Is there anyway to measure when someone fully accepts the Lordship of Jesus into their lives?
When we baptise someone at Kew Baptist Church we use these words.
Do you believe in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit?
In obedience to the call of the risen Lord Jesus Christ do you repent of your sins and come to be baptised?
With the help of the Holy Spirit do you offer your life in service to God wherever He may call you to go?
Having heard of your repentance and your faith, I now baptise you in the name of God the father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.
These are actually fairly weighty words. The claim of our Creator on our lives is clear. Do we believe in Him? Will we seek to say yes to Jesus? Will we go, sacrifice and obey the call on our lives. I am reminded of the weighty words of Jesus on what we are to give up to follow Him. These are not small sacrifices.
Personally I have not have to leave the comfort and safety of Australia. In fact I have followed the prompting of the Spirit to one of the most liveable countries in the world. Yet it was not the place I grew up with. I left behind 29 years of ministry friends. Contacts in every part of my state. I was known and I knew. I had friendships that had been forged over decades. You can’t replace that. Nor can you build new ones in a short time, not if they took decades to make.
Sometimes people misunderstand such a move. Truth be told they think about the effect such a move has on them. They lose something. A close friend they could duck out and say hello to. Friendships and family moments that can’t happen naturally and easily again. Of course you still contact each other. Social Media is helpful. And special plane trips and visits are good. A reminder of the deepness of the connection. But it is not the same. People you saw every week, and could hug when you needed to are gone. They sacrifice, but it was not their choice. It is tough when decisions you make affect other people negatively. That is not easy to navigate.
When Melinda and I moved to Melbourne it was a joint decision, borne out of a real whisper from God. And so it has proved right. Wisdom is proved right from its results. That does not mean it does not come with sacrifice, for us and for others. But we don’t serve a God who says come to a life of comfort and no sacrifice. We serve Jesus who calls us to say Yes to Him at every point of our lives. That saying yes to Jesus means we often have to say no to ourselves, and even to others. I don’t write those words glibly. I understand the weight of them. But Jesus is Lord. And He is my Lord. I don’t always get it right, but the whisper is there, guiding and speaking.
