The Weekend Baptism Experience

Last weekend our church baptized 451 believers in Christ. It was called a spontaneous experience. Many people, for whatever reason have chosen not to go through the ordinance of baptism. Baptism is an outward profession of an inward change. You go down into the water and come up out of the water signifying your complete transformation. There are two ordinances of the church - baptism and communion. Baptism is not required for salvation, but as a testimony.

Pastor Joe went through a literal checklist of what it means to be a believer and then asked if you checked those things why shouldn't you be baptized. And by golly, many people went forward. I must admit I had initially mixed feelings about this process. It almost seemed too easy - no baptism class, no baptism testimony like many do. And then I though about what happened in the early church when people were baptized. There wasn't much documented about anything special you did other than just acknowledging a changed life. And that really is what it is all about - a testimony of a changed life. And seeing 451 people acknowledging a changed life is a powerful experience.