This past weekend at our Celebration Campuses, we had 80 people publicly demonstrate their commitment to being a Christ-follower through baptism by immersion. And it was an incredible sight to see! Some of those individuals have been Christians for months and others years, while others were very new Christians (surrendering their lives to Jesus just minutes before their baptism).

In the “Great Commission,” Jesus told His followers: “Go and make disciples, BAPTIZING them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit . . .” (Matthew 28:19). Now, Jesus was not telling His followers to “baptize” little ones but those adults, teens and children who had personally made their own commitment to following Him in their lives. Why was BAPTISM important to Jesus, and why should it be important to us?

First, baptism in the New Testament was an act of identification. When a person was “baptized” by a particular leader or in the name of a particular leader, it meant that they were identifying with that leader and committing to his/her leadership and teachings. When we are baptized as Christians, we are saying that we believe in the teachings of our God (Bible), and that we want to be identified with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Second, baptism is a way of symbolizing what the Lord has done for us through salvation. The word “baptism” is a transliteration of the Greek word “baptize,” which means “to immerse.” That is why at Celebration Church we “immerse” people under the water when we baptize them. When a person is “baptized/immersed” under the water and brought back up again, that act symbolizes the fact that we have “died to our old way of life” (as we are placed beneath the waters), and that we have “risen to a new way of life” (as we are raised from the waters) by the power of Jesus.

Third, baptism is also a way to publicly announce to the world that we have become a follower of Jesus Christ. One time a little boy said, “I want to get advertized.” I was puzzled and wondered what he meant. I finally understood that he wanted to be “baptized.” Later on, I realized that when we are baptized we are “advertising” to the world that Jesus is our Savior and Lord and that we are committed to loving Him and living for Him. Now that is something to “advertise”!

Fourth, baptism is an act of obedience in the life of a Christian. Jesus said that we’re to be baptized, and when we do, we are “fulfilling all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15). When we are baptized we demonstrate our commitment to follow the Lord and we are willfully taking the first step of obedience in the life-long journey of following Him. And let me remind you that we can only have the Holy Spirit’s power in our lives when we are willing to obey the Lord (Acts 5:32). The Bible teaches that Jesus was “filled by the Holy Spirit,” He had the power to defeat the devil, and He began His earthly ministry AFTER He was baptized by John the Baptist.

So. . . let me ask you . . . have you been “baptized by immersion” since you committed your life to Jesus Christ? If you haven’t, I encourage you to take this step of obedience and identification. Doing so will strengthen your walk with the Lord, and will be a testimony to others of the mighty work that God is doing in your life.

I would love to hear what the Lord did in, for and through your life when you took your courageous step of baptism!

(If you want to be baptized or talk to someone about being baptized contact your Life Group Leader, Community Pastor or the church today)