I’ve had a lot of great questions about baptism lately, so I thought I would try to answer them in a post and put it in the FAQ section.
Q. Why would a church that doesn’t seem to care a lot about traditions do some thing like have a baptismal service?
A. Because Baptism is not a tradition…it’s part of being an obedient follower of Jesus. The bible says repent (turn from your old way of living..and join Jesus kingdom plan for life) and be baptized. (Go public with your decision to “choose sides”). (link)
Q. Will Baptism make me a member of actionchurch?
A. No. Baptism is entirely about going public with your decision to become a follower of Jesus…there are “no members allowed” at actionchurch.
Q. Will Baptism “guarantee me a spot in Heaven”?
A. Sorry, no. Baptism won’t “guarantee” you a spot in heaven any more than a wedding “guarantees” a lifetime of wedded bliss. Only your relationship (that you are celebrating in baptism) makes you part of eternity with Jesus…the good news is he promises to never “fail or abandon us” like people sometimes will. He is also legendary for his forgiveness of those of us who fail him.
Q. How do you know that everyone who gets baptized is “serious” about following Jesus?
A. We don’t…In fact Jesus said here (link) that some who initially get very excited about the good news of Jesus will not “finish”. He also said here (link) that it is not our job to try to figure out who is “in or out” of the kingdom…
Q. Why do you fully immerse (Dunk) people when you baptize them?
A. Because that’s the way they did it in Jesus time…There is a lot of symbolism in being taken under the water (buried) and brought out of water (raised to new life)…but our main reason for being “old school” about baptism is because that was the way it was done then.
Q. Shouldn’t you be in a “church” to be baptized?
A. It was many hundreds of years after the time of Jesus before the first “Church” buildings appeared…so being baptized in church is a relatively new development.
If you have any questions concerning the baptism service on Sunday or Baptism in general please send them to info@actionchurch.com. I will update this post as necessary.