Baptize Without Delay in Daughter Churches

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

provides a word of encouragement for Village Church Planters.

As you know, I have traveled to many countries on several continents. When I

come back from a trip, I love to tell people about the newly planted churches I

have visited, especially second and third-generation churches. When I show

people pictures of a group of 20 or 30 people listening to the word of God in a

simple structure or 15 or 20 people worshipping Jesus under a tree, my friends

often have questions. Sooner or later they ask, “What is your definition of a

church?” I tell them, a church is a group of people who seek to obey all that

Jesus commanded. A church is a group of people who carry out the nine

activates that the church at Jerusalem began to do on the day of Pentecost.”

Then I tell them that the congregations I am showing them are real churches.

Not cell groups, not extension points, not branches, not Bible studies, but

churches.

I hope I am representing those new churches well. Acts 2:37-47 teaches us that

churches pray, obey God’s word, worship, evangelize, give, train leaders, have

fellowship, serve the Lord’s Supper and baptize. But sometimes when we plant

daughter churches we delay baptisms and the serving of the Lord’s Supper,

even when there are people in the church who have repented and believed the

Good News. There are many reasons why baptism and the serving of the Lord’s

Supper to born again believers is delayed in newly planted churches. But none

of those reasons is a good one. In his Great Commission, Jesus commanded his

disciples to baptize. Why do we delay? On the night he was betrayed, Jesus

broke bread and served wine saying, “Do this in remembrance of me.” Why do

we delay?

You and I are church planters. Yes, we are evangelists and disciple makers. But

we are church planters. Churches baptize and serve the Lord’s Supper. So

whatever responsibility you have for the planting of second and third-

generation churches, do not allow baptism to be delayed. Work with church

leaders so that baptisms are carried out without delay. And be sure Christ

followers in that new church participate in the Lord’s Supper at least four

times per year.

When Christ followers testify through baptism of their death to sin and their 

new life in Christ, God is glorified and the devil is rebuked. When new

 believers are baptized they testify that Christ has given them a new life. As 

followers of the living Christ, we are strengthened by their testimony to the 

goodness of God. When churches obey Christ and baptize those 

who follow Him, everyone is strengthened.

So do whatever is necessary in your church family to celebrate baptisms of born

again people. Don’t accept excuses for the delay of baptism in the churches

you are planting. As new believers are baptized, the church is strengthened

and you yourself will be strengthened in the Lord.

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

encouraging word with today?

#EncouragementForVillageChurchPlanters #Baptize #TheLord’sSupper