WATER BAPTISM
We are so excited that you are interested in being water baptised! Here you will find out what it means to be water baptised, who and why we should be baptised, when, where and how it all works. Keep reading to find out more and to sign up!
Questions about Baptism
Anyone can be baptised, the only criteria is that you accept Jesus’s message, and that you have repented of your sins.
Those who accepted his message were baptised, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.
Acts 2:41
Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:38
We can break this down into 4 easy steps:
- Realise that God has not been first in your life and ask Him to forgive your sins. The word repent, mentioned in the verse above, literally means to turn around 180 degrees. When we realise that God has not been first in our lives, we ask him to forgive us and turn our back on our sins, this is the first step.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 1:9
- Believe that Jesus died to pay for your sins and that He rose from the dead and is alive today.
“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.”
Romans 10:9-10
“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name [Jesus] under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
Acts 4:12
“We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.”
1 Thessalonians 4:14
- 3. Accept God’s free gift of salvation. Don’t try to earn it. Our relationship with God is not restored by anything we do, but on the basis of what Jesus already did for us!
“For it is by grace you are saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
- Invite Jesus Christ to come into your life and be the Lord of your life.
“To all who received him, he gave the right to become children of God. All they needed to do was to trust him to save them. All those who believe this are reborn! —not a physical rebirth resulting from human passion or plan—but from the will of God.”
John 1:12-13
You may have already prayed a similar prayer, but if you haven’t, you can take these steps by praying a simple prayer of commitment to God:
“Dear Jesus, thank you for creating me and for loving me even when I’ve ignored you and gone my own way. I realise I need you, and I’m sorry for my sins. I ask you to forgive me. Thank you for dying on the cross for me. As much as I know how, I want to follow You from now on. Please come into my life and make me a new person inside. I accept your free gift of salvation. Please help me to grow now as a child of God.”
“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Romans 10:13
The English verb “to baptise” comes from the Greek word “baptizo”, which literally means to submerge, or to fully immerse, so that's what we do! This means that when you are baptised, you are fully immersed in water, which is the way Jesus was baptised and the way the Bible describes baptism.
“At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptised by John in the Jordan. Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.”
Mark 1:9-10
Before Jesus was baptised, John the Baptist was baptising people for the repentance of sins. In Jewish culture, at the time, they had a practise as part of their purification rites called mikveh, whereby they immersed themselves in water at a significant moment in life. The action often represented a change in status with regards to purification or restoration and the purification rite qualified them for full religious participation in the life of the community. This would be one reason no one considered what John was doing to be unusual.
Priests too would often observe mikveh before they ministered to the people. It would have been understood that Jesus’s baptism prepared him for his ministry and was not a baptism of repentance. Whereas the Jews participated in mikveh several times throughout their lives, baptism by immersion only needs to take place once in our lives, and marks a significant change brought about by entering into a relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, through Jesus.
BAPTISM IS PHYSICAL
Being baptised in water is an external visible act demonstrating an internal, invisible reality rather like ‘Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.’ Colossians 1:15. Baptism is like a wedding ring. A wedding ring on someone’s finger isn’t what makes them married, but it does let everyone else know that they belong to someone, and that they are married. It’s an outward sign of a personal relationship.
Being baptised doesn’t make you a follower of Jesus, but it lets everyone else know that you are a follower of Jesus. Just as a wedding ring signifies belonging to someone, so baptism signifies our belonging. When Jesus was baptised, it was the moment God chose to publicly reveal that Jesus was His son and that He belonged to Him.
As soon as Jesus was baptised, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’
Matthew 3:16-17
BAPTISM IS SPIRITUAL
The story of the Israelites being delivered from slavery in Egypt gives us the perfect picture of one thing that happens spiritually when we are baptised. The Israelites were set free from the bondage and slavery they had experienced at the hand of the Egyptians from the moment Pharoah told them they could go. He later changed his mind and pursued them with his army to try to recapture them, but the Israelites miraculously passed through the waters of the Red Sea. Those same waters then engulfed Pharoah and his army and destroyed them forever. These waters are like the water of baptism. We experience freedom from the slavery of sin when we accept the complete work of Jesus’s death on the cross for us.
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin – because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
Romans 6:5-7
But sometimes we can still experience the enemy pursuing us and trying to recapture us. Baptism cuts us off from the enemy thinking we belong to him. Many people who are baptised say that once they have been baptised, they feel a real sense of freedom in their lives! Sadly, we still live in an imperfect world and are prone to temptation, but baptism is a powerful step of obedience and faith that helps to strengthen us.
