 So I want to answer ask the question first. What is baptism and I'm going to point you to text we may not look at all the text But I just want to give you a basic understanding of what what is it that we're doing out here and why is it that we're doing? Okay, what are these folks who are going to be baptized today? What are they appealing to? So what is baptism baptism is a immersion dipping? Submerging plunging Dunking Into water The person into water in the name of the father The son and the Holy Spirit Where do we get that from? We get that from the Great Commission, right? Go into all the world and baptize We're to baptize So then are we to baptize? infants babies absolutely not the proper subjects of baptism are Our men and women our children who actually Repent and believe the gospel Those are the proper subjects of baptism Who is to be baptized the person who repents and believes? That is the person that is to be baptized. What is the what what does that represent? What does it mean? What does it points to? What does it point the church to and what are we declaring by our act of baptism? We're declaring first and foremost That God has done a sovereign work in our heart We're publicly declaring making a public announcement That God has taken out the heart of stone and Replace it with the heart of flesh We are testifying that God has given us his spirit and We are testifying that that spirit is working and Transforming us into the image of Christ That's why it is important for those who are being baptized to understand what they're acknowledging before God And that is why it's important for those of you who are sitting here to clearly listen to And be informed of what baptism means. It's not a empty dead Ritual but points to a reality it points to new birth And that new birth or the fact that new birth is needed Indicates that man is Guilty and condemned before God He is dead in his trespasses and sins and because of this he must die to himself And be raised to newness of life and that is what the dunking into the water represents It's not that being submerged in water cleanses us from sin in and of itself What it what that symbol does what that sign does is it's it's a It's the believer Holding on to the promises of God and acknowledging that God has done a sovereign work in their life And as they are raised from the water That is the symbol of the newness of life. They've received from Christ There they are to live a life now in fellowship among the people of God So it's a sovereign declaration and testimony of the faithfulness of God in our lives It's also a testimony Baptism of our membership in the church Now I guess when a believer is saved they become part of the invisible church That is all believers in all places at any time But then corporately as A body a person is baptized into the church and they become a vital member of that church and Their baptism represents their union with that body and Their willingness and acknowledgement that they are to live with one another Serving one another and loving one another for the work that God has done in their life It also makes it clear to relatives who may not be believers to employers or to anyone else That we are going to live a life that our life is To be a reflection of the power of God Manifested in bearing fruit in our lives We're declaring to men and women who don't believe that we do believe We're holding out this testimony and saying we're going to follow God. We're going to serve God We've turned from our wicked ways. We've turned from worshiping idols We've died to that past life and been raised to a new life It's a fellowship among the people of God So it's a declaration of what God has done It is an acknowledgement of the work that he is going to continue to do in our lives It's an introduction to our membership in the church and our service to his body And it's a public declaration for every and any person That we've died to our old way of life and we've been raised to a new life to fellowship with Christ. Let us pray Heavenly Father, we thank you for the sovereign work That your spirit accomplishes through the preaching of your word and I pray now that You would embolden our brothers and sisters here to testify of your faithfulness in their life In Christ's name I pray. Amen. My name is Dury and Arendelle. I want to thank the Lord for leading me to Conestone Baptist Church where I learned so much about the word I think I learned more here in the last three years have been here than I've learned in about 15 or 20 years In all the churches that I've been to I Was saved at the age of 17 Because a friend invited me to a church called Pilgrim Hall in this church and that is where first heard the message of salvation Before that I thought I was a fairly decent person. I hadn't done any bad things So I was sure I was going to heaven But after listening to the messages that I I heard I realized I was no better than the murderer The thief and all the people I thought committed heinous sins I realized that I just like them was on my way to hell and that resonated with me I thought about it. I kept going back eventually the Lord saved me. I Started studying the word reading trying to find out more