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Baptism

lutherangirl

lutherangirl

Member
Real Person
Female
I'm not so good at testismonies, I'm really stepping out of my comfort zone to share this, so here it goes.

I have been reading Dr. Ray's teachings on Holy Baptism and decided it was time to get re-baptized. I was baptized as a baby in the Lutheran church and confirmed in eighth grade, but wasn't leading a very obediant life. I actually had a fear of getting a full submersion baptism, because I saw one performed in a Baptist church when I was nine-years-old that freaked me out. My sixteen-year-old neighbor, who invited me to church that day, was getting baptized. The preacher started howling and hooting and holding her under the water so long, I thought he went mad and was trying to drowned her. I keep thinking that is not how we baptize people in the Lutheran church.

Well, after praying and doing so more reading of Dr. Ray's teachings, I decided to partake in, what I call to ease my fears, "the dunking party." My uncle who is a missionary in Honduras was visiting our family and was able to perform the baptism. Before he "dunked" me he asked for my confession. My parents got to hear my confession about how sorry I was for disobeying them and how sorry I was for hurting the people I loved most in my life. My parents were actually in tears, too.

So, June 2nd on a very chilly Michigan morning in a freezing lake at a Michigan Christian Camp, I was re-baptized. The funny thing is I was warm all over despite the fact of the weather conditions. I felt such so much peace, all the guilt that I was carrying inside for all these years went away, and I wasn't afraid of full-submersion baptism anymore. It was truly a blessed day from the Lord!

Dr. Ray and his wife have been praying for me along my path back to obey the Lord. In addition, Dr. Ray has been working with me on learning to speak properly. My tongue does so cause lots of problems, refere to James 3. I tell him he is like Professor Higgins, and I'm like Eliza Doolittle (characters from the movie My Fair Lady). :D

In Christian Love,
Michelle
Michelle
 
A wonderful testimony! My mother baptized someone in freezing water once too... the Mediterainian. It went a little differently than yours. She doesn't do too well with cold. When he came up she was already running out of the water. :lol:
 
Greetings Michelle,

Very nice encouraging account of your baptism. It's great to see you are learning and growing powerfully in the LORD. Baptism is good big step of public confession. I know Michigan is not Israel, but still, we can think of your dip in the chilly waters as your own little dip in the Sea of Galilee. Nice to meet you.

Blessings & shalom in Yeshua,
Todd
 
Congratulations, Michelle. Big step.

For the record, I've had no problem with those of your posts I've seen, and in fact have been wondering where you'd gotten to, missing them. Welcome back.
 
Sadan,

I think my uncle was as cold as the way you described that your mother was while performing water baptisms :lol: , especially because he is use to a much warmer climate then Michigan.

Todd,

Nice to meet you. I was wondering in the Sea of Galillee was warm or cold. Thanks for shedding light on that question. How about the Jordan River? That is where my uncle was rebaptized. :)

Cecil,

I'm glad somebody missed my posts. I enjoy yours as well. You men folk are really in depth in your knowledge of the Bible, so I sometimes have to stay out of the higher educated discussions. :D

God's Blessings,
Michelle
 
Michelle,

One of my best professors ever used to say, "The only dumb question is the one you DON'T ask!"

Please don't refrain. All us erudite sounding men are just your brothers. And since we don't get to shoot off guns, or compare the horsepower of our cars in here, we like to use big words. :lol:

But we (well, I anyway) like even better to then turn around and explain our high falutin' ideas, once we got 'em straight in our convoluted heads. :ugeek:

So fire away. Please. :)
 
Cecil,

It just occured to me reading your post that this smiley, :ugeek:, kinda resembles your picture. :D

Michelle
 
And RIGHTLY SO!

I happily lay claim to being an ubergeek. If you could see me now, you would notice that I'm wearing my normal "uniform" of (more or less) dress slacks, island or beach print shirt, and have said shirt's pocket stuffed with pens, a small ruler, and a small notebook.

I like to read everything from Dilbert to Ayn Rand (and especially God stuff), build houses and fireplaces out of dirt and/or triangles, ski on water (frozen or not), play music on most anything that makes an identifiable tone, hang out with those weird "pligs", eat weird (vegetarian) ethnic food, and drive cross country. Preferably all with family and friends -- the more the better.

Yup. Ubergeeks'R'Us! :ugeek: :lol:

Huh! I notice that programming computers, by which I earn our living, somehow didn't make the list... :?
 
Cecil,

I didn't realize that the smilies had names. I just thought the the shades and goatee looked like your picture. :ugeek: I was just meaning looks only not applying that you were a "urpgeek" or whatever. :D

Michelle
 
Shabbat shalom,

Thanks for your kind reply. I'm sorry I can't vouch for the temp of Lake of Tiberias (Galilee) or the Yarden (Jordan) from my own having been there. Not yet. In God's time and provision. Nothing unusual about seasonal temp of the waters though. The strange one is the Dead (Salt)Sea there at the end of the Yarden. Look forward to talking with you more.

Hesed in Yeshua,
Todd :)
 
Michelle,
I was very touched by this testimony! May you keep that peace always until He comes...

no more fear, with fear is condemnation but
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." Romans 8:1,2

I know you know this.

