineveh -- until the Holy Spirit got a hold of me and made it clear that my disobedience to Christ in this way was hindering my relationship with him. So, I made the decision to be baptized and it was one of the greatest things, other than accepting Christ's gift of salvation, that I could do. The baptism itself was not something magical, but the symbol of it was a reflection of me trusting upon my Saviour and seeking to obey him with all of my life.

Since being baptized, my relationship with Christ has flourished. He has opened my eyes to things I had not seen before. It's amazing to be walking in the light of Christ. It's powerful, it's full of joy, it's his command.

"If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full."
-John 15:10-11


























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