about the walker the Christian walk and for a while I was on cloud nine because everything seems so I felt so good about it But you know that was not the last The word says the narrow is the way didn't say smooth was the way and so I soon found that out the hard way my cloud nine turned to dark clouds after I got married and My we had a Christian home at thought and we did all the right things praying reading the word and so on with the children But my husband was leading a double life and as a result of numerous Indiscretions or let me say the right word adulterous relationships the marriage was destroyed and I now had to face quite some problems before I Was devastated of course went to all kinds of emotions low self esteem low self image feelings of rejection a Number of questions, which I had no answer to what had I done? That I should not have done What had I not done that I should have done? How could I have made this better? What could I have added what what needed I do to do more? Confine any answers. I turned to the Lord even more than I had before and I grew spiritually in this time. I thank the Lord for that because I was able to find in the world Verses of scripture that helped me to Realize I need to turn to the Lord and let him be the center of my life Rather than anyone's I made the Lord the center of my life along with my children and I continue to go spiritually Now the emotional distress was not all that happened after the divorce Now whereas we were fairly comfortably financially before now there was financial stress added to the other stresses And even here the Lord was my rock and he was my strength He was my fortress Because I kept turning to him even for what I should do for guidance for direction for everything in my life and I remember even when I was I had to Take on another job beside teaching to make ends meet and I would work for seven days a week 12 hours a day and the Lord gave me the strength to do that He kept me in good health. I never got sick. I didn't have to leave work And he helped me to make enough to keep the home together to buy a home for Myself and the children and all in all the Lord just led me out of all of this He brought me on top and I got to see how wonderful Christ was not just for the things he was allowing me to have But what he was doing in my life as a Christian because I learned to trust the Lord more than I've ever trusted before Sometimes I remember that song by um, Andrew Croucher said Through it all I learned to trust in Jesus. I learned to trust in God. I learned to depend on his word If I didn't have those problems, I wouldn't know that God could solve them I wouldn't know what faith in his word could do and so I kept trusting the Lord kept looking to him And I was that is why I was so glad when I came here that I found a church That would even bring more of this to light and help me to even understand the word even more deeply than I had before The Lord gave me five wonderful children for which I thank him for from that marriage and we all in facing all odds Were able to overcome and the Lord was out on top So I want to encourage anyone who's going through difficult circumstances just to keep your eyes on the Lord Keep trusting him keep looking to him for all your needs and for your spiritual both because that is even more important than anything else My name is Brenda Davidson. I Attended about this church and as a young adult I heard all about God's wrath hell and judgment I was so terrified of dying and going to hell I went forward and I asked Jesus to forgive me of my sins and to come and live in my heart I wanted a personal relationship with him and I wanted to spend eternity with him I always read my Bible. I attended church faithfully and I did many Bible studies I truly believe that I was saved But through God's sovereign grace. We came to cornerstone Since being here, I have heard through the preaching of the word The true gospel of repentant faith in Jesus Christ How God is so holy righteous and just He hates my sin and he has the right to judge me for breaking his law. I Don't want to be one of those in Matthew 721 that he cast out saying depart from me. I never knew you I want to do the will of his father in heaven And I want to obey him and read his word. I cried out to Jesus Have mercy on me a sinner deserving of your wrath and judgment Please forgive me Lord for my sins of self-righteousness my pride my hypocrisy Please reveal any deep sins in me so I can repent Created me a clean heart of Lord and renew a right spirit in me Only God could call me to salvation through his spirit and even grant me repentance and even the faith to believe It is all God's work. I did nothing but sin against him I don't even deserve his mercy or his grace. I know that Jesus took my punishment on the cross That he paid the penalty for my sin Through his precious blood. I'm forever grateful. I love him because he first loved me I want to follow Jesus as Lord and Savior of my life and obey his commandments Today, I'd like to follow him in baptism as a new creation in Christ. May God be glorified Galatians 2 20 I've been crucified with Christ. It's no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me and