Baptism

I have just decided to be baptized in April (or in a few weeks).

There is a baptism today in church. 

and we started talking about it. I was trying to encouraged a friend to be baptized, 

I showed him the verse in Acts 8: 34-38

Philip was telling the Ethiopian eunuch the good news about Jesus. As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said,  "Look ,here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?" And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.

I wanted to make a point of 'What is stopping him from being baptized?' since he had believed and is sure of his faith in Jesus. As a friend, I can really see him living out his life in Jesus, and that has always been an encouragement to me.

As the three of us talked about baptism, I was asked when was I baptized. 

I said, when I was a baby. 

My dad sprinkled me when I was a baby.

'That is a dedication!', 'What is baptism?'

'A public declaration of your faith in Christ', I said.

'Okay, so being baptized as a baby doesn't really fit into the definition of baptism as your own public declaration of faith, does it?'

I know that I went through the whole confirmation process too, when I was 12. 

But honestly, it didn't mean a whole lot to me at that time, 

I went through the bible classes, my knowledge of the church and the bible was definitely widen, 

and all I remember was that I get to partake in the Holy Communion after that! woohoo!

My friends made a point. Clear enough for me to say,

'Yes, let's do it. I want to publicly declare my faith in Jesus and make a point that this is a personal choice that I have made, to live under the Lordship of Jesus.  

Nothing, no one, can make me renounce this faith that I have.'

What does baptism symbolizes?

Baptism is not the path of salvation. 

We are saved through God's grace by faith.

Baptism is a public proclamation of my faith. 

Proclaiming that I believe in Jesus as the Son of God,
as the only one who can save me.

There is nobody, no circumstances, nothing 

that can separate me from the love of God.

Nothing can make me renounce my faith.

and how this means so much to me, 

to be baptized here in College Station:

this is a place where I have rediscovered my relationship with Jesus, 

Jesus has personally met me, 

He had broken down my walls and preconceptions of 

being a 'Christian', 

living a Christiany life in church, 

being involved in Christian activities...

those do not define my relationship with Jesus.

What matters most

is that Jesus loves me.

and I love Him.

and I want to live a life

just to bring glory to God.

This reminds me of a picture of my wedding to Christ.

I believe in Jesus Christ.

and This day, 

I will take Him to be my Lord and Savior.

This is my vow to the LORD, 

my God.

Healing is in Your Hands:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sG94EKGDcU

“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?
We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death,
in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father,
 we too might walk in newness of life.”
Romans 6:3-4