Baptism is a sign of public commitment to Jesus and marks the end of living life your own way and the start of living your life for Him. Yesterday, we had one baptism, Matt F. at the end of the 11:30 service. And then after services, Lilly C., Adrian C., Mark and Kim L., and Chris S. were baptized at the beach. Below are their stories in alphabetical order.

Lilyana C.

“Since I can remember, I've always heard amazing stories about Jesus at home and in BP Kids on Sundays. These stories have helped me understand that God is close to me and that His love is real. Even though I'm just a kid, I need God's forgiveness and grace too. I believe that Jesus died for my sins, and I'm choosing to follow Him because I need Jesus in my life. I'm excited to live my life telling people about Jesus so they can find hope and grace as I did.”

Adrian C.

The year 2020 was full of trying times in my household. There were many obstacles in my family life. To put it plainly, my wife and I did not like each other whatsoever and were heading to divorce. It was a daily struggle which was not only impacting us, but our 7 year old daughter. After half a year of constant battles, my wife introduced Jesus into our life. My wife Natasha joined BridgePointe in July of 2020 and was baptized in August 2020.

I noticed many positive changes in my wife’s life. She would often tell me her happiness was attributed to her new found faith. I naturally gravitated to her new outlook and became curious. Internally I yearned for the same feeling. One weekend I finally caved in and attended church. My first day at church I immediately felt comfortable and something about the atmosphere felt organic. I really enjoyed how Pastor Jared applied Jesus’ message to everyday life. I thank my wife for being my helping hand and guiding me through my spiritual journey.

Week after week I returned to church to seek answers to many questions about my faith. It was all too odd, but I now know it was very intentional, how every question I had in mind was being answered at service. It was as if God was listening to my thoughts and was calling me to follow Him. As my faith grew so did my need to be more involved in the church. During service on 10/11/20 Pastor Jared posed the question, “What will you do with God’s grace?” Immediately I knew I needed to take my first steps serving Him and baptism was that first step.

Since attending church I’ve experienced many changes within myself, my marriage and family. Following Jesus has brought much joy to my life and I intend on sharing my new found faith with others. From this day forward I’m committing to Fellowship, Worship, and Scripture (S.O.A.P) and trying to become more like Jesus every day. I’m very excited about getting involved with the BridgePointe Christian Church community.

Matthew F.

“For too many years I rejected God while knowing all the while that He was ever-present in my life. He had guided me through adversity, strengthened me in the face of death, and uplifted me when I struggled. Still, I rejected Him. I thought my own personal determination, physical and mental strength would sustain me in this life, so I rejected Him.

Ever yearning for meaning and purpose in my life and the approval of my peers, I have accomplished much. I made it through a war that I knew would kill me in the deserts of Iraq. I finished top in my class at every level of education, earning a Master of Fine Arts in Film. I shared my knowledge with young artists as a professor in my field of study teaching graphic design, animation, screenwriting, and filmmaking. He held me up to achieve my dreams…. I rejected Him still. Despite my personal achievements, nothing fulfilled me. I secretly struggled with deep depression, anxiety, regret, and feelings of inadequacy that ate me up from the inside while outwardly projecting that I was a strong, worldly example to be followed. I sought out therapy and pills to “fix” the issues I was experiencing. They didn’t work. I knew in my heart that Jesus loved me but I suppressed Him…. Rejecting Him outright.

One evening, struggling to sleep, as my anxiety keeps me from rest, I went for a ride. At 3 am, I drove to the forest to relax my mind. Standing in the middle of a clearing under a moon so bright that it cast my shadow on the forest floor, I fell to my knees. I cried out to Him and prayed out loud, asking Him to show me a sign that I mattered to Him. I prayed that He would show me mercy and to let me know that He loves me because I felt such deep pain in my heart. As the tears streamed down my face, I heard the rumble of the wind as it churned down the valley and whipped the tops of the trees. A breeze flowed over me like water and cooled my hot body on a humid night. The pain in my heart disappeared and I was filled with feelings of love and humility. My hands shook as I stood back up and opened myself up to the overwhelming joy that He was pouring over me. It was as if He whispered right into my ear, “I am here my son, accept me.” I cried aloud, “Hallelujah!” That night, when I got home and laid myself down to sleep, with my soul at ease, I closed my eyes and saw a face that I did not know. He smiled at me. I believe it was the Son of Man. I slept well.

