SPEAKER_00: All right.
SPEAKER_00: I mentioned the 40th anniversary celebration that we're going to have in a few weeks, five or so weeks.
SPEAKER_00: Today is also a day of celebration.
SPEAKER_00: We're celebrating, I'm wearing a t-shirt, shorts, and sandals.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
SPEAKER_00: My favorite day of the year.
SPEAKER_00: My favorite Sunday of the year.
SPEAKER_00: I get to dress like this.
SPEAKER_00: We're celebrating baptisms.
SPEAKER_00: Yes, we're celebrating the decision that four individuals have made to be baptized.
SPEAKER_00: We celebrate as a church family because it's important for us as well.
SPEAKER_00: I think baptisms are kind of analogous to like a graduation ceremony or a wedding because you're celebrating something that's kind of been accomplished or a decision, a part of a process.
SPEAKER_00: And we're optimistic and hopeful for the future.
SPEAKER_00: So those who are being baptized, if you haven't done so already, you can uh head to the restroom and change.
SPEAKER_00: I'll keep talking.
SPEAKER_00: I'll buy time.
SPEAKER_00: Don't worry.
SPEAKER_00: We're doing this as a part of our series called uh Paraclete.
SPEAKER_00: We've been looking at the person of the Holy Spirit.
SPEAKER_00: We're talking about how oftentimes for even believers, the person of the Holy Spirit can be really mysterious.
SPEAKER_00: And he doesn't need to be as mysterious as he is.
SPEAKER_00: He's all around us, he dwells within us.
SPEAKER_00: He's the one who uh filled and empowered and led Jesus during his earthly ministry.
SPEAKER_00: He dwells within us, fills us and empowers us to do ministry like Jesus did.
SPEAKER_00: And one of the verbs connected with the Holy Spirit is this verb of baptized.
SPEAKER_00: We get baptized in, with, or by the Holy Spirit.
SPEAKER_00: So I'm gonna read uh two passages connected to baptism, then I'm gonna pray for us, and um I've got a got a brief message.
SPEAKER_00: So these will be up on the screen.
SPEAKER_00: Matthew 28, verses 18 to 20, and then a reading from Romans six.
SPEAKER_00: Matthew records, and Matthew came, or sorry, and Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
SPEAKER_00: Go therefore 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 remember, I am with you always to the end of the age.
SPEAKER_00: Then Romans six.
SPEAKER_00: What are we to say?
SPEAKER_00: Should we continue in sin in order that grace may increase?
SPEAKER_00: By no means.
SPEAKER_00: How can we who died to sin go on living in it?
SPEAKER_00: Do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
SPEAKER_00: Therefore we were buried with him by baptism into death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.
SPEAKER_00: For if we have been united with him in death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
SPEAKER_00: We know that our old self was crucified with him, so that the body of sin might be destroyed, so we might no longer be enslaved to sin.
SPEAKER_00: For whoever has died is freed from sin.
SPEAKER_00: But if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.
SPEAKER_00: We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again.
SPEAKER_00: Death no longer has dominion over him.
SPEAKER_00: The death he died, he died to sin once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.
SPEAKER_00: So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Father, we thank you for the gift of baptism and what it means.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for the four individuals who are making the decision to go public with their faith.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for bringing us into your life.
SPEAKER_00: I pray that if there are any here this morning who hear this message and witness this celebration who don't know you, you would use this to draw them to yourself.
SPEAKER_00: Holy Spirit, please move in all of our hearts in Jesus' name.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: All right, I've got just a brief message this morning talking about baptism.
SPEAKER_00: Um, then we'll have those who are uh being baptized this morning, they'll come up.
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna ask them some questions, uh, they'll share a little bit why uh they're being baptized, and we'll also um make a profession of faith corporately this morning as well, and then we'll baptize them.
SPEAKER_00: So, what is baptism?
SPEAKER_00: Well, the word that that Greek word uh baptizo means to immerse.
SPEAKER_00: So during that time, during uh the first century, clothing or yarn would be baptized, it would be immersed into die.
SPEAKER_00: We, as followers of Jesus, we get immersed into God's life.
SPEAKER_00: That's what we are called into and get to experience.
SPEAKER_00: There's times in the New Testament, as I mentioned earlier, that it says we're baptized or we're immersed in, with, or by the Holy Spirit.
SPEAKER_00: Water baptism is a symbol of what happened spiritually.
SPEAKER_00: We don't believe that this act of water baptism saves us.
