BAPTIZE NEW BELIEVERS
April 28, 2023
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” – Matthew 28:19-20
As a church, we have a mission. We have spent time this month studying great teams and what makes a great team. The reason we have done this is because, as a church, we want to be a great team. And great teams have a mission they set out to accomplish.
So, what is our mission? Well, our mission is the Great Commission. Jesus commands us in Matthew 28:19-20, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
What Jesus is telling us here is three things: preach the gospel, baptize new believers, and disciple new believers. Once we have shared the gospel, those who choose to believe and give their life to Christ must take the next step.
That next step is baptism. Now, baptism is not what gets you to heaven; let’s make that clear. Baptism is a symbol of our faith. It is no different from a wedding ring on our finger. If we remove the wedding ring, does it mean we are no longer married? Of course not, we are still married.
But the ring is a symbol showing where our loyalty lies. And that is also true of baptism. It is a symbol that shows others we have placed our faith in Jesus Christ, and we are choosing to give up our old life and publicly confess that our new life belongs to Him.
As a church, it is our responsibility to lead new believers to this step. Even though it is not what gets us to heaven, God has commanded us to be baptized. It is what He wants. It is part of our mission.
If you want to obey the mission God has given us, share the gospel. And for those who accept it, help them take the next step of honoring God through baptism.
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” – Matthew 28:19-20
As a church, we have a mission. We have spent time this month studying great teams and what makes a great team. The reason we have done this is because, as a church, we want to be a great team. And great teams have a mission they set out to accomplish.
So, what is our mission? Well, our mission is the Great Commission. Jesus commands us in Matthew 28:19-20, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
What Jesus is telling us here is three things: preach the gospel, baptize new believers, and disciple new believers. Once we have shared the gospel, those who choose to believe and give their life to Christ must take the next step.
That next step is baptism. Now, baptism is not what gets you to heaven; let’s make that clear. Baptism is a symbol of our faith. It is no different from a wedding ring on our finger. If we remove the wedding ring, does it mean we are no longer married? Of course not, we are still married.
But the ring is a symbol showing where our loyalty lies. And that is also true of baptism. It is a symbol that shows others we have placed our faith in Jesus Christ, and we are choosing to give up our old life and publicly confess that our new life belongs to Him.
As a church, it is our responsibility to lead new believers to this step. Even though it is not what gets us to heaven, God has commanded us to be baptized. It is what He wants. It is part of our mission.
If you want to obey the mission God has given us, share the gospel. And for those who accept it, help them take the next step of honoring God through baptism.
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