Ethiopia & South Sudan Field Update

600 Baptisms!

During our monthly Ethiopia leadership call, Samuel shared an update that amazed me. That is a remarkable statement since I have seen Samuel and his leaders do amazing things over the past couple of decades. I have shared about a dear sister named Almaz in past newsletters. She and her husband have traveled from Southern Ethiopia to South Sudan to share the gospel, make disciples, and plant churches. In the past couple of weeks they have seen over 800 professions of faith and over 600 baptisms.

How in the world does this one couple baptize over 600 people? Well, they could possibly if they stayed in the river and dunked people day in and day out. Another question could be, how did Peter baptize 3,000 people that responded to his gospel message in Acts 2?

And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” (Acts 2:38–40)

Did Peter stand there 24 hours a day dunking person after person? No, he had to have released baptism to those he just baptized.

I say this because of the pattern of baptisms that I see in the New Testament. Paul released baptism to the others that traveled with him.

“I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name.” (1 Corinthians 1:14–15)

Paul intentionally had others baptize so that they would not say they were baptized in Paul’s name. Paul’s focus was always to help people see that they are “a royal priesthood, a holy nation…” Paul learned this baptism pattern from Jesus Himself. Look at the beginning of John 4:

Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. (John 4:1–3)

Jesus was also committed to handing off the ministry to his disciples. The pattern in Scripture is not to have “special people” baptize others. The pattern in Scripture is always immediate baptism out of obedience in the name of Jesus and no other name. Almaz and her husband continue to be faithful in preaching the gospel, challenging people to immediate obedience in baptism, releasing the work to any and all new believers. Praise God for the professions of faith, praise God for the many that obeyed through baptism, and praise God for godly leaders that release baptism in the name of Jesus.

Amazed by Jesus,
JT