Everyone has a next step. What's yours?

Maybe you just accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior. Perhaps you have been saved for a while and are looking to grow in your faith. You might have had some life-changing events, and you are looking for a new church to call home. No matter where you are in life, we hope you will consider Grace FWBC your new home. We look at church as two things. First, a refuge. A place where we can come and find rest from all the drama and crazy of the world around us. A place to lift up and exhort one another (Hebrews 10:25). Second, a training ground to fulfill the Great Commission to go out and make disciples (Matthew 28:19). This is why it is important for believers to take action or steps in faith as they grow in faith and in a deeper understanding of God and His word.  

Groups

Groups, Sunday School, Small Groups, Home Groups... Whatever you want to call it, it's all the same. A core group with commonality within the larger group of the church body. Currently the only groups we have are the Sunday School classes. In a time when churches are either doing away with, or renaming, we love our Sunday School classes. If you want to dig deeper in Scripture, have a better understanding of church history, or if you have ever wondered why we do what we do. Sunday School is where you discover more. So we encourage you to make the effort and try it out. There are plenty of classes to choose from. We offer classes for all ages. We look forward to seeing you Sunday at 9:45am.

Get Baptized

What is the significance of baptism?
Have you ever thought about getting baptized but have too many questions still unanswered?

We would love to help you understand a little bit more about this significant next step in your journey of following Jesus.

Register for Baptism

When are we to be baptized?

Believers in the New Testament were baptized the same day. As soon as a person decides to believe in Christ, he can be, and is encouraged to be baptized.

“So those who received his word were baptized...” Acts 2:41 ESV

“Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more and went on his way rejoicing. Acts 8:35-39 ESV

Who should be baptized?

Every person who has made the decision to believe in Christ. When Paul writes to the believers in Rome, he assumes that all of them have been baptised (Romans 6). The one requirement for baptism is belief in Christ!

“So those who received his word were baptized...” Acts 2:41 ESV

“But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.” Acts 8:12 ESV

We believe in baptizing children when they are old enough to understand what it means and make a personal declaration of belief.

Why Should I Consider Being Baptized?

In order to understand the reason for being water baptized, it is important to carefully consider what the Bible says about it: Jesus himself was baptised. He was not a sinner, yet he humbled himself in obedience to identify with us and give us an example to follow.

At this time, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptised by John in the Jordan. The moment he came out of the water, he saw the sky split open and God’s Spirit, looking like a dove, come down on him. Along with the Spirit, a voice: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” Mark 1:9 ESV

An act of obedience:
Water baptism is an act of faith and obedience to the commands of Christ.

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20 ESV

A public declaration:
Baptism declares that you are a follower of Jesus Christ. It is a public confession of your faith in, and commitment to, Jesus Christ. It is the next step after salvation through repentance and faith and is an important foundation for Christian life.

What is the meaning and significance of baptism?

A move from death to life:
Baptism is a symbol of Christ’s burial and resurrection. Our entrance into the water during baptism identifies us with Christ’s death on the cross, His burial in the tomb and His resurrection from the dead.

"having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands." Colossians 2:12-14 ESV

A brand-new life:
It is a symbol of your new life as a Christian. We bury the “old life” and we rise to walk in a “new life”. Baptism is like a wedding ring, it is the outward symbol of the commitment you made in your heart, a commitment that has to be followed through and lived out on a daily basis.

Here is one simple way to explain baptism:

Baptism is a symbol. It’s meant to show the world that that you love, trust and have put your hope in Christ. It’s like a wedding ring.

Let’s say I’m not married right now, but if I put a wedding ring on my finger, would that make me married? No, of course not. Similarly, I can be baptised in a church, but that doesn’t make me a true believer in Christ. Imagine two people are married. The couple really did go through the marriage ceremony, but the wife just didn’t have the ring on her finger. Would that mean she wasn’t married? No way, of course she would still be married. Similarly, you can be a believer in Christ, but not baptized, and your sins are still paid for and forgiven by God. But imagine the wife truly was married and really, really loved her husband. Would she wear her wedding ring? Of course! She would love my husband and want the whole world to know it! In the same way, if you have trusted Christ to save you from sin, and He is the Lord and Joy of your life, then you will want everyone to know it. So baptism is a statement to everyone who sees it that you have trusted Christ for your salvation and are committed to living for Him.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:4 ESV

Baptism does not make you a believer; it shows that you already are one! Baptism does not “save” you; only your faith in Christ does that.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 ESV

Membership

Here are just a few reasons why church membership matters.

1. In joining a church you make visible your commitment to Christ and his people. Membership is one way to raise the flag of faith. You state before God and others that you are part of this local body of believers. It’s easy to talk in glowing terms about the invisible church-the body of all believers near and far, living and dead-but it’s in the visible church that God expects you to live out your faith.

2. Making a commitment makes a powerful statement in a low-commitment culture. Many bowling leagues require more of their members than our churches. Where this is true, the church is a sad reflection of its culture. Ours is a consumer culture were everything is tailored to meet our needs and satisfy our preferences. When those needs aren’t met, we can always move on to the next product, or job, or spouse. Joining a church in such an environment makes a counter-cultural statement. It says “I am committed to this group of people and they are committed to me. I am here to give, more than get.”

3. We can be overly independent. People are free spirits and and tend to be critical thinkers. We get an idea and run with it. But who's running with us? And are any of us running in the same direction? Membership states in a formal way, “I am part of something bigger than myself. I am not just one of three hundred individuals. I am part of a body.”

4. Church membership keeps us accountable. When we join a church we are offering ourselves to one another to be encouraged, rebuked, corrected, and served. We are placing ourselves under leaders and submitting to their authority (Hebrews 13:7). We are saying, “I am here to stay. I want to help you grow in godliness. Will you help me to do the same?”

Mark Dever, in his book Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, writes,

Church membership is our opportunity to grasp hold of each other in responsibility and love. By identifying ourselves with a particular church, we let the pastors and other members of that local church know that we intend to be committed in attendance, giving, prayer, and service. We allow fellow believers to have great expectations of us in these areas, and we make it known that we are the responsibility of this local church. We assure the church of our commitment to Christ in serving with them, and we call for their commitment to serve and encourage as well.

5. Joining the church gives you an opportunity to make promises. When someone become a member of the church , they are making promises to pray, give, serve, attend worship, accept the spiritual guidance of the church, obey its teachings, and seek the things that make for unity, purity, and peace. We ought not to make these promises lightly. They are solemn vows. And we must hold each other to them. If you don’t join the church, you miss an opportunity to publicly make these promises, inviting the elders and the rest of the body to hold you to these promises-which would be missing out on great spiritual benefit, for you, your leaders, and the whole church.

If you have been attending for a period of time and feel like Grace FWBC is home, we pray you will consider becoming a member. We know church membership is not something to take lightly. If you have questions about aspects of membership you can see any of our pastoral staff. They will be glad to answer any questions and help guide you in making a decision. If you feel membership is for you simply click the link below and fill out a few questions. Once we receive your information we will be in contact with you for the date of new member acceptance. 

I Want To Join