We had a baptism on June 28th
in the sweltering summer heat of Sacramento. It was 114 degrees directly
in the sun as the church congregation stood around the pool and sort of
enviously watched the different people going under the cool water. My five
year old son, Andrew, was watching everything unfold. The Bible says,
“train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not
depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6) Why, because they learn from us and
are quick to adopt the language and actions around them.
Well Andrew was looking
carefully as Pastor John was baptizing people. About two weeks later we
were at home enjoying our pool when he decided to baptize his two-year old
brother just like Pastor John had done. Isaac was not aware of what was
about to happen, nor was he a willing participant and was quickly dunked
by Andrew. I can definitely say Isaac was baptized by immersion for
several seconds until Katerina and I realized what was going on and we
told Andrew to let him up and he came up sputtering and none too happy
about being put in the water.
I related this for you
because our little ones are watching; they may not say a whole lot, but
they see and hear everything. They’re like little sponges, and this is why
the Bible admonishes us to train them up the right way, otherwise they
will see through any hypocrisy and reject our instructions.
WATER BAPTISM ON 6/28/2009
Baptism is an ordinance
of the Lord Jesus Christ, obligatory upon every believer wherein they are
immersed in water in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit as a
sign of their fellowship with the death and resurrection of Christ, of
remission of sins, and of giving themselves up to God to live and walk in
newness of life.
The act of baptism does not save a person,
but is rather an outward expression of the salvation that a Christian has
already received; we are baptized in water because we are a Christian, not
to become one.
"Know ye not, that so
many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his
death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like
as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even
so we also should walk in newness of life." Romans 6:3-4