the life I live in the body. I live by faith and the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me May God be glorified Hi, my name is Ron Davidson When I was a young I attended a small Baptist church with my family I asked Jesus into my heart and I believe that by the fact I that I chose to follow Jesus I was saved I learned how to be a moral person and but I remained quite full and self-serving I Believe that I was saved and it did not matter what I did from that point on when I died I would go to heaven with Jesus This belief was supported by the teachings of easy believers in churches I attended for the 21 plus years prior to coming to Cornerstone Jesus was my Savior, but not my Lord Over the one and two month one year in two months ago by God's grace and mercy I was led to Cornerstone And since hearing the true gospel, I know that I'm a sinner in need of repentance I know that I have broken all of God's commandments and that I deserve hell and Romans 715 Paul wrote for I do not understand my own actions For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate and in verse 18 he wrote For I know that I that nothing good dwells in me that is that is in my flesh For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out I know that only God can put the desire to be saved in my heart Apostle John wrote in John 644 No one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him and I Will raise him up in the last day. I Ask God to forgive me of all my sins and creating me a new heart Seek evermore to know God through the readings and studying of his work I Thank Jesus for the ultimate sacrifice without which I could not be saved I want to make him Lord over my life and obey his commandments to God be the glory Hello, my name is Richard People call me reaching Yeah, yeah, I was just thinking what to say and you know, what is the best thing to say? The only thing I know is that I want God to be exalted and the very fact that I'm There's nothing I did there's nothing that I That I could claim on everything was his work And I could start with saying a little about my background. I was born as Catholic in Ecuador, South America I wasn't just a Catholic. I was a very religious little kid Catholic, I would have prayed I would have prayed Virgin Mary saints. I would have light a candle and pray my parents left me when I was 14 years old and moved to New York City and Me and my brother and sister pretty much grew up on With but that's when I went wild. I just did everything that I wanted to Everything that my desires led me to do and that's just what I went with I Moved to New York City at age of 17. That was the first time ever that I hear the word of God been preached to me by a pastor When I was 21 and that was in New York I hit it because he chased me down. He always wanted to study with me I just didn't care about it But one thing did call my attention that was one night that he came and I told him that I would meet with him But I just didn't care so I didn't remember and then he was sitting there waiting for me He had been waiting for like 40 minutes and One thing I already came to my mind was why is this man taking time away from his family And be waiting for me there. I didn't understand why and I just know that would there had to be something important So then we move I got married with my wife who had kids and we moved to Florida When we moved the pastor that was preaching to me he said that he was looking for a good charge for me to go To I just didn't know but for me was like as long as it has Cross and looking church. It was fine I didn't understand why but they had it something to do eventually find out so That was my background my beliefs When I was 21 I hear the gospel for the first time and I just went on with my life for about 10 years very prideful very simple very arrogant I Was I was hurt by all the pain that I and I caused by my parents when I got divorced So I just put a wall in my heart and I became very very selfish But then something happened I had a business I lost the business God broke me down and broke me to Matthew 5 Blessed are the pouring his spirit because there is a king all heavens. He broke me down. He humbled me My family was just about to break in apart. I was going to get divorced I lost everything I had and the only thing I could do was go in a closet and literally that's what I did I just went in a closet and I look at the pictures of my family and I just cried to the Lord to help me He did He did he saying sounds like we cried to him. He's faithful to hear our prayers, right? He didn't hurt me and he delivered me for that. I Wouldn't know with my life After things got a little better, but it still didn't didn't know I thought that was something better than just you know Helping me on this little thing here Eventually What happened was that I lost a job? I didn't have a job for three years I went to New York for a look for a job and I couldn't find it I'm still relying on my own strength to go and thanks I Just I just broke myself down like that's it just no hope I didn't have a strength on my own and My father who lived there. He told me to a friend of his to his office to do some paperwork with me And he was Christian