Jesus has no secret disciples. Billy Graham has often said, "Everyone whom Christ called, He called publicly." One need not display obnoxious fanfare about being converted to Christ, but there are definite ways by which we can testify about what He has done in our lives.

Perhaps you came to Christ by coming forward at an altar invitation in a church or an evangelistic crusade. If so, that, in itself, was a public announcement of your desire to follow Christ. On the other hand, you may have come to Christ at home, or in a hotel room, or some other private place. Perhaps you were reading the Bible or a good book, or watching a Christian ministry on television. Still, each follower of Christ needs to make his or her decision known publicly. One of the ways God has chosen for us to give witness of our salvation is water baptism. The Scriptures make it clear that we are not saved by our works, but by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9). Therefore, baptism in itself does not make us a Christian. Nevertheless, we are commanded in Scripture, once we are saved, to be baptized (Acts 2:38). The very last commandment that Jesus gave His disciples before leaving earth and returning to the Father was to make disciples and baptize them "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19). Throughout the New Testament, when men and women came to Christ, they were gladly baptized in water.

You will remember that in our earlier studies we talked about how Christ died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. We were all sinners and deserved punishment by death (Ezekiel 18:20), but Jesus paid that penalty for us (Romans 5:7-8). The Scripture calls upon us to personally put to death the deeds of our flesh (Romans 8:13; Colossians 3:5) and be crucified with Christ. When we enter the waters of baptism, it becomes a public statement of our identification with Christ in His death. We are testifying to others that, as surely as Christ died on the cross for us, we have died to our old way of life so that we may walk in new life with Him.

Baptism by immersion (complete burial in water) is an act of identification with Christ in His burial. The fact that Jesus was buried in a literal grave was graphic evidence that He was really dead. He did not merely faint or pass out on the cross; He died. The physical body He had inhabited for thirty-three years was cold and lifeless, because His heart had stopped beating and blood no longer coursed through His veins. Because of that, He was buried.

When you came to Christ, the old person you used to be died. The old sinner you used to be passed away (Galatians 2:20). The proper response to the death of who we used to be is a burial (Romans 6:4). That is what baptism in water symbolizes.

The good news of the Gospel is that, although Jesus was crucified and buried, He was also resurrected from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:20). He is alive! There are many proofs of His resurrection, but the surest proofs are the testimonies of those who saw Him after He was raised (Acts 1:3) and those whose lives have been touched and transformed through their faith in Him (Acts 2:33). Praise God! Jesus is alive! Remember that when you came to Christ, the old person you used to be died and was buried. But as surely as death and burial was not the end of Jesus Christ, neither is it the end for you. Christ died that we might have life (John 10:10). When He forgave your sins and took away your old life, He gave you His new life. Therefore, when you emerge from the watery grave of baptism, you declare that, just as Jesus was raised from the dead, even so you also have new life! What a powerful testimony baptism is! I urge you to make an appointment as quickly as possible with your pastor or youth pastor and discuss baptism. Insist, if you must, on being baptized in water as soon as possible.

Please take time now to research the following questions, using your Bible to find and record the answers in the spaces provided. Take your time. The answer to each question is found in the scriptural references that are cited.

1. Who was baptized in the River of Jordan by John the Baptist? (Matthew 3:13-15)

2 Jesus was the Son of God, and therefore, He had no sin. Why did Jesus tell John that it was necessary for Him (Jesus) to be baptized? (Matthew 3:15).

3. What indication do we have in Scripture that God is well-pleased when we are baptized? (Matthew 3:17)

4. In Acts 2:41, what did those people do who gladly received the Word of God?

5. When Philip preached the Gospel at Samaria, what did the men and women do? (Acts 8:12) .

6. When Simon the Sorcerer believed the Gospel, what did he do? (Acts 8:13)-

7. What question did the Ethiopian eunuch ask after hearing the Gospel? (Acts 8:36).

8. After Ananias had ministered to Saul of Tarsus (later called Paul), what did Saul do? (Acts 9:18).

9. When Lydia of Thyatira heard the Gospel, what did she and her household do? (Acts 16:15) .

10. When the Philippian jailor believed the Gospel that was preached by Paul and Silas, what did he and his family do? (Acts 16:33)

11. Romans 6:3 says that "as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His ___________.

12. Write out and read aloud (memorize if possible) Romans 6:4.

13. Write out and read aloud (memorize if possible) Matthew 28:19.

14. If, as the symbol of baptism implies, we have been "raised with Christ," what are we then commanded to do? (Colossians 3:1)