Baptism

Written April 2004
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“Pastor, I want to get baptized right now!” Andrés exclaimed through his tears as he rushed up to Israel and embraced him. This was moments before the end of the last meeting of our Encounter weekend held in March, and Andrés was yearning to express his new devotion to the Lord down at the swimming hole. He had not taken advantage of the baptism we held that afternoon because he wanted to have more of his friends present to witness the ceremony, but now, deeply touched by the Holy Spirit, he wanted to go ahead with it anyway. However, we had to board the rented bus, which had already been waiting for us for an hour. 

Called El Encuentro in Spanish, this two-day event is part of the model we are using to help new believers get firmly established in their walk with God. As its name suggests, we take a group of young people (who have generally been saved through our youth-led cell group meetings) out of the city to have a “face-to-face” encounter with their Creator. They spend two nights and two days receiving intensive ministry and teaching on subjects vital to starting out right in their spiritual lives. 

At the opening night of the Encounter, we challenge the youth with the question, Continue reading An Encounter with God