We’ve all been there… when you come to one of those really mind blowing and life changing experiences on our own unique journeys in life. For me personally one of those times was when I took the decision to get baptised as an adult on November 21st 2021. Trust and believe! This is a big decision/moment on your journey in life when you’re an adult! I was christened as a baby, but it took me 19 years of encountering a shedload of ‘coincidences’ before I took the step to get baptised.
I kinda felt that being ‘made a Christian’ (back in September 1973) was not my choice, and therefore decided not to baptise/christen my kids for that exact reason. I used to hate it when I had to wear a dress and go to Sunday School and church as a kid, I ran away several times! Just ask my mum 
I preferred the countryside freedom, the open space and definitely the muddiness of the fields and climbing of trees on a Sunday to all that boring stuff so taking the decision to do this was, for me personally, not just because Jesus taught us to do it, but because it was a very powerful closure to a lot of stuff… mentally, spiritually and physically.
After praying to God, thinking, pondering and asking people a lot of questions I suppose I was still was not really ready or convinced for some reason that this was for me? Or even a good idea to pursue.
I definitely often forgot about Jesus and what had previously happened during life’s everyday distractions. I suppose you could say I was drawing a definitive line in a very public way. If people didn’t know I had Jesus in my life for 19 years before that moment they certainly did now because why would I do that?
Baptism in public to me was a visual declaration to demonstrate that after years of trying anything and everything to find some kind of peace in the chaos of living, it was the moment of closure in the pathways of alcohol drugs and sex etc when I had zero self awareness or care for myself. I was doing my utmost to block out, cope with, destruct and destroy myself due to the fact that I either didn’t fit boxes, fit in, or feel like I belonged here. I had finally come to the realisation and conclusion that the only way for me personally was, and still is, Jesus. He was the missing piece in the centre of it all. It definitely planted a seed of thought and a questions in those I knew, who didn’t know or even care about Jesus, because they told me personally after.
After being baptised I felt I could then go on and share, with confidence, my personal experience through stories of what I had tried and tested, and how he changed my life. This, in some ways, helped others to understand why I had kept banging on about this Jesus bloke all of a sudden.
It felt a little scary to do this, I faced jokes and ridicule for sure, but trust me! You are not alone in thinking or feeling this. However just from me you, I can pretty much guarantee that you are not going to regret that decision for one minute if you decide, without pressure, this pathway too 
Just have a conversation with anyone else that has done the same and make up your own mind.
I actually wore my Sanctuary International (Pastor Bob Beeman’s ministry) T-Shirt when I got baptised 
We had a birthing pool to do the baptisms in (oh the irony ) in the centre of the West Wilts Vineyard church sanctuary and 7 of us got dunked that day! I will never forget how much everyone laughed when Jason Whiley (Pastor) introduced me and said “she’s never gonna do this in 3 minutes” when I had to give a brief testimony (my story and reason for getting baptised) as part of the service Anyone that knows me will totally get that joke and he was right! Because giving your personal testimony (your story) is so powerful it is never ending. God uses us all in our own unique, quirky, individual, sometimes foul mouthed personal ways to get a point or message across! You cannot get it wrong if you tell your story, as long as you tell the truth and can back it up your claims (if needed) with evidence.
Only a fool would 100% trust one person and everything they teach because things can be easily corrupted by external factors especially when money and sex are involved
I love the use of the slogan raised to life! Some Christians actually detest the Elevation Church that I heard that message from (It’s the sentence used to refer to the baptisms that they do) And for those that don’t agree with the teaching of the Pastor (Steven Furtick) at that particular church (here’s an example) that’s their opinion, which they are perfectly entitled to. The fact is that this was just one of the multiple ways God delivered my personally tailored teaching about the bible and Jesus, this was my personal experience. You cannot deny the amazing work they are doing to bring Jesus into people’s lives when you see examples like this… 589 people baptised in one weekend
To me it seems like they are just doing their best, in their own way, to share the good news and are successfully bringing Jesus into people’s lives. There are thousands of people who like the message, worship and teaching they get every week, to get to know Jesus. I’ve not heard anything personally in the teaching that has offended me. In fact I think it will be a good idea to share some of the notes I took when listening to demonstrate what I actually learned and had to read and think about in some later blog posts.
God used Elevation Church, and multiple different resources, to teach me a lot, and especially through their Elevation Worship music. If God wants to tell you something he will, by all means necessary, that’s what our personal experience and existence does! Check out Luke 19 when Jesus spoke about stones, and not forgetting Numbers 22:21-39 where he used a donkey to speak.
