Grace Fellowship Baptism Retreat

Months of baptism classes, learning about God and Christian life, saving money 3 baht at a time for every missed QT, pastoring and prayer culminated into Grace Fellowship's 3rd Baptism Retreat from December 4th to 7th. Nine baptism candidates and sixteen other church members and missionaries left Chiang Mai for Rayong, a non-touristy beach about three hours southeast of Bangkok.  Before heading over to Koh Samet (Samet Island), the students were asked how they felt about their imminent ceremony.  Some expressed excitement, while others stayed emotionless.  But by the time we arrived on the island and head out onto the beach, electricity was in the air as anticipation began to increase.

There was much to be excited about because this year's trip was quite unique from the previous two baptism retreats.  The other retreats had been held at your everyday Chiang Mai mountain resorts, the same places all the English camps had been held before.  The baptisms in the two years prior had had only two candidates total, but this year God had poured out His blessings upon Grace Fellowship as an unprecedented nine members were about to be baptized.  Many if not most of the retreat's attendees had never seen the ocean before in real life.

 

As the members donned their white baptism robes, a small crowd of tourists and Thai people began to gather.  I thought in my head, 'If I wasn't a Christian, I'm sure I'd think this is weird too. Those white robes remind me of those cults who drink poisoned Kool-Aid before they meet Lord Xenu in the Omega Galaxy...' But in the end I was glad to see these random strangers become an audience in a beautiful ceremony as we sang praises, gave thanks to God and baptized our members.  For all the bad rep (rap?) Christianity can get sometimes, this baptism was a witness of sorts of our God who in the same way revealed his triune presence at the baptism of Jesus proclaiming "This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:17).  I know God was rejoicing with gladness and exulting over his new children with loud singing (Zeph. 3:17).

 

"Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men." - Matthew 4:19

After we returned back to the house we were staying at, the owner of the house came and gave his testimony.  It was about two hours long and for those of us who don't understand Thai was quite torturous.  But the man had all the Thai people's attentions as he shared about his life of wealth before coming to Christ with all its uncertainties and fears and how his life changed afterward.  He destroyed his statues and amulets and other religious trinkets worth well over ten thousand dollars (that's right dollars!). He has only been Christian for five years now and has read through the Bible eight times, converted most of his family and friends and has even been used to bring his father back to life.  But most importantly he wanted to share to the members that they should in no way see baptism as an end.  The members may have "graduated" baptism class but baptism was now the beginning of their new life.  Their baptism represented their new birth into Christ, their union with Him in His death and resurrection and now they must go and make other disciples, baptizing them in the same name they were baptized.

The Sunday after the baptism, the newly baptized members were able to partake in Communion for the first time.  Many of them had been coming to Grace Fellowship for months or years but now they could finally partake of the body and blood of Christ.  As P'Mee began explaining the entire sacrament again, some of the newly baptized members had tears in their eyes.  I found out later that a couple of them in that moment had been thinking about their old meaningless life before this holy moment and they could not help but weep as they thought about how lost they had once been.

One other girl had cried too but for a different reason.  She had grown up knowing about Christianity and had finally gotten baptized at this retreat.  But her tears were tears of a longing for first love.  She saw the others crying around her and began to cry because she wanted to feel God's presence and the absolute certainty of His love that others were now overcome with.  When I heard about this, I couldn't help but remember that story of Charles Spurgeon weeping in his study and when asked why, replying that he was weeping because the gospel no longer brought him to tears.

I know most of the people who read this blog have been Christians for a long time.  To you I want to ask: Does taking communion bring you to tears as you reflect upon the sacrifice of Christ?  Does baptism bring you exuberant joy as new brothers and sisters become united with Christ? Does the gospel still cause you to weep over your depravity and cry in joy over God's goodness and grace? I grew up in the church, was baptized as an infant and confirmed in college, yet I am saddened to think about how easily I have forgotten my own first love again and again.  I had much to think about this retreat as I reflected upon where I was in my own walk, well off the path laid down by Christ and wandering meaninglessly.  Why had God brought me to Thailand?  How could He use a heart that had become so apathetic and complacent?  Better yet, why would He use such a sinner like me?

My heart feels for the girl who cried because she forgot what it was like to cry over her first love with Christ.  Yet I can't even cry about that.  But praise God as he caused my cold calloused heart to beat again as I participated in a ceremony that has become so secondary and has lost so much meaning.  I thank God for reminding me of the first love and the first joys of becoming baptized and partaking in communion.

Perhaps the only way we won't forget or become apathetic towards these wonderful means of grace is for our own love and passion to become renewed by the fresh love of new believers.  I want to see more genuinely new believers coming to know Christ for the first time and falling ever deeply in love with Him that my own heart would beat with excitement and joy over the Lord Jesus as well.