SPEAKER_00: It's a symbolic uh gesture of what has happened internally.
SPEAKER_00: Baptism was not invented by John the Baptist, even though it bears his name, or he's got the name.
SPEAKER_00: It wasn't invented by Jesus or the early church, it was actually a Jewish practice.
SPEAKER_00: But with what Jesus did and the early church has applied new meaning to this action.
SPEAKER_00: Baptism is part of being a disciple or an apprentice or student of Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus himself was baptized before he started his public ministry, and he said that we are to be baptized, as I read from Matthew 28 this morning.
SPEAKER_00: The symbolism of this action is that we are washed clean by Jesus' death on our behalf.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus died the death that we should have died, and we get to live the life that's available only in Him.
SPEAKER_00: Later in Romans 6, Paul says that the wages, what we've earned or deserved for wandering off the path that God has laid out for us as humans, and therefore our wandering means we lack his presence in our lives, that that's ultimately death.
SPEAKER_00: But God the Father, God the Son, God the Spirit loves us way too much to not provide a way back for us.
SPEAKER_00: So that so Jesus became a man and died a horrific death in our place.
SPEAKER_00: His great love and his mercy saved us.
SPEAKER_00: There's a where there is hope despair in the world, we have hope because of what Jesus has done.
SPEAKER_00: When we realize what we've done wandering away from God and what he what God has done for us, dying on our behalf, and we trust in that, we're restored to our intended position.
SPEAKER_00: We've been forgiven of our sins and we receive new life in Christ.
SPEAKER_00: Paul's words that I read said that when we go down into the water, we identify with Jesus' death.
SPEAKER_00: And that we when we come up out of the water, we identify with his life, the free gift of God to everyone who puts their trust in Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Nothing special that we have to do.
SPEAKER_00: We just recognize what Jesus did for us and that we want to follow him for the rest of our lives.
SPEAKER_00: So why do we do it?
SPEAKER_00: Well, part of it I mentioned obedience to Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Jesus said, Go make disciples, make students, make apprentices, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Spirit.
SPEAKER_00: And what uh so it's obedience to Jesus and and what it symbolizes, it's also a public proclamation of faith.
SPEAKER_00: Each of these individuals are declaring to all of us, I'm following Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: My my life is committed fully to Jesus now.
SPEAKER_00: It's an important part of our faith, like worship, prayer, regular Bible study and reading, acts of service.
SPEAKER_00: It's a means of grace, it's a way that we experience the gift of God's special activity in our lives.
SPEAKER_00: As I said already, this doesn't save anybody.
SPEAKER_00: There's nothing about getting in the water and getting dunked that saves us.
SPEAKER_00: Right?
SPEAKER_00: It's it's rather it's a symbolic expression of what we believe has happened already.
SPEAKER_00: So again, uh we're gonna celebrate these individuals going public with their faith.
SPEAKER_00: So the way we do it is uh we believe that this is a decision a person makes his on his or her own behalf.
SPEAKER_00: We're we're gonna fully immerse them in in this uh troughtismal.
SPEAKER_00: Uh thanks to Steve Sargent for filling this up, having it fortunately it's warm.
SPEAKER_00: Um because that's what that word means, baptized to to immerse.
SPEAKER_00: And so um I'm gonna invite the individuals up who are gonna be uh baptized, and while they actually get baptized, the band will be up here playing, and we're gonna celebrate that.
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna come back and remind us of that.
SPEAKER_00: So um, those who are being baptized, come on up.
SPEAKER_00: Also, as I'm talking, Randy and Jane.
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, come on up on stage.
SPEAKER_00: Uh, Randy and Jane will be back in the prayer room if you are feeling like you know, I think I want to be baptized today.
SPEAKER_00: Um go talk with them and uh they'll they'll listen to why you want to be baptized and see if that's um makes sense for for today.
SPEAKER_00: So what um I'm gonna do is ask these four gentlemen um some questions and they're gonna re respond um after the first few.
SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna anoint them with oil and then we'll I'll have some more questions for them.
SPEAKER_00: And like I said, at the end we'll all do a uh public proclamation of faith.
SPEAKER_00: Do you renounce the devil and all the spiritual forces of evil that rebel against God?
SPEAKER_00: If so, say I renounce them.
SPEAKER_00: Do you renounce the empty promises and lies of this world that corrupt and destroy God's people?
SPEAKER_00: If so, say I renounce them.
SPEAKER_00: Do you renounce the sinful desires of the flesh that draw you from the love of God?
