This is “Just Add Water”. If you look throughout the history of the church, there have been many issues that divide denominations and create confusion. Baptism is one of those issues. Some people get sprinkled with water as babies in elaborate ceremonies. Others get dunked in a backyard pool or river in their jeans and t-shirt. Some believe baptism doesn’t matter at all, while others believe if you’re not baptized, you’re not even saved. With all the confusion, many adult Christians still don’t understand what Baptism is or is not. In Just Add Water, Pastor Jentezen Franklin helps us understand the meaning of water baptism and the significant role it plays in our lives as Believers. To hear more inspiring messages from Jentezen Franklin, visit http://jentezenfranklin.org/watch?cid… & subscribe to this channel: http://goo.gl/yfkXHy
♪ ♪
>> Thank you so much for
joining us today.
I really appreciate you
joining us for this special
telecast today.
Recently I preached a message
called “Just Add Water”,
and it’s a reference
to water baptism.
After you’ve given your heart
to Jesus Christ,
we’re commanded in the Bible
to be baptized in water.
I’m gonna share with you
a simple teaching that can
change your life.
But then, we’re gonna show you
the power of water baptism
by letting you see
on this program, and hear,
some of the most powerful
testimonies.
Watch this, and listen to this.
This is God’s Word to your life,
just add water.
♪ ♪
There’s a story in Acts 8.
I don’t have time to read it,
but it’s the story of Philip,
and it’s the story of how
that there was a revival
in Samaria,
and the Lord spoke to him
and said go to the desert.
Leave the revival where miracles
were happening
and go to the desert.
And so this preacher,
Philip the evangelist,
is in the desert,
and he doesn’t understand
why he’s there,
but he’s waiting on something,
and all of a sudden, he sees
a chariot come in his
direction in the middle
of the desert —
how in the world
these two people intersect
and find each other.
It’s a miraculous story
in Acts 8, and there’s a man
who is over the treasury
of the nation of Ethiopia,
the Bible said.
He was working directly under
Queen Candace who
was over the whole nation
of Ethiopia.
He was a very powerful man,
and he just so happened
to be allowing the horse
to lead the chariot.
I guess it was a trail.
He couldn’t have been
using the reins.
It must’ve knew the way
to go toward water, is all,
and he happens to be reading,
this man, he happens
to be reading the Book
of Isaiah in the 53rd
chapter where it says that
he will be led as a lamb
before the slaughter,
and it goes into the stripes
that he’ll take on his back
and the whole story,
the beautiful crucifixion
Old Testament chapter
of Isaiah 53.
This man who is of another
religion is reading
the Book of Isaiah,
and he does not understand
what it’s saying.
All of a sudden,
Philip the evangelist hears
the spirit say that is the man
I sent you to the desert for.
Join yourself to him.
He runs and while the horse
is trotting along,
here comes the preacher
running right beside.
Here’s the chariot.
The guy is sitting there
reading the Book of Isaiah,
and here comes this preacher
running up beside him.
It’s an amazing story,
and he says, hi, how are you?
What are you doing?
Now, I’m gonna paraphrase it,
but this is what happened.
And he says, well,
I’m reading this book,
this Book of Isaiah about
someone who will be wounded
for my transgressions
and bruised for my inequities,
the chastisement of my peace
will be upon Him,
but I don’t understand a thing
that I’m reading,
and Philip says in so many words
I have a Ph.D. in Isaiah 53.
Would you like for me
to step on to your chariot
and explain it to you?
Come on.
Come on aboard.
He steps on to that chariot
and by the time he gets through
with him the Bible says,
“and he preached Jesus
unto him.”
I love that.
He preached Jesus.
He showed him that Jesus
was the one who had gone
to the cross for him.
He did not preach
politics unto him.
He did not preach
economics unto him.
He preached Jesus unto him.
And the Bible said the man
believed on Jesus Christ,
so much so that he came upon
a pond of water,
probably the only oasis
out in the desert,
and he says what hinders me
from being baptized right now?
And he said do you
believe on Jesus.
He said yes.
And notice they came unto
certain water, and he said
if you believe in your
heart in Jesus Christ —
this man had never heard
the Gospel, and he just had it
preached to him and instantly,
the Bible said,
they both go into the water,
and he gets baptized
right there on the spot.
They went down both into
the water.
