Baptism and motor Vehicle Maintenance

I had a great comment some time back where someone pointed out that the names of the blog entries pointed towards 'something a bit worrying with my sense of humour!' All I can say is that whilst it's not 'humour' (and this suggests that there might be more wrong with them than me) there is indeed much to be worried about regarding mine. Still, here we go with a five minute splurge:

I have noticed that there are two models regarding baptism that read more like automotive journals than Bible stuff  in that for many (almost twenty-five) years I have kept a mantra which spoke of 'Putting the Rubber on the Road' as the formulaic reminder of the Christian life. The focus is on the acronym RBBR (Rubber):
Repent
Believe
Be Baptised
Receive the Holy Spirit

Now that's all pretty straightforward and works well if applied to those to whom it applies. The problem is that I have met a fair few to whom it obviously didn't apply when they hit the water.

The bigger problem is that even when it did, those who were baptised never actually became disciples and so what efficacy was there in the fact they were baptised and considered themselves to be 'Christian' in name but were obviously unregenerate - As a Pentecostal I became aware of many who had raised their hand, said the sinner's prayer and were never seen again; they'd been and gone and assumed they were now 'Christian'.

Last week I met someone who had been baptised in a local church and, seeing the ring of confidence around my neck, quickly informed me of how they were 'Christian'. I asked where they went and upon being told mentioned the name of the pastor there. They shifted from foot to foot and said, "I haven't been there for a while,' and the conversation ended as the rushed away! A bit later I found the 'while' was a couple of years and that they'd been baptised there and then drifted away.

Discipleship, commitment and retention (move the order to fit your preferred emphasis) are surely part of the whole picture and the reality is that those who think baptism is some silver bullet need to check that it's not merely the means of gaining and proclaiming (or parading) scalps.

I struggle with the way infant baptism works for we can find ourselves with people looking for anything but a proclamation of faith and an intention to bring the babe to disciple status - and having provided it we leave the child to grow up with the mistaken belief that they are 'Christian'. The reality is that we have made them members of the Church and then failed to complete the journey. Sadly though, I find this in both forms of baptism regardless of the wet witness brigade or the baptise my baby bunch.

The other automotive parallel comes in the components of baptism:

Oil
Water
Lights

Three of the things that you need to check every morning as you 'first parade' your vehicle (yes' I know there are tyres too!) and these lead us away from some of the previous thinking into the sacramental side of baptism.

But that's for another day - countdown timer has just buzzed and it's time to get down and sacramental with the Eucharist.

have a great day: Be blessed and be a blessing