Baptized Free Reprint Article

NotifySnack

Christian Articles for All of your Publishing Needs!

LIKE US

Translate this Page Here

Word Count: 1319

Send Article To Friend

Print/Use Article

Contact Jerry Ousley

Baptized

by Jerry Ousley
9/01/2023 / Christian Living

Baptized

By Jerry D. Ousley

It was a blistery 19 degrees outside. There wasn’t any snow but brother, it was cold. I was probably 20 years old and serving as the assistant pastor of a church. It was my first pastoral position. The senior pastor had taken me under his wing and allowed me opportunity to preach, teach and assist him in any way he needed me. It wasn’t a paid position, but I was honored and thankful for the experience and opportunity.

But as I said, baby, it was cold outside! 13 people came forward that day wanting to be baptized. Most congregations would say, “no problem. Fill up the baptistry with good warm water and let’s do it.” But we were a small church and had no baptistry. We did our baptizing in an outdoor pond. Did I mention that it was 19 degrees outside? “Pastor, maybe we should wait a couple of weeks until it warms up a bit.” That’s what I wanted to say. But I knew he wouldn’t do it so I kept my mouth shut.

Fortunately, it had only gotten that cold overnight which meant the ice wasn’t very thick yet. We were able to break through it with little effort and so, one by one, so as to keep the candidates for baptism from getting too cold or possibly getting sick, we took them out into the water, prayed over them and gave ‘em a good cold dunkin’! Their loved ones waited on shore with a good warm blanket as we walked them back out and then returned to the water with the next candidate. Did I mention that there were 13 of them and it was 19 degrees outside?

Miraculously, no one got sick that day, including the pastor and me. But I can speak for myself and tell you that by the time we got home that day, I was so cold that I couldn’t feel the ends of my feet or hands. I was still living at home and so my dad had to help me get undressed, dried off and into some nice dry warm clothes.

That pastor is in Heaven now, but I’ll never forget him and the training and opportunities he helped me with. I will also never forget that blistery cold day when we baptized 13 people. Did I mention that it was 19 degrees outside?

John 1:29-34 records how that John the Baptist had pointed Jesus out, telling of what happened when he baptized Him. The incident of Jesus’ baptism is recorded in all four Gospels telling essentially the same thing. It says, “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’ I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.’ And John bore witness, saying, ‘I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” (See also Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, and Luke 3:21-22). Over the next two articles I feel led to address two controversial points, first that of baptism and then that of the trinity.

Baptism is meant to be a very blessed event. But, as with everything else, when people get involved, they take it to extremes. There is one extreme that says if you aren’t baptized then you aren’t saved. The other extreme says that baptism is only a worthless ceremony. As with most things, the truth lies somewhere between the extremes. Again, baptism is meant to be a blessed event. According to Paul in two different places it is first a sign and representation of what we have done in Christ when we accept Him in salvation. Romans 6:4 tells us, “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in the newness of life.” Then Colossians 2:11-14 says, “In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.” So, by the words of the Bible, baptism is a sign that we have died with Christ, buried and brought up again in His resurrection, and made a new creature in Christ Jesus.

Of course, in a short article we don’t have time to bring up all the scripture regarding baptism, but we know that the Bible tells us that Jesus didn’t baptize but His disciples did for Him. And Paul said that he only baptized a few. It seems to me that if it was a requirement for salvation that it would be important to baptize as soon as possible and that these two very prominent leaders would have spent most of their time baptizing. I know that most churches that believe that baptism is a requirement don’t drop everything when people get saved and take them to the river immediately. They schedule it. They sometimes require classes over the course of a few weeks. So, if these people die before their baptism date comes up, will they go to Heaven? If they have accepted Christ in salvation, of course they will.

The other thing we get into is the words spoken over them as they are baptized. Jesus told us to go and teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Others quote in the book of Acts how they were baptized in the name of Jesus. Which is right? Both are in the Bible. Then answer is simple; both are right. Both are in the Bible. The last few times I baptized anyone I completely changed my wording to “I baptize you in the Name of God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Son, and the Holy Spirit of God” just to cover all the bases. We get so caught up on what we say that we completely forget the blessed reason for baptism and make it something it is not and harder than God meant for it to be. Shame on us!

So, should you be baptized? We should follow the example of Christ. And, we should be eager to publicly show what He did for us in our death to sin and our resurrection to salvation. But to say that you aren’t saved if you aren’t baptized and baptized with the proper words, is a lie from the devil to steal away what God has meant to be a blessing. Don’t let people steal the experience from you. Nuff’ said!

Jerry D. Ousley is the author of ?Soul Challenge?, ?Soul Journey?, ?Ordeal?, ?The Spirit Bread Daily Devotional and his first novel ?The Shoe Tree.? Visit our website at spiritbread.com to download these and more completely free of charge.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS

If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be! Click here and TRUST JESUS NOW