04 Mar Rejoicing at Baptism

During the morning service at the church I attended today, a baptismal service was part of the day’s worship. It reminded me that I hadn’t seen a baptism since I left Mainstreet in August 2005. A congregation ought to be seeing people baptized on a fairly regular basis. There is nothing more wonderful than to hear the testimonies of those being baptized. It renews our confidence in the power of the Gospel to change lives. I didn’t know any of the individuals being baptized this morning, but I must admit I had moist eyes as I witnessed them make a public profession of their new faith. I especially appreciated the fact that it was incorporated into the morning worship service. A very moving time.

I have believed for a long time that we United Brethren ought to promote believer baptism a whole lot more than we do. It is great to see someone converted and come to faith. Often that is done in a small group, in a Sunday school class, or in a home or office where there are not a lot of people to witness it. But it is in the act of baptism that the individual is able to make such a testimony public. Now, I don’t subscribe to baptismal regeneration, but I think it is far more important than many of us make it in our churches. The number of baptisms reported ought to be closer to the number of those who have been converted. Baptism is an important step in the discipleship process.

It was a wonderful morning!