“As you see, D’Artagnan, God is in his heaven!”
–Athos, The Three Musketeers
We see a lot of baptisms around Mars Hill, each one evidence that God is at work. Regardless of the climate and what’s going on all around us, God is working his beautiful plan.
In light of the 110 baptisms that were reported this Sunday, we invite you to pause and consider that every baptism is a momentary peek into a very personal story, an entire life that has been eternally altered by God himself. Every person you see coming out of the water is a person reborn and transformed, a new creation with a story, such as this one from Davis Green, who was baptized Sunday at Mars Hill Huntington Beach.
Mars Hill: What was your life like before Jesus?
Davis Green: Despite godly parents, I distanced myself more and more from the church. There were a few factors that contributed to my separation, but I think the greatest was the hold Satan had on me through my lustfulness. I fulfilled my lustful desires through pornography and girls, yet I still thought I was living like a Christian.
One summer my parents convinced me to go to a church youth camp. God made clear to me just how sinful I was. Unfortunately, I seemed to leave God’s grace and Jesus’ sacrifice out of the picture completely. I went home with a long list of things to change and a heavy load of guilt. Even so, I was convinced I had figured out what it meant to be a Christian.
MH: How did Jesus save you?
DG: I had never fully grasped what it meant to be saved. I never realized the fact that because of Jesus’ sacrifice, not only did I have no reason to be guilty—I could be made a holy and righteous citizen of the kingdom of God. God made this very clear to me two years later. Through friends, professors, sermons, worship sessions, and even my homework, by God’s grace, I came to a proper understanding of my sin and Jesus’ sacrifice. I fell deeply in love with Jesus, his word, his church, and his people. Now I know that Jesus saved me, that I have been made a member of his kingdom, and that for the rest of my days I will seek to live in a way that glorifies the King of all Kings.
MH: Why do you want to be baptized?
Since I have become a Christian, I have not been baptized. I was “baptized” as a baby, but I want to proclaim in front of the church now that I have my own faith, the fact that Jesus has saved me.
