I am writing this blog while flying from Bujumbura, Burundi to Johannesburg, South Africa. Sherry and I are attending the One House Conference for all Assembly of God missionaries in the Africa Region. We lived in Johannesburg for 12 years and it feels like we are going home. We’ll see many familiar sites, visit old friends, and remember some exciting days of ministry planting and pastoring churches in the city.

All followers of Christ are on a mission from God. Whether preacher or plumber, none are exempt from making disciples in every nation. But what does that look like? Luke 4:31-44 gives us a day-in-the-life of the chief disciple maker, Jesus Christ.

I am a biblical teacher! Over the years that gift has led me into various facets of ministry through the years. Today, I live and do ministry in East Africa. Most call me a missionary, but I am a teacher who happens to exercise his gift in a cross-cultural context. Living out God’s purpose for my life is wonderful but it also comes with temptations.

One thing I’ve learned in walking with Jesus is that I am always in need of correction. I know it’s hard to admit, but I am wrong about things on occasion. I say and do things that if not corrected can lead to brokenness of spirit and relationships. I don’t want that! But I also am tempted to view corrections or rebukes in a negative light. When correction comes (and it will come) I am put in a position to choose my response.

Frederick Wood said, “Temptation is not sin; it is the call to battle.” That statement blew me away. Why? Because it is a statement of freedom. Satan’s job is to tempt us. Our job is lean on the Holy Spirit and go to war against the temptation. Listen to me! Here is an important truth. If you resist temptation, victory is promised!

One of my greatest privileges as a pastor is baptizing new believers in water. There is just something so special about that moment when a person goes under the water and raises to new life (Rom 6:4). As a pastor, I am often asked what baptism is and why we do it. I think that is a fair and good question. I also believe that every believer must give an answer to this important question.
That said, let’s jump into Luke 3:21-22 and the story of Jesus’s baptism by John. Most of you have probably heard about or read this passage many times before but there are some important truths here to answer the question, “Why believers should take the step of water baptism.”