Last month we witnessed eight new believers being baptized by pastors of a local church.

A pool in a public sauna was rented for the event. Those of us there to witness the baptism crowded around the pool on a narrow walkway between the wall and the edge of the water.

Those who were baptized entered the pool two at a time. They were asked to reaffirm their confession of faith before being immersed by one of the pastors.

As each newly-baptized believer was raised out of the water we sang a song of praise around them.

It wasn’t but a few weeks later that one of the recently-baptized believers shared a testimony of how she had taken the opportunity to share her faith. We praised God that her obedience in baptism was quickly followed by her obedience in evangelism.

These newly-baptized believers already serve with the church. Give thanks with us for the conviction of the Holy Spirit in their lives and for the obedience of other believers to be disciple-makers.

We’re praying, too, that these eight new believers will be the start of a movement of God across the city, a chain-reaction of evangelism and discipleship.

“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” (Colossians 3:19-22)

Shawn B.