If you’re baptized, then you are God’s servant!
In other words, all Christians, born of water and the Spirit, are servants of the living God, just as Peter, Paul, James, and all the others, were.
This reflection is the first of the four-part sermon series. What we will do, however, in the next lines is first to reflect on the Great Commission, and how each of the four Gospels states it. Then, we will discuss baptism in the Bible, primarily based on the Jewish tradition. Last, we will look at what being baptized means in relation to our calling.
The Great Commission
As of when I am writing this article, we are just a little bit over one week after Easter, the celebration of the Risen Lord from the dead.
According to the Gospels, it was after His resurrection that Jesus gave the disciples the Great Commission.
Here is how it reads based on each Gospel:
Go and make disciples
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Matthew 28:19-20.
Go and proclaim the Gospel
He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. Mark 16:15-16.
I am sending you as the Father has sent me
Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. John 20:21-22.
Notice that I did not mention what part of Luke talks about the commission. That’s because what you read is that, according to Luke, Jesus asks the disciples to stay in the city (Jerusalem), and wait for the promise of the Holy Spirit (see Luke 24:49, and Acts 1:8).
There is no clear mission, but rather an order to wait for God’s promise, which was the fulfillment of prophecy from Joel 2:28-29. You can read it on your own, and everything came to be, which you also read about Acts 2 (Pentecost Day).
What’s so special about the Great Commission, throughout the four gospels, is that baptism is at the core of it, especially when it comes to Matthew 28 and Mark 16.
Christ orders the disciples to baptize those who will believe their message about God’s Kingdom. Therefore, baptism clearly plays such a very essential role in the Great Commission, but how so?
Baptism in the Bible
Baptism, as we know of it today, involves the use of water.
According to the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), John the Baptist, used water as part of sharing his message about the coming of Christ.
You see it when you read Matthew 3:11,
I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
When John baptized people, he helped them understand that what he was doing was different from what they knew.
As stated above, it was about preparing for the way of the One who would baptize us with the Holy Spirit and fire.
The Israelites were familiar with the use of water. And, it was used following what Moses had given the people of Israel. There were two major purposes when it came to the use of water:
- Ritual purification (tvilah). This is an act of immersion in naturally sourced water (primarily a river).
- Initiation of new converts into Judaism (this practice starting sometime after the Babylonian captivity).
The Significance of Baptism Today
As stated above, baptism is a component of the Great Commission. Both Matthew 28 and Mark 16 talk about it.
There are two things that come with the ministry of the baptized, and which you come across in the gospels and Acts 1: mission and promise.
In addition to the restoration back to life and initiation into God’s family through baptism, God also gives us a mission and a promise.
The mission consists of the following:
- Making disciples.
- Teaching all we have learned and continue to learn from God and God’s word.
- Proclaim the Gospel of Christ.
- Heal others.
The promise is that
- God has filled us with the Holy Spirit through the baptism of water and the Spirit.
- God has equipped us with the power to heal (spiritually, mentally, and physically), and do other wonders (miracles) in His name.
- God is with us until the end.
Bringing it Altogether
You’re baptized, then God has called you to serve God who has given a mission to run with, and a promise to keep. You are God’s servant, and if you want to know how to serve, choose to believe that God is with you through the Holy Spirit. Know that God will lead you and show you the most excellent way to serve God.
