Kuala Lumpur December 2018 “Would you like to be baptised …. again?”
01/12/18 04:13
Let me start by saying that you need to be baptised more than once. This is an event to be taken seriously not an act that requires reconfirmation by the participant every year or two. As readers of my blog might know I have been baptised twice before. The first time was in 2014, an event that coincided with the death of my Mother so my mind was most certainly elsewhere that evening. The second time was in Israel last year and I had hoped for some sort of 'special event' happening like emerging from the water and speaking in tongues but nothing like that happened. So why go through this a third time you might well ask?
At our house in KL we have a 'baptism pool'. It looks like any other portable swimming pool but we only set it up for baptisms that my wife and friends carry out. There is nothing biblically wrong in this, the Bible is clear you don't have to be a Minister to perform a baptism so every month or two I set up the pool and two or three people are baptised (meaning immersed in water) and sometimes interesting events occur. Whilst I have not been present for those I have seen videos where it looks like people are being set free from 'demons' and speak in tongues after being baptised. I am not sure whether the former is the reason my wife wanted me to go through it again but she certainly wishes that I could speak the 'heavenly language'. I have always said that if God wants me to communicate with him in that way then he would give me that gift however I don't think he has so far.
We have three people wanting to be baptised and my wife suggests that I should be the fourth. Well I'm not going to say no, it's not a big deal (for me) and a dip in the pool would be great on a hot day so I agreed. But maybe I'm not taking this too seriously but come the morning of the event I am having second thoughts. It doesn't feel right to be doing this again for a third time. To me it was like saying my previous baptisms were faulty in some way even though I took both seriously so I told Yani that I would not be taking part and would be an onlooker as usual. I felt bad about changing my mind but there was no point in me going through it again whereas it was important that the other three did so.
The format is that those getting baptised and their friends join in some worship songs, then the meaning of the gospel is explained followed by a one to one session where the participant goes through repentance of past sins and after that you get to go to the pool which I have filled with water. (That's my job, Pool Manager).
[To be completed]
At our house in KL we have a 'baptism pool'. It looks like any other portable swimming pool but we only set it up for baptisms that my wife and friends carry out. There is nothing biblically wrong in this, the Bible is clear you don't have to be a Minister to perform a baptism so every month or two I set up the pool and two or three people are baptised (meaning immersed in water) and sometimes interesting events occur. Whilst I have not been present for those I have seen videos where it looks like people are being set free from 'demons' and speak in tongues after being baptised. I am not sure whether the former is the reason my wife wanted me to go through it again but she certainly wishes that I could speak the 'heavenly language'. I have always said that if God wants me to communicate with him in that way then he would give me that gift however I don't think he has so far.
We have three people wanting to be baptised and my wife suggests that I should be the fourth. Well I'm not going to say no, it's not a big deal (for me) and a dip in the pool would be great on a hot day so I agreed. But maybe I'm not taking this too seriously but come the morning of the event I am having second thoughts. It doesn't feel right to be doing this again for a third time. To me it was like saying my previous baptisms were faulty in some way even though I took both seriously so I told Yani that I would not be taking part and would be an onlooker as usual. I felt bad about changing my mind but there was no point in me going through it again whereas it was important that the other three did so.
The format is that those getting baptised and their friends join in some worship songs, then the meaning of the gospel is explained followed by a one to one session where the participant goes through repentance of past sins and after that you get to go to the pool which I have filled with water. (That's my job, Pool Manager).
[To be completed]