By Joab Cano
The baptism of Jesus Christ was a unique event during his time on earth. What is baptism? Baptism is a sacred act ordained by Jesus Christ. The baptism is a teaching of Jesus Christ and is necessary for those who want to receive the benefits of salvation. If we look at the word “baptize” etymologically, it means to fully immerse, to dip in water, to put completely underwater. If we analyze and reason for a moment, Christ commanded to baptize in water, and if the word baptize means to fully immerse, then we can conclude that Christ’s command was to completely cover the body of the aspiring candidate with water at the moment of baptism. Christ himself left us an example to follow and as Christians, we must imitate that example in Matthew 3:16.
The sacred act of baptism brings many benefits to those who participate in this commandment. First, it is a moment through which God forgives the sins of those who repent from their previous actions in Acts 2:38. Additionally, the baptism is the answer of a good conscience toward God, where the person has all liberty to serve him with nothing holding them back, as in 1 Peter 3:21. Also, it is the moment that we move to become part of the Church of Christ. These and other benefits are for those who voluntarily decide to follow the commandment of Christ.
The scriptures give us testimony of many baptisms like that of Lydia, Cornelius, the Ethiopian, and many others. Luke narrates an astonishing event that occurred shortly after Christ ascended to heaven. At times we may think and imagine, what would it have been like to see 3,000 souls being baptized in one day, as in Acts 2:41? Our mind begins to imagine the men and women lining up to be baptized that day and receiving the many benefits through the baptism. What a remarkable event to have witnessed.
As members of The Light of the World Church, we do not imagine or desire to have lived in those times because we recently lived through a remarkable event as well. On February 14, 2016, the church organized international baptisms that were officiated in over 50 countries worldwide. This event was in public squares in major cities such as San Antonio, Las Vegas, Houston, Washington, D.C., and more. The lines of men and women seemed endless that day. This time around it was not three thousand; on that day alone, about 50,000 souls were baptized.
The Light of the World Church has not officiated baptisms in over a year now due to the pandemic. There are some who might say that the absence of baptisms this past year is due to many other reasons, but the truth is that the only reason is due to the pandemic. As a precaution, the church has not officiated any baptisms just yet. However, when the time comes to once again have baptisms, surely it will be a magnificent event to witness. I am certain that it will be like no other occasion, an event that the eyes of men have not seen and many thousands of souls will be washed and their sins forgiven. It will be an unforgettable moment to eye witness the work of God, I would like to end by extending an invitation to join us at any of the daily online services to hear the word of God. Links are available at TLOTW.org or The Light of the World Facebook page. Feel free to send an email to for more information. God bless you all.
• Joab Cano is a missionary for the Light of the World Church.”Living & Growing” is a weekly column written by different authors and submitted by local clergy and spiritual leaders. It appears every Friday on the Juneau Empire’s Faith page.