I shared my experience with a dear friend who is a lifelong disciple of Christ. He spoke to me about Jesus and the grace He has brought to him throughout his life and then by Jesus’ example, he extended an olive branch to me and invited me to church with him and his family. I accepted. As a man who has endured hardships, mental struggles, and sorrow, I had exhausted myself trying to cope. I had coped with the harshness of life through the use of drugs, through the suggestions of my therapist, through worldly means. On my first visit to BridgePointe, Jacob gave a sermon on coping mechanisms, of all things… God spoke to me that night in the forest, He pushed me to seek out my friend Nelson Guimaraes and through Nelson, He coaxed me to attend a church where God laid the truth on me through Jacob as if he had prepared his message just for me. I could no longer reject Him. He was everywhere I went and speaking to me at every opportunity.

Everywhere I go, I see His grace. Every endeavor reveals Jesus at my side. Though I still struggle with the pains of war and the lingering physiological changes it produced in my brain, though I battle with skin cancers as a residual effect of the toxins I encountered, I feel joy for the first time in forever. I have a rock on which to brace myself. I choose to be baptized not only to wash away the sins that lead me here but also to affirm my commitment to Jesus and experience resurrection. I can do all things through him who gives me strength. I am excited to start anew what I thought had been lost, life in Christ. So, within a church of Christ, in fellowship with those who live in the Spirit and by His grace alone, I give myself to Jesus fully and trust in him. This is my beginning.”

Kimberly L.

Jesus has always been in my life since birth. I was raised as a Catholic, attended church, taught CCD and followed the Catholic ways. I never questioned being a Catholic but I was just going through the motions of attending church on Sundays because I felt that was the right path to the Catholic faith. When my husband decided to attend church at BridgePointe I did feel awkward but was open minded to see the difference between the Christian Church and the Catholic Church.

In attending the first service, I was very impressed how everyone was very welcoming and how BridgePointe’s atmosphere felt very relaxed. In listening to Jared for the first time, I was amazed again at how easy it was to follow the Scripture and how he relates it to everyday life and interacts with the members. In these past three months attending church and attending Bible lab, I felt more connected to Jesus and wanting to learn more Scripture and I realized that this is what I was missing in the Catholic Faith. So, I am very excited to enter this new life with Jesus and His Church by getting baptized.

Mark L.

My decision today to follow Jesus is something that I've always felt I needed to do. Going back to when I was much younger, growing up as a practicing Catholic, I have always had a strong bond with God and realized how important a relationship with Him was. Going through life there was always a feeling of needing more, but I wasn't finding it. I had a couple of friends that were Christians and I would always enjoy the conversations we would have about Jesus, and I was amazed at how happy and peaceful they always seemed to be. I would wonder, “What am I missing?” I thought about trying a Christian church, but I was always nervous about stepping away from how I was brought up, so it took me a long time to decide.

About two months ago, I finally made the decision to try BridgePointe, and I feel I found what I was looking for. My short time in Scripture has already helped me find the peace I was looking for. Going forward I am looking to build my relationship with Jesus, for He has blessed me in so many ways that I owe Him so much gratitude. Baptism is my first step in saying thank you to Him and my way to give back for all good that has been in my life.

I’m looking forward to a closer relationship withJesus where I can grow in my faith and share with others so they may see what they are missing. Thank you God, and I pray that you continue to look after me and keep me on this path. I am one.

Chris S.

Chris has been a Christian for many years and started attending BridgePointe this summer. He had never taken the step to be baptized  — there was always a reason not to. 2020 proved to be a hard year and Chris found himself in a low place.  Hearing stories of others responding with obedience to baptism, and again hearing the invitation after Sunday’s message, Chris felt strongly that he had to take the step himself.