Northgate Church Chester Foundation Course

Baptism in Water
The Next Step Baptism in Water.
After repenting and putting your faith in Lordship of Jesus over your life, the next step in your walk of obedience to Jesus is to be baptised in water. Repentance and baptism are so closely related that the Bible places them side by side as part of becoming a Christian: Whoever believes and is baptised will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. Mark 16:16 Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Acts 2:38 What are you waiting for? Get up, be baptised and wash your sins away, calling on his name. Acts 22:16 The New Testament takes it for granted that once you have accepted the Christian message you will submit to baptism more or less immediately: Those who accepted his message were baptised. Acts 2:41

Many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptised. Acts 18:8 So, what is Baptism? Baptism is the total submersion of a believer in water, based on their confession of faith and lordship of Jesus. They are baptised in the name of the Father Son and Holy Spirit as instructed by Jesus in Matthew 28:19-20. What about the sprinkling of infants? Baptism is not for babies. Not once does the New Testament refer to the baptism of babies, only to the baptism of believers, which implies a certain level of mental development and understanding. The book of Acts has several references to entire households being saved and baptised (Acts 16:15, 18:8). However, this usually referred to masters and slaves or servants, rather than infants. It is not unusual to see young children, say seven or eight, being baptised, but only when they have a clear understanding of Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. Baptism is an act of obedience to the command of Jesus, and must be done under the freewill of the believer as am act of their obedience to the lordship of Jesus in their lives.

Northgate Church Foundation Course

Water Baptism

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What about the sprinkling of believers? Baptism by sprinkling is really a contradiction of terms. The word baptise is the English form of a Greek word meaning to dip, immerse, submerge or plunge into a liquid. The word is used to describe the process dyers used to immerse the cloth in a dye to colour it. The word means to immerse completely. No where in the New Testament is it suggested that a few drops of water are sufficient to baptise. All the evidence indicates that a large supply of water is necessary, enough to cover the whole body of the person being baptised. Both Philip and the Eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptised him. When they came up out of the water Acts 8:38,39 John also was baptising at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water John 3:23 Baptism, as taught in Northgate Church, is the total submersion of a consenting believer on the confession of their faith in, and lordship of, Jesus Christ, identifying with His death and resurrection, and their new life in Him.

What does baptism do for believers? 1. Baptism is a command of Jesus, thus baptism is an act of obedience to the lordship of Jesus in your life. It is a demonstration that we are subject to His authority over our lives. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. Matthew 28:19-20 There is great blessing and satisfaction in obeying the Lord. Our baptism will set a pattern of obedience to his lordship in our whole lives. John 14:21 shows the blessing of obedience. 2. Baptism is a public identification with the death and resurrection of Jesus and our association with him in it. As we go down under the water we are identified with His death, and we are raised into a new life with him as we come out of the water.

Northgate Church Foundation Course

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Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. Romans 6:3,4 In addition it tells the other people present that you are serious about being a Christian. By being publicly baptised you are declaring, From now on, Jesus is my Lord and hes the one who will direct my life. Baptism is a powerful testimony of the life of Christ in you you may well have your own testimony about this. In the book, I dared to call Him Father by Bilquis Sheikh, she tells of the critical point of her walk with Jesus being her baptism. Her Muslim community could accept her belief in Jesus, but could not accept her public act of baptism. 3. Baptism represents a cutting away of the old nature as the dominant power in our lives. Just as Israelite boys in the Old Testament days received physical circumcision, so Gods newborn children today receive at their baptism a spiritual circumcision. It is a cutting off of the power of the old ways, like the Israelites passing through the Red Sea and were cut off from the Egyptians. The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live. Deuteronomy 30:6 In him you were also circumcised, in the putting off of the sinful nature, not with a circumcision done by the hands of men but with the circumcision done by Christ, having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. Colossians 2:11,12 The pattern of cutting off from the old life can be seen throughout scripture: For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him. 1 Peter 3:18-22 Where can I be baptised? When you want to be baptised we can organise a baptism anywhere there is enough water! Northgate does not have its own baptistery, but we have good relationships with a number of local fellowships who will let us use theirs. We

Northgate Church Foundation Course

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have also held baptism in swimming pools, in the river (the Dee and others) , in the Sea and even in a bath at home. You may want to invite family and friend, or even make it an out reach event by sharing the event publicly. If you are below the age of consent you should discuss your actions with your parents so honouring them and fulfilling the command of Jesus on your life. Have you been baptised by immersion as a believer? If you have write Yes in the box below, if not write No.

If your answer is No and you want to be baptised please discuss baptism with the leaders of the Foundation Course.

Memory Verse buried with Him in baptism and raised with Him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. Colossians 2:12

Northgate Church Foundation Course

Water Baptism

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