take your next step with baptism.

Those who are baptized are following Jesus' example and obeying His command.

• Matthew 3:16-17: "As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. At that moment, Heaven was opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on Him. And a voice from Heaven said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.'"

• Matthew 28:18-20: "Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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.'"

Water baptism is a public declaration of three important things:

• You are a follower of Jesus Christ.

  • "Those who accepted His message were baptized." —Acts 2:41

• You are beginning a changed life in Christ.

  • "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

• You are part of a new family.

  • "So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ." —Galatians 3:26-27

Your baptism should have signified your commitment to Jesus, a new life in Him, and joining His family. If your baptism did not reflect this change, you should consider being baptized again.

We baptize anyone who understands the significance of baptism and desires to make that personal public declaration. We encourage parents to partner with our LifeKids and Student ministries to guide their children through these decisions of faith.

Throughout the New Testament, baptism is a public expression of faith and symbolizes the new life we have in Jesus. In the Bible, we see Jesus' parents dedicated Him to the Lord (Luke 2:22-40), and He was later baptized as an adult (Matthew 3:16-17).

Some churches practice "baptism of confirmation" for children, where parents make a commitment to raise their child in faith until they can make their own personal confession of Christ. However, at Life Church, we practice child dedication and believer's baptism. We hold baby dedication services several times a year. Listen for announcements to register for the next dedication service.