Exert from my book – ‘The Journey Begins’ – a chapter on baptism. It has been a joy seeing so many new Christians helped by it. If you have a story of how it has helped you please let me know.
If you want to take a look at the English or the Dutch version click here. Or if you would like more info contact me here.
Then Jesus and his disciples left Jerusalem and went into the Judean countryside. Jesus spent some time with them there, baptizing people. John 3:22
I was watching a father walking into the hairdressers a few days ago with a strident walk. A young boy followed, he had exactly the same walk, in miniature form. It didn’t take a moment of genius to deduce that he was the son! There’s something about family traits. The glance of an eye, turn of phrase, a walk or some other gesture that gives away that your part of the same family.
Jesus Himself was baptised to identify Himself with His father. Therefore, His disciples also went around baptising others who became followers too.
The bible tells us to be baptised once we have turned our lives to God. The word baptism means to immerse, the word the Greeks used to describe a sunken ship. It is illustrative of the death, burial (into the water) and resurrection (up out of the water) of Christ.
Baptism shows that your past has been buried with Christ, and your new life came with the resurrection of Christ.
When we are baptised we complete the desire God has for us to be identified with a new life and a new family, by identifying with Christ Himself. Being baptised in water completes the journey your heart has gone through in being forgiven and released from your past to start your new life.
You are clean, you are free, you have a new resurrected life.