Bryson and Mindy White Enroute to Paraguay 
The Fourth of July is a celebration and a time to remember the sacrifices made to bring our country freedom. As believers, we have our own periodic celebration. Communion is the time that we set aside to remember the Great Sacrifice that our Savior made on the cross to bring us freedom from our sin. These two celebrations are somewhat similar. Each is a remembrance of a sacrifice made.
The Fourth of July is also a recollection of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence was a statement made by thirteen colonies declaring their intentions to break off from the rule of England. As believers, we make our own declaration. Baptism is a statement made by believers. But while the Declaration of Independence was declaring intentions, the believer’s baptism is declaring what has already taken place. Baptism is the declaration of a believer to other believers and to unbelievers of his identification with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection. It is a one-time occurrence in which a believer declares to all that will listen, “Jesus Christ died for my sins, I believe that, and I am now part of His family.”
The Fourth of July for us this year was not only a day for remembering our country’s sacrifices and declaration; it was a day for two fairly new believers to make their own declaration of their belief in Jesus’ sacrifice and their identification with Him. In Matthew 28, Jesus instructs us to make disciples of all nations and to baptize them. We are looking forward to doing that in a far away nation, but it was a tremendous privilege to baptize Hannah and Elijah last Saturday! If you’re on Facebook, you can go there to see a couple videos. You can also go to our Photos page here to see some pictures.
