Did Your Baptism Produce What You Expected?

Did Your Baptism Produce What You Expected?

Around 12 years old, I found myself like most of the youths in my community faced with getting baptized. The timing for me was just right and it was the next step for someone my age. But here was the problem, I wasn’t normal. I was serious about this event and wanted to make sure that I meant it and that it was the best decision I could make.

In hindsight, there was one critical mistake that I made. In those days, in order to get baptized it could only be done at certain times of the year. Baptisms usually followed a week long revival service. This is similar to what we call conferences and seminars today. At this revival, there was a special section of seating for those who desired to be baptized called the mourners’ bench. That sounds promising and exciting, right? When I made my decision, on Monday night I made my way to the front of the church to my seat of honor. Little did I know or know better like some of my friends, if you started on Monday you had to return and endure the same seat and spot for the whole week. Now I know why several of my friends didn’t show up until Friday. For those of you that have been in church for a long time, this gives new meaning to the phrase, “my day was on a Monday, certainly Lawd!” LOL.

Fast forwarding just a bit, I made it through all the pomp and circumstance of the event. The next day, I would return to my normal way of life, grade school. Being that I’m now baptized, my life was suppose to represent a major difference. I’m sad to say, it was really about the same. I was looking for the advantage of this significant decision. I had no super powers. I was expecting some “super-natural” changes. I like those words, super–natural, not natural , uncommon. Days, months and even years later, I was left thinking that giving my life to Jesus Christ didn’t make a whole lot of difference after all. In fact I had the same problems, difficulties and challenges as everyone else. I dealt with some of the same “common” results as others such as sickness, failure, divorce, poverty, stress, aggravations, scandals, and (verbal) abuse. Have you ever had the thought, that being a believer actually made life harder? Don’t answer that…

Did Your Baptism Produce What You Expected?

Now fast forward many years later and here’s my takeaway from that event. What I learned was this. The results I had from my baptism experience was pretty much just like everyone else’s. I don’t argue this. That means I was overcome by what was normal. Just because it was normal doesn’t mean it was right or that giving my life to Jesus Christ provides no super powers. I learned that being “common” is a disease that not only finds its way into our homes, but even into our churches. The people before me in those days demonstrated the behavior that became “common” to me and everyone else. Thusly, making me a victim to having little power while all power was and is available. I bet this may have even happened to you. Normal is not Godly and normal won’t get you an unfair advantage.

You see there is nothing normal about giving your life to Christ. What am I trying to say? People have a major impact on how we experience life, even life with Christ. What we see, we become. The scripture clearly states that “you are from God and greater is He [God] that’s in you.” Even hearing this, there was no greatness back in those days. So where did the greatness go? It was overcome by “normal, ordinary, common and average.” Greatness means none of these. Greater is something different and if we aren’t careful, we will allow others to lead us away from such. The image that you and I should portray is one of power, strength, success, hope and victory. This is the unfair advantage that we have for being no-longer-common.


The No-Longer-Common Action: Have you ever expected more from your faith, but some how it fell short? Tell us about your experience on Facebook, Twitter, or Google+.

Bonus Content

You are from God [given birth from the uncommon One], little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you [making you uncommon] than he who is in the world [the one who wants you to remain “common”]. (1 JOHN 4:4 NASB)

Greater is He that’s in you! This is worth repeating especially when most of us don’t know that what’s placed within us is greatness.

“Greater” is simply a word used to compare objects, ideas, methods, etc. It implies that one thing is greater, better and more advanced than another thing. In this case, God is all of that-greater, but greater than what?

In the quoted scripture above, He’s greater than he who is in the world-the world that we know. The world is another way to say what’s normal. God is greater than what’s normal to us. He supercedes things that are common to us.

In you is something greater than what’s ordinary and accepted. God in you, is greater than any of these. “Common” people are not greater than those who are no-longer-common. That’s what makes you no-longer-common; the fact that the one who isn’t “common” lives in you.

Other Great Resources and Content on this Topic:

Why Do You Have an Unfair Advantage? Part 1
Why Do You Have an Unfair Advantage? Part 2


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