What a story!
What a story!
When it comes to baptism,
we make two mistakes.
There are those who say baptism
in water isn’t that big
of a deal because
your salvation does not
depend upon it.
I can be saved without
being baptized in water,
but you cannot be obedient
to the commandment of
Jesus Christ, and then
there are those who go to
the other extreme and say
you cannot be saved unless
you’ve been baptized in water,
and neither one of them
is the correct way to see it.
Jesus.
The first thing that Jesus
did in His earthly ministry
was get baptized in water
and when He came
out of the water,
the heavens opened,
and the Holy Spirit in the form
of a dove came down upon Him,
but the first thing that
He did in His earthly ministry
was model water baptism
for you and I.
The last thing that Jesus did
after He died and rose
from the dead,
and He’s going back on a cloudy
elevator to intercede
for you and me at the right
hand of the Father,
the last words
was go into all the world,
Matthew 28, and preach the
Gospel to all nations
baptizing them in the name
of the Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit.
The last thing Jesus said
was I want you to be baptized,
immersed in water.
I want you to go down
and come up completely
in water through baptism.
We dare not minimize
what Jesus so emphasized.
But in Mark 1:9,
this was the baptism of Jesus.
When He came from Nazareth
to Jordan, Jordan was a river,
and it says in Verse 10
straightway He came up
out of the water.
Now, if He came up out
of the water,
guess where He was?
He was down in completely
in and under the water.
It was not convenient for Jesus
to get baptized,
and that’s why people
don’t do it a lot of times.
It’s just inconvenient.
It’s inconvenient.
It’s a little bit awkward.
It’s kind of, I mean,
Jesus traveled 60 miles
from Nazareth
to the Jordan River.
60 miles.
It was not convenient,
and He did it for one reason
because He knew it was the will
of the Father for Him to be
baptized in the Jordan River
by John the Baptist.
And it’s not convenient
if you just had your hair done,
ladies, a $200 hairdo,
and you’ve gotta get in here
and mess it up.
No thank you.
I don’t feel God speaking
to me today about that.
I get it.
I get it, but I’m just
telling you it will never
be convenient.
Sometimes God doesn’t want
it to be convenient.
He told Naaman the general who
had leprosy get in
the Jordan River and dip seven
times, and he said there’s
gotta be an easier way.
I don’t wanna do it.
God said you do it my way.
You get my results.
He came up, and he had skin
like a baby’s skin
that was leprous before.
And the point is many times
God doesn’t make it convenient
to kill your pride.
Baptism requires,
biblical baptism requires
a lot of water.
It requires a lot of water,
and the word baptism
means to be submerged,
to go under.
All the early Christians
were baptized.
Even in the earliest cathedrals
that they found that
go back to the Second and Third
and 14th Century Christians.
They had baptistries
built in them because they
practiced what Jesus the role
model showed them to do.
Now, let me give you this
real quick, and then we’re
gonna do this.
In Romans 6 this
is what it says.
It gives a biography
of your future.
It shows your past.
It shows.
This baptism tank shows
your past,
it shows your present,
and it shows your future,
and let me tell you
what I’m talking about in
that because he said in Verse 3
that we’re baptized
into Jesus Christ, and we die.
Look at that.
He says when we’re baptized
into Jesus Christ,
we’re baptized into His death.
So, when you go down
into the water,
you are baptized into His death.
What this is a watery tomb,
literally in God’s eyes,
and the old you is being
buried under the water.
The old you, we are about
to have the funeral of about
20 plus people on this stage,
and nobody will be crying
except the devil.
He’ll have his
handkerchief out.
He’s gonna grieve bad,
and he’s gonna say I lost
another one.
I lost another one.
There the old goes.
That drug addict.
There he goes,
and he’s coming.
Now, that’s the past.
And then he says
in the next Verse,
and we baptize them,
and they come out.
Notice the last part,
“in newness of life.”
That’s the present.
So, you go down, and your past,
your shame, your guilt,
the power of the enemy,
the defeat.
You go down in that.