The Bible also makes it very clear that being baptised is symbolic of death, burial and rebirth. We cannot survive for long under water and we engage with that risk (though momentarily) when we immerse ourselves completely in it – so we touch death. Water is also a part of birth as everyone is kept safe in a sac of water before they are born. The water of baptism symbolises both death and new life.
Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
Romans 6:3-4
Baptism is like a burial service. When we become a Christian we die to our old way of life, so we need to be buried. Baptism enacts this burial and the following resurrection symbolically. You are also “resurrected” as you come up out of the water again. Jesus died, was buried, and rose again, and we follow Him.
When we are baptised, we are immersed in water physically but we are also spiritually immersed in the authority of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. These were instructions given to the first disciples.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 28:19-20
We continue to follow these instructions today, using the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to cover the baptised with God’s authority. It is a bit like they wash away their old life as they go under the water and come back up dressed in a new set of clothes that give them certain privileges. Just as the uniform of the police identifies who they are and the authority they have, so our baptism identifies us with Christ and immerses us in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit which gives us authority.
By being baptised in water, you are:
- Following the example of Jesus
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptised by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, ‘I need to be baptised by you, and do you come to me?’ Jesus replied, ‘Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfil all righteousness.’ Then John consented.
Matthew 3:13-15
- Obeying what the Bible says
Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:38
- Demonstrating your changed life
Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
Romans 6:3-4
- Identifying as belonging to Christ
So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
Galatians 3:26-27
Nothing stands in the way of you being baptised! One of the first things that God asks us to do as believers is follow Jesus’ example in water baptism. For some of you, you were baptised or christened or dedicated as a child - that’s great, but that’s not when you met Jesus, that was when you met the church.
There are 27 baptisms in the New Testament alone, and every one of them were done straight after the person said yes to Jesus. People found Jesus and then were baptised, not the other way around. So that's what we practice at Featival church – if you’ve made a serious decision about following Jesus, we would encourage you to be baptised as soon as you have made that decision or any time after!
As they travelled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptised?”
Acts 8:36
You can be baptised anywhere! Some people get baptised in the sea or a river, the local swimming baths or even their own bath. It just needs to be deep enough to cover you.
At Festival Church, we have a special pool for baptisms that we fill up for a baptism service. Our baptisms usually take place as part of our normal Sunday morning service. This is a great way to be baptised as it means that you get to celebrate with your church family, and you can invite your friends and family to come and join the service too.
“Look, here is water.” Acts 8:36
Water baptisms are unique to each Festival congregation, but here is a brief guide what to expect:
- Water baptisms are part of our Sunday service.
- There will be a baptism pool filled with warm water.
- Bring dark coloured clothes that you don’t mind getting wet, and a big towel.
- We’ll ask you to share why you want to be baptised (the questions below will help you).
- You’ll get into the baptism pool with a couple of leaders from the church, who will say a few words, and then lower you back into the water until you’re fully immersed, and back up again.
- Expect some cheers and applause as everyone celebrates with you!
MY STORY/TESTIMONY TO SHARE
Take some time to write your story/testimony describing how and when you became a Christian and what has changed your life.
- What was your life like before you accepted Jesus?
- What made you realise that you needed God in your life?
- What was the moment you said yes to Jesus? When did it happen?
- What has changed in your life since making the decision to follow Jesus?
Peter replied, ‘Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:38
Children and Water Baptism
We will baptise anyone who understands and can explain what baptism symbolises and wants to declare their faith in Jesus publicly. We encourage you to go through the Water Baptism Devotional with your child(ren) to help them understand what it's all about.
Throughout the New Testament, the Bible teaches that baptism is a public expression of worship symbolising the new life we have when we follow Jesus. In the Bible we see that Jesus' parents dedicated him to the Lord (Luke 2:22–40), and he was later baptised as an adult (Matthew 3:16–17).
We understand that some churches practice “baptism of confirmation” for children. This ceremony is intended to be a commitment between the parents and God on the behalf of the child. The parents promise to raise their child in the faith until the child is old enough to make his or her own personal confession of Christ. This custom began about 300 years after the Bible was completed and is different from the biblical examples of new believers being baptised to publicly profess their faith in Jesus.
At Festival we provide opportunities for child dedication and believer's baptism. To schedule a Parent/Child Dedication, please complete the Parent/Child Dedication Registration Form.
Festival Church (England and Wales). Registered charity number 1188521.