STREET BAPTISM - THE VALUE AND FRUIT THEREOF!

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.” – Matt 28:19

At the end of 2022, God called us into the obedience of baptism as part of our serving and disciple-making in the streets of Pretoria.

We did our first street baptism at the end of October last year (2022) after 9 months of Street Church in Prince’s Park. God set the platform and prepared the hearts of such a beautiful congregation of believers, ready to be baptised! On this day, we’ve baptized around 60 people in the park and the joy and presence of the Lord were indescribable.

9 Months later and we are preparing for our 8th Street Baptism service this coming weekend, this one in Jubilee Square, Sunnyside.

We’ve seen so many people being healed and lives transformed. From broken to restored!

Yes, a common denominator of so many homeless people is brokenness and rejection. This allows unforgiveness to creep in and then God somehow just feels miles away.

The enemy makes full use of this state of being and will tempt people into addictions and bad habits to draw them even further away from God.

The antidote to this downward spiral is the LOVE of JESUS! Constantly loving those who feel unloved with the love of Jesus and in the way He loves us and penetrating the most hardened hearts! This opens the door to restoration of their true identity, which is always found in Jesus Christ Himself. To feel and experience this love and repeatedly hear and feel that you are loved and valued by God, breaks the moulds and removes the stigma and tags this word has branded you with – worthless, useless and unlovable.

God is the great “I AM” and therefore we too need to know who “I am”, in Him. We are His loved ones, created in His image, and according to His plan and purpose. By restoring our identity, our purpose will be revealed too! And if our identity and purpose are restored, so many things just fall into place!

But souls are the currency of the Spiritual realm and there will be a spiritual battle over your soul!

If there are any chains still in place or evil covenants made with Satan through sin, cultural rituals, or open doors to the enemy in your past, Satan will use this entry point to sow doubt, guilt and lies to yet again steal from you and destroy your faith, identity and worth.

It is here where we have seen and experienced the value and fruit of baptism and why God instructed baptism as part of our journey and reconciliation with Him!

Covenants end with death – therefore any covenant with Satan ends and all chains break with this public declaration of your faith and submission to Christ!

This public declaration symbolises dying with Christ (going under the water), being buried with Him (a few moments under the water), and then resurrected with Him as we get out of the water! This is symbolic of a new life, cleansed from all evil covenants and sin. Through this submission to God, the Holy Spirit seals such new-born creation in Christ. We have witnessed so many outpourings of Spiritual gifts right after the baptism! One of the first brothers who was baptised in October 2022 still says: “The baptism was my game-changer!”

We have witnessed so many testimonies coming from those who were baptised, all truly inspiring! So many received breakthroughs and doors that are opening following this act of obedience. It is almost as if God is waiting for us to step into the place and position of total surrender, obedience, and reliance on Him. Yes, he wants to hold our hand and walk with us through the open door and be our Companion in this new life and journey!

Romans 6:4 – “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life”.