Track 14: Our Baby's Baptism →
We're preparing for baptisms at Ignition Church, and it made us think about last summer...how we joined together as the Body and watched some of our new brothers and sisters be baptized. It was two beautiful days with testimonies of changed lives and new beginnings – all from the power of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It was a powerful time of worship and tears, witnessing the Church holding true to Jesus' commands, and the obedience created a timeless connection. The gap of 2,000 years disappeared in that moment as the early Church and today's Church stood united in truth as...The Church.
I remember our baptisms. My wife was a new Christian and ready to make the public commitment to be baptized in Christ's death. I remember we drove around all day, going from the streams within Platte River State Park, to the banks of the Platte, then to the mud of the Missouri. I was soaking wet and muddy, searching for a place to baptize my wife. Honestly, we could've done it in a ditch and it would've meant the same because her heart was right. We did finally find our way to a lake in Missouri, and we walked out in the water as husband and wife, brother and sister in Christ. I had the honor of baptizing my wife that day. It was amazing! More amazing though, was that Lou, as a new Christian, out of her mind in love with Jesus, baptized me.
We were both baptized when we were younger, but neither of us was a Christian, neither of us had been pierced to the heart, neither of us had repented, neither of us had truly believed in Jesus, but both of us went through with a baptism. It was all show and no soul. The pastor who baptized me may have had the best intentions, but he didn't know my heart.
The early church was not easy to fool. Peter preached the Gospel and its hearers were cut down. He spoke truth, and those who were cut begged to know what to do. He told them to repent, and be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins - to identify with Christ's death and resurrection.
“When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ 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.’”
We've both been there now. Cut down by the Gospel, and baptized in Truth. Not a religious ceremony, but one founded on faith in Christ. We were put to death in self and raised back up alive in Christ as new creations.
We want the same for our little girl. Our mistake is one we don't want her to have. We can't justify or rationalize baptizing our baby. We definitely want her to be baptized, but in God's time. Not ours.
Our daughter will be part of the bride of Christ, not because her parents arranged the marriage, but because the bridegroom is faithful and has called her heart in grace and truth. Don't get us wrong, we share about the marvelous glories of Jesus everyday with our daughter, but flesh and blood cannot reveal Christ to her. We can share and share about Jesus, but only the Holy Spirit can reveal truth to the heart.
“...and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.”
We dedicated Etta to Jesus while she was still in the womb. The moment we knew she was coming. And again when she was born, alone in our hospital room praying for her and giving her over to The Lord.
We pray for our sweet Etta every day. We pray that she follows the path that leads to Life. Not a path that leads to religion. But one that leads to restoration. To restoration of right standing with Her God through the precious blood of Jesus. We pray for the gift of conviction, for the gift of repentance, for the revelation that Jesus is salvation. And for her to follow in the footsteps of the faithful church - the footsteps of her mom and dad, her fellow brother and sister in Christ, and into the believer's baptism.