Water Baptism I
April 1, 2007
It was a rather gloomy day on a Sunday morning of 1 April, but the afternoon was filled with lovely sunshine. Praise God! On this special Sunday, 26 brothers and sisters decided to be water-baptized. The ceremony was led by Brother Raymond, and there were approximately 70 brothers and sisters in Repulse Bay to witness the event. Sister Rachel led all of us to Praise and Worship God under this relaxed atmosphere.
During the testimonies session, Brother Hon Yin, Brother Chun Yin and Brother Ching Hoi from SD5 testified that before they accepted Christ as their Lord and personal savior, they had an unhappy life. They did not have peace and joy in their heart. Life was quite self-centered. Brother Ching Hoi mentioned that he could give joy to others but on the contrary, he could not experience the joy himself. It was only through Jesus did they receive the true joy and happiness. Although these brothers were weak in hearing, their testimonies and lives were powerful and we could see how great our God is and how much God loves each and every one of us. Praise God!
Brother Vincent, who is also from SD5, testified that after coming to church, he truly experienced God through authentic praise and worship. Before coming to church, although he was brought up from a Christian school, he never had the chance to get to know God personally. Through an invitation from one of our church sisters, he got to know Christ personally. Hallelujah!
Sister Esther from SD2 shared that after following God whole-heartedly, God used her to evangelize to her mom as well as to her friend. Through her life, these people got to know the Lord and got saved! We thank the Lord for His blessings upon all of them.
Following that, Brother Allen explained the meaning of water baptism and presented the certificates to the 26 new lives. According to the Bible, every Christian has to be baptized. Water baptism symbolizes the beginning of a new Christian life. The 26 brothers and sisters, accompanied by their shepherds, went into the water to be baptized by Brother Michael and Brother Allen. Everyone stayed until the end of the ceremony before making their way home on this special occasion.
Water baptism is a dedication to follow the Lord and to be His disciple. It also symbolizes our death, burial and resurrection in Christ. It is stated in the Bible that, “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” (Romans 6:4)”.
Praise God for the new creations.May the Lord continue to equip each and everyone of us to bring changes to the world !
