Baptized later in your adult life

[tdwinklr]

The timing of baptism is a personal decision, however at that point we come in contact with the blood of Jesus. Acts 2:38 shares repentance plus baptism = the forgiveness of sins

Appreciate all the post

yep, thank you.

[BBBGP]

This is awesome, very happy for you. I am planing on being baptized with my wife and daughter before my daughter goes off to school(2nd time for all). This is why TBH is so awesome. Good to the core. God bless.

[Death from Above]

Putting off being obedient to Christ commands (any and all of them) is rebellion founded in pride. We cannot put our own emotions, feelings, or opinions before the instructions of godly living.

We dont get to be obedient when we feel like it and think that is righteous living.

The enemy is sneaky! Dont let him allow good intentions to take the place of obedience.

Blessings on the journey.

[Gumbo Man]

Jack I’m curious. Have you discussed any of this with your wife and family to get some insight as to how they feel?

[KactusKiller]

Jack I’m curious. Have you discussed any of this with your wife and family to get some insight as to how they feel?

I haven't and I really don't know why. I haven't directly talked about it to any family or any of my close friends(some know now because of this thread). A lot of the discussion I have shared on this thread about sin, not wanting to be a hypocrite and not worthy enough is a culmination of feelings over my lifetime. Just different points of my life when I have thought about it but found reasons not to jump in the water. The point of the thread was based around baptism but was mainly started because I just seem to be missing something from my life to make me feel "satisfied" and complete. I wanted to see if others felt this way at times and did accepting Jesus into your life and letting him take the wheel fill that void?

[Low Fence]

Putting off being obedient to Christ commands (any and all of them) is rebellion founded in pride. We cannot put our own emotions, feelings, or opinions before the instructions of godly living.

We dont get to be obedient when we feel like it and think that is righteous living.

The enemy is sneaky! Dont let him allow good intentions to take the place of obedience.

Blessings on the journey.

Amen

When one’s is hit with the gospel to the core, obedience from a place of true gratitude follows. Innocent blood was shed for my treason against a Holy God! Baptism should (in my opinion) follow as soon as possible, not put into a “ my time schedule/priority” category. Then daily fellowship with the One who set me free and taking up my cross to deny myself daily allows me to become more like Christ and less like me

Know this, you are NOT NEEDED…. you are WANTED, and that’s a lot to celebrate!

[Death from Above]

I haven't and I really don't know why. I haven't directly talked about it to any family or any of my close friends(some know now because of this thread). A lot of the discussion I have shared on this thread about sin, not wanting to be a hypocrite and not worthy enough is a culmination of feelings over my lifetime. Just different points of my life when I have thought about it but found reasons not to jump in the water. The point of the thread was based around baptism but was mainly started because I just seem to be missing something from my life to make me feel "satisfied" and complete. I wanted to see if others felt this way at times and did accepting Jesus into your life and letting him take the wheel fill that void?

Brother that is a loaded question...

I put on my hypocrite shoes everyday. the closer I walk with the Lord the more I hate the sinful DNA that has corrupted me. It is overwhelmingly humbling. I know that without Christ...I would get EXACTLY what I deserve. The love of God to make a Way in the face of my knowledge of my sin continues to blow me away. I long for the day that I will not struggle with temptation and sin...but I know that only happens when I experience glory land.

Jesus will answer/fix all those areas of uncertainty in your life. Baptism will not. Just walk in obedience...if that means believers baptism, then getter done, but remember it is only a part of the journey. Begin to apply and practice many of the spiritual disciplines (prayer, scripture study, fellowship, journaling, quite/mediation etc) and let the Spirt bring edification and affirmation.

blessing in the journey but be ready for pain in the process!

[Dusty Britches]

Being baptized at 26 years of age was amazing for me. I surrendered all to Him and asked him to be my Lord and Savior the prior year. When the pastor dipped me under water and I stood up I literally felt my old ways fall away and the Love of Christ take hold. For many days I could feel the angels touching me, ministering to me. It was a completely amazing event. Don't deny or delay!

[Gumbo Man]

I haven't and I really don't know why. I haven't directly talked about it to any family or any of my close friends(some know now because of this thread). A lot of the discussion I have shared on this thread about sin, not wanting to be a hypocrite and not worthy enough is a culmination of feelings over my lifetime. Just different points of my life when I have thought about it but found reasons not to jump in the water. The point of the thread was based around baptism but was mainly started because I just seem to be missing something from my life to make me feel "satisfied" and complete. I wanted to see if others felt this way at times and did accepting Jesus into your life and letting him take the wheel fill that void?

