Oh happy happy day! Today is the best kind of day! None could be happier or more joyful, and that is because MANY dear friends of mine (and even some siblings) were baptised into the church! The only question that remains is, who was blessed more? Was it those being baptised, or the congregation who witnessed it happen?
The six people that were baptised are some of the most amazing people I know. I grew up with them. But for all the time we spent together, at church, church related programs, during the week, Sabbath days and nights, there are some things you will never know. And that is what they think about their relationship with Christ.
Because let’s be honest here, in our daily walk with Christ, we are not all that consistent. There have been so many times in my life that I make it to Sabbath, look back on my week, and I realize how distant I have been. And it’s not him! It’s all me. So, when you yourself are nervous about owning up to the feelings you have inside of you, and the journey you had to take to get where you are to other people, you’re not all that comfortable outright asking how someone else is doing. Or at least I’m not.
Therefore, you can imagine how happy I was the day my sister told me she wanted to be baptised! The creator of the universe that I’ve come to love so much, she wanted to take as her God too. The best part was hearing her testimony. Well, all of their testimonies really. Hence the question, who was more blessed by their decision?
Sitting in the pews, hearing them declare their personal reasons for choosing God refreshes you! And I wanted to pass on some of that refreshment. Each of them gave very unique, individual testimonies, and I really wish I had videos of all of them to share with you, but sadly this is not the case. So instead, I collected the verses they shared with the congregation and asked them to tell me in a few words something about it.
First was Bea. The verse she shared with us was Matthew 28:18-20.
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore[a] and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
She enjoys this verse for its reassurance that after baptism God will be right there with you to the end. After the ups and downs that we all experience, it’s nice to know that no matter what, there is at least one constant.
Pablo, Bea’s older brother, chose Isaiah 40:31.
But those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
The verse talks about trusting in God even when times are tough. Pablo has had his share of a tough life, grandfather dying from cancer, father leaving his family and country, mother needing to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. And yet his parents always encouraged him to trust in the Lord. I’m so glad he does.
My brother Nigel picked out Acts 1:8.
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me[a] in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
In his testimony Nigel mentioned how if he’d been asked two years earlier if he wanted to follow Christ, his answer would have been no. The change in his attitude has been extreme. Nigel feels that now that he’s getting baptised, he will be taking on the full responsibility of a full follower of Christ, and with that comes God’s promise in this verse to reward his dedication with the power of God through the Holy Spirit.
Elynn, one of my closest friends and room-mate in university, chose Jeremiah 29:11.
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
This is one of the greatest promises in the Bible, and it was this one that specially touched her. As she begins public life of following God, it will be this promise that she holds to. She also shared with us a song which you can check out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdjRmM0Q0qs
Bryan, a really close family friend, did not actually pick a verse. Because like so many of us when we don’t have the words, he sang. The wonders of technology actually allow me to share it with you so, here is his testimony and cover of Maria Long’s Endeavor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgPwAAwJSd0&feature=youtu.be
The sixth individual would be my sister Maddie, the catalyst for all these baptisms. She had brought her desire to be baptised to her youth leader, who in turn asked who else was interested. I unfortunately do not have her verse, university time and home time is very different and she was asleep when I called. I can tell you her main reason for choosing God was that God is love. And that love is an action, and that action was him dying on the cross for our sins. Amen.
So let’s all celebrate the new souls for Christ! I know he and the host of angels in heaven will be celebrating in kind!
And if I may end in a question, why did you choose to follow God?
DISCLAIMER: This blog was meant to be posted September 1st, 2012, the day of their baptism.
Youth Struggles 