SPEAKER_00: If so, say I renounce them.
SPEAKER_00: Do you turn to Jesus and confess him as your Lord and Savior?
SPEAKER_00: If so, say, I do.
SPEAKER_00: Do you joyfully receive the Christian faith as revealed in the Bible?
SPEAKER_00: If so, say, I receive it by faith.
SPEAKER_00: Will you live to obey God's commandments and in the power of the Holy Spirit walk in them all the days of your life?
SPEAKER_00: If so, say, I will with God as my help.
SPEAKER_02: I will with God as my help.
SPEAKER_00: If so, say we will.
SPEAKER_00: So let us affirm our faith together.
SPEAKER_00: If you guys want to turn, you can see the screen.
SPEAKER_00: Do you believe and trust in God the Father?
SPEAKER_00: I do.
SPEAKER_00: I believe in God the Father the Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
SPEAKER_00: Do you believe and trust in Jesus Christ?
SPEAKER_00: I do.
SPEAKER_00: I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
SPEAKER_00: He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
SPEAKER_00: He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried.
SPEAKER_00: He descended to the dead.
SPEAKER_00: On the third day, he rose again.
SPEAKER_00: He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
SPEAKER_00: He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
SPEAKER_00: Do you believe and trust in the Holy Spirit?
SPEAKER_00: I do.
SPEAKER_00: The Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints, the Girls of Saint, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.
SPEAKER_00: All right.
SPEAKER_00: So now we're going to give each of these individuals an opportunity to share how come they are being baptized today.
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I'm glad we okay.
SPEAKER_00: So this is Michael.
SPEAKER_00: Hi.
SPEAKER_04: I grew up in a Pentecostal church, and my parents were both youth pastors together.
SPEAKER_04: My dad was also the adult Sunday school teacher, and my mom taught young children Sunday school.
SPEAKER_04: I knew Jesus from a very young age and believed in him wholeheartedly.
SPEAKER_04: During my teens, I went through a lot of identity issues.
SPEAKER_04: I believed the lies the enemy told me through the worldly influences and people around me.
SPEAKER_04: By the time I was a young adult, I had turned my back on God, the church, and even my family at times.
SPEAKER_04: God had become an emergency call only.
SPEAKER_04: I found myself in an environment of drugs, alcohol, vanity, and love of material possessions and unholy relationships that had me on the road to self-destruction.
SPEAKER_04: On the outside, I may have looked fine, but on the inside, I was unhappy, deeply lonely, and empty.
SPEAKER_04: For 25 years, I lived for the world and for my flesh with a stony heart.
SPEAKER_04: My loneliness grew over time.
SPEAKER_04: I found myself withdrawing from people and struggling with constant negative thoughts.
SPEAKER_04: I had reached the bottom of sorts, a place where the isolation and darkness I felt became too heavy to carry on my own.
SPEAKER_04: It was in this place, almost two years ago now, that I felt the tug of the Holy Spirit on my heart, drawing me back to what I once knew.
SPEAKER_04: I reached a point where I simply wanted to surrender my life to God fully and completely.
SPEAKER_04: That surrender didn't happen all at once, but certain things changed immediately.
SPEAKER_04: I stopped watching the things I used to watch on television.
SPEAKER_04: I traded secular music for Christian music.
SPEAKER_04: And for the first time in my life, I began reading my Bible and praying daily.
SPEAKER_04: Um, disciplines I had never truly practiced before.
SPEAKER_04: Um, since that day, my relationship with God has grown through prayer, through scripture, and through community.
SPEAKER_04: I'm a part of a small group with three other men, Steve, Dell, and Doug.
SPEAKER_04: We share honestly about our week and the struggles we're facing.
SPEAKER_04: God has used them to pour biblical and spiritual wisdom into my life to lay hands on me and pray for me.
SPEAKER_04: Listening to their testimonies has encouraged me, held me accountable, and blessed my life.
SPEAKER_04: The fellowship of brothers has been essential for my growth.
SPEAKER_04: Sorry.
SPEAKER_04: Um I also can't talk about my growth without mentioning my mother.
SPEAKER_04: From the time I was young, she had spoken scripture over me and prayed for me more times than I can count.
SPEAKER_04: Even now, since I've rededicated my life to God, she remains faithful in prayer for me.
SPEAKER_04: Her influence has been a constant thread through every season of my life, even the years I walked away.
SPEAKER_04: Even though my dad wasn't on earth to see this transformation, I know I will get to see him soon enough.