Your wife is your best friend and can probably help with this decision and will probably be very excited for both of you. Walking with God in your every day life will make you a better husband, a better father and a better Christian. When I was saved I couldn’t wait to get home and tell my wife. She broke down in tears knowing that she was already saved and had been praying for me for years. Please include her in every way Jack and you will be lightened of a great portion of the burden you are carrying im sure.

[SaltwaterSlick]

I haven't and I really don't know why. I haven't directly talked about it to any family or any of my close friends(some know now because of this thread). A lot of the discussion I have shared on this thread about sin, not wanting to be a hypocrite and not worthy enough is a culmination of feelings over my lifetime. Just different points of my life when I have thought about it but found reasons not to jump in the water. The point of the thread was based around baptism but was mainly started because I just seem to be missing something from my life to make me feel "satisfied" and complete. I wanted to see if others felt this way at times and did accepting Jesus into your life and letting him take the wheel fill that void?

PLEASE do not take what I'm about to post as judgmental or mean. I post it in a genuine love for your soul, but...



Here's the deal... The post above and your original post are completely contradictory and you and only you need to get it straight in your head and heart. Your original post indicates by what you posted that you "feel" like you're a Christian... However the post above indicates that you are NOT a born-again believer and you have NOT surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.


The two age-old questions that you should be able to answer instantly and without even thinking with it coming straight from your heart need to be addressed before you go any further. I make one assumption and that is that you have come to believe there is such a place as heaven and hell and there is an "Almighty God"...



1. Do you know BEYOND THE SHADOW OF A DOUBT that if you died today that you would go to heaven?


2. IF you died and were standing at the very gates of Heaven and God himself asked you, "Why should I let you into My Heaven?" What would you answer?


If either or both of those questions make you feel uneasy or uncertain in any way, you'd better rethink your status in the Kingdom of God. Please if that is the case, reach out to us and we (many on this thread) would love to talk to you to help you understand that this is serious business and not something to "think about and work toward until you're ready"... If you are unsure, Satan has you right where he wants you. In my honest opinion, I think this is why you seem troubled and why you started this thread. God is reaching out to you, and you want to respond, but Satan is working hard to create those doubts, put it off and such so he can keep you. PLEASE do NOT LET THAT HAPPEN!


If this is the case, stop what you are doing right now and get on your knees and pray the sinner's prayer asking Jesus into your heart and confess your sin and believing that He is the only begotten Son of God Almighty; and that He was crucified for your sins past, present and future; then on the third day rose from the grave and after a period where he appeared to his disciples and others, ascended into Heaven where he reigns eternally at the right hand of God. If you pray that prayer, believing in your heart that it is Truth, you will be Saved, just as evidenced by the Scriptures, many of which are quoted in this thread. IF you have never done this and prayed that prayer in your own words, THIS is the source of your emptiness and unfulfillment.

[clay4626]

PLEASE do not take what I'm about to post as judgmental or mean. I post it in a genuine love for your soul, but...



Here's the deal... The post above and your original post are completely contradictory and you and only you need to get it straight in your head and heart. Your original post indicates by what you posted that you "feel" like you're a Christian... However the post above indicates that you are NOT a born-again believer and you have NOT surrendered to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.


The two age-old questions that you should be able to answer instantly and without even thinking with it coming straight from your heart need to be addressed before you go any further. I make one assumption and that is that you have come to believe there is such a place as heaven and hell and there is an "Almighty God"...



1. Do you know BEYOND THE SHADOW OF A DOUBT that if you died today that you would go to heaven?


2. IF you died and were standing at the very gates of Heaven and God himself asked you, "Why should I let you into My Heaven?" What would you answer?


If either or both of those questions make you feel uneasy or uncertain in any way, you'd better rethink your status in the Kingdom of God. Please if that is the case, reach out to us and we (many on this thread) would love to talk to you to help you understand that this is serious business and not something to "think about and work toward until you're ready"... If you are unsure, Satan has you right where he wants you. In my honest opinion, I think this is why you seem troubled and why you started this thread. God is reaching out to you, and you want to respond, but Satan is working hard to create those doubts, put it off and such so he can keep you. PLEASE do NOT LET THAT HAPPEN!


