By Dan Edmonson (Church Administrator)

What do we believe?

Baptism is immersion into water following a personal profession of faith in Jesus Christ done in response to the grace of God. It is a prerequisite to the privileges of membership at Living Hope Baptist Church.

 Why do we believe this?

1 Corinthians 1:13-17 – Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

 Why does it matter?

To really understand this prerequisite we must understand the biblical meaning of faith. It is an action; it leads to actions born out of our love for Christ and what He has done for us. When we capture that thought and apply it into our lives we will in essence be yielding to the authority of the Holy Spirit. The spirit will guide us and direct us into proper responses in all areas of our lives. This is vital in our walk as we know that Satan is prowling around looking for whom he may devour. This yielding will also lead to a natural desire of obedience to God’s word and to the symbolic action of baptism. That visible act of submission/obedience (baptism) allows us to profess publicly to others what Christ has done for us and is an awesome picture that we can always reflect on that will show us the power of His grace. Pray today that God works in your heart in an even greater way to lead you to submission to His Spirit and a closer, more defined walk with Him.

Breakfast, Baptisms and New Brothers & Sisters!

Before we left for the day, we spent more time with our brothers encouraging them in their faith and letting them know how much we appreciated our time in the village with them.  It is truly amazing to see them share their faith and also their dedication in serving the Lord everyday.”


Blake 

By Todd Crosby (Deacon)

What do we believe?
Baptism is immersion into water following a personal profession of faith in Jesus Christ done in response to the grace of God.

Why do we believe this?

Acts 8:35-38 – Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him.

Why does it matter?

What should prevent anyone from being baptized or who should be baptized? These were some of the important questions being asked during the Protestant Reformation. At that time, there were three parties involved. There was the Roman Catholic Church, the magisterial reformers such as Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox, Ulrich Zwingli, and a third group called the radical (root) reformers.  These radical reformers were also known as the Anabaptists (“again baptizers”). From this group came the Mennonites and the Amish. We Baptists are a hybrid of the second and third groups. One thing we have in common with the Anabaptist is their belief in believer’s baptism. They believed that the root of the problem was the union of the church and the state, which led to the law stating that infants were to be baptized. They were breaking that law by re-baptizing people whom had already been baptized. They believed in a church of believers who were only baptized after making a believable profession of faith. Many Anabaptists were martyred for this belief by being drowned, a way of mocking their position.

The question still remains who should be baptized? As always we should look no further than our source of authority, Holy Scripture. In the Bible the only people we see being baptized are people like the Ethiopian eunuch, the people at Pentecost (Acts 2:41), the people Phillip evangelized in Samaria (Acts 8:12), Paul (Acts 9:18), Lydia (Acts 16:15), and etc. To summarize, we see only people who have made a believable profession of faith being baptized. These are the ones to whom the ordinance of baptism should be applied.  What is also interesting within the pages of scripture is that of all the people who did make a profession of faith, all followed through with baptism. You will not read of any unbaptized believers.

Two important questions are worth pondering as you consider this doctrine today. What are some dangers in applying baptism to someone who has not made a believable profession of faith? If you have made a profession of faith and are truly saved then what is stopping you from being baptized?

From Blake:

By Bill Starr (Elder)

What do we believe?

Baptism is immersion into water following a personal profession of faith in Jesus Christ done in response to the grace of God.

Why do we believe this?

Matthew 28:19-20 – Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

 Why does it matter?

Baptism is a requirement for church membership at Living Hope. The reason for this is that the New Testament makes baptism a normative part of becoming a Christian. Notice that Jesus said “make disciples, baptizing them”. We see the early church doing this in Acts 2:41 where following Peter’s first sermon it says “those who received his word were baptized”. In Romans 6:1-3, Paul is writing to the church in Rome that he has never visited and he assumes that all of the Christians have been baptized –“…do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?” Paul believes that all of the believers in Rome know what baptism is and have been baptized so that he is able to appeal to the meaning of that baptism as a basis of his instruction to Christians.

We believe the Bible clearly teaches that the mode of baptism is immersion. The Greek word translated “baptize” means to dip, plunge, or immerse. This is the common understanding of the word in Greek literature inside and outside the Bible. We can also see that immersion makes the most sense when we look at the account of Jesus’ baptism by John (Mark 1:5) and the baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch by Philip (Acts8:38-39). Immersion also gives the clearest picture of baptism – a visual representation of our being buried in Christ and raised to new life. Though baptism does not have any salvific merit, it does portray visibly what has already transpired internally during our conversion.

