- Wow! We saw 38 people step out in obedience to Christ and get baptized at Grace yesterday!! And I’m telling you, this will NEVER get old! What a blast they must have had in Heaven as we celebrated down here!
- Why are baptisms so often treated more like funerals than celebrations? Why, as my pastor friend Perry Noble says, “…Do we tolerate baptisms instead of celebrating them?” Good question. And I think I know the answer.
Remember when you were in elementary school, or even middle school, and certain holidays would come up that you really knew nothing about? Maybe Columbus day or Arbor Day—for most kids there just hasn’t been much of a connection there. They may celebrate a day off from school (if they get the time off) but at the same time be pretty ambivalent about celebrating the meaning of the holiday. The real connection for kids is a day off to have fun—not to remember that in 1492 Columbus navigated the Atlantic and discovered some small islands in what is now known as the Bahamas. Of course it was more than that, but who has time for that when there’s fun to be had?! So we celebrate the chance to celebrate—but not the actual event.
And this so often happens with baptism. So few people today understand the biblical meaning and eternal impact baptism has. Couple this with the fact that over the centuries, in a lot of churches, baptism has moved from an incredibly meaningful and life changing event to a shrouded, somber, irrelevant and incredibly boring event. Who can blame people for taking a pass when they hear it’s baptism day at their local church?
That’s yet another reason why I am so stoked about what God is doing at GCC! With 2 spontaneous baptism services under our belt for 2015, we have directly witnessed the revival and life changing power of the Holy Spirit as He stirs His people and prepares them for a movement! A decent crowd attended the first baptism, but a lot more came out for the second. Why? Because at the first one, they witnessed a celebration of life-change as it ought to be—as God told us it should be. And that’s exciting! So they didn’t want to miss the next one! God’s people should specialize in celebration, and there’s lots to celebrate at Grace these days. Not only do we serve a great God (reason enough all the time to celebrate) but He’s also been uniquely at work!
- This coming week we get specific at Grace. A brand new 4-week series entitled “Impact” will begin. In this series we’ll be talking about where we’re going and what we believe God is calling us to do in 4 specific areas. First, in our own church—the local body of believers known as Grace Community Church—the message is entitled, “Mark the Body.” I hope you’ll join us!