by Chuck Lawless Church Answers Consultant
One of the things I miss most about being a pastor is baptizing new believers. I don’t believe baptism saves a person, but the act is nonetheless a powerful picture of the gospel. When I think about these stories from my pastoral ministry, I’m challenged to share the gospel even more so others can share in this joy.
Baptizing 17 people at once. It was my first pastorate, and our little church didn’t have a baptistry – so we baptized once a quarter in a sister church. The first time I baptized anyone, we had 17 new believers lined up. That’s still a powerful day in my mind. Watching Brian dive headfirst into the baptistry. He was just a kid, incredibly excited about being baptized. Why walk down the baptistry steps when you can just dive in? Baptizing “Pa” in his senior years. We weren’t sure his frail body could handle baptism, but he wanted to be obedient to the Word. With the help of others, we got it done. Hearing a mom holler with joy when her long-wayward son was baptized. I admit I almost dropped him (people didn’t holler at our church), but her joy filled the sanctuary with excitement. Watching my younger brother baptize our dad. Dad was 71 when he became a believer, and my brother had not baptized anyone before. It’s hard to describe all the emotions of that great day. Watching the eyes of a wife and Christian kids as I baptized their long-prayed-for husband and dad. They were in the front of the auditorium so they could see everything well, and all of us wept at the same time. Being soaked by the hug from the “meanest man you’ll ever meet.” That’s what everybody in the church called this man before God changed him. When God got hold of him, though, it was real. Baptizing an entire family. Mom, Dad, brother, and…
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