and that's why I believe in witnessing that's why I believe in preaching the gospel because that's how God saved me This man came to me and he was very bold and he asked me a question How are you doing and I say I'm doing bad At that point I realized that I really I was I was weak I just didn't have an extra on my own and he says why you like that Says I have too many problems. He says how is your relationship with the lord? That was the second question he asked me He says how is your relationship with the lord and I said it was great Right. I used to go to church. I used to sing an aquire and I served in the church for many years So I thought it was good He told me to the bible led me to matthew 6 verse 20 um 28 And then he told me to matthew 6 33 matthew 6 I'm sorry 11 28 which says come to me You who are heavy laden that I will give you rest That was the lord speaking to me. I was so worried about getting a job Filling my family And then the next verse he led me to he said opening and read his verse was matthew 6 33 he says but seek first The kingdom of god and his righteousness Right. It didn't sound to me like first look for god and then he's going to provide you needs It didn't sound to me like that. It sounds to me that that is no important I am important Christ is important and I should look for him first I left the day and It was My desire to read the bible I didn't know why I didn't know what happened to me. I just wanted to read the bible I left the day and I just kept reading the bible for I think about a year I didn't have a church. I didn't have brothers that can lead me to a biblical understanding Oh, what is you know, what am I here for? What is the point of this? I just went to matthew and got let me to take christ as my example and That's what I find out that truly Saving faith is through repentance and fading christ So that's what I confess and I wanted to um excel christ and then eventually, you know, things got a little better That saved me and still my heart was hard until my daughter was diagnosed with cancer And that's the day That really the lord broke my heart And he changed my heart of stone and he gave me A heart of flesh I can tell you if you know me for I wouldn't never cry And yet I've been crying for the past four months day and night And not because of what's going to happen to my daughter It because of my sinful nature that I don't deserve anything And yet god decided to deliver me and be faithful to me without deserving He could claim to his promises And his promises was that if I'll come to you And I love you and I'll obey you. I will hear you prayers And that's what I did I just want to read this before I finish. This is the verse that the lord Used to come for me during this affliction Which is because he has said his love upon me Therefore I will deliver him I will set him on high because he has known my name He shall call upon me and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble I will deliver him and honor him With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation That was the promise the lord made to us And he is faithful to his promises So I stand here before all of you to To proclaim that he is the god who is living on the throne And we should not be ashamed or share his word Because we're not the one that save people is he's the one that produces the work And I can tell you something that he tells us don't fear men and don't fear men Fear him who can destroy the body and soul Right, so thank you My name is Judith growing up I was taught to go to church because it was the right thing to do I had no fear of God even though I was in church every Sunday. I lived my life the way I wanted Instead of growing love for God I grew more hate for God because I did not like how my life was turning out I was a hypocrite because I was professing to be a Christian while still hating God My hate for God was displayed by the way I lived my life. I was an idolater by living my life for myself Whatever I wanted I got even if someone else had to get hurt I was very selfish. I was an angry person by picking fight with anybody that looked at me the wrong way I was very prideful. I was A liar by lying to get my ways and even lying for fun I was a thief by stealing money not only from my family, but from the government I did not care about anybody my life life was all about me Galatians 5 19 21 described me to the teeth I was quick to break fights and my tongue was my sharpest weapon I hated God and I hated the life that he gave me and the things he made me go through My solution to solve all my problems that my sin created was death and I tried to take my life I felt like I had the right to take my life away because God does not seem to care Why live when God seems not to be in control? Around the year 2010 I got a job at Wendy's and it was there that I met Roberta, who knew Jeff Roberta and I had built a good friendship outside of work and after years of not going to church I started going to church with her after work The church who we're going to was not a biblical church and only produced in me a legalistic lifestyle I thought I was more saved because I did not wear pants. I did not wear a weave and I did not do x y and