My Baptism

I was baptized as an infant, confirmed as a teenager, but decided to be baptized as an adult at the church I currently attend. The following is the testimony I gave on that day:

What does God want from me? Do I have to sell everything and help the poor? What is it going to take to make God happy? I was desperately asking these questions 26 years ago and urgently seeking answers.

I was a good person. I gave my parents few problems. I graduated from High School with honours. I was even going back to church, and teaching Sunday School. What more did God want from me?

Then a young minister, who overheard my questions, took me aside. He told me that God created us so we could have a relationship with Him. But the desire to run our own lives, apart from God (a desire the Bible calls Sin) has disconnected us from God. The only way to reconnect with God is through Jesus! Jesus suffered and died on the cross to absorb all the consequences of people trying to live their lives disconnected from Him. He paid the penalty for us. Then Jesus rose from the grave, conquering both sin and death and became the bridge back to God.

I then asked “What do I have to do? What does God want from me?” He answered by saying that God wanted me to believe in his only Son – Jesus!” He explained that believing means trusting and putting my full confidence in Jesus, acknowledging that only He can reconnect me with God. I cannot do it on my own. Jesus says “Here I am I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door I will go in and eat with him and he with me.”

And that is what I did – With a simple prayer, I said I was sorry for hurting Him and others. I thanked him for dying for me and for His forgiveness. Then I opened the door of my heart and asked Jesus to come in.

Some people may ask, “How do you know it really happened? How can you tell that Jesus is actually with you?”

- Initially, I felt an amazing sense of freedom. A weight was lifted. I was forgiven? I was free from the fear of death and judgment!

- Secondly, I received a great sense of relief. I didn’t have to do this on my own. I didn’t have to earn God’s approval.

- Thirdly, I have been given a wonderful sense of purpose. God can use me, in spite of my limitations, in spite of my failures, to help others get to know Him.

- But the most compelling evidence that Jesus is with me comes from the gradual transformation of my heart. I am being changed. These are changes I didn’t expect, changes that I believe would not have happened without the Spirit of Jesus inside of me.

Changes like:

- Turning the other cheek – when often I wanted to strike back.

- Loving my enemies and praying for them, instead of holding grudges and hoping for payback.

- Forgiving and befriending a murderer – someone I would have previously written off.

- Doing what was right – even if it meant my job was at risk.

But there is one thing I’ve learned that I didn’t fully understand at first. There is cost to following Jesus. I have lost my “Self-directed” life, but in the process I have gained much more. Putting my trust in Jesus has given me a “God-connected”, “God-directed”, and God-injected life that will last forever. Nothing can ever disconnect me from God.

My baptism is mainly about what God has done for me – not what I have done in response. It is about declaring and celebrating God’s unconditional love that has come directly from him and by way of the many people that God has brought along side me. I want to thank everyone who has encouraged me and supported me (especially those who are here today) and I would like to venture out and say that your hearts beat so close to the heart of God I am sure that you must know Him.

And now my Dad, a great father and a great friend would like to say a few words.