Hepzibah Baptist Church, Talladega
Following a churchwide fellowship May 3, I went home to relax after a busy day. No sooner had I settled in with the paper than the phone rang. To my joy and delight, the voice on the other end of the line was my grandson Jackson. He was calling to share the news that he had asked Jesus into his heart and made a public profession of faith. This was just a great ending to a great day.
I began to inwardly praise God for His faithfulness and blessings. For more than 30 years of ministry, He has blessed me with the opportunity to witness to and baptize numerous souls who have made the same decision that Jackson made that day.
Realizing that I must now plan a trip to Tennessee to baptize Jackson, I began to think about other baptism services I had conducted: my first baptism of a grandfather and granddaughter in a creek in North Carolina, a 550-pound man in a farm pond in North Carolina, ladies in a swimming pool in Brazil, 32 people one night in Tennessee and the two children I had baptized just that day. Suddenly a thought came to mind. All the many places, cultures, people and ages I have been privileged to baptize prove the truth of God’s Word, which says, “that whoever will may come.” Salvation is available to everyone. The only requirement is to trust Jesus and Him alone. This means to:
First, realize that you are a sinner and do not deserve and cannot earn or purchase eternal life; it is a gift from God.
Second, understand that God is holy and must punish sin. The punishment for sin is eternal death, hell and separation from God forever.
Third, believe that God loves you so much that He provided a way for your sins to be forgiven. His Son, Jesus Christ, took your punishment for you when He died on the cross. Jesus then rose from the dead to prove that God accepted His sacrifice for your sins.
Fourth, ask God to forgive your sins and make Him Lord of your life, and the Bible says you will be saved.
The way you ask God for this is through prayer — just talking to Him as you would anyone else. Believe me, He is waiting to hear from you.
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