Did you miss it?

Did you miss this past Sunday?   

If you weren’t able to join us this past weekend then you missed quite a day.  We baptized 12 people after the service!  Many people stayed to watch 10 of the baptisms, but after almost everyone left another two came forward to be baptized. It was truly an amazing Sunday!  If you missed it, check out the video on our YouTube channel.  You’ll be able to watch the sermon and 10 of the 12 baptisms.   

Let me give you the backstory to how this all came about.  I shared some of this  on Sunday, but there’s a lot I didn’t share or even know about at the time.  (I know this is a long email, but believe me it’s worth it).  

It all began weeks ago.  I had known for weeks that I was going to be preaching on baptism. The plan was to invite people to be baptized on January 20th because we had another baptism already scheduled.  Then God woke me up one morning at 4 am to talk with me about the service.  In that conversation, God whispered that not only was I to give an invitation to be baptized, but we were to fill the tank and do baptisms right then and there – we were not to wait until the 20th.  This sounded good to me.  

Then God whispered that I was to get in the tank.  I responded, “Sure, as soon as someone comes up.”  To which God responded, “No, regardless of whether anyone comes forward, you are to get in the tank.”  I argued that it would be embarrassing if I got in the tank and no one came forward.  I argued that it is really inconvenient to get changed and get in the tank if no one comes forward.  God was silent because he had already told me what to do.  

Unbeknownst to me, two other people in our church were also wakened at 4 am that morning.  God woke them up and told them to pray for me because I had a decision to make.  They didn’t know what the decision was, but they sensed it was important so they prayed.  

I argued with God for a while. It was a one-sided argument, but finally he said, “Just as you are teaching that baptism is an act of surrender, I want you to surrender to me in this.”  I stopped arguing and said “Okay, I’ll get in the tank.”  

As I was getting ready to head over to the church on Sunday I asked God if anyone was going to be baptized or if this was just an opportunity for me to show him that I am fully surrendered to him.  God whispered, “There will be 12 and I don’t want you to change before you get in the tank.”  I was in the midst of packing my bag of clothes for the morning, so this was an important revelation.  I didn’t argue this time, instead of putting shorts and a t-shirt in the bag, I put a whole other outfit in the bag, because what I was wearing was going to get wet.

As I worshiped In the tank, one of our elders came up during the last song and whispered to me, “There’s a line up.”  Then people starting coming, one after another, to be baptized.  It was truly incredible.  We lost track of how many people were baptized.  I had to watch the video later to identify and count everyone.

After baptizing the last person and getting out of the tank, I was told there was one more.  So I got back in and baptized one more. I got out of the tank again and this time changed into my dry outfit.  When I came back out I was told that God had whispered to someone that there was one more, but they didn’t know who it was.  One of our elders told me that God had whispered to them that there would be 12, but again we didn’t know how many we had baptized, so we decided to sit down on the stairs of the stage and wait; the auditorium was empty by now.  

A couple minutes later a woman came up and expressed how meaningful the service was. She said, “You almost had me.”  To which I said, “You want to go right now?” She said, “Yes” and was baptized right then and there.  Number 12, just as God had promised.  

One of my favourite stories from the morning was of one of the teens that was baptized.  As she sat there her mom leaned over and said, “Do you want to be baptized?”  The teen responded, “No” and looked away, but then the teen looked back at her mom and said, “but God said yes” and so she came forward and was baptized.  

Another person emailed me and told me their story of being baptized as an infant by their parents, but during the service they clearly heard from God that they needed to choose baptism for themselves as an act of surrender.  This person was in tears and trembling as they stepped in the tank, but as they left they were filled with great joy and peace.  

What a morning!  God was speaking and moving in many people.  Thank you, God, for moving in and amongst us this past weekend!  

If you were with us and didn’t come forward for baptism and now regret it, don’t worry!  You can still be baptized. This Sunday the tank will be full again and we have one person scheduled to be baptized, but there is no reason why you can’t join them!  Call me, text me, email me.  Let’s do this!  It is time for you to fully surrender to God.  

This Sunday we will also be continuing our exploration of the book of Mark by looking at Mark 1:21-34.  We will look at three marks of the Messiah that are evidence that the kingdom of God is near.  I hope you’ll join us as we discover that Jesus has unlimited authority and power to change your life.  

See you Sunday,

Pastor Kirk