Yes. You can be baptized on the very day you ask. At the Decker Prairie church of Christ, we don’t keep a waiting list, require a class first, or take a vote. If you believe Jesus is the Son of God and you’re ready to turn from sin, we’ll gladly baptize you right away, any day of the week. We do it this way because that’s what we read in the New Testament.
These are the passages that settle it for us.
Acts 2:41: Three Thousand in a Day
Peter preached the first gospel sermon in Jerusalem, and Luke records the response: “So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.” ().
“That day” means they did not need to go home and wait for a month.
Acts 8:36: Water Beside the Road
An Ethiopian official was riding home in his chariot while Philip taught him about Jesus. Then they came to water, and the man asked, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” ().
Philip didn’t hand him a schedule, he baptized him.
Acts 16:33: A Jailer at Midnight
In Philippi, Paul and Silas taught a jailer and his household well after dark (). Luke writes, “And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family.” ().
Even though it was in the middle of the night they baptized them in “the same hour.” It was viewed as urgent and important.
Acts 22:16: The Question Ananias Asked
Saul of Tarsus had spent three days blind and praying (). When Ananias arrived, he asked, “And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.” ().
Anywhere Acts tells us the timing, people were baptized right away, and we see no reason to do it differently.
Acts 8:12 and Romans 10:9-10: What We’ll Talk About First
We’ll want to be sure you understand what you’re doing. In Acts, the people baptized believed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God (; ), they repented by turning from sin to God (), and they confessed that faith openly (). Baptism is for the forgiveness of sins (), so it matters that you know why you’re in the water.
Usually one of us will sit down with you and open the Bible for a little while before you’re baptized. Please don’t see it as a hurdle. We simply care about you, and it rarely takes longer than an hour.
Romans 6:4: What Happens in the Water
Most church buildings have a baptistery, a pool built for baptizing. We’ll give you a baptismal garment to change into and a towel, and afterward you’ll put your own clothes back on. You’ll confess your faith in Jesus. Then you’ll be lowered under the water and brought back up. Paul tells us what’s happening: “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” ().
And it doesn’t have to be the preacher who baptizes you. Scripture shows it doesn’t matter who does it ().
Acts 2:42: If You Don’t Feel Ready
Plenty of people tell us they need to get their lives in order first. We understand. But baptism isn’t a prize for having it together. In baptism God washes sins away, and then you grow, with a church family beside you, just like the first Christians did ().
If you’re still working out what you believe, take your time and keep studying. No one here will push you.
The Day It Starts to Count
You want your days to count and a place to belong. That can start today. You don’t have to wait for Sunday morning or the song after the sermon. Just let us know. If you’d like to visit on a Sunday first we’d love to have you come. There is plenty of parking. If the front lot is full when you arrive, there is a second lot in the back next to a portable building.
Plan your visit to find us on Hardin Store Road in Magnolia.
To see what the Bible says about becoming a Christian, start here.
When we meet:
- Sunday: Worship 10am, Bible Class 5pm
- Wednesday: Bible Class 7:30 pm
