It was like a bombshell went off in my mind.

I was sitting in class reading verses I knew almost as well as I knew my own name—the Gospel Commission in Matthew 28:18-20. The familiar words almost read themselves: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” What more could possibly be said about it? Of course I knew the Greek word baptizo means “to dip, to immerse.” What were they to dip and immerse people in? I was quick to say water, and this is true, but here was the bombshell. The text actually says that they were to be baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit! A quick word study shows that in the Bible, God’s name represents His character. So Jesus instructs us to immerse disciples in the character of God.

Christians are very good at religious rituals. However, the greater part of disciple making is not necessarily to dip someone underwater. No, our mission goes far beyond performing a ritual to truly restoring the image, likeness and character of God in man. As disciple makers, our calling is to plunge, to saturate, to surround new believers in the character of God, and we can only do this when we experience it and demonstrate it in our own lives.

What the world needs today is a baptism of sincere Christianity. My prayer is that, as the power of the Holy Spirit transforms my heart and yours, God will help us to fulfill this greatest part of the Gospel Commission: to restore the image of God in fallen man.

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