Your Kids and Baptism

As a father of three children, it is my constant mission to provide for each of them in the very best way that I can.  I am compelled to do everything in my strength and ability to give them all that they need for protection, direction, health, and success in this life.  But one thing I can not do for them is secure their salvation and give them a relationship with Jesus, their Lord and Savior. 

I want to.  I really wish I could.  I have tried.  But I can’t.  This decision...the most important decision our kids will ever make in their lifetimes...is theirs alone to make.  My role as a parent is to love them, lead them, pray for them, and live out what God is doing in my life.  But I will never have the power to control or manipulate what only God can do.  Only God can draw my children to Himself, and only God can save them.

Which brings me to baptism.  This coming weekend, we have an opportunity as a church to witness the saving power of our Lord in the baptism of believers.  Baptism services are always amazing.  It is a powerful thing to see and hear stories of how God has used others to point the way to Jesus.  It is powerful as well to see friends and families surround those who have chosen to trust Christ and celebrate with them.  But what is most powerful of all is the fact that God has moved and worked in people’s lives to redeem them.  God has done what was necessary to secure this salvation that each of us was made for.  God alone is mighty to save.  And this weekend, when we witness this powerful act at every service on every campus, God alone should receive the glory and the praise. 

As a parent, with children who are growing and learning and on the journey toward finding lifelong personal faith in Jesus, I have the privilege this weekend to give my kids a window into what God is up to in the lives of people.  When we watch the video testimonies, we learn that it is important to know what God is up and to be able to communicate what He has done.  When we watch each person go under the water, we get to see how important it is that our old self, with all it’s sin and selfishness, must die.  When we release our held breath as we see the splashing water and the rising believer come up, we can point our kids to the truth that though we must die, as believers we are raised up into new life with Christ.  We can watch together in that moment the reality that if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old has gone and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Now that is something I CAN do as a parent.  I can use the open window of baptism to give my kids a view into what God is really up to.  What a blessing that God gives us baptism as an outward sign of an internal reality that he has done the work sufficient to save us.  Be encouraged as you teach your children the truth that God alone can reach them and redeem them.  You can only point them toward him.

Additional Reading:
        Colossians 2:12
        Matthew 28:19-20

-Ed Sweeny, Pastor of Families

Baptism Weekend at Grace

 "Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit."- Acts 2:38

Baptism weekends are one of my favorite times to be in the worship service. It is a beautiful opportunity to see how God is working in the lives of people in our church community, and their obedience to following His commands.

I remember when I decided to be baptized. I had been following God for about 6 years at that time, after giving my life to Him at the age of 17 at a Young Life camp. I had been baptized as a baby, and always thought that I did not need to be baptized again. It wasn’t until becoming a part of this church, and learning what the Bible says about baptism, that God began to stir in my heart. At first, I started questioning if my baptism as a baby really meant anything at all, because what I was hearing from teaching and studying my Bible was that people would repent of their sins first, and then be baptized. As I learned that baptism was an outward symbol of an inward change in a person’s heart to believe and trust in Jesus, I realized that my baptism as a baby was not actually a result of what God had done in my heart. The point when I gave up my life to follow Christ came 17 years after being baptized as a baby. At this point, the questions going through my head turned into a desire to be baptized again to show I believed in Jesus as my Savior.

This began the process of having the courage to actually follow through with being baptized. Through this process, I came to understand that I was struggling with an obedience issue. I had my own idea of what I wanted my baptism to be like, who I wanted to be there, but it eventually came down to the fact that God had revealed what He wanted me to do, and through faith I needed to obey Him. So Easter weekend in 2007, I was baptized.

This weekend, we have baptisms at each of our campuses at Grace. I feel blessed to be able to hear many stories of changed hearts and lives, and see the faithfulness to God's commands lived out. Praise God for pursuing hearts and changing lives!

- Nicky Darling, Elementary Coordinator