A Couple's Baptism

Three weeks ago, I was invited by the trainee sisters to visit a family in Sikanderpur. As we went to visit this family, we came to know more about the real situation of the couple. The husband is Polio infected and is a differently-abled person and the wife is in her 7-8 month of pregnancy. They both just lost their jobs and are in great financial need. 

Well, leaving aside the human care for a while, we preached the gospel and led them to the Lord right away as they themselves confessed that they have been seeking a Christian fellowship in Gurugram as they have a very good feeling about the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, they were seeking miraculous healing of the husband's physical disability, that was one reason that drove them to the Lord. Though their initial intention was for physical healing, we made it clear to them that most importantly all men need spiritual healing. Therefore, we preached the gospel, we read through The Mystery of Human Life and they were led to receive the Lord in prayer.

The following week, a home meeting was held in their home, and last Lord's day they came to attend the meeting at the meeting hall. As they were in the meeting hall, I sensed the need to fellowship with them. Therefore, I skipped two Lord's day afternoon meetings just to spend time with this couple, together with a few other saints. Since they were very new, I felt the need to share testimonies of salvation and baptism. I requested a brother and a sister to share their testimonies; how they got saved and how and when they got baptized. Their testimonies were so real and living that the gospel message was made clear through living testimonies. Then I felt the need to clarify the complete truth about salvation and also baptism. Using the testimonies as my base, I developed further on the need for a proper baptism, explaining briefly the significance of baptism.

Deep within me, I had no intention to talk about baptism for at least two reasons. Firstly, they were very new. And it was also their first visit. Secondly, they were both physically challenged. The husband was differently-abled due to Polio and the wife was in her peak pregnancy. But as we fellowshipped on the word of God concerning believing and baptism, the light of the Lord shone on me not to withhold any truth just because of the outward condition. I must be faithful to the word of God and teach the truth completely and faithfully. If new believers decided to receive the Lord and be baptized who am I to stop sinners from coming to the Lord Jesus Christ? So I spoke by faith and gave them the choice, to exercise their own free will. To my surprise, they both agreed and decided to take baptism right away. They even said that their hearts are already opened to the Lord Jesus Christ and they would do anything needful to receive and experience the Lord. 

Thank God, I was defeated in my concept of when to be baptized. The Bible is supreme, "Believe and be baptized and you shall be saved." (Mark 16:16). Therefore, the saints sprang into action to prepare for water baptism. After we all prayed for the couple, they also prayed on their own and both of them were baptized!

Right after the baptism, it was time for the Young People Gospel meeting. Therefore, they also joined the gospel meeting on "Facing Persecution". Perhaps, the Lord is preparing them for any persecution that may come their way because of their faith in Christ. 

This baptism is a special lesson to me as I was about to apply my human concept of "waiting." In fact, the Lord's timing is the best. If anyone believes, he must also be baptized! There are many human concepts creeping in even among Christians that the new ones should wait for the proper time, wait for the proper understanding of the Bible or Christ or the Christian life, and wait until so-called "works of the Holy Spirit" are manifested, and so on and so forth. I myself am one of the propagators of such "waiting-gospel" neglecting the authority of the Bible. Thank God, I could bypass my human thought and concept! Thank God for the word of God that made my understanding crystal clear!

Praise the Lord for this couple's testimony of baptism! A real-life lesson to me!