Look at what Jesus says – “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me”. Jesus has the absolute right and the power to do as he pleases in heaven and earth. No power on earth can frustrate the will of Jesus when he exerts his power to achieve it.

This is how we can confidently go forth and make disciples. We are to do this in all nations and into all the people groups because the authority of Christ extends over the whole earth.  To be a disciple is to die to self and follow Christ in newness of life. Baptism is the symbolic act of that conversion experience where I cross over from being dead to being alive, from enemy of God to child of God, from acting as my own king to serving the one true King, from running and hiding from my Creator to returning to the One who made me. Baptism signifies in an outward way what it means to be a disciple – death to self- reliance and a new life of faith following Jesus.

If you are a follower of Jesus and you have not been baptized, what is keeping you from taking this step to publically identify with Him?

This is a post from one of the missionaries:

“Please be in prayer for a team of 3 men who are here this week. These 3 men are from Kentucky & Illinois & are here serving alongside us in various villages. They are starting the week in village “N.D.” where they will be investing in the lives of 7 new believers. Next, they will head to Ayorou for 2 days to encourage & strengthen our brothers & sisters there. They will then head down to Boubon to meet with Sam* while also doing a “labor of love” & begin moving some items into the Fox’s new house!! On their last day of ministry, they will head back across the river & up to village “KK” to meet with David* for a time of discipleship.

We are VERY excited that these 3 men are here. This is not a “traditional” trip where their time is focused on one village. These are just dear friends of ours (one a long time friend & now 2 new friends) that wanted to come, do life with us & invest their lives into the Songhai. We are so grateful for them & their willingness to serve.

Please pray for them this week as they travel many roads & miles. Pray for their time with each believer – that it would strengthen & encourage everyone mutually, that the times would be uninterrupted, that each believer would grow in boldness & wisdom & that God would add many to their numbers. Pray for the health of the team as the temperatures are high this time of year! Pray for God’s name to go forth & for His sheep to hear His voice!”

By Jason Pettus

What do we believe?

We believe that baptism is a public identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

Why do we believe this?

Mark 1:9-11 – In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

Why does it matter?
Baptism is the beautiful way a believer first announces their commitment and faith in Christ. It is an ordinance of the church. By being immersed in the midst of the gathering of a local church, a person communicates that their old life is gone and that they now have a new life in Christ.

Each part of the baptism experience celebrates the work of God.

Profession of faith in Christ before going beneath the water celebrates the truth of the Gospel and the hope of all believers. It is not by being taken under the water that a person is saved. It is by faith in Jesus that a person is saved. In claiming Christ as savior, the person being baptized is clarifying that they have done nothing to save themselves. They have simply believed and have been made a child of God through faith in Jesus.

By going under the water, a believer announces that their old life was done away with when they believed on Jesus for salvation. Going under the water is a picture of going down in death. The old life of a new believer is gone and Jesus makes the redeemed new in Him.

By being under the water, a believer announces that they have been washed clean. Their sin has been forgiven. They have been filled with the Holy Spirit. They have been made holy by faith in Jesus.

My coming up out of the water, a believer announces that they have been raised up to live a new life guided by the Holy Spirit. Their life is now lived in the resurrection power of Jesus for the purpose and glory of God.

The group of three are there safe and sound.  Be in prayer for them as the start to be on mission in this area of the world.

Today, Niger is the focus for Operation World.

By Matt Haste

What do we believe?

We believe that baptism is a public identification with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.

Why do we believe this?

Romans 6:3-4 – Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

Why does it matter?

God commands believers to be baptized because He wants us to publicly identify with Jesus. Faith is, by its very nature, a personal thing. But the Bible never teaches that it is to remain private. Baptism is one way that God has commanded for us to tell others about our faith.

Public identifications are important in our world. Like many of you probably do, I wear a wedding band. My wife gave it to me on the day that we committed ourselves to one another in marriage. The band itself has no magical qualities. Sometimes I take it off when I am working or washing my hands. In those moments, I do not return to bachelorhood. The ring itself has no power. It doesn’t make me a husband. It announces that I am. It publicly identifies me as a husband who is committed to faithfully loving his wife.

Baptism is similarly significant. It does not transform you into something that you are not. Instead, it tells others who you are and, more importantly, Who you are committed to in this life. Have you ever thought about baptism in this way? How does this truth make baptism more significant to you?

Pray for Pastor Jason to continue doing an awesome job communicating the church’s doctrine.  Pray that he is Holy Spirit empowered as he preaches.