From Baptising Individuals to Baptising Households

Year 2020 in Review - “Expect the Unexpected!”
 
We ended 2020 with a BIG SPLASH! #WaterBaptisms

​God is good! 2 days before the year ended, another family of 4 just got water baptised. We celebrate the story of repentance, forgiveness, and reconciliation and God's beautiful handiwork in another family's life. 👏🏻👏🏻

I remembered the words that struck me when Jason and I moved on from the institutionalism of Church-ianity in 2011 and started focussing on making and multiplying disciples; starting house church communities and baptising new disciples.
 
The Holy Spirit impressed on my heart: "You will go from baptising individuals to baptising households".
 
And it has been the case since then. We have been baptising whole households, and their oikos. This included migrant food court workers in working in the foodcourts in Singapore who were an oikos in their relational community, to a typical family of parents and children living with their extended family members like their elderly parent/s who also came to Christ after the subsequent conversion of the first person of peace.
 
This was indeed so in the early church described in Acts 16 - when the Philippian jailer and his whole household were water baptised after he got saved! In other words, this is how the gospel of the kingdom works: it affects entire families or households. ("oikos" in Greek). 

Acts 16
31 They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.” 32 And they shared the word of the Lord with him and with all who lived in his household. 33 Even at that hour of the night, the jailer cared for them and washed their wounds. Then he and everyone in his household were immediately baptized. 34 He brought them into his house and set a meal before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced because they all believed in God.

However, this time round Jason and I didn't do the baptising. All we did was to encourage and celebrate the obedience of those we mentored and empowered as they teach others to walk in faith and obedience to our Lord!

Afterall, Jesus's mission given to His disciples in Matt 28:18-20 extends to all disciples of Christ and includes baptising new disciples in water (this being a command we should teach others to obey as well!). 

Matt 28
18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

So with these words I enter into 2021 with my hopes and expectations in the Lord! - "EXPECT the UNEXPECTED!"

"Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]– To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen (so be it)." Ephesians 3:20-21 AMPC

> To LEARn more about disciple-making/ water baptism go to www.mccnresources.org