SACRED STEPS: Baptism - Matthew 28:18-20

And we wonder why we have so many Christians all across our land who have yet to be baptized. It's not because they're scared of water. It's because you're scared of dying. But can I encourage you that it is not until you die to yourself that you experience the fullness of life that Christ has to offer? Because the life that Christ has to offer is better than 10,000 pleasures that we would imagine for ourselves. The life that Christ has to give us, yes, I wanna die to my preferences, die to myself because it is about Christ. [00:59:38] (44 seconds)  #DieToSelfLiveInChrist

And so what we've what we've gotten stuck with in North America is a bunch of churches whose pastors get in a room together on Mondays and say, how do we keep the people happy? And that's not the mission. Because why? We've been crucified with Christ. I'll never forget a good friend of mine coming from The Middle East whose total village got bombed and destroyed and came out of Islam to follow Jesus. And I said, how do you manage everybody's expectations? And he said, how you have expectations when you're dead? [00:58:42] (45 seconds)  #MissionNotPopularity

And church, those are very, very dangerous. That statement, I don't feel led, is such a dangerous statement that leads so many people away from Jesus and towards hell, and and they don't even realize it. So if baptism matters so much to Jesus, where did it come from? Why do we do it? Did the church just make it up? Is it some sort of weird thing that we're supposed to do? But here's what we know. Jesus lets us know that baptism is not a tradition of the church. It is a command from our lord. [00:37:06] (37 seconds)  #BaptismIsCommand

And we not only had one baptism that night, we had two refugee baptisms that night of people coming forward to proclaim Christ with their bags already packed because they knew this marks me for Christ. But what I am gaining in Jesus is more worthy and valuable than what I am losing and dying to and giving up on. Church, we gotta get real about following Jesus. And I just shared this story with you to share. Guys, our brothers and sisters who've only heard about Jesus in a week's time are running spiritual laps around us. [01:10:03] (46 seconds)  #RefugeesRunningFaith

And they were threatened by it. So what did they do? Well, they killed Christians. They murdered them. So it's not that it happened to all of them, but as they're in the river and they're baptizing and coming up, there were literally people off to the side taking note of every single person who was going into the river to be baptized, and many of them were stoned and killed. And while we don't face that same thing today in America, an impact, we insist that our baptisms be public. Sometimes that has meant that they are very cold baptisms. Sometimes that has meant that we are getting slapped in the face with pellets of rain on Easter Sunday as we are baptizing. [01:04:00] (48 seconds)  #PublicBaptismRisks

And the first is that you're showing the world a picture of Jesus' death, that Jesus died for us. He died the death we couldn't because we are imperfect people, and he is a perfect savior. And so Jesus died our death, but here's what else you're doing. You're showing the world that you are now willing to die to yourself. That just as Christ died, you are buried with him. It means the old you is not getting an eviction notice. The old you is put to death to not come back. Not a thirty day warning. [00:49:06] (48 seconds)  #DieToYourself

And church baptism is a declaration that every every ounce of your old life is dead. That you are willing to crucify every bit of your old life, your past, your your habits, yes, your sin, but even your preferences in an effort to be made totally new. Because the life we now live in the flesh, we live by our preferences? No. We live by faith. So this is what breaks my heart. When I see Christians bounce back and forth from church to church to church just based on their own preferences. [00:54:26] (50 seconds)  #CrucifyTheOldSelf

I just shared this story with you to share. Guys, our brothers and sisters who've only heard about Jesus in a week's time are running spiritual laps around us. While we're still arguing whether or not we might be embarrassed by speaking in front of people. And meanwhile, they're packing their bags with no place to lay their heads. I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. Would you guys bow and pray with me? Heavenly Father, thank you for your word. God, thank you for such a clear next step. Maybe we would say a sacred step. Father I pray that you would forgive our casualness. [01:10:38] (60 seconds)  #CrucifiedWithChrist