All of us learn from good people if we are lucky, but some don’t have that luxury! We must always be mindful of that. So you must hear different points of view, not only from multiple people, but when it comes to understanding faith, different churches and different bible translations compared, to understand what is right, this is called discernment. Only a fool would 100% trust one person and everything they teach because things can easily be corrupted by external factors especially when money and sex are involved.
Never let anyone tell you what your personal relationship with God is, or should be. It is ESSENTIAL to educate yourself, ask a lot of questions, listen without prejudice, speak to different people, look up the verses related in the bible and decide for yourself what is right for you. Rituals, religion and the love of money are just all man made, and cause more conflict, pain, injustice, suffering and arguments than anything else! From what I’ve seen and experienced all these things actually drive people away from the things that are the most important to us all.
If the motive or outcome is not based on love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self control then it just seems to be a method or tactic that anyone evil uses for their own personal gain, control, power, ego and self satisfaction or intent. When you dig deep, it is more often than not about themselves, and what they want and not you at all. You are a commodity, a number, something to be used until no longer useful and then cast aside and replaced.
If you do decide to get baptised just have a wonderful day celebrating freedom and please don’t feel disappointed if you don’t get a mind blowing God encounter when you actually get baptised. For a lot of people I have spoken to it is natural, and they don’t experience that until days, months or even years later..
Put all the BS aside, do your own research about Jesus. Dig deep, hear conflicting opinions about who he was. Was he a real person? Are there historical things to back up this reason for you saying this? Compare and contrast what you find but don’t let anyone else do this for you. Your mind has to work it out logically and practically.
Decide for yourself what he did and how he lived. If you like it, then take his example of how to live like you would a mentor. And act on it. Be an apprentice! Learn from mistakes but NEVER stop learning! And be sure to protect any history surrounding what you find, so that you can show someone else in the future what you have learned.
Take notes, buy books, read, listen, talk to people and have group discussions over a pint or a coffee. Whatever works for you. But don’t let anyone tell you that you are wrong for looking into this, because if they do, then you are not free and something is not right, and you have to ask yourself why is that?
Here’s some of my personal historical evidence!
If you are interested – here are my notes to prompt my actual testimony at my baptism. This was a relevant part of my conversation in Facebook Messenger with Ung-Kel Huud (who I mention in my testimony)
And getting to heaven, it’s simple. Man has made it difficult with religion and rules.
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Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through me
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Once you understand that verse, and understand that Jesus is the key, the rest of the bible will make total sense.
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and the reason Jesus came was to show us how to live and deal with things. The books in the bible recorded what he did and how he reacted when up against different situations.
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I truly believe that Jesus was God in human form. When he died and rose again the power of the Holy Spirit came into being. Hence the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. 3 in one
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So when we accept Jesus, turn from our old ways, into our hearts, into our world, and truly believe him for who he said he was, then we are gifted with the power of the Holy Spirit.
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I sound totally nuts, but please believe me, I have seen and experienced some real world miracles since 2000
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I believe that the moment we take that decision, when Jesus comes into our lives, and we have a direct relationship with the Father God himself. When we pray in Jesus name, he hears and sees us, because we are washed clean by Jesus, and the Holy Spirit speaks on our behalf.
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Then we start our journey into eternal life here, on earth.
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I believe the bible is the truth, I believe the promises and the teaching in the bible, I made that decision back in 2000, and have lived a life this way for 21 years. What God has shown me is the life is not easy, in fact it’s harder the more darker the world gets
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So what the baptism today is about is my 100% declaration to God that I am for him, and am totally submitted to his will for my life. That’s why it has taken so long to do
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I’ve been on and off this guidance during the 21 years
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but he has proved to me, through personal experiences and circumstances, that he is with me through all things, even if it didn’t make sense at the time.
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And thank you Lord! You have just used this to help me write my testimony for today
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Hallelujah! God is just amazing!
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Before 2000 I tried all different ways to find happiness, after a traumatic event when I was 10
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Drugs, alcohol, sex, chocolate, food, gym lol
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nothing else brought me true peace except Jesus.
This was the instant messages sent to my dear friend, Ung-Kel Huud who I had connected with in the United States not long before my baptism. I was struggling to find the words to write. He sent me a video link on the evening before my baptism. Not only did this help prompt my testimony, but he also attended the baptism online in the very early hours of the morning, 4:30am if I remember correctly! Here’s the video he sent the link to…
Here’s my actual testimony which was recorded live on the day (the importance of online church is something I will cover on another day) at my baptism (November 21st || Baptisms) – Via West Wilts Vineyard website on YouTube.
Here’s when I got dunked!
I’ll end it here for today
Hope you enjoyed reading this blog post. I know it’s been ages since I wrote one! This is my opinion based on personal experience. In the words of a dear old friend Royston that stuck with me “that’s just my opinion, others are available”
My New Life - Stepping Out With Jesus 