On Sunday, September 16th, surrounded by several family members and my community group, I was baptized in my neighbor's pool by a dear brother in Christ.
The decision to be re-baptized was one that I had been wrestling with for quite a while. I've struggled with the fact that I was baptized at a younger age, 13, and did I really grasp what I was doing then. I knew Jesus was good enough to be a "Stay out of Hell" card, but Jesus as my King, well that was a whole other story.
Reflecting on my life, I saw there were extended periods of time that I felt I lived as a Christian. But, there were also long periods of time where every decision I made was based on my own selfish wants and desires.
I abused Grace.
I convinced myself that God had to forgive me, and I would just repent "later". I was playing a game with sin and forgiveness.
I continued to try to live as both one in the "the world" and one as a christian. The only problem with that is the Bible clearly states this can not be the case. A believer is to be living a life of obedience to Christ, separate from the world, and not a slave to its pursuits and passions.
As I have matured in my faith, I have realized my view of what it means to abide in Christ, my hatred of sin, and my desire to be obedient to Him is vastly different than it was prior to 2010. I can now confidently say that I am a disciple of Jesus, and I long to live a life in accordance with His will.
Below, I've posted what I read to everyone who was a part of my baptism below if interested.
thanks for reading...
peace,
The decision to be re-baptized was one that I had been wrestling with for quite a while. I've struggled with the fact that I was baptized at a younger age, 13, and did I really grasp what I was doing then. I knew Jesus was good enough to be a "Stay out of Hell" card, but Jesus as my King, well that was a whole other story.
Reflecting on my life, I saw there were extended periods of time that I felt I lived as a Christian. But, there were also long periods of time where every decision I made was based on my own selfish wants and desires.
I abused Grace.
I convinced myself that God had to forgive me, and I would just repent "later". I was playing a game with sin and forgiveness.
I continued to try to live as both one in the "the world" and one as a christian. The only problem with that is the Bible clearly states this can not be the case. A believer is to be living a life of obedience to Christ, separate from the world, and not a slave to its pursuits and passions.
As I have matured in my faith, I have realized my view of what it means to abide in Christ, my hatred of sin, and my desire to be obedient to Him is vastly different than it was prior to 2010. I can now confidently say that I am a disciple of Jesus, and I long to live a life in accordance with His will.
Below, I've posted what I read to everyone who was a part of my baptism below if interested.
thanks for reading...
peace,
bg
Twitter: @gossettbrandon
My Story: (what I read to everyone in attendance)
By God’s grace, I grew up in a Godly home, where Christ was preached all the time from my parents and grandparents. My parents raised me in a church, and I remember my mom always telling me "God knows your heart." I was baptized at 13 with a belief that Jesus was good enough to be my Savior, but wasn’t good enough to be my King. But God began to change my heart in 2009 and by God’s grace, I repented of my sin, and I submitted to Jesus as my King in 2010. After many months in prayer, reading the Word, conversations with Kim, my community group, and with other godly men, I realized that I had not been living a life that Jesus described as being a true follower of His really until 2010. I believe that God has chosen me and saved me through His grace alone, and I am no longer standing in my sin, but rather in His righteousness, and His payment on the cross and His resurrection has saved me.
Romans 6:1-12 says "What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions.
So today I desire to be baptized out of obedience to Christ and to tell my family, friends, the church body, and the whole world that because of His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus Christ is my Savior King.