If this is the case, stop what you are doing right now and get on your knees and pray the sinner's prayer asking Jesus into your heart and confess your sin and believing that He is the only begotten Son of God Almighty; and that He was crucified for your sins past, present and future; then on the third day rose from the grave and after a period where he appeared to his disciples and others, ascended into Heaven where he reigns eternally at the right hand of God. If you pray that prayer, believing in your heart that it is Truth, you will be Saved, just as evidenced by the Scriptures, many of which are quoted in this thread. IF you have never done this and prayed that prayer in your own words, THIS is the source of your emptiness and unfulfillment.

very well said . God sent his son to die on the cross because we were sinners from the day we were born. Thank God he didn't put any standards on becoming a child of God. As stated above Salvation is by our faith through the grace of God who payed the price on the cross for our sins.
So many folks wont to make it a lot harder than it is.

[rolylane6]

I wanted to see if others felt this way at times and did accepting Jesus into your life and letting him take the wheel fill that void?

For me the void wasn't immediately and completely filled because I wasn't letting go of all my past ways. I believe there will always be an emptiness if you can't give yourself wholly over to Christ. I tried just putting my toes in the water at first and while I felt different, my life was still never satisfied or fulfilled. Seemed like I always had some doubt about whether I was really believing God was even real because I didn’t feel it in my heart. I didn't understand how to believe something if I didn't feel in my heart that it was real. It sounds like you may be in this place as well.
The only thing I knew to do was start being obedient to the word as it's written in the Bible. I started doing the things it said I should do. First thing I did was get baptized. Then I started trusting God's word when I faced any kind of problem. In one instance, I had a supervisor at work who was a real jack*** and we were always in conflict. I decided to practice what the bible said. I just showed him love and kindness, no matter what. I would compliment him when I could. I would just do what he ask, even if it made no sense. I brought him breakfast a few times. It's amazing how fast he started to not be a jack*** when I quit treating him like he was one. Now we get along great. We smile at each other. We're polite to each other, and who knows, maybe it was me who was the jack*** all along. There's hundreds of instances like that where I saw what God could do if I was obedient to His word. Well the more I started following God's word and paying attention to the results, the more I began to see the evidence of how real He is and I began to feel His presence in my heart more and more. That's when my doubts began to leave me and I knew in my heart that there is a true living God who truly loves me and is who He says He is. At that point I felt a calling to turn it all over to Him. When I made the decision to give everything to Him I made a commitment to allow Jesus to change my life. Jesus is as real to me now as the air I breath, even more so. I can promise you, without a doubt, that I would give up air before I would give up my faith in Him.
So to answer your question, when I finally made a full commitment to Jesus and turned everything over to Him, and I mean everything, nothing held back, the void was not only filled but filled with a joy and peace that's worth more to me than anything I've ever known. There is nothing I would ever trade it for. So there is never any turning back for me. I will follow Him anywhere and do anything He asks of me. You see, there is nothing greater, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING GREATER, than knowing you belong to Him, FOREVER!


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[KactusKiller]

Well today was the day! We were at church and the sermon was excellent. Because it was Mother’s Day all my girls were home and with us. The sermon really hit home. At the end they were doing a “reaffirmation of your baptism” so to say similar to communion. But they made a call to anyone that hasn’t been baptized yet to come forward if you would like. I really felt now was the time even though I had actually been planning to wait and make a return trip to my hometown church that my family helped start and my grandparents were heavily involved in. But deep down even though I would still like to go there for a Baptist baptism eventually I felt drawn to make it happen today. As I was waiting for our turn my wife could tell I was a little neevous about something and asked if I wanted to get baptized and I said yes. Without her support and encouragement I may have let the opportunity slip away again. It was a great feeling to say yes when he asked me if I was ready to accept Jesus Christ as my savior.
I will be honest, like most things I take all decisions I make pretty serious. Instead of feeling great relief at first I felt like I added another huge weight to my shoulders. The weight this decision I made will hopefully lesson as I get more comfortable with it. It is something I have contemplated for a long time and really since my teenage yrs. I’m glad I finally took that step. I feel as tho I have joined a very elite group and want to make sure I keep up my end of the bargain. I want to make decisions that will show that I am worthy of his grace and love even tho I don’t know that I ever truly can be. Thanks for everyone’s support again!

[KactusKiller]

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[SaltwaterSlick]

Praise the Lord brother! Congratulations to you and your family!