SPEAKER_04: Today, I'm choosing to be baptized as a public proclamation of change God has made in my life.
SPEAKER_04: I want everyone to see I am now serving Jesus, a disciple for Jesus.
SPEAKER_04: If you are on the fence right now, if you're feeling that same loneliness or emptiness I once felt, I want you to know there is hope.
SPEAKER_04: John 3.16 tells us that God loves the world so much that he gave his only son that whoever believes in him would not perish but have eternal life.
SPEAKER_04: Jesus didn't promise a perfect life, but he offers peace within the storm and the wisdom for the journey.
SPEAKER_04: Your life can be completely transformed from what it is now.
SPEAKER_04: And when you make the choice to serve Jesus and let go of the things of this world, you gain something far greater.
SPEAKER_04: Eternity with Jesus and all the saints.
SPEAKER_00: And this is Levi.
SPEAKER_05: I'm getting baptized to show that I trust in God and that I want to follow Jesus.
SPEAKER_06: Hey, my name is Cole.
SPEAKER_06: I've been wanting to get baptized for a long time.
SPEAKER_06: And why?
SPEAKER_06: Because I want to commit myself to Jesus and show my faith to other people, telling that I am a strong believer, and through though I make mistakes, I can count on my father to forgive and help me work through things.
SPEAKER_06: And that he is always there listening and loving me.
SPEAKER_06: And again, I'm Cole and ready to get baptized.
SPEAKER_00: And this is Eli.
SPEAKER_03: Um, I want to be baptized because I've been dealing with some mental struggles with depression, and I really won want to give my life to Christ so I can feel his love and stop feeling that way and just be happier, be a better person every single day.
SPEAKER_00: Thanks, Eli.
SPEAKER_00: All right.
SPEAKER_00: So we'll uh just start with Michael.
SPEAKER_00: Um when they are in the water, what I will say over them is upon your profession of faith in Jesus Christ, I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
SPEAKER_00: I'll submerge them under the water momentarily and let them back up.
SPEAKER_00: As they come up, the band throughout the whole time, the band is going to be playing.
SPEAKER_00: What we're gonna do is we're gonna celebrate.
SPEAKER_00: So I want to hear loud cheers as each person comes up out of the water.
SPEAKER_00: All right?
SPEAKER_00: All right.
SPEAKER_00: Today is a great day of celebration.
SPEAKER_00: And we want to uh support and encourage those who have made this profession of faith today.
SPEAKER_00: And so as they get changed and come back in, we definitely want to encourage family and friends to gather around them and pray for them.
SPEAKER_00: So we'll we'll do that in a little bit.
SPEAKER_00: We also um want to pray for for you.
SPEAKER_00: So we've got ministry teams.
SPEAKER_00: If you want ministry teams, you can come forward.
SPEAKER_00: Maybe there was something about this morning hearing stories of people, uh their Jesus stories, how they how to put their trust in Jesus, and just how do you in some way and stirring up something and you want uh one of these prayer ministry teams to pray for you.
SPEAKER_00: Uh we also things are going great.
SPEAKER_00: We we want to pray for you, just bless us.
SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it's great just to come forward and get celebrated, celebrate what God is doing and just say more of it, Lord.
SPEAKER_00: Or if you want these teams just to listen to God on your behalf and share what they feel like uh the Lord might be saying to you, um our teams can do that as well.
SPEAKER_00: So um the band will play and feel free to come forward and as uh for those who are baptized of your backhand, come on up, and we will we will pray for you, we'll anoint you with oil again and just pray for a fresh filling of the Holy Spirit.
SPEAKER_00: Why don't you stand with me?
SPEAKER_00: Lord, we again thank you for this day of celebrating the work that you've done in Michael's, Levi's, Cole's, and Eli's lives, that they um have gone public, making this public proclamation of their faith in you.
SPEAKER_00: We just ask for your blessing on them.
SPEAKER_00: Lord, anyone else who is being stirred by your spirit, we just pray for the courage to come forward to get prayer, um, anything that is touching them this morning.
SPEAKER_00: Amen.
SPEAKER_00: Well, as I said, um the band will play.
SPEAKER_00: Our prayer ministry teams are available to pray for you.
SPEAKER_00: Um if you especially know somebody who was baptized today, I really encourage you to come come forward and just bless them, pray for them.
SPEAKER_00: I think all the kids are, or most of the kids are back in with us, but parents, you can go pick up your your kids if you need to head out, have a great week.
SPEAKER_00: The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance and give you peace.