We’re going deep this Sunday @ Impact Church! This Sunday I will be preaching a message on baptism that will remove all doubt and confusion about this strange, commanded sacrament from Jesus. If you or anyone you know has a big question mark floating above them when it comes to baptism, invite them to Impact on Sunday and we’ll have it removed. Once that’s gone they’ll feel great about diving deeper in their relationship with God than ever before!
And deep is nothing to be afraid of. If you’re ready.
IF, you’re ready
Let me explain.
It’s a pretty common complaint to hear at churches theses days…
• “We don’t go deep enough at our church.”
• “I just wish we’d be more expository (i.e. ‘deeper) with our teaching.”
• “I’m tired of Oprah type messages. Just give me what the Bible says!”
• “Enough with the milk and cookies, I want meat and potatoes!”
Take your pick—I’ve got more. If I haven’t heard it I have pastor friends who have. Point being, a lot of people want to go straight from the kiddie pool to the deepest, darkest reaches of the ocean in one fell swoop.
Bad idea.
Bad idea?
Yep, bad idea—really, really bad idea. Physically speaking no one would do this, right? Because people don’t usually volunteer to drown just for the fun of it. We don’t even do this to others. No parent, for example would throw their toddler off the side railing of a boat and tell them to swim for shore. Come to think of it, most wouldn’t even do this to their worst enemy.
But we see it in churches all the time when they skip the swim lessons and toss new believers in the deep end, hoping for the best. And even when basic teaching is given, no one mentions the instructions.
Instructions?
Yeah, the guidelines, boundaries, manual, etc. If you think about it, every good thing God has ever given comes with general guidelines so that you and I don’t mess it up.
• The Garden of Eden had a “Do not eat” warning on one tree. Everything else was green lighted.
• The Promised Land had warnings about following pagan gods, setting up high places, observing festivals, etc.
• Samson had guidelines in order to assure he kept his supernatural strength.
• Israel and Judah’s kings were told by the prophets how to rule the people
Like I said earlier, take your pick, I’ve got more. Even ordinary life follows this basic principle.
* Better have a parachute secured to your back BEFORE you dive out of a plane
* Better have scuba gear BEFORE you move from snorkeling on the surface to exploring the depths
You don’t have to do either of those, but it would be a really bad idea to ignore these foundational things.
Every new believer also has some basic, foundational things they need to take care of before they can expect to move out into deeper waters.
Number one is baptism.
Wanna know why?
Join us this weekend for worship and a compelling message about this very important sacrament followed by our first baptisms at Impact!
And, if the shoe fits—I dare you to stay dry!
* Click HERE to sign up for baptism.