z I basically was a Pharisee at heart because I cleansed the outside of the cup But inside was filled with greed and wickedness book 1139 After a year I was being at Roberta church By God's grace we decided to leave due to the past and falling into sin At the moment Jeff was witnessing to Roberta as we were looking for a church to go to We finally decided to visit cornerstone. It was there that I realized that I was never safe to begin with I realized that the life I was living showed how I really felt about God I hated God and my sin had blinded me to see from seeing that for many years If anyone went to ask me back then if I loved that I would say yeah, I love God But my life was far from it the more I learned about God the more I struggled to understand How could God die for someone who's so wicked? The God I knew was unloving, uninvolved selfish and untrustworthy. I had the wrong view of God God used the body of Christ to start showing me who he really was The ladies at cornerstone were so faithful and being there for me whenever I had questions Miss Leah, Jolie, Cary and so many of the other ladies picked up the labor and pointed to Christ The love that these people were showing me showed me that this love can only come from God They were so patient so patient with me And the the love that this they were so patient with me loving and faithful The same victors took me in as their own that this family showed me in my mind. I could not believe that they were Haitian because If the Haitian church was the opposite Weston lily took the time out to always open their homes and answer my question Miss lily who I now call mom was by my side too beautiful when I was insane to correct me when I was wrong and to encourage me The the patient in love the body displayed showed me that this only had to be from God But I still cannot find myself to forsake my life for God who I could not trust God had to take my heart stony heart and change it in 2013 my dad passed away And by God's grace it was through that difficult time that God showed me how to trust him for years of going to cornerstone I would always tell the sisters. God can't save me. Why would he save someone like me? Romans 5a the God shows his love for us that while we were still sinners christ died It was not my good works. I was going to save me. I had no good works like woman's 310 said While I hated him and screamed crucify him. He still died for my sin I had to understand that and believe in it. The God I had created could not save me But only leave me to hell the Lord I had the Lord had to tear down my God myself So he could put faith in me so I could put so I could put my faith in him He enabled me to stop worshiping myself stop looking to myself into my so-called good's work The Lord enabled me to trust him how to find my completion in him how to forsake myself and love him by obeying him I lost my physical father, but I gained my heavenly father in heaven The Lord used my father death to show the need to repent while I still had air in my lungs I started seeing my life as no longer my own but as revelation for 11 say my life is for his own glory The Lord took a wicked sinner like me and changed me from the inside out I am able to love other people people because christ first loved me It was God's grace that he did not allow me to kill myself because if he did I would be in hell today burning for eternity. It was only God's grace There's so much more I can say about God's grace, but I can only think of the him Amazing grace amazing grace how sweet the sound that stays a wretch like me I was But now I see twice grace that taught my heart to fear and grace my fears released How precious did the grace appear the hour I first believed? Hi, my name is Nadia um This is my testimony I first came to cornerstone in 2011 I liked it a lot It was much different than churches I grew up going to and everyone was nice and very welcoming I noticed that the gospel was different than what I was used to hearing Money that no one is good and Christ is our only way of salvation. It was something I'd never heard before I didn't think much about it because I was always looked at as a goody good. I never got into trouble Um, 2012 came and I started learning about evangelism Mainly watching the Ray Comfort videos One night, um, I was watching a video of his going through the law and I realized that I had broken all of God's commands That I was a liar a thief a murderer and adulter at heart I went to him in prayer crying and asking for forgiveness I thought I had repented while my heart wasn't changed. I went on living as a hypocrite Telling people that I was a Christian But I had no fruit to show I didn't care about spending time with the brethren I'd go evangelizing with my sister Nina, but I didn't care about people's souls I just wanted to be seen out there to prove that I was a Christian I I had an ongoing cycle of sin in my life. I love my sin. I would think about committing My sin during church service I basically went on deceiving myself. I knew that works couldn't save me But I trusted in them anyways I thought if I wanted prayer crying and asking for forgiveness Basically putting on an act for God. I was okay I didn't I