You come up in newness of life,
and then he ends the story
with the next verse
by showing you your future
when he says and just
as we have all will one day
be planted together in
the likeness of His death,
we’re all gonna die,
and they’re gonna put us in
the ground like they put Jesus
in the tomb, but we shall
also in the likeness
of His resurrection,
and he’s all tying that to
this baptism place,
and he says what that is saying
is not only is your past
taken care of, not only have
you come to newness of life
in the present,
but I’ve got your future,
and one of these days
if the Lord tarries, you die,
and they put your body in
the grave, the trumpet is
going to sound,
and you have resurrection power
in you that not only will raise
your spirit instantly
goes to be with God,
but your body will be raised
on that day out of the ground
and out of the grave.
That’s the miracle.
The last thing I wanna say
to you about baptism
and why it’s so important
is because it proclaims your
identification with Jesus
Christ publicly.
It’s like the wedding ring.
This wedding ring says
I belong to Cherise.
It says I —
it doesn’t make me married.
The ring doesn’t
make me married.
I have a marriage certificate.
We had a ceremony.
We have 34 years of living
together, and we did
what we did before God.
That’s what made us married.
But here’s what it does.
It doesn’t make me married.
It shows publicly that I
am married.
That’s exactly what this is.
This doesn’t make you saved.
You can go down a dry sinner
and come up a wet sinner.
There’s nothing magical
in this water that will make
you saved,
but it identifies with the fact
that you belong to Jesus Christ.
He is your Savior,
and you’re going public with it.
You’re going public with it.
You belong to Him.
That’s what water baptism is.
♪ ♪
I want you right now to just
open up your heart,
and let God speak to you
through real life testimonies
you’re about to hear.
As I mentioned at the opening
of this telecast,
we like to hear from people.
We like to hear their stories.
The Bible said we’re overcomers
by the blood of the Lamb,
and the Word of our testimony.
When we start telling people
what Christ has done in our
family, and in our life,
it brings the power of God’s
grace to the forefront
in our life like nothing else.
If you need to know
somebody cares about you,
pick up that phone,
dial the number on
the screen, or send us
and email.
We will have a team
that is praying for you.
Now, let’s go back into
the service, and listen
to these testimonies.
Give us your name, please.
>> Catherine O’Brien.
>> And how old are you,
Catherine?
>> 20.
>> 20.
Now, I heard a lot of ruckus
out there in the congregation.
Who is making all that noise?
>> My counselors
from New Beginnings.
>> You’re in New Beginnings?
>> Yeah, I graduated in 2020.
>> And so how long did you
go into that program?
If you don’t know,
New Beginnings is an amazing
ministry that we support,
and we opened up a home
for teenagers there.
This church built it.
>> I’m actually the dorm
mom for the teen dorm.
[Applause]
>> Okay, so you came there
addicted and broken,
and now you work
in the ministry.
>> I do.
I do.
I started working
for the ministry two or three
months ago, and you know,
now it’s just crazy because,
you know, we have one teenager
there right now,
and you know,
everything that I went through,
you know, every night
that I just sat there crying,
every hurt that I went through,
you know,
like the Lord brought me
out of that.
He brought me through that,
so I can pour into this girl
and to give her the same hope
of Jesus.
You know?
And it’s …
[Applause]
>> You’re so young.
You’re 20 years old.
When did you start?
When did you get into this
darkness, this dark world?
>> Well, it started —
it really took off at age 13.
You know, I was just so angry.
I was angry at the world.
I was angry at God,
and I didn’t want any part
to do with Him or the way
He wanted me to live ‘cause
I was raised in church.
You know?
My mom thought it was very
important to have me in church,
but you know,
my parents had gotten divorced
when I was five,
and I blamed God for that,
and I just was so angry.
I was angry at everybody,
and that just progressed.
You know, I just blew hell
wide open, really.
You know, I started smoking weed
when I was 13,
but that just opened
up the door to so —
>> It’s gateway.
You know, our crazy nation
is legalizing it everywhere,
but it’s a gateway to hell.
>> Absolutely.
You know, and then that just —
there was just other darkness.
You know, I started slitting
my wrists and trying
to commit suicide.
You know, I tried to hang myself
when I was 13 years old,
and the rope broke,
you know, and that was right
there was God’s hand over me,
you know, but even then,
you know, like,
I remember the day that I said
that, well, if God won’t
let me kill myself,
I’ll just do it slowly,
and that’s when I started
really resorting to drugs,
and you know, I ended up
on meth when I was 18,
and it all led up to this one
night where I really thought
that I was gonna die.
