DECIDED

• Baptism comes from the Greek word baptizo, which means: “to immerse or dip under the water, to cleanse by submerging”. This word refers to permanent change.

• A symbolic representation of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, illustrating that we are putting our sins to death and rising into a new life that can only be found in Jesus.

• An outward declaration of the inward changes in a believer’s life.

• An act of faith after salvation, and an act of obedience in response to Jesus’s command to follow His example and be baptized (Matt. 3:13-17).

• A public declaration of your commitment to Jesus and a public confession of your faith in Jesus. It connects us to the body of Christ and joins us with other believers.

• By confirming our position in Christ, baptism also affirms the blessing of God in our life. When we affirm that we are His children, we receive the blessings of our Father (Eph. 1:3-5).

Baptism is not an act of salvation, because we are saved by faith in Jesus alone. However, baptism is an important step in a believer’s walk with Jesus. Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He gave His disciples a list of instructions for how to proceed in finishing the work He began on earth. We call this the Great Commission (Matt. 28:18-20).

It is impossible to follow Jesus and neglect baptism. It is an integral part of your faith journey. Baptism is the necessary step between the first moment of salvation and the life-long process of maturing in your faith and conforming to the image of Jesus.

As soon as you have made the decision to repent from sin and believe in Jesus and follow Him for the rest of your life, you are ready to be baptized! We encourage you to do so without delay. In the Bible, we see that new believers in the book of Acts were baptized immediately following salvation (Acts 10:34-48). Therefore, you are ready to be baptized as soon as you understand the simplicity of what baptism means and are ready to declare that you want to follow Jesus forever.

We do not baptize infants, because we believe baptism is the result of a personal decision of faith. However, we do provide Child Dedications as a way for parents to dedicate their child to God. This is a moment for the parent(s) to be prayed over and charged to raise their child in a godly manner. Child Dedications are typically ages 0-5 years.

When your child is old enough to understand and make their own decision of faith in Jesus, then baptism is available to them. There is no age limit, but is typically around the age range of 8-14 years.

Although we do not have an age limit for baptism, we believe a child should be baptized only after repenting, believing, and choosing to receive Jesus. It’s important that a child wants to get baptized for the right reasons. Sometimes it’s easy to get swept up in the moment or want to do something because someone else is doing it. So we encourage you to have conversations and ask open-ended questions, such as:

• If a person is baptized, what does that mean?

• How long have you wanted to be baptized?

• Why do you love Jesus?

• What does it mean to trust Jesus?

• What does it mean to turn from sin?

If it’s clear your child is not ready for baptism, that’s okay! Encourage them to keep seeking and understanding what it means to follow Jesus.

Whatever you decide, know that baptism is a choice that only your kid can make. We think your main job as a parent is to process with them, not convince them.

Your baptism will be far more significant, powerful, and meaningful when it is done corporately with the support of your church family. Because baptism is designed to be a public declaration of faith, it loses some of its significance and importance when it is done outside of the intended context. Additionally, we want to celebrate your decision to join Jesus in His death and resurrection with you. As soon as you accept Jesus into your heart, you are a new creation. God has big purposes for your life and this is something worth celebrating! (2 Cor. 5:17)

While it may seem intimidating to share your story during your water baptism, the testimony is a very significant and very important part of your water baptism experience. In Revelation 12:11, the Bible says that “we overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.”

Therefore, the baptism story is an important opportunity to share about everything God has done in your life. You will be able to encourage others, give hope to others, and build the atmosphere of the faith in the room in a special and powerful way that only your story can accomplish. Sharing your story publicly is an avenue to more freedom in your life, and an avenue to breakthrough for someone else in the room.

We do not want you to feel nervous or anxious about what to share or how to share it. We have a team that is ready and happy to help you through this process. Our goal is to give you a safe and positive experience sharing your story, and we want to set you up to win!

The nerves that you might be feeling are completely normal! Please feel encouraged and strengthened to move forward with your decision to be baptized without letting any doubt or fear that you aren’t ready yet seep in. We have seen nervous people walk into the baptism tank every weekend, but God is always bigger than the nerves and He is faithful to show up every single time and give them every ounce of peace, strength, courage, and confidence they need to be obedient and share their story.

If you are feeling any nerves or hesitation, remember that you have authority over those feelings because God will fight for you (Exodus 14:14). God has given the gift of peace to those that have come before you, and He will not withhold this from you either!

There is a direct connection between our obedience and our love for God. God always rewards obedience, especially when you step out of your comfort zone in faith. His great love for you will cast away your fears (1 John 4:18). Therefore, even if you have to get baptized afraid, be confident that His perfect peace is going to strengthen you and sustain you.

It is important that baptisms are conducted in a public setting where your church family can be included in celebrating and supporting your decision to be baptized. The Biblical model of baptism demonstrates that this decision is a public response to salvation and a public demonstration to the church body. Though it might seem tempting to get baptized privately, this decision would not follow the Biblical model and misses out on the symbolic significance of publicly declaring your commitment to Jesus. If you are feeling any hesitation, be encouraged that there is no condemnation, shame or fear in Jesus. We would hate to see you miss out on an opportunity to step out of your comfort zone, because, you will be met with God’s presence and peace every time.

Because of baptism’s significance as a public declaration, our Sunday services are the only opportunity that exists for being baptized at Celebration Church.

“Openly declare that Jesus is Lord…it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.” (Romans 10:9-10)

We have the opportunity to be baptized every Sunday. All you need to do is sign up at the link above!

Congratulations! This is the first day of the rest of your new life in Jesus, and it is filled with the hope and promise that your best days are ahead of you.

Here is what they include:

• Keep attending our Sunday services!

• Find a time and place with God. Spend time in His Word and allow it to continually transform you into the image of Jesus

• Start developing a prayer life of constant communication and connection with God

• Join a Group to start growing in a supportive community of Godly friendships

• Attend Crash Course and get involved at Celebration Church