avoided Spending time with others and being around them because I was so full of pride and I didn't want to be questioned I thought I could have my sin and still go to heaven I believe that God opened my eyes when a brother passed away And someone that I knew for years was this fellowship I believe God used those trials to help me realize that I was going to die And I was going to die And stand before him and had been living a hypocritical life I realized that I was lost and if I died in my sin, I would go to hell But I didn't want to let go of my sin I thought that I was unsavable I was often thanks to myself. Why hasn't he killed me yet? Why has he allowed me to sin against him for so long? Very hard time in my life I was often afraid to sleep because I thought that I would wake up in hell. I was so sick of myself I finally got let go of my pride and cried out to God to save me putting my faith and trust and trust along for salvation Since then God has given me salvation and a new heart and new desires I no longer love the things that I once did I have a desire to serve my fellow brothers and sisters and preaching the gospel to the lost I just thank God for saving me. I don't deserve it And I'm just humbled to be standing here in front of you all And I just pray that my life will be forever glorifying to him. I just think of uh I'm gonna burst in one of my favorite hymns Nothing that my hands can bring but simply to the cross-cycling My name is Lori Nelson I was born a sinner Raised a moralist and lived in false assurance of my salvation for 15 years While growing up in a conservative and ethical home. I began to put my faith in my good works Having learned about God and Jesus from an elementary intellectual level I prided myself on how I thought a christian should act I never smoked did drugs or drank alcohol I even made the choice at a very young age to save myself for my future husband After a close family member passed away family friend passed away I decided that I wanted to go to heaven when I died. So I got counsel from others and I was baptized at nine years of age As time went on and I entered into my teenage years I was seemingly able to maintain my moral composure But began bearing the fruits of wrath hatred jealousy envy strife and dishonor to God both in my heart and actions However, the Lord in his infinite grace still allowed me to grow in the knowledge of him While I was still unregenerate and unconverted I had yet to understand that I was truly lost and based my faith upon My decision and baptism as a child In college where many people flee from faith in christ The Lord began drawing me to him through prayer bible reading and fellowship with others My prayers began to shift from a self-centered plea Using God as a genie in a bottle to asking for conviction and for his will to be done in my life and in relationship with others Immediately upon graduating college I was at a crossroads where a long-term relationship And my career path that I'd worked so hard for began to fall apart It was at this point where I began to realize that my good works could only go so far I was empty alone and lost To deal with this pain. I began to fill myself with things of this world through ungodly friendships and relationships I couldn't reconcile the thought of if i'm so good, then why do I feel so bad? Having some head knowledge of the word of God I began to understand that my righteousness was this filthy rags That I was born a sinner and that there was no good thing that dwelt in my flesh I had broken god's law through my rebellious lifestyle And I was under his condemnation deserving of his judgment and wrath I was dead in my transgressions against a holy god I recognized that my recognize that my sin put christ on the cross Jesus died and shed his blood as an atoning sacrifice for my sin He died so that I could live with him in eternity. He saved my soul from hell I began to cry out to god in his mercy and love. He granted me repentance from my sins and saving faith in jesus christ I could no longer live in habitual patterns of sin Because he regenerated my soul God had granted me salvation I was born again a new creation surrender it into the lord jesus christ Despite growing up unchurched and eventually being under prosperity preaching And easy believism throughout college and early adulthood the father still in his faithfulness drew me to himself I was converted in my home in 2006 Processing who I was under god's law and now who he had chosen me to be through christ was the most crushing humbling and loving experience in my life I began to hunger and thirst for righteousness hate the things that I once loved and began to live a life That was pleasing to god through the power of the holy spirit Ephesians 2 8 through 9 For it is by grace you have been saved through faith and this is not from yourselves It is the gift of god not by works so that no one can boast I am a sinner still who was a moralist with false assurance But I am now born again redeemed through the blood of christ and saved by grace alone through faith alone Jesus the lord of my life, and I want to obey his command to be baptized praise the lord I was hoping I wouldn't lose it up here You know