Do we ever get to go to the Junior High / High School service?

That is very good question! And the simple answer is no. The way our church is set up, we have specific lesson plans for each of the different age groups designed to grow you as Christ Followers at a level you can understand. In addition, we try and keep all of you that are the same age or close to the same age together so that you can relate to each other as friends.

The only time we leave T.R.A.C.K. and go to Big Church is during Baptisms or if we have a Family Service and there is no T.R.A.C.K. We do a fun service in the summer, though, where the little kids, from Kid’s Kingdom, come and visit us and we play games outside and eat popsicles. But, other than that, we stay with T.R.A.C.K., learn some awesome lessons, and get to sing cool worship songs!

What’s an easy way to explain baptism?

That is very good question! Baptism is simply the symbolic way of demonstrating to friends and family that you have accepted Jesus Christ into your heart as your Lord and Savior. It is a ceremony that imitates symbolically what John the Baptist did to Jesus when he baptized Jesus in the Jordan River. It represents the “washing away” of your sins and compares it to the burial of Jesus’ death when He died on the cross and took the sin of the world on Himself. Then, when you are lifted from the water, it represents Jesus’ resurrection and His overcoming of sin and death. That’s why we declare that you are to “rise again and walk in the newness of life,” because through the power of Jesus’ death and resurrection, you are forgiven and given eternal life with Him in Heaven! Pretty cool, huh?

There are many people who believe that baptism is absolutely necessary for salvation, which, in turn, gets you into Heaven. They often quote the Apostle Peter in Acts 2:38, “repent and be baptized,” as evidence that asking Jesus into your heart plus baptism results in salvation. Well guess what? Scripture clearly doesn’t support that view.

For example, when the thief on the cross placed his faith in Christ, Jesus said to him, “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43), even though the dying thief had no chance of being baptized. Jesus assured the thief he would go to Heaven. The book of Acts demonstrates that baptism is a sign of becoming a Christ Follower, but not the way we become a Christ Follower.

When the jailer asked the Apostle Paul, “what must I do to be saved?” Paul responded, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:30-31) He didn’t say anything about having to be baptized.

Baptism isn’t the way we’re saved. It is merely the symbolic way we show our friends that we’ve turned away from our sin and have asked Jesus into our life. It’s a symbolic gesture to show everyone that we’re no longer our own – that we’ve been adopted into the family of Christ.

Why do we get baptized?

That is a very awesome question! First off, let me just say - because sometimes folks are confused by this - that you do not need to be baptized in order to be saved or to have a personal relationship with Jesus. Being saved is a decision you make by admitting you are a sinner, believing Jesus is who He says He is and choosing to accept Jesus into your heart.

Baptisms are a very public and symbolic way of sharing with others your decision to accept Jesus as your Savior and to follow him with your life and heart. The practice of baptizing people with water was first shown in the Book of Matthew, the first book in the New Testament. In Chapter 3, we get introduced to a very strangely described person named John the Baptist. He is really a different kind of person in the way he dresses and in the stuff he eats! But, he is baptizing people in the River Jordan. He says it’s for repentance of their sins. (At the end of that chapter, he baptizes Jesus, who while sinless, gives us a model we follow!)

In the Book of Acts, the fifth book of the New Testament, Peter (one of Jesus’ original disciples) commands us to, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” (Acts 2:38)

Again, we see that the act of baptism is a symbolic way to repent by “washing away your sins” and then rising again (just like Jesus did when He was resurrected) and walking in the newness of life that Jesus has to offer. Very cool - no doubt!

If you are not baptized, will God treat you different from those who are baptized?

Great question! The answer is God will not treat you differently from those who are baptized. The important thing is that you are saved, which means that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Savior and have turned away from your sins.

Do you remember the part in the New Testament, in the Book of Luke, Chapter 23 where Jesus is crucified and there are two criminals that are also crucified with Him? One of the criminals mocks Jesus and says to Him, “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!” (Verse 39)

But, the other criminal rebukes the first criminal, which means he sternly disapproved of what he said. Instead this criminal says to his former partner-in-crime, “Don’t you fear God since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But, this man (referring to Jesus) has done nothing wrong!” (Verse 40-41)

Then this criminal turns to Jesus and says to Him, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” And Jesus says to him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise (Heaven).” (Verse 42-43)

This criminal wasn’t even baptized and he got to go to Heaven because he believed that Jesus was the Son of God. So, you see, it’s not about being baptized; it’s about believing that Jesus is who He says He is and then turning from your sins and choosing to follow Him.

Baptism is merely a symbolic way of showing everyone publicly that you have chosen to accept Jesus. It is simply a step of obedience to the Lord following your repentance and confession of sin.

God looks at your heart not what you do. If people make baptism a requirement for God to treat you differently from those who aren’t, then they are adding another requirements to salvation by grace. Remember, the Bible says, “For it is by grace you have been saved…through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is a gift of God not by works so no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9) Adding anything to the work on the cross demeans Jesus’ sacrifice for us.