Why indeed? Philip baptized him right then and there. That's how the early church saw it — salvation and baptism belonged together. Not as a formula, and not as something that saves you in itself, but as the natural, immediate, joyful response of someone who has surrendered their life to Jesus.

Let me be clear: water baptism does not save you. You are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. But here's the way I like to put it: saved people get water baptized. It is a public declaration. It is an act of obedience. It is your way of telling the world — and yourself — that something has changed.

There is something deeply spiritual happening in baptism. When you go down into that water, it is a picture of death and burial — the old you, the old way of living, is gone. When you come up out of that water, it is a picture of resurrection — you are walking in newness of life. You are identifying yourself with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Four reasons I encourage every believer to be baptized in water: First, Jesus Himself was baptized and commanded us to follow His example. Second, the early church practiced it immediately and universally. Third, it is your public profession — your moment of saying, out loud and in front of witnesses, "I belong to Jesus." And fourth, there is a spiritual dynamic in it that, I'll be honest, I don't fully understand — but I know God honors it.

If you've given your life to Christ but have never been water baptized, I want to encourage you to take that step. It matters. Contact us and we'll set it up — we'd love to celebrate with you.

The Second Baptism: Filled with the Spirit

Water baptism is a beautiful public beginning — but God has more for you. Just as Jesus came up out of the water and was then filled with the Spirit, every believer is invited into a second baptism: the baptism in the Holy Spirit. One marks your new life; the other empowers it.

That "something" came on the Day of Pentecost. The Holy Spirit fell on those gathered believers like fire, and the world has never been the same since. This is what Jesus was talking about when He said:

There's a word in that verse I want you to see: power. In the original Greek, it's the word dunamis — the root of our English word "dynamite." Jesus wasn't promising His followers a warm feeling. He was promising supernatural, transformative power to be His witnesses in the world.

Here's something that helped me understand this better. The Bible uses three different prepositions to describe our relationship with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is with every person before they're saved — that's the Spirit gently convicting, drawing, and calling. When we give our lives to Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to live in us — that's the indwelling presence of God that every believer receives at salvation. But there is also a distinct experience where the Holy Spirit comes upon us in a powerful, empowering way — and that is the baptism in the Holy Spirit.

The apostle Paul encountered a group of believers in Ephesus who were Christians — genuinely saved — but had never heard about this deeper experience. Paul laid hands on them, prayed for them, and the Holy Spirit came upon them. They began to speak in other languages (what the Bible calls "tongues") and to prophesy. Their faith was ignited in a whole new way (Acts 19:1–6).

Notice the tense in that verse: be continually filled. The baptism in the Holy Spirit isn't a one-time event you check off and move on from — it's a lifestyle of staying open to God's Spirit, allowing spiritual gifts to flow through you, listening for His voice, and being used by Him in ways that will surprise you.

I'll say it plainly: I want that in my life. I want the spiritual gifts to operate more fully. I want to hear God's voice more clearly. I want to see Him move in ways that can only be explained by the Holy Spirit. And I want that for you too.