Blessings in Yeshua,
Beta
 
lutherangirl said:
I didn't realize that the smilies had names. I just thought the the shades and goatee looked like your picture. :ugeek: I was just meaning looks only not applying that you were a "urpgeek" or whatever. :D Michelle
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No problem. I didn't think you did. But it was just too good to pass up and not have some fun with. ;)
 
When visiting my sister in Michigan, we went to the beach on Lake Michigan near Holland Mi. It didn't matter that it was not winter. That water was cold! Being baptised in the river Jordan or the sea of Galilee must have been better.
 
I haven't posted much on any of the forums, but I wanted to comment. Thanks for sharing this testimony. I was raised in the Lutheran Church as well and was rebaptized in immersion when I was in high school--as a sign to the world that I had repented of my sins and wanted to follow Jesus the rest of my life. This is what I see the Scriptures teach. Once a person accepts Christ (sometime after the "age of accountability" as some people call it), they should follow the Lord's command to be baptized, and immersion seems to be the way it was done in the New Testament and also holds the symbolism of having a changed life that is totally surrendered to God. I was baptized inside a church in a baptistry, but I've been involved in two baptisms in the river. One was a cousin of mine who got baptized, and the other was one where I was doing the baptizing. I'm glad you followed through with your convictions.
 
Dreamer,

Welcome to the site. Are you currently attending a Lutheran Church? What synod do/did you belong too? After your "immersion" baptism do you feel like a new creation in the Lord?

Michelle
 
Michelle,
All of my family is Lutheran. I belonged to the Missouri-Synod. I have since joined a Pentecostal church. I love all Christians, no matter what their church affiliation. I like to think of myself as something like a generic Christian. Being baptized was important to me, because I wanted to obey Christ's command to be baptized. The sprinkling as an infant just isn't the same as a confession of faith once you know and believe in God.
 
In the early 70's I was holding a service at a rest home in Trenton, Nebraska. After the service, a nurse told me there was a man that was bed-ridden and feared that he was going to die. She asked if I would talk to him, there was nothing wrong with him. When I saw him, I felt he knew something the nurse didn't. When we spoke, he told me he had been raised in a Lutheran church, gone through catechisim, but had not been baptized. He was afraid to die without being baptized. I took him to the scriptures and showed him how Christ died for him and rose to give new, eternal life. When we prayed, he, after me, accepting Christ Jesus as savior, tears ran down his hollow cheeks. After we prayed, the fear in his eyes was replaced with joy. I asked him,"If you were to die now, where would you go?" and he replied, "Heaven". I asked, "How do you know?". He reached a bony finger to my Bible and said, "Because that says so." Nine days later, he was ushered into eternity. I am glad his early training and his recent opportunity all paid off. God is good!
 
dreamer said:
Michelle,
All of my family is Lutheran. I belonged to the Missouri-Synod. I have since joined a Pentecostal church. I love all Christians, no matter what their church affiliation. I like to think of myself as something like a generic Christian. Being baptized was important to me, because I wanted to obey Christ's command to be baptized. The sprinkling as an infant just isn't the same as a confession of faith once you know and believe in God.
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I belong to the Missouri-Synod. Do you still believe in young adults in 7th and 8th grade going through catechism classes being taught about baptism, the Lord's Supper, and confession their faith on confirmation day?
 
John Whitten said:
In the early 70's I was holding a service at a rest home in Trenton, Nebraska. After the service, a nurse told me there was a man that was bed-ridden and feared that he was going to die. She asked if I would talk to him, there was nothing wrong with him. When I saw him, I felt he knew something the nurse didn't. When we spoke, he told me he had been raised in a Lutheran church, gone through catechisim, but had not been baptized. He was afraid to die without being baptized. I took him to the scriptures and showed him how Christ died for him and rose to give new, eternal life. When we prayed, he, after me, accepting Christ Jesus as savior, tears ran down his hollow cheeks. After we prayed, the fear in his eyes was replaced with joy. I asked him,"If you were to die now, where would you go?" and he replied, "Heaven". I asked, "How do you know?". He reached a bony finger to my Bible and said, "Because that says so." Nine days later, he was ushered into eternity. I am glad his early training and his recent opportunity all paid off. God is good!
Click to expand...

John,

I love your quote "his early training and his recent opportunity". I feel even if parents are baby Christians in the Lord when they have children, they lest than can do is lay the basic foundation by bringing their children to church. I've met so many people who never where brought to church not even once in their lives. In Amercia, where there is a church on almost every corner in the city, and these people never once attended or, had a Chrisitan offer to take them, is even worse!

What wonderful comfort and assurance you provided for this man through the words of our Savior. "God is good!" Indeed!

Michelle
 
Regarding confirmation, Bible training is always good at any age. And it is good to know what you believe, including the doctrines of whatever church group you belong to. The classes I took were helpful, but the ceremony itself did not hold any spiritual meaning for me, personally. It was more like a school graduation. For others maybe it was a special time in the Lord, but I didn't see that learning a bunch of head knowledge made me that much closer to God. I don't knock those who promote catechism classes and support confirmation, but for me, it wasn't a very spiritual thing--unlike baptism and communion, which are both commanded in Scripture and to me are very spiritual activities.
 
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