Trent Vineyard Church, Nottingham

Baptism is the sign that we have chosen to live under the rule and reign of God in his kingdom. It represents:

"...all of us who were baptised into Christ Jesus were baptised into His death. We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life." (Romans 6.3-4) 

We recognise that none of this is possible without Jesus - God's Son who became a human, lived as part of his own creation and willingly took the righteous punishment for our rebellion against God.

Why do we baptise?

Throughout the generations the church has continued to do the stuff that Jesus did. Jesus was specific about baptism, he told his disciples to train people in the ways of his kingdom and the act of baptism was to be a mark of their part in his kingdom.

So as followers of Jesus we continue to baptise one another because Jesus told us to. You can read more about this in the Bible (see Matthew 28 and Luke 3).

If you would like to be baptised or you would like you child to be baptised or dedicated, please speak to Tim Illsley on 0115 988 7060 or via email

Everyone loves a good story. And, as Christians, we all have stories to tell of how God has worked in our lives. But where do we start?

The Bible is not just a book of stories, but it does use stories as a way of communicating the good news. Jesus told stories about people in real life situations and, because he was always alert to the needs of others, these stories held some particular truth for the people he was talking to. 'Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable' (Matt 13:34).

In fact, Jesus seldom spoke to people at all without telling a story. He knew they desperately needed to have personal knowledge of certain truths and that parables were the most effective way to communicate these truths. For him, gospel-telling and story-telling were inextricably bound together. What we need to do today is to tell God's story and our story and simply show how the two intersect. 'Come and listen...let me tell you what he has done for me' (Ps 66:16).

Getting the story straight

In John 9 Jesus heals a man born blind. Afterwards, the man is brought before the Pharisees who are endeavouring to find fault with Jesus. But the cured man says, 'Whether he is a sinner or not, I don't know. One thing I do know I was blind but now I see' (John 9:25).

At the very least you too can say, 'One thing I do know...' Let's tell our story and not pretend to have all the answers when we don't. It is important to recognise the following: 'For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard (Acts 4:20).

The background to this verse is that Peter and John have been brought before the Sanhedrin who commands the apostles 'not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus' (Acts 4:18). And the disciples reply, 'We can't help it!'

We also see this pattern in the life of the apostle Paul. On one occasion he was brought before King Herod and Paul gave a personal testimony of what God had done in his life (Acts 26: 1-29).

In his impassioned account, Paul speaks like both a witness and a lawyer. There is a big difference between the two: a lawyer pleads the case for others, taking all the facts and pressing for a decision to get a judgement of 'yes' or 'no'; a witness is a person who testifies to events or facts within their own knowledge. In other words, 'this is what I know'.

An evangelist is like a lawyer. Although God has not called all of us to be 'lawyers' for him, he has called us all to be witnesses. And nobody is a better authority on what happened to you than you.

Putting first things first

One thing our story depends on is knowing the Lord and experiencing his presence in our lives.

When John Wesley was asked, 'Why do people seem to be so drawn to you, almost like a magnet?' He replied, 'When you set yourself on fire, people just love to come and see you burn'. This is overflow evangelism; not just a programme of events, but a passion.

Four parts to our personal story

While there are obviously variations, every Christian's story breaks down into four areas.

• My life before I became a Christian
• How I realised I needed Jesus Christ
• How I committed my life to Christ
• What it means to me now

Part 1: My life before I was a Christian

I can't remember the day I was born, but I was because there is evidence to suggest it. And, for me, there was definitely a part of my life that took place before I became a Christian. For those of us who were not Christians early in life, the question is this; how would we describe our attitudes, behaviour and feelings before we became Christians?

On the other hand, you may feel you have always known the Lord. But for many people, if not all, there has been a point - Christian upbringing or no Christian upbringing - when you said something like, 'Yes, this means something, and I want to take it on board'.

It is not whether or not we have had a conversion experience that proves we are Christians. What counts is evidence to show we are now in a relationship with Jesus. So if you were brought up in the Christian faith the question is this: how would you sum up the early period of your Christian understanding

Part 2: How I realised I needed Jesus Christ

For people who were not Christians early in life, why did you become a Christian? What was your story? And why did you turn to Jesus at that specific time in your story? Was it because of the truth you suddenly understood about him; his forgiveness and healing; his comfort from loneliness; or his promise of new hope and new life?

And for people brought up as Christians, what made you realise that what you were brought up to believe was true? When did you realise you really believed it?

One of the most powerful tools we have in witnessing to non-Christians is to enable them to understand why we, living in the 21st century, have committed our lives to someone who was born 2,000 years ago. We need to communicate something about why this commitment took place and that it is to a living person who is eternal. We have become Christians because of who Jesus is and what he did on our behalf by dying on the cross.

Part 3: How I committed my life to Jesus

Where and how did you enter into a relationship with Jesus? Was it gradual? Or was it at a specific place and time? What steps were taken in entering this relationship? Were you on your own? Was it at a meeting? How and when did the connection happen?

Part 4: What it means to me now

What difference has becoming a Christian made to you? What are the benefits? How has it affected your attitudes, emotions and actions?

From your experience of being a Christian why would you encourage others to become a Christian?

Personal experience is not just a last resort when we are stuck for argument. It is a powerful and practical back-up for all we are saying. It shows that this is not just theory: this is real, this works. It has practical effects in everyday life.

You will make, as I do, many mistakes. But let us have a humble boldness and trust in the living God. We will not go far wrong if we take for ourselves God's words to Paul in Acts, 'Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you' (Acts 18:9).

Adapted from an article by J John in New Wine magazine.