“Look! There’s some water! Why can’t I be baptized?” (Acts 8:36)
Were you part of our summer outdoor baptism? Even through the challenges of a COVID-19 pandemic that has prevented us from meeting in person in the ways we’ve always done, Jesus is still at work in the lives of people – and we still have water! He is still making disciples in and through His body, the Church. And just as it was when Jesus formed the Church, baptism remains a public way of planting our flag – of announcing our individual choice to follow Him. As unusual as this summer has been, on August 23, we got to celebrate with some of His followers as they said yes to His leading to take this important next step. It was outside in the parking lot; it was physically distanced (outside of family who joined them in the tank); and it was live-streamed so others could join in remotely; but at the core, it was the same act of obedience followers of Jesus have been taking since the Church began. Here are snippets from their stories:
Azael Amber (7):
I come to church and attend DiscoveryLand. I have learnt about God and Jesus and how He saves us. I want to (be) baptized as I want to celebrate that God has forgiven my sins and washed them away.
Adesua Eigbe:
I was going through a really rough time. I knew of God and grew up in church but it was something my parents brought me into rather than something I genuinely believed or had strong conviction about. A friend invited me to her church, really because she was tired of going with the bus. I had been feeling empty and anxious for a while. I came into the church, heard the Word and felt so much lighter. I used to think it was “Christianese” (overly spiritual) when people said that, but it happened to me. For the first time in my life I started going to church consistently. I was genuinely hungry for God. I researched Him to make sure He was historical, instead of just a nice feeling.
Siavash Karimi:
I met Jesus in the worst days of my life. I got to know Him and His sacrifice on the cross (at Alpha Course); the fact that if I was the only person on the Earth He still would sacrifice Himself. His ministry and His love for me was the key to come to Him for forgiveness.
Soleil Lam (9):
When I was 4 years old, I prayed to accept Jesus into my heart, but I didn’t really understand what it meant. Last year my mom was reading the Bible to us and I felt like I actually understood what it meant, so I decided to pray because I was feeling sad about something. Then at church the next Sunday, the teachers said that whoever wanted to pray with them to accept Jesus into their heart as their Lord and Saviour could pray with them. So then I did. That day I checked off the box on the card that I had accepted Jesus.
Josiah Lam (11):
I’d known about Jesus for a long time but didn’t fully understand what it meant to follow Him until about a year ago. My mom read us a verse about how Jesus died on the cross for us. I realized what He’s done for us – how He did it so that we could get to Heaven and be with Him. Then I prayed to accept Him as my Lord and Saviour. After that, I prayed to God about things that upset me and I felt like He comforted me and gave me peace.
Jasmine Massong:
I have known Jesus my whole life. At an early age, I remember sitting in church on Sundays with my grandmother as we would sing out of a book of songs and listen to praises of the blessings people had in the community. Over time my relationship with Jesus has grown, filling my life with opportunity and abundant blessings which I’m happy to share with my loved ones. I have felt most at home in the house of God and through my life I have known Jesus to be there for me. He has given me strength when I needed it most. He answers my prayers and helps me overcome hardship and grow to become better in His image. I want to follow God‘s plan and have Jesus bless my life to become the woman I set out to be.
Gilbert Moore:
I came to Jesus when I was 18 and joined the Catholic Church. I want to be baptized at First Alliance Church as I am getting more useful knowledge for my spiritual journey.
Laverne Stewart:
I was confirmed in my Saskatchewan Anglican Church at age 13. I moved to Calgary in 1987 and started attending First Alliance Church in 2000. I went to Alpha classes in the old location on Glenmore. That was where I truly came to know the Lord. Since then I have made First Alliance my home church and church family. I have also served in the kitchen with Gail since before the church was built on the new location we are now at. My favourite verse since childhood and adult years has come to be John 3:16 as well as Psalm 23.
Ping Wang:
I was atheist for more than 40 years. In 2014, a Christian couple whom I didn’t know ran into me when I walked in Fish Creek Park, and offered prayer to me. At that time, my wife and I had a difficult time to have children. So I accepted their prayer and listened (to an) introduction of Jesus. Afterward, I visited churches, attended healing sessions, read the Bible, watched hundreds of videos, talked to pastors and prophets to gain faith in Jesus and understanding of the Biblical truth. Though the Lord hasn’t answered my desire of having children, I accepted Jesus as my Saviour for the truth, the way, and the life. I look forward to His Kingdom coming very soon.
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)
Read more of Ping’s story in this weekend’s digital handout. Want to learn more about being baptized? Contact us – we’d love to talk more!
