Baptisms - What We Believe

This past Sunday was one of my favourites — Baptism Sunday. Honestly, I look forward to the day when, here at Urban Oasis, we’re baptising believers every single week. It’s such a powerful moment of faith, obedience, and celebration.

My Own Baptism Story

Who knows what this is? (I held one up on Sunday.) It’s a Christening cup. My parents gave it to me when I was a baby. They had me christened in the Anglican High Church of England.

Why did they do it? To be honest, I don’t know. We never went to church before or after that. Maybe they thought it was tradition. Maybe it was about finding godparents if something happened to them. Or maybe Mum believed that if I wasn’t christened and something happened to me as a baby, I wouldn’t go to heaven.

That’s a common belief in some denominations. But let me reassure you — if you’ve ever lost a child through miscarriage, sickness, or any other circumstance — your baby is with Jesus.

Psalm 139 reminds us:

“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.

Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb.”

God was there from the very beginning — right from conception.

And in 2 Samuel 12, after the death of his child, King David says, “Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he cannot return to me.” David — a man after God’s own heart — was confident he would see his child again.

So let me say this clearly: your baby is in heaven with Jesus, baptised or not.

Baptism vs Christening

The kind of baptism I had as a baby wasn’t really baptism at all. It was a sprinkling of water over my head at a font — which honestly looks a bit like a birdbath. Some traditions baptise infants this way, others sprinkle or anoint adults.

But here at Urban Oasis, and as Pentecostals, we see things differently. Parents dedicate their children to God, but baptism is something a believer chooses for themselves when they decide to follow Jesus.

And when we baptise, we do it by full immersion. Not a sprinkle. Not a splash. You’re going under the water and coming back up again — just like Scripture describes.

There’s no record in the Bible of infants being baptised by sprinkling. If it’s not in the Bible, we shouldn’t build a doctrine around it.

Three Big Questions: Why, How, and When

Before we celebrated baptisms, I wanted to answer three big questions that always come up:

1. Why Should We Get Baptised?

First, because Jesus commanded it.

Matthew 28:18–19 says:

“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.’”

That’s not a suggestion. Jesus said, if you love Me, keep My commands. Baptism is obedience.

Second, baptism is a public declaration. It symbolises what Jesus did on the cross — His death and resurrection. When you go under the water, you’re identifying with His death. When you come up, you’re declaring that you’re alive in Him.

And something happens in that moment. I’ve seen people come up laughing, crying, speaking in tongues, or simply overwhelmed. However it looks, baptism changes you.

Now — does baptism save you? No. You’re saved by grace through faith in Jesus. Baptism is not salvation, but it is obedience.

Mark 16:16 says, “Anyone who believes and is baptised will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned.” Notice the emphasis — it’s on believing. Belief saves you. Baptism follows belief.

2. How Should We Get Baptised?

The Bible is crystal clear — baptizo in the Greek literally means “to immerse, to submerge, to make fully wet.”

That’s why John baptised in rivers. Mark 1 says he baptised people in the Jordan River. John 3:23 says he chose Aenon “because there was plenty of water there.” You don’t need “plenty of water” to sprinkle. You need it to immerse.

And we baptise the way Jesus commanded — in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28). Some churches baptise only in the name of Jesus, but we follow what He specifically told us to do.

We baptise here in our pool, not at the beach or a river, because it’s not only a personal act of faith, it’s a church-wide celebration. We want the whole church family to witness and celebrate your baptism with you.

3. When Should We Get Baptised?

The short answer? As soon as you believe.

Acts 2 tells us that after Peter’s preaching, 3,000 people were saved and baptised that day. The jailer in Acts 16 and his household were baptised that night.

There were no baptism classes. No waiting until they “had it all together.” They believed in Jesus and went straight into the water.

So if you’re waiting until you feel “ready,” let me encourage you: if you believe in Jesus, you’re ready.

A Challenge for Today

Maybe you were christened as an infant, like I was. Maybe you’ve been a Christian for years but never been baptised. Maybe you’ve thought about it but put it off.

Jesus commanded it. It’s a step of obedience, a declaration of faith, and a moment of transformation. If you’ve never done it — today is the day.

That’s why we’ve got towels, shirts, and shorts ready. There’s nothing holding you back.

And if you’ve never given your life to Jesus before, you can take that step right now by praying:

“Jesus, I believe in You. Forgive my sins, come into my heart, and be my Lord and Saviour. Amen.”

If you prayed that prayer for the first time, we’d love to connect with you, encourage you, and help you grow in your faith. And yes — baptism may be your very next step.

At Urban Oasis, we believe baptism isn’t just a ritual. It’s a celebration of life, freedom, and obedience to Jesus. And my prayer is that we’ll see more and more people saying “yes” to Him and taking the plunge — literally.

- Ps Paul Julian.

Our next baptism service will be in 6-8 weeks time, if you would like to be baptised email jacob@c3chch.org