ALL IN | Week Four

We are going ALL IN!  A decision that changes everything.  This could be the moment that changes your life forever!  The right direction tomorrow begins with the right decision today.

If you are just getting back to church in 2014, we want to welcome you to go All In with us!  Come and Follow Christ with us!

We are accustomed to “Following” – social media. I’m in. I’m out.  I’m in. I’m out. I “like you” because you might could help me out.

Following Christ is completely different.

I have Decided To Follow Jesus – The lyrics are based on the last words of a man in Assam, north-east India, who along with his family was converted to Christianity in the middle of the 19th century through the efforts of a Welsh missionary. He was called to renounce his faith by the village chief.  His response, “I have decided to follow Jesus”.  In response to threats to his family, he continued, “Though no one joins me, still I will follow.” After his wife was executed for her faith, he was being led to his death, the man declared,  “The cross before me, the world behind me.” This display of faith is reported to have led to the conversion of the chief and others in the village.

Mark 8:34 If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross (Luke added the word ‘Daily’) and follow me. 35 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. 36 For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?  37 For what can a man give in return for his soul? 38 For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” 

We are a big church with a lot of people on different parts of the faith journey.  We continually want you to take this following seriously.

As a pastor, it’s my job to show you what it looks like.  Where ever you are…find yourself and take the next step.

When you loose your life, you will find it.  If you continue to save your life, you will loose it.

Rick Warren broke down the steps like this:

• Crowd – “Come and See”

first appeal from Jesus was to the “crowd”  – everybody come and see.  Free coffee, take care of your kids, hangout, low commitment.  Jesus did the same thing.  Jesus first message to Peter was ‘come and see’.  He filled his boat full of fish!  Jesus was appealing to the crowd (miracles).

Take a few months if you need to.  To see if this is what you want to do, don’t give, don’t serve. Just come see.  THEN, there is a point when the next step is join:

• Congregation– “Come and Join”   
  • First: Join JESUS! I want to be in the family of God!  Follow him.  Trust in His good news.
  • Second: Join PSM.  When you join Jesus it is natural to join a church!  Let me just say something that most pastors probably wont say.  “I know you are not always going to be here.”  My job is not to get you to stay at PromiseLand San Marcos.  You are going to move, die, change churches, whatever.  My job is not to keep you here. My job is to outline the way while you are here. So, here is the point, if you are here, JOIN UP.  This is not a lifelong commitment, but it is a commitment. While I am here in San Marcos, I will be a part of a local congregation. Learn from, be accountable to, serve in, give to.  At some point, join up with the group and be a part. Next week is 101.

• Committed – “Come  and Grow”

Salvation and joining a church is not the end of the line, it is the beginning of the journey!

Maybe that means to start reading the Bible on regular basis.  Go on the City and find a daily reading schedule.

Join a PromiseGroup.

Dig into the 21 day prayer and fasting thing.  If you don’t know how to pray, then just come and watch others pray. Get a prayer guide and let us show you.

We are inviting you to go to the next level.  Jump in on the Growth Track 101, Essentials 201, Discover 301

• Core – “Come and Serve”

You don’t have any idea what you Christian life will be like until you live the life of a SERVANT.  This is a part of laying your life down.

• Commissioned – “Come and Live”

I’m not going to give just a Sunday or a few moments here or there.  Being a following means being a priest in my home. Every opportunity is an opportunity to tell others about God and my church. Tailgating, on the golf course, around the pool, floating the river, around the coffee pot at work, every email and text, every post or comment. Saturated by GOD for the mission.  Not starchy and preachy.  BUT LOVING AND SERVING. Preparing others for the life to come. GIVING all your life to Him

FIND WHERE YOU ARE ON THIS CHART AND GO TO THE NEXT STEP.  No matter where you are or what goes on, this will be the best year of your life because you are not living for yourself any longer.

Making a spiritual decision.

A path that:

• Starts with No Commitment and leads to Total Commitment
• Starts with being a Consumer and leads to being a Contributor
• Starts with Jesus being your Savior (what He can do for me) and leads to Jesus being your Lord (what I can do for God)

My job is simply to make the path clear.  To lead or direct your path.  To make it simple.

WE HAVE A HUGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT ARE IN THE CROWD.

Acts 2:41 Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.

All throughout scripture the FIRST response to going All In with Jesus is Water Baptism. 27 times recorded in NT. It was very much an ‘on the spot’ process.  We are often hesitant to be baptized. (schedule it, get people here, not sure, don’t have stuff needed).  We base it on our convenience.  In scripture it was very much SPONTANEOUS and POST DECISION.

Many here have had a baptism experience that was pre decision. You were baptized before you consciously made the decision to follow Christ. Maybe you were a young child OR you were baptized to fulfill someone else’s religious expectation of you.

Those experiences can have meaning, but they are more dedicatory instead of decision based baptisms.

Today we are going to focus on BAPTISM and I want to give everyone here the opportunity to get in the water today.  Some of you are going to be baptized and you didn’t plan on it.  You came dry and you are going to leave WET!

Here are 3 reasons why Baptism is a HUGE deal for the new believer:

1. My Baptism Gives Me a New Identity

A new name. A new persona.

Romans 6:2… Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? 3 Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? 4 For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.  If you haven’t been baptized post decision this passage doesn’t apply to you.

2. My Baptism Demonstrates My Changed Life

1 Peter 3:21 Baptism, which corresponds to this (shows us or demonstrates), now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

Wear the wedding band.  We need to demonstrate the changed life.  Just as wedding band shows our commitment.

3.     My Baptism Declares My Commitment Publicly

Matthew 10:32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.

‘Follow me and don’t be ashamed about it.’  If you are, then maybe following is not for you.

Faith is not private. The world wants you to think that.  Instead, he wants us to be a city on the field. A light on display! 

Hidden/private faith would be like me only wearing my wedding ring at home. When I leave for anything I put it in a little dish in the garage.  THAT WOULDN’T WORK!

This ring is not just for her to see that I am hers, but its for everyone else! I’m off limits.

LET’S TAKE THE NEXT STEPS. LET’S NOT PLAY CHURCH BUT LET’S GO ALL IN…TODAY!

I know that some of you are already thinking of excuses to not be baptized.  I am about to squelch all of them!

So to help me today, I am going to ask Joe/Chase to come on up.  Joe/Chase is going to help me today talk to you about baptism.  Come on up! Give him/her a hand!!

We did all the background work that you would have done if you knew you were going to be baptized!

• Towel
• Dark Clothes
• Unmentionables – underwear, sports bras of all sizes
• Hair gel, spray, mousse, hair dryers, bands, creams
• Bag for your stuff
• Private Changing Area?
• Industrial cleaner (water)
• Photographer – Daena
• Video –

Joe/Chase is not just my helper, He/She is going to be baptized RIGHT NOW

PRAY – What is your next step?  How is God calling you to move forward this year?

I believe as we pray right now, God is going to make it clear for you.

If you have made a decision to follow Jesus and trust in Him alone for your salvation, then step into obedience to His word and BE BAPTIZED TODAY!