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Page 1 of 4 If you haven't been baptised yet, and are ready for that step of obedience, then an opportunity is always just around the corner. Park City Church can conduct a baptism in a church meeting at almost any stage, or can facilitate an outdoor baptism at will. Simply contact Ps Carey Clow if you wish to be baptised, and we'll organise a date, time and location to suit you. Read on below for further information on baptisms that will tell you all you need to know and explain why it is significant. (In brief, some relevant scriptures for reference are: Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-4; Colossians 2:9-12)
Ready to be Baptised?Water Baptism - For the repentance of sinsOnce a person admits that he or she is a sinner and turns to Christ for salvation, the Bible says the watching world needs to know. Water Baptism has always stood as a kind of public test for people who have moved from being a seeker into being a believer. Jesus knew this and stated: "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven. - Matthew 10:32-33 NIV
Believers are those who have realized that their sin has separated them from God. They have given up all efforts to reach God through good works or religious activity. They have concluded that Jesus Christ's death on the cross for their sins is the only thing that can bridge the gap between them and God. A believer is someone who has decided to trust Christ alone for his or her salvation. If you have come to this point in your spiritual journey, then you are ready to be Baptized. Just as a bride and groom tell of their love for one another through the symbol of rings, you should also want to show the world through Baptism, of your union with Christ. Let the miracle that has happened in you be shown through the act of Baptism that He ordained for you. | The Ethiopian asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. As they travelled along the road, they came to some water and the Ethiopian said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?"... Then they went into the water and Philip baptized him. Acts 8:34-38 |
ScripturesIn Matthew 28:19-20, Jesus commands his followers to "go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit..." Baptism is the means by which followers of Christ are identified. This is paralleled also in Mark 16:15-18 where the mission of the gospel is given and baptism of believers is commanded. In passages such as Acts 2:41, 8:12 and 10:47-48, it is evident that Baptism follows an individual's decision to trust Christ alone for salvation. The New Testament records the Baptisms of adult believers only. Baptism was never intended to provide salvation for an individual, but rather to publicly identify a person with Christ. In Romans 6:1-11, the apostle Paul explains how the immersion mode of Baptism identifies the believer with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Going under the water represents Christ's death and coming out of the water illustrates His resurrection into the new life that only Christ's enabling presence through His Holy Spirit in us, can bring.
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