My [Re-]Baptism Statement: Call
to Repent and Surrender
Christ brought me back to Him. My
memory loss made me wonder if I had truly been saved before. I might not
have had a believer's baptism. Eventually, I decided to get re-baptized.
A group of us also wanted God to move
more in the church. We had prayed about both non-believers in the church.
We also worried about believers apathetic about sin or service. We prayed
God give me a message so my baptism would turn others to Him. What I wrote
was several minutes long, it had to be a minute or less, I cut it down,
and this is what they heard:
"Recently, I’ve seen much loss:
divorces, wrecks, respirators, and brain tumors. The youth aren’t spared.
Billy Graham said Life
is Short. Mine should’ve been shorter, I was close to death, and
Christ changed everything. The world is fake but He’s true to His Word.
Some of you don’t believe in Christ.
He knows you all by name. We will face Jesus, our judge. He died for our
sins, was raised to life, and promised eternal life for all who surrender
to Him. If not, you suffer forever. Give your life to Christ, enjoy His peace, and live your real
purpose. The right time is always today, always now.
Many others here believe in, but
don’t follow, Christ. God’s Word says how we obey and serve now, even
small things, affects what He gives next. Not doing this earlier hurt me
and probably others. For you, maybe it’s baptism, sinful habits, even
jokes that hurt our witness. Or not sharing, serving, or gathering and
growing with the church. Whatever it is, please give your lives to Christ,
too.
We prayed you be strong enough. We’re
praying
right now. Use it. When they call later, step forward to show your commitment and the whole
church will back you up."
God always uses and blesses obedience
whether we see it or not. In this case, He was gracious enough to have a
few people tell me about the impact it had. One invited me to serve one
Saturday at Memphis Union
Mission with them. I had wanted to serve with them over there. I
didn't get to until I obeyed God in the "small" thing. See how that works?
What's holding your walk with God
back? What part of your life do you need to surrender to the Lord Jesus
Christ?
(Read the Gospel,
learn how
to share it, or back to main
page.)