Baptism (Bot9 #255)

Early in my walk with Christ I was influenced by Erwin McManus’s The Barbarian Way. John the Baptist is one of the focal points of that book and it was his example of a wild faith, one of an outsider living in the wilderness eating locusts, impacted my heart and moved me out of my comfort zone. That journey has continued and continues to move me into places where I never expected to be standing.

This past spring, we experienced something incredible. After seeing how receptive the baseball team we were coaching was to things driven by the Spirit, leading their own Bible study and going deep into relationship with one another, we offered the opportunity for baptism on the baseball field. Eight of the players made an outward expression to a heart’s commitment to Christ that day. But the story doesn’t end there.

We had an alum in attendance that day. He told us later that he was planning on getting baptized during the summer at some point, and he decided to let us baptize him that day. He wanted to join his former teammates in the moment. Did the story end there? No. Another alum reached out and asked us to baptize him in the same way. And then another. And then a former assistant coach asked us to baptize him with his family present. This season of time is one that I will look back on in amazement.

But I’d rather this be just the beginning of spiritual momentum in the baseball world. In Matthew 28:19, Jesus says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” Through Complete Game Ministries, we are seeking to make disciples of Christ in the “nation” of baseball. This year, we’ve experienced fruit in the harvest field in the form of baptisms. Join us in continuing to work the spiritual soil of the baseball world so more and more players, coaches, and parents can be brought into the family of faith. Incorporate Christ and His teachings in everything you do on and off the field, and maybe you’ll also experience the joy of bringing a player, a teammate, or a coach from death to life through baptism!