We live in a society today that looks down on denominations. I have been harassed and made fun of for being a Baptist for years now. Honestly, I am a Baptist because that is where my great-grandparents went to church. I can say on my own now, I am a Baptist because I actually know what being a Baptist is all about.
We need to stand for something.
I think it is important to remember your heritage in any part of your life. Knowing where you came from can help you see where you can go in the future.
Baptists are not just 402 year old, hymn singing, eccentric, pot-luck eating, conservatives. What a Baptists believes is what a Baptists stands by. A founding and important belief that makes Baptists so wonderful to me is their ever-ancient, but ever-true stance on baptism as a key to true belief in Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:1-2 says, "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." We are called to follow Christ and his example for us, therefore we are called to be baptized, totally submerged, publicly professing our faith to the world. Romans 6:4 confirms this by saying, "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."
Another principle upon which the Baptist denomination stands firm to is mission support. It is no hidden fact that we Baptists can evangelize. But it was our founding conventions, the faith of our fellow Baptists, that brought us to over 100 million members in over 100 countries across the globe. In 1609, the first Baptist church was formed in a bakery in Amsterdam. 402 years later, Baptist is the largest Protestant denomination in the world. Why you may ask? Because we go. We send. And we will continue to go and send until the end of time. The first Baptist association formed in Philadelphia, in 1707, to help support Adoniram and Ann Judson in their missions work to Burma. The associations today still hold together for the cause of missions.
Johann Gerhard Oncken once said "every Baptist is a missionary".
I believe that can be true, as long as we remember our past, and how our forefathers held each other together through support of baptism and missions.
I am a proud Baptists believer!
We need to stand for something.
I think it is important to remember your heritage in any part of your life. Knowing where you came from can help you see where you can go in the future.
Baptists are not just 402 year old, hymn singing, eccentric, pot-luck eating, conservatives. What a Baptists believes is what a Baptists stands by. A founding and important belief that makes Baptists so wonderful to me is their ever-ancient, but ever-true stance on baptism as a key to true belief in Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:1-2 says, "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." We are called to follow Christ and his example for us, therefore we are called to be baptized, totally submerged, publicly professing our faith to the world. Romans 6:4 confirms this by saying, "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."
Another principle upon which the Baptist denomination stands firm to is mission support. It is no hidden fact that we Baptists can evangelize. But it was our founding conventions, the faith of our fellow Baptists, that brought us to over 100 million members in over 100 countries across the globe. In 1609, the first Baptist church was formed in a bakery in Amsterdam. 402 years later, Baptist is the largest Protestant denomination in the world. Why you may ask? Because we go. We send. And we will continue to go and send until the end of time. The first Baptist association formed in Philadelphia, in 1707, to help support Adoniram and Ann Judson in their missions work to Burma. The associations today still hold together for the cause of missions.
Johann Gerhard Oncken once said "every Baptist is a missionary".
I believe that can be true, as long as we remember our past, and how our forefathers held each other together through support of baptism and missions.
I am a proud Baptists believer!
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