I thought that this man
that I was with was gonna
kill me, and I cried out
to the Lord in that moment.
I was like, God, if you
will get me through this alive,
I will change.
I will give my life to you,
and He did,
and from that moment on,
that moment on, He started
moving everything out
of the way,
about a month later,
He led me to New Beginnings,
and I even tried to leave
New Beginnings because part
of me still didn’t —
part of me still didn’t really
want to surrender everything,
but I did.
I tried to leave New Beginnings,
and He wouldn’t let me leave
from there,
you know, and it was a week
later that I got born again,
and I’ve been living for Him
ever since.
>> How long have you been clean?
>> About a year and a half.
>> That’s a miracle.
That’s a miracle.
Anything else you wanna say?
My goodness.
That’s unbelievable.
>> That Jesus,
that Jesus is the only way.
He’s the only one who is ever
gonna be able to bring you
through your problems.
He’s the only one who is gonna
be able to heal that brokenness
that’s within you,
and it’s Jesus.
It’s only Jesus.
>> Praise the Lord.
Lord, thank you
for this miracle.
I baptize you in the name
of the Father,
the Son Jesus Christ,
and the Holy Spirit.
Praise God.
Praise God.
Praise God.
Praise God.
Hallelujah.
What’s your name?
>> Naomi.
>> Naomi? And are you in
New Beginnings?
>> I’m a graduate from
New Beginnings.
>> How long have
you been graduated?
>> Since September last year.
>> Tell us a summary
of your story.
>> Well, my dad brought me here,
high, in 2018
and I sat in a service
and the Spirit of God
was just speaking
straight through you, Pastor.
>> So your dad made you.
Where’s dad at?
There he is.
That’s awesome.
So your dad knew
that you were high.
Was it a Sunday morning?
>> It was a Sunday morning,
and I came in here
wide-eyed and ready to go.
>> What kind of drugs?
>> I was addicted to Meth
and Heroin.
And I was addicted for —
>> So this could be a real
freak show on a Sunday morning
when we’re wide open, right?
I mean —
>> Absolutely, yes sir.
>> On drugs, you know what
I mean.
Did it freak you out
or what?
>> No, I came in here
and it was like I couldn’t
even feel high anymore.
And —
>> What do you mean you
couldn’t feel high?
>> It was like complete clarity.
Like you were preaching about
being a child, and how when
the Word gets in us as children
that there is a heartstring
in there that will reel you in,
and it was just reeling me in.
So, anyway, he brought me here
and I came to a few services
and we were just going
into the fast and I decided
to stick it out.
I came high every time,
but I still came.
>> Oh, I love that.
You came high every time,
your dad never gave up on you.
And you just kept coming.
Coming messed up,
coming struggling,
coming hurting,
coming addicted,
but you just kept coming.
>> We went into the fast
and you know, that was my
first time learning about
fasting, and you know —
>> So you still getting high,
but you’re gonna learn how
to fast?
>> I mean, you know,
I don’t know who’s fasts
the Lord honored,
and I know he honored
my father’s.
I feel like he may
have honored mine.
My fast was that I was just
gonna watch Sermons.
And I was just gonna let
the Spirit come into me,
even though I was high.
And you preached a sermon
about Ishmael and the cries
of the lad that were heard,
and during my fast,
my baby was taken from me
by Child Protective Services.
And, you know —
>> So that’s a sermon
that’s called Picking Up
Dropped Dreams.
And it’s about Hagar
having to lay the baby
down under a bush and
hearing it cry,
knowing that it was —
she was being separated
from it for it to die,
but God had another plan.
>> Yes, and I believe that
the cries of my baby
were heard.
And within a month I applied
to go to New Beginnings
and he just reeled me in
by that heartstring.
and it was just incredible.
And I’ve made it through,
I came out on the other side.
I wear this sticker
with honor.
This is for my son
who is down in Kidpak,
Little River.
This is my badge of honor.
Every time I come to church
I’m so excited to put it on
my shirt.
>> What a testimony.
To God be the glory.
Oh my goodness, do you want
to say anything else?
>> Yes I do.
I want to say thank you
to my dad for his obedience.
I want to say thank you to all
of the women and staff members
at New Beginnings.
And I want to say thank you
to the people of this church
for their support,
and their prayers.
