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Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the
Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I
am with you always, to the very end of the age.
Matthew 28:19-20
One of the most meaningful steps in affirming your faith and trust in Jesus is to follow Him in
baptism - it’s the outward expression of your inward decision. This is your opportunity to publicly
declare you now believe and trust Jesus with your life, and recognize God’s forgiveness of your
sins. It’s also a time for the church to gather around you and celebrate what God has done.
If you’ve made a commitment to Jesus and haven’t been baptized as an adult, we’d love to baptize you as you follow Jesus’ command and publicly declare your life has changed because of Him.
Baptism is an outward expression of an inward change. It’s a public declaration of
how Jesus changed your life. Being baptized shows others that you’ve decided to
follow Jesus, and allows them to celebrate this decision with you (Acts 16:31-34).
Baptism doesn’t save a person; it’s a symbol and celebration of salvation (1 Peter
3:21). The power that brought Jesus back to life is the same power Jesus uses to
change our lives – and that’s worth getting excited about!
Why does baptism matter? Jesus instructs us to be baptized and set the example by
being baptized (Matthew 28:19-20, Mark 1:9).
Obedience to Jesus shows we believe and follow Him. (1 John 2:3). Because Jesus went
public about His love for us, we can go public about our love for Him. Being
baptized shows that we turn away from a life of sin toward Jesus, the only one who
can change us (Acts 2:38-41).
For everyone who decides to follow Jesus, baptism is the next step. Anyone who commits his or her life to following Jesus is ready to be baptized (Acts 8:12).
As parents, we can help point our children to Jesus, but they are the ones to decide
if they will commit their lives to Him (Romans 10:9).
Any instance of baptism follows a person’s decision to trust Jesus for his or her
salvation and commitment to follow Him (Acts 10:47-48). At Overflow Church, we wait
until children are old enough to express their own decision to follow Jesus and
understand the meaning of baptism.
If your child has already asked Jesus into his life, explain what baptism is and
what it means. Facilitate the conversation, but don’t dominate it. Read more tips
for talking to your kids about baptism.
Baptisms in the Bible were by immersion. The original word for baptism most often
referred to being immersed or submerged in water. Jesus was baptized by being
immersed in the water and rising out of it (Matthew 3:16, Mark 1:10).
Submersion in the water symbolizes the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus (1
Corinthians 15:3-4). Being submersed underwater represents our death to sin and old
way of life, and being raised out of the water is a picture of how Jesus raised us
and gave us a fresh start in life (Romans 6:3-5).
If you haven’t been baptized by immersion since you decided to follow Jesus, we want
to help you take your next step of being baptized. Once you’ve taken that step,
there’s no need to be baptized again.
God never asks us to take a next step that isn’t good for us. He always gives us
more than we deserve or can imagine, including the joy we receive from listening to
Him and doing what He says.
Yes! You can still be baptized! Contact us. We will figure out how to get you in the building safely or we can come to you. Don't allow COVID-19 or distance to stop you from taking this next step in your faith.
