Feb 282010
I am in my early 20’s and have never been baptized. I have attended mostly Baptist and Pentecostal churches most of my life and have decided I really want to get baptized. Does anybody know what’s involved and how long the process takes. Thank you.
You ask an elder in the respective church. (you likely could do both, for many Pentecostals baptize ‘into the Savior’ whereas the Baptists think you are joining the ‘church’. If you want to honor the Savior YAHUSHUA, you might choose somewhere else. (than either of those two)
when you join a baptist church to become a member you have to be saved and have jesus as your savior
if you have never been baptized they will baptize you then
Should be no process at all. Any believer in Jesus can baptize you
You can certainly ask the Baptist church to have someone do it for you, if you want to do it that way 
Water baptism cannot pay for any of your sins or wash away any sins. Only the BLOOD OF JESUS pays for our sins and washes away sins!
Water baptism cannot get you into heaven, water baptism is not required to get into heaven, and water baptism cannot be added to Jesus’s PERFECT salvation.
Water baptism is only for the ALREADY saved, as a testimony of Jesus that Jesus already saved you, as a celebration as well!
You must be saved FIRST. Jesus is God, and Jesus loves you so very much!
Here is how to be saved: The truth about Jesus is that the only way to be saved and to get into heaven and avoid being sent to eternal hell, is by believing in Jesus for salvation, believing in faith alone that Jesus, who is God, died on the cross for all our sins as FULL PAYMENT for all our sins, and then Jesus rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Believe in Jesus alone for salvation, and you will be in heaven, no matter what!
Salvation is a FREE GIFT that happens in a split second when you believe in Jesus alone to save you! It is impossible to lose or “leave” salvation (John 6:39-40, John 10:28, 1 John 5:13).
Please pray now: “Jesus, I believe that You died on the cross to pay for my sins and that You rose from the dead, and I thank You for eternal life!” You will be in heaven with Him forever when you die!
IF you have come to God in The Way He prescribes… you may be Baptized in any Baptist congregation I know of…. you will likely be asked to meet with the Pastor a few times… and maybe with the Deacons or Elders of the congregation…. if you are seeking membership in the congregation then you will have to go before the congregation to be voted in…in most anyway…. but to be Baptized you have to demonstrate that you indeed have received God’s free, and eternal, gift of Salvation…..
You’ll need to get in touch with the church you’d like to be baptized in, but the pastor will generally need to determine if you are a faithful Christian before you get baptized. You’ll need a basic understand of its meaning according to the denomination you’re getting baptized in, but Baptists and Pentecostals are pretty close in format. You’ll be immersed of course, and you may be asked to give a testimony. There may be a couple of weeks’ preparation required, as the pastor may need to work your information into a church bulletin.
First we must establish the authority of the answer to your question. That authority can only apply to the word of God. “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” (2 Tim. 3:15-17). So, we see that it is God’s word that makes us wise unto salvation through faith in Christ. We also see that it is for reproving, correcting and instructing in righteousness. The inspired word of God is what we are to rely on. On the subject of baptism this is what Jesus Christ stated. “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, but he that believeth not shall be damned.” (Mark 16:16). Every example of conversion in the book of Acts includes baptism for the remission (forgiveness) of sins. Until a person obeys that command from the heart, they are still in their sins. The account of the Ethiopian eunuch’s conversion and baptism illustrates this very well. As the eunuch was reading the book of Isaiah Phillip was joined to the chariot. When the eunuch asked him to explain the text in Is. 53:7 & 8, Phillip went on to preach unto him Jesus (Acts 8:35). That preaching must have included the necessity to be baptized, because in verse 36 the eunuch said, “See here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?” In verse 37, Phillip answered, “If thou believest with all thine heart thou mayest. And he (the eunuch) answered and said I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Immediately in verse 38, we read, “And he commanded the chariot to stand still and they went down both into the water, both Phillip and eunuch and he baptized him.” In the second chapter of Acts Peter preached the first sermon on the day of Pentecost. Again, he preached Jesus Christ, stating “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.” The response was, “Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren what shall we do?”" (Acts 2:37). Note the next verse: “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you and to your children and to all that are afar off even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” (Acts 2:38-39). Peter stated the same truth as Jesus had…..he who repents and is baptized receives the forgiveness of sins (is saved). Before Saul became Paul the apostle, he was told what to do: “Arise, and be baptized, and wash away your sins” (Acts 22:16). In order to repent and be baptized, one must believe that the gospel is the truth and that its commandments are to be obeyed. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” (Rom. 1:16). These inspired words were spoken by Paul (who obeyed that same gospel). Read the ninth chapter of Acts for the account of his conversion. The gospel says, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Rom. 3:23-24). Christ Jesus is the Redeemer and his grace extends to all who obey the gospel. But that obedience must be on Christ’s terms, not man’s. It is imperative that one understand the meaning of baptism, otherwise he or she is just getting wet. “When sometime were disobedient when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing wherein few, that is eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh but the answer of a good conscience toward God).” (1 Pet. 3:20-21). It’s clear that baptism is the work of God. He commands that work. Man may say differently, but what does God’s word say? It says we can have a good conscience toward God when we obey the command to be baptized. We put on Christ when we are baptized. “For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” (Gal. 3:27). And note the verse also says we are baptized into Christ. “Into Christ” means we become part of Christ’s body, the church. “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead that in all things he might have the preeminence.” (Col. 1:18). The Word also says “Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.” (Rom. 6:3-5). In the book of John, we hear Christ speaking of the necessity to be born again. “Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” (Jn. 3:4-5). We don’t see any example of a person praying a sinner’s prayer. We don’t see an example of being baptized after one is saved. It’s clear that one needs to be baptized in order to obtain the forgiveness of sins. Only then is the person saved, added to the church, buried, and risen to walk in newness of life with Christ. We can’t do anything to save ourselves. “For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God. Not of works lest any man should boast.” (Eph. 2:8-9). Therefore, grace (God’s unmerited favor) is given to those who through faith obey the Lord in faith through baptism and a life of faithful service to God. “So then faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). It is not enough to believe. We must couple that belief with obedience. “And brought them out and said, Sirs what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.” The Phillipian jailer heard what he should do and did not hesitate. Neither did those in his household. They were all baptized. “Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” (Heb. 4:7). “See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven.” (Heb. 12:25). “And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.” (Heb. 5:9). “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.” (Heb. 10:22). I encourage you to consider the invitation that Christ extends to all men. If I can help you in that regard, feel free to email me. God bless you.