Baptisms and Transfers—18 June 2023
On 18 June 2023, we welcomed nine members at our service. Six members joined us by baptism, and the three joined us by transfer.
Pastor Mark reminded us of Jesus' words after His resurrection and before His ascension. Jesus said in Matthew 28:18-20, "And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'"
This was what the early Christians did and Paul picked up on this theme of baptism in his letter to the Roman church. In Romans 6:3-4, Paul writes, "Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life."
Therefore in baptism, we have a beautiful symbol of death to our old self and resurrection to new life in Christ. At our service, we had the great joy and privilege of witnessing six come forward in baptism—Michael Ang, Koh Jia Hui, Daniel Lau, Kenneth Lee, Lutchie Margarejo and Samuel Teo. Each person had a chance to share their testimony in front of the church.
(From left to right) Michael, Daniel, Lutchie, Jia Hui, Samuel and Kenneth sharing their testimonies.
We were encouraged by each person's testimony as they shared about how they were once lost and rejected God, but God in His mercy and grace, pursued them. Though they all came from different backgrounds and had different experiences, they testified to God's faithfulness and grace in providing a Saviour for them in Christ. Now, they desire to be baptised to testify to the work of this God and seek to join His people in membership.
At the end of the service, Pastor Mark also presented the new members to the congregation, including those who had joined us by transfer. The church also welcomed these new members after the service, with many stopping to chat with them too. If you've not already done so, do read their testimonies, and drop them an email of welcome! Their emails are included in the booklet of testimonies that can be found here.
Our new members (from left to right): Jia Huey, Samuel, Michael, Daniel, Lutchie, Jia Hui, Alice, Kenneth. Ruth was not present that morning.
Our new members also invited friends and family that morning. If you were visiting us for the first time on Sunday, we are thankful that you came. If you'd like to find out more about GBC or about Christianity, we'd love to chat with you. You can fill in this welcome form, and a church member will be in touch with you soon.
If witnessing these baptisms prompted questions and thoughts about baptism, we'd also love to have a chat with you. You may chat with any of the elders, or write to Pastor Eugene (eugenelow@gracebaptistchurch.sg). We will also be holding our "Church Matters" class on 15 July 2023, which will go through what we believe at GBC and how you can become a member. More details (including registration information) can be found here.