come january All have been here seven for seven years Being here for six years was Uh, I was just a moral guy A moral guy who liked to spend time in his bible Does anybody who lived with me? He would tell you all the time I could spend in the word of god Early in the morning and early at night until um earlier this year I began to go through a number of trials and then all this sin in my heart That was buried for years It begins to it begins to come to the surface realized I was a Pharisee just a moralist Very hateful You ask any of the younger guys who lived with me during the last six years that I've been here And they will tell you what I was like inside my home It wasn't the same person that you saw here on sunday I was very bitter toward people and I was very selfish and self-centered I only ever wanted what I wanted and I was an idol at your And I worshiped myself and worshiped anything and everything except for the god who made me And so I remember even early this year after I was realized I was unconverted That for a while I didn't even tell anybody I just I kept it all to myself I said I'll be okay I'll just get saved and I'll tell everyone afterward and what a mistake that was Because I got worse for weeks And everybody could see it on my face that something was wrong and everybody's asking me what's wrong And all I'm doing is hiding it. I'm okay. I'm fine. I'm fine. I'll be fine And the reason why I did that is because every other thing I had ever done in my entire life was somewhat the same way There's this long standing pattern I wanted to work in it so you just get open a bunch of books and you teach yourself If I want to learn algebra, I just break open a book and I teach myself You see everything that I had ever done in my entire life It had been done basically in that way. I'll be fine. I'll do it on my own And when it came to salvation, I tried to treat it the same exact way Everything getting muddy my conscience. I remember at my lowest point. I remember I couldn't even think straight And man, I'd be sitting at work doing things or driving and I remember I couldn't even tell if I was sinning or not Because my mind and my conscience were sold by this point Remember one day I had to have a talk with pastor rig And I called him. He says well, I got a question for you. I want to know why you look so sad Why you look so depressed or lied to him that day And then that same day and thinking how can I have a clear conscience just have doing this, right? And remember I sat down and I prayed and I said oh everything's gonna be fine I'll get saved and then I'll tell him later that I lied to him presuming upon the grace of god Proverbs chapter 18 verse 1. You know what it says? A man who isolates himself. He seeks his own desire. He arranges it against all the wise counsel That's exactly what I have been doing for a while I remember I stood up and I was like How can I do this? You see people have been chasing me down for weeks And I have been lying to everyone So finally I remember that day remember I called Ben I couldn't have a conversation with him that day. I bulleted over to pastor Mark's house And nobody was home So I called pastor Rick up. I said I gotta talk to you I gotta tell you everything that's been happening And so I tried to bear the all that burden all on myself And all along god chasing me And so then after I remember his counsel was just really simple He says well, what are you gonna do now through the gospel? He just couldn't believe how kind he was to me, you know because If anybody ever told me that I would just blow him off That's your problem You see to it They couldn't believe that even after all these years People pouring their time to me Even after that coming out saying I wasn't converted because I was so ashamed They would still be willing to spend time with me and to help me through it all And so then for weeks maybe like two months or so I remember working through all the all the issues All the relationships and friendships I had destroyed for years and being wicked toward people trying to mend those Trying to pursue the worship of god Stop trying to read my bible as if it's just some type type of uh entertainment to me You ever think about that little kids like to play video games and put puzzles together I like to read my bible for three hours a day because it's fun It's not a lifeline. I'm not seeking god It's just entertainment to me And I had to leave behind all this is my pride myself will all of my idolatry I don't know exactly when I got saved it happened over a period of time But what I can say is that it has happened and that I used to be And it was by the grace of god Up in the mornings Weeping because I knew I was lost I remember one time even driving back from home and the tears in my eyes like almost crashed into the car next to me Because I can't even see the lines on the road anymore And waking going to sleep at night Thinking if I don't wake up in the morning, I'm going to hell And it was very sobering But god in his kindness some more along the way he drew me to himself When exactly? I don't know. I'm just thankful to the lord That through all that he sustained me because I knew even after figuring out I was