Last weekend was Easter (4/4/10) and probably an Easter I’ll never forget. I grew up in a household in which my parents were not Christians. Yet they still allowed me to attend church with my neighbors. On July 11, 2002, about a year after I began attending church, I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior and have been pursuing Him ever since. A lot has happened in my life since then. I’ve been really involved with church, different ministries, attending many Christian events and conferences, and sharing my faith with others for the past 8 years.

Despite all this, I had never followed through with the first act of obedience that Christ calls us to, in being baptized (Matt. 28:19; Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38). After accepting Christ at Crossroads Worldwide Summer Camp, I told my parents about my decision to follow Christ and they simply did not understand. I asked them if I could be baptized and they said ‘No.’ They believed baptism would be my lifetime commitment to the church. In some sense, that part had already taken place in my heart, I had already made a commitment to follow after Christ and build His Church on Earth. I decided to honor and respect my parent’s decision and not be baptized.

As the years went on, I honestly forgot about it. I am now 21, and over the past year God had really been pressing on my heart to get it done, be baptized! I did not know when or where I wanted it to be done. I wanted to be baptized with my sister and for my friends and parents to be there. Eventually, I realized: I was putting an act of obedience to God into a box and making it about me.

On Easter Sunday this year, I attended The Summit Church, where I attend when I am home from school. I love this church and it’s vision to reach others and the world. For Easter, Summit was doing baptisms on the spot, all day long. Pastor J.D. Greear’s message was the testimony of the first African to become a believer (Acts 8:25-40). At the end of the African’s testimony, the African accepted Christ and was baptized immediately. So at the end of J.D.’s message, he called for everyone who hadn’t been baptized to come forth and be baptized. It doesn’t matter if you accepted Christ 5 seconds ago or 20 years ago. The first act of obedience is to be baptized. It is seen throughout scripture and especially in the book of Acts. Whenever there is conversion, there is baptism almost immediately. God impressed on my heart to do so. Wrecking whatever I had planned to do for me being baptized. I was so joyful and on the verge of tears at first, because I had waited so long for the moment to be baptized and it had come! I went up front and went outside to be baptized (Summit provided an extra set of clothes to be baptized in and a towel!). It felt great being dunked that day! It was a great day to be baptized on too, as I celebrated and remembered what Jesus Christ did for me. Dying on the cross for our sins, raising from the grave and conquering death, then being lifted to heaven giving us hope!

What acts of obedience to God are we trying to make convenient to ourselves?

The testimony of the first African believer:
Acts 8:25-40
An Ethiopian Receives Christ

25 So, when they had solemnly testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they started back toJerusalem, and were preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans. 26 But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, ”Get up and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalemto Gaza.” (This is a desert road. ) 27 So he got up and went ; and there was an Ethiopianeunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure; and he had come to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, ”Go up and join this chariot.”30 Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand whatyou are reading ?” 31 And he said, ”Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” And heinvited Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 Now the passage of Scripture which he was readingwas this : “HE WAS LED AS A SHEEP TO SLAUGHTER ; AND AS A LAMB BEFORE ITSSHEARER IS SILENT, SO HE DOES NOT OPEN HIS MOUTH. 33 ”IN HUMILIATION HISJUDGMENT WAS TAKEN AWAY ; WHO WILL RELATE HIS GENERATION ? FOR HIS LIFE ISREMOVED FROM THE EARTH.” 34 The eunuch answered Philip and said, ”Please tell me, ofwhom does the prophet say this ? Of himself or of someone else ?” 35 Then Philip opened hismouth, and beginning from this Scripture he preached Jesus to him. 36 As they went along theroad they came to some water ; and the eunuch said, ”Look ! Water ! What prevents me from being baptized ?” 37 [And Philip said, "If you believe with all your heart, you may." And heanswered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."] 38 And he ordered the chariotto stop ; and they both went down into the water, Philip as well as the eunuch, and he baptizedhim. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away ; and theeunuch no longer saw him, but went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he kept preaching the gospel to all the cities until he came toCaesarea.