Water Baptism

"This is the day that the Lord has made, He didn't have to let me see it, it could have been another way. But He gave me mercy, covered me with grace, so I won't let nothing take a smile off my face."

- Anthony Brown and group therAPy

These lyrics resonate with the joy that I'm feeling in my heart at this present moment. Yesterday was a special day for a couple of believers in Christ and I, that I could not head to bed without sharing (now yesterday)'s special moment.

Water Baptism Day September 22, 2019 at SPA for Life

Y'al know I aspire to inspire but today I was the one who was inspired such that I was brought to tears with so much overwhelming joy, love and peace. All four of us have different testimonies, but today the two testimonies that stood out for me were David's and Nick's.

Let me start with David's story. It reminded me of when I was just a year older than he is now, eager to know Christ but unsure of how to pursue Him due to my limited understanding of the scriptures. The good news is that this was when I chose to accept Christ as my Lord and Savior and was baptized in the Catholic Church. Help me understand how, at that time, I believed being Catholic meant I had found Christ, even though Catholicism teaches praying through Mary rather than directly through Jesus, as stated in John 14:6. Moreover, it wasn't a full immersion baptism, as described in John 3:5. David, on the other hand, has been following Christ since he was about 4 or 5 years old and decided he wanted to be baptized at 11. However, the Pastor advised him that his general guideline for baptism was age 12 and above, so he asked David to return after turning 12. Here's what's remarkable: David just turned 12, right in time for the announcement of upcoming baptisms. The rest is history. The moral of the story is that God's timing is perfect—not too soon, not too late, but precisely on time. It also shows that David remained committed because God is clearly working in this young man, and I look forward to seeing what God has planned for his journey as he continues to follow Christ.

Now let's talk about the gentleman who genuinely moved me to tears. I tried to hold them back, but it was impossible. Nick! He has known Christ his entire life and accepted Him as his personal Lord and Savior at 15, then made the conscious decision to get baptized at 82. What is mercy? What is grace? Who is God, really? What is He all about, one might wonder? This is when I simply reply, "God is incredible, in the most amazing way—super awesome, ever so loving." He fulfilled His purpose for Nick and sustained him, knowing he would be a living testimony of how God resides in all of us. It's just a matter of taking the time to understand who He truly is, how much He loves us, and desires for us to be fully immersed in Him. Stand on His word as you hold onto your faith, because there's absolutely no such thing as too late.

For now, I'll save my own testimony for another time, but I want to express my gratitude to God for the incredible chance to be part of His Kingdom and His discipleship among these three blessed individuals. It's time to go out into the world and share the good news with all creation. Those who believe and are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ will be saved, while those who do not believe will be condemned (Mark 16:15-16). Today, I wanted to share the testimonies of others and hope they inspire you as they did me. After all, you know you'll be hearing mine for quite some time. So, stay tuned.

The Precious Moment, Matt 28:19

One may wonder, "Is salvation achieved through water baptism?" The answer is no. Salvation comes through GRACE by FAITH in Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross. Refer to Romans 10:9-10 and Ephesians 2:1-10 for more details.

TBC...

With Love

AN