unconverted. I said he brought me this far I'm not going to be like a jew who says oh you brought me all the way out to the wilderness to kill me I said no you brought me this far to save me I said god wants to save me. I said so with all my might. I'm going to repent of my sins. I'm going to trust christ And so finally after close to seven years, I would get saved. Truthfully told I've been a christian for like four or five months And it was just by the grace of god So I just want to say just for um the kids um excuse me the parents that have kids and you spend time teaching them Continue to do that because on the day that the lord calls him right lord willing They will have the word of god in their mind so that it can finally penetrate their hearts That's what happened with me. I just want to thank the lord Thankful to everyone who bore with me during that time. That was very difficult Don't cry karen. You're gonna make me cry. I just want to thank the lord But by his grace I've been saved I've been washed in his blood And i'm not trying to live for myself anymore and I just genuinely in my heart desires to be pleasing to him And don't care what it cost me I'm gonna um by his grace. I'll follow him to the day I die even if it cost me all my life Praise god These testimonies are proof that christ is risen That he is not dead because it's only by christ power that sinners are changed Let's pray as we get ready to do the baptisms Lord god, we worship you and we thank you for the great works Which you have done in the lives of these sinners We thank you that you have called them to yourself That you have granted them by your grace repentance and faith We thank you that you have sealed them by your spirit That you have given them the guarantee of future blessings and grace that will be revealed when christ appears We praise you god for making them part of this body We pray that you would help us as a church to love them And to continue to teach them the gospel and train them in the ways of christ We pray lord that christ would be formed in them that they would be Believers that faithfully serve and follow our lord, jesus christ We pray that you would use their gifts and talents to edify and strengthen this body And that they would be used by you to promote the unity and peace and well-being of this church We thank you for all the things you have done to save sinners We give you all of the glory and honor and praise in jesus name. Amen Hey, i'm talking about the promise that i've seen with sin. Are you watching the blood of the lamb? Based upon your profession Of repentant faith in lord jesus christ having turned from sin and put your faith and trust in jesus christ alone to save you And based upon your commitment to serve the lord as a part of corse on this church I baptize you my minister with the name of the father, the son and always through you Your profession of repentant faith in the lord jesus christ having turned from sin Putting your faith and trust alone in jesus christ alone to save you and based upon your commitment to follow the lord jesus christ As a member of cornerstone baptist church. I baptize you my sister in the name of the father Lori nelson here our sister Based upon your profession of christ profession of repentant faith of lord jesus christ I'm turning from sin and your faith and trust alone in christ alone to save you And based upon your commitment to follow christ as a part of cornerstone baptist church I baptize you my sister in the name of the father The son of the holy spirit Baptize you my brother in the name of the father The son of the holy spirit And putting your faith alone, trust alone, and Christ alone to save you I baptize you my brother in the name of the father, the son, and the holy spirit I baptize you my sister In the name of the lord jesus christ Having turned from sin Putting your faith alone, trust alone, and christ alone to save you And based upon your commitment to follow christ as a part of cornerstone baptist church Baptize you my brother in the name of the father the son of the holy spirit This is our brother Richie Richie based upon your profession of repentant faith in the lord jesus christ Having turned from sin putting your faith alone in christ alone to save you based upon your commitment, I certainly follow Christ as a member for and so to have this church. I baptize you my brother, your name is the Father, and the Son, and with the Holy Spirit. We thank you for the work that you've done in the hearts of those who are members of this church and leading them to repentance and faith. And Lord we just pray Lord that as they make this profession that you will keep them, that you will keep them and persevere them into the end Lord so that they might be saved. That we might all labor together, that we might hold each other accountable, that we might encourage one another, that we might rebuke one another, Lord that we might bring glory and honor to your name in the way that we serve you by serving each other. We love you Lord, we thank you for this church, and we thank you for the sacrifice that you've made on behalf of sinners like us. And you're holy and precious to me Lord. Jesus, will you disdain now to follow?