We had a great worship service at church yesterday. It was a little different from our normal services on two fronts.
1) First of all, the baptisms: I love baptism services. We had six baptisms in church yesterday. Four were children of families in our church, and two were young adults who recently came to Christ. Congratulations Emily, Elizabeth, Jonathan, Emily, Kristie, and Steve!
We practice believer’s baptism at our church, and so all six people baptized were of age to profess Christ as Savior. Each shared a verse and a testimony before entering the baptistery.
Once in the baptistery, I like to ask the candidates three questions before baptizing them.
- “Are you trusting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? If so, please respond by saying, ‘Jesus is my Lord.’”
- “Do you turn away from any known sin in your life, asking God to forgive your sin? If so, please respond by saying, ‘I do.’”
- “Do you desire the fullness of God’s Holy Spirit in your life, that you may live a life that is pleasing to God in every way? If so, please respond by saying, ‘I do.’”
There is nothing quite so thrilling as hearing each person publicly profess their faith in Jesus Christ. On baptism days, instead of a full sermon, I give a brief introduction to baptism, explaining how and why we baptize at our church, and then I let the testimonies of those being baptized do the talking. I have posted yesterday’s introduction to baptism on the Sermons page of the blog under the heading, Baptism Service.
2) Secondly, the setting: Our church (Agawam Church of the Bible) currently meets in the local Junior High School for services on Sunday mornings. We have been saving towards a future facility, and it is a frequent matter of research, conversation, and prayer.
For our service yesterday we met in a church facility that is currently for sale in our town. This was an opportunity to “try out” the facility together as we continue to seek God’s will for our church family. Will we end up buying this facility? Only God knows! It is beyond us right now, but we know that it is not beyond him.
This is an important time for our church family over the next number of weeks as we meet and pray, study the pros and cons of this particular facility, look at the finances, and look to the Lord for his leading and provision. But I have to admit, it was very exciting worshiping in a potential facility that is for sale right in our own town. Please keep us in prayer as we seek God’s will in this situation.
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