The Meaning of Baptism

While baptism is a deeply personal thing for the people getting baptized, for the Church it is one the most significant things we as a church do. In the great commission Jesus instructed the church to “. . .make disciples, baptizing them . . .” Because baptism is linked with discipleship, I want to take this opportunity to look into the scriptures for the meaning of baptism. The only requirement we make for baptism is a personal confession of faith in Christ for the forgiveness of our sins and the redemption of our souls for eternity. My message on Sunday I will explain what it means to confess Christ as savior, concluding with an invitation to publicly profess that faith in believer’s baptism. After the service I am already planning to baptize 5 people in the Ocean, and that number can increase. If you are willing to publicly confess to Christ and request baptism, we will be happy to baptize you.

Who is Jabez? If you read the book by Bruce Wilkinson called the Prayer of Jabez you know who he is, but apart from that book not many people know who he is. Jabez has all of 2 verses in the Bible devoted to him, tucked away in the middle of 1 Chronicles. Let’s be honest, how often do we read from the book of 1 Chronicles? Not very often if at all. Jabez is an interesting person in the Bible because in spite of the small place he holds in Scripture, he hits the nail on the head when it comes to asking God for something.  Jabez asks God to bless him! Who of us does not want God’s blessing in our lives? I want the blessing of God for me personally as well as for the ministry of this Church.  Join me this Sunday at our Campus Church service where we will peel the layers back on what it means for God to bless us, and bless our church.