Baptism As An Act Of Worship

 Hello everybody, my name is Dean Davis and this is “Multiply,” the podcast that

provides a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

Today, before we get to some encouraging thoughts, I want to tell you about a

book of the Bible that always makes me sad when I read it. But don’t worry; I

will get to the encouraging part in a minute or two!

That book of the Bible that makes me sad is the book of Judges. The book of

Judges is the story of the people of Israel after God had delivered them from

slavery in Egypt. It is set just after God had allowed them to conquer the

Canaanites and gain control of the promised land. This is the story of the

nation of Israel, a people group who had observed godly leadership in the

persons of Moses, Joshua and Caleb. The Israelites were people who had

received great riches and wealth simply because God blessed them. The people

of Israel at the end of the book of Joshua and the beginning of the book of

Judges were men and women who were set up for success.

Except they had a big problems: Judges 2:11-13 tells us:

“The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. They

forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of

Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around

them. They aroused the Lord’s anger because they forsook him and served Baal

and the Ashtoreths.”

The book of Judges tells stories of horrible human suffering: killing, destruction

and fear. But it could have been prevented if God’s people had worshipped him

instead of the gods of the people. Worship is very important. Worship helps us

remember God’s power and grace at work in our lives in days gone by. Worship,

helps us experience the greatness of God even in our most challenging

moments. Worship builds faith. Faith enable us to keep on obeying the Lord.

Faith gives us access to the blessings of God.

Baptism is an act of worship. In baptism, new believers thank God for his

saving work. The name of God is lifted up and glorified when new believers are

baptized. Baptism empowers the new believer to keep on obeying Christ.

Baptisms empower the church to keep on proclaiming the Good News and keep

on calling others to salvation in Christ. Baptism is a declaration by the new

believer that they have rejected the gods of the people and have put their

trust in Christ alone for salvation.

So when you conduct baptisms, take your time. Baptism is important. Take

your time to worship God in prayer and with songs of praise and adoration.

Take your time to clarify the meaning of baptism. The water doesn’t cleanse us

from sin, the blood of Jesus does. Baptism symbolizes dying to sin and rising to

new life in Christ. In the baptism, tell the story of Jesus and tell it well. Let

the new believers testify concerning what Christ has done for them. There is no

rush. There is no reason to hurry.

“Why do this?” you ask. To be professional? To look good? To be dignified? No.

It s OK to look good. But what is really important in baptism is to worship God

and strengthen the faith of those being baptized.

Baptism is an act of worship. So plan it well. Take time to enjoy baptisms and

draw near to God by faith. Bless those who are being baptized. Give glory to

God in baptism.

This has been “Multiply.” And I’m Dean Davis asking, “Who will you share this

encouraging word with today?

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #Baptism #Worship