Tonight we had a baptism service in the gym where 33 - 33! - guys were baptized. Will was among those who were dunked for Jesus and I was proud to see him make his statement of faith. He also made it known that there were a few people who helped him get to that point.He told me afterward that I was one of those people. How cool is God.
There was another guy that came out of my dorm to get baptized, but he was only doing it to get a certificate to show parole that he had done good things so he could go home earlier. He has made it known that he is not a Christian and doesn't believe in a God of any kind. I told him that I thought it was wrong to get baptized for those reasons and that it made a mockery of a Christian tradition, though I could understand his reasons. He joked that as long as the water didn't boil when he stepped in, he would be okay. The water didn't boil, but I still disagree.
2 comments:
So many people, especially addicts, have lived so long with manipulation and deception as part of their lifestyle and thought process, they don't know how to live any other way. The fact that just for a second, he thought God might cause the water to boil, indicates that somewhwere in there, there's a fear of God. that's a begining.
Maybe, one day, he'll realise that Jesus died for all our sins, including the one he just committed, and yet he STILL loves us. So no, no boiling baptismal, Jesus saw that one coming 2000 years ago.
Dear Auburn-Haired artist,
Yes, maybe his fear of God is the beginning of faith.
I've recently been praying for a "peripheral" family member who has committed a grievous sin against our immediate family and, despite being repeatedly confronted by various people, has refused to repent or even confess his wrong-doing. My prayer is for God to bless his socks off! - to bless him with the gift of conviction and repentance, for these truly are remarkable gifts that we, as believers, take for granted. My prayer is for this young man who was baptized to also receive the amazing gift of conviction and repentance, to know who he is and whose (!) he is.
Romans 2:4
"Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?"
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