Clay Pots ~ Baptism

“…so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty, that you may fear the Lord your God forever.” -Joshua 4:24

I have often wondered why, if salvation is simply by faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross, that Jesus told us to baptize those who believe. I think maybe it has to do with solidifying our belief in our own minds. It is like the stone memorial which the Israelites erected after they crossed the Jordan River… it reminded them that they had believed God and God had fulfilled his promise. Baptism is a picture to us of what Christ did for us through his death, burial, and resurrection; and that God fulfilled his promise by saving us through faith in his Son. It is a memorial to God’s faithfulness in our lives.

Yesterday was a day full of truth and emotion. Two men (Welsen and Alex), 4 women, and Sophia, all stepped out and were baptized yesterday in front of their families and friends. The freezing cold mountain stream rushed down to where we stood in a waist deep pool of water. One of the ladies took a bag of flower petals and threw them on top of the water. And as the seven men and women solemnly stood there with heads bowed, water dripping off their hair, shivering, and yet full of joy, I couldn’t help but praise God for their simple yet steadfast faith in Jesus Christ. Years ago, I would have thought that the bowed heads and solemn faces was a sign of dissatisfaction, embarrassment, or uncertainty. But after spending time with them, I have come to realize that it is a sign of conviction and reverence. Praise God for their response.

Before we started, Welsen told Jason Williamson that he was afraid because he was one of only two men who were going to be baptized. Alex too, told me that he was afraid of what the community would do to him if he got baptized. But all those fears were dissolved after it was all said and done. Alex came up to me afterwards and said, “I see clearly now what you were trying to tell me all along. I just wanted to fight with you and say that things were going to go bad, or that you were not doing this right, or whatever. But now I see that this whole thing is simply a mark, a sign, of what happened when we believed. It is nothing more, and I see that now. I am sorry for doubting God’s Word.” He was so relieved, he went and killed a pig, and we had a wonderful feast. Those who had gotten baptized and those Christians who hadn’t, we all got together and sang songs, fellowshipped, and praised God for his salvation.

Afterwards, there were many people who came and told us that they too want to demonstrate their faith by being baptized very soon. So in the next couple weeks, we might just see some more of the believers act in accordance with Jesus command.

We want to thank all of you for your prayers this past week. It has been a difficult one; but we have seen God work in our own hearts, as well as the hearts of those around us. Thank you for holding us and the Tobo church up before the Lord.