No One Could Know

Gabriel was dead when he walked into church today. Let me explain…his was a most remarkable decision to me…it happened like this:

The church service started out on a high with top-notch men and women harmonizing in praise and worship, but when the pastor took his place before us, a new level of effervescense claimed the sanctuary. Each of the 20 minutes that followed were constructed like a fine tower that reached a beautiful pennacle for all to behold. Momentum found easy traction in the hearts listening to the importance of making Jesus the Lord of our lives – but especially for Gabriel, the guy in the red plaid shirt.

His was a spontaneous choice. The list of more than 20 who wanted to be baptized had been put together for weeks. Gabriel was a visitor. When the pastor asked if anyone else would like to step into the baptismal to publicly proclaim they’d been “buried with Christ” and “brought to new life in Christ,” Michael’s hand went up. He admitted he’d never been “born-again,” but wanted to be today.

Twenty-two people went before Gabriel, each rising out of the water with glorious expression as the congregation sang in celebration. Then it was his turn. The lanky youth stood taller than the pastor and his assistant, and humbly bowed his head for the immersion. When he came up out of the water, he threw his long arms and hands toward heaven, and with a beaming face stood and glorified God.

Romans 6:1-11 in The Message says, “So what do we do? Keep on sinning so God can keep on forgiving? I should hope not! If we’ve left the country where sin is sovereign, how can we still live in our old house there? Or didn’t you realize we packed up and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace—a new life in a new land!

“That’s what baptism into the life of Jesus means. When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus. Each of us is raised into a light-filled world by our Father so that we can see where we’re going in our new grace-sovereign country.

“Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the cross with Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life—no longer at sin’s every beck and call! What we believe is this: If we get included in Christ’s sin-conquering death, we also get included in his life-saving resurrection. We know that when Jesus was raised from the dead it was a signal of the end of death-as-the-end. Never again will death have the last word. When Jesus died, he took sin down with him, but alive he brings God down to us. From now on, think of it this way: Sin speaks a dead language that means nothing to you; God speaks your mother tongue, and you hang on every word. You are dead to sin and alive to God.”

Romans 10:9,10 The Message says, “So what exactly was Moses saying? The word that saves is right here, as near as the tongue in your mouth, as close as the heart in your chest. It’s the word of faith that welcomes God to go to work and set things right for us. This is the core of our preaching. Say the welcoming word to God—“Jesus is my Master”—embracing, body and soul, God’s work of doing in us what he did in raising Jesus from the dead. That’s it. You’re not “doing” anything; you’re simply calling out to God, trusting him to do it for you. That’s salvation. With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: “God has set everything right between him and me!”

Indeed, God has set everything right between Gabriel and Him. Gabriel walked out of church today alive unto God. His is a free gift, available for “whosoever” would invite Him into their lives.