Baptized into Christ!

Galatians 3:27 says, "For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ."

Check out this group of Christians, freshly washed in the waters of baptism! I LOVE IT! Baptizing believers NEVER gets old. This Sacrament wrecks me to the core. In 90 days we have baptized 120 believers and dedicated close to 30 babies! Dang - just typing that fires me up! This is Acts 2 kind of stuff, happening right here in central, NC in 2009!

Notice the diversity of this group. Notice the joy of the Lord on their faces. Each individual represents a person for whom God died and rose again! Each individual represents a life truly and recently changed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

I still remember my baptism! When fully grasped, it is an event that forever marks a person.

Our culture has a tendency to be an event culture. We are encouraged to go from event to event. There is a whole discipline called "Event Marketing." The presidential campaigns of last year were run as a string of momentum building events.

Special events are important. They can mark special times for us. They can help us link the past to the future. They can solidify our memories and focus our thoughts.

However, if we live from event to event, we miss the time in between. We go from peak to peak without ever living in the valley or on the plains. Looking forward to the next event, anticipating the next big change can become addicting and a way to cope with the reality of life.

The cool thing about Baptism is that it is not just an event of the past - this Sacrament forever remains a present reality for the believer and even carries us into the future! The believers in this picture above will forever be a part of the baptized family of God! This is now a part of their identity! This event of the past will mark them in Christ all the days of their lives! I like how The Message translation puts it in Galatians 3:27:

"But now you have arrived at your destination: By faith in Christ you are in direct relationship with God. Your baptism in Christ was not just washing you up... {Past Tense} It also involved dressing you in an adult faith wardrobe—Christ's life, the fulfillment of God's original promise." {Present Tense}

What is the Bible saying? Your past baptism event gives certainty to your life fulfillment and God's promise/plan for you! Baptism marks us permanently keeps our vision clear of who we are in Christ, what we are becoming, and where we are heading!

I can't wait to see that plan and promise unfold in the lives of these believers! May heaven expand and the Kingdom advance through these believers baptized into Christ!