I don’t even know you,
but I know that you
prayed for me and I want to
thank you and Cherise
for being just,
surrendered vessels
and all of that.
>> Thank you.
Praise the Lord.
Oh, we love you, Jesus.
We love you, Jesus.
We worship you, Lord.
Oh we thank you,
we thank you,
we thank you,
we thank you, Lord Jesus.
We praise you.
I baptize you in the name
of Jesus Christ,
the Father, Son,
and Holy Spirit.
I believe that what you’ve heard
today was what God intended
for you to hear.
Something was said that
touched your heart.
And that’s why you’re still
watching this program.
And I want to give you an invite
that God loves you.
That God cares about you
that Jesus Christ came and died;
He lived a perfect life
and died a horrible death
so that I could be forgiven,
so that you could be forgiven.
Say Jesus, Savior, healer,
deliverer, I need you.
I confess with my mouth
and believe from my heart,
you are the Son of God,
you died and rose from the dead.
You are King of kings
and Lord of lords.
And today, come into my life.
In Jesus name, amen.
Now, tell somebody,
get on the phone, or send us
an email or call
a family member, a friend,
and say, I just gave my heart
to Jesus Christ.
And we want to send you some
free material and help you
in your next step for what
you need to do,
which by the way,
I hope you can find a good
church in your area
and tell the preacher,
I want to get baptized in water
just like I saw
on Kingdom Connection.
Thank you so much.
We can’t wait to hear from you.
In our closing moments together,
I must say a huge thank you
to our partners and friends,
that as we watch the news daily,
and the conflict that’s going on
in Israel,
the hundreds and thousands
of rockets that have been
fired into Israel,
and now the pushback by Israel
against the terrorist leadership
of the Palestinian people.
We started building
bomb shelters there almost
two years ago, we are in
the process of completing
a massive school
and community center,
which is right on the border
of the Gaza Strip right
on the border.
They had two people killed
recently, and several injured
from the rockets.
And we already have one shelter
children are running to it
every day.
Families are running
to it every day.
And we have committed to build
three more.
We also just committed $100,000
more to help counseling
for children who have
post traumatic stress
and they are — they’re really,
the whole community really
is in bad shape.
And they said the number one
need now is they need to be able
to send many, many counselors
into that area
and try to help people
who are having great difficulty.
Will you be a part
of the miracle?
We need your help
and we appreciate all that you
have done and all that you’re
going to do.
Pray about it.
God will bless you
in miraculous ways
when you begin to bless
the nation of Israel.
Let’s do it together.
God bless you.
I’ll see you next time
right here on
Kingdom Connection.
>> Palestinian militant groups
fired more rockets
into Israel overnight.
>> Israel’s missile defense
systems lighting up.
>> The worst seen in years.
>> More rockets towards Israeli.
>> Launched just today.
>> Seven rockets targeted
the city.
>> Your overwhelming
financial support has allowed
Jentezen Franklin
Media Ministries to not only
construct critical bomb shelters
in Israel,
but now we are able to provide
trauma therapy through
the Post Trauma Resilience
Center Program in Eshkol.
>> We understand that one
of the most important resources
for someone to go through
a traumatic moment is to know
that we are not alone.
To know that we have friends
across the ocean
that take care of us.
Our thank you for your gift
of $50 or more
we want to bless you with
the Healing Tree bundle.
Through this uplifting resource
bundle you’re going
to discover the wonderful
blessings God has for you.
Our thank you for your gift
of $500 or more
we want to bless you with
the Healing Tree Gift Set
featuring Jentezen’s uplifting
book, Acres of Diamonds.
Our thank you for your gift
of $1,000 or more,
we want to bless you with
the Healing Tree Collection.
To thank you for your generosity
towards this ministry
and your heart
for the Jewish people.
We want to plant a tree
in your honor in Israel
and send you a beautiful
Comfort My People coin
made with soil from Jerusalem,
as well as the many other
resources in this
powerpack collection.
Your gift will provide healing
and hope to the families
living in a war zone.
Call now or visit us online.
♪ ♪
♪ ♪
>> We hope you’ve enjoyed
this teaching
by Jentezen Franklin,
and thank you
for your continued support
of this ministry.
Your prayers
and financial support
make these programs possible.
For more information
about this message,
and other ministry resources,
visit us online
at JentezenFranklin.tv.