BAPTISM
I love airplanes. As
a young boy growing up, I spent hours building and flying model airplanes. I studied airplanes and dreamed of
airplanes. My cousins and I would even
fly our model planes for air shows several times a year for interested
groups. I visualized myself starting a
flying career in the military. After my first
mission that plan did not seem attractive to me anymore. My love for flying was still there but my
need for different career dominated my mind.
On 25 May 1976, 2 years after graduating from Utah State
University in civil engineering, my wife gave me a unique birthday gift. She went down to the local municipal airport
and purchased for me a flight school and training package to solo fly a private
aircraft. The package deal included some
class room instruction and 10 hours of flight training with an instructor plus
a solo flight. During the following 13
years I took every opportunity that I could find to fly airplanes. I currently have about 1200 hours with a
private pilot license, single-engine, land category and instrument rating. When
I quit flying, I owned and flew a Cessna Turbo 210 in my business and have flow
across most of the USA.
Over those years as pilot in command, I had many memorable
flying experiences. But, the one experience never to be forgotten was my first
solo flight. I remember every minute of
my boarding the Piper Comanche aircraft for the first time without Dick
Mumford, my instructor, taxiing, take off, flying around Utah Valley for 30
minutes, landing and taxiing to the tie downs.
That experience is indelibly engraved in my mind.
We all experience those life changing moments that we never
forget. For example, a few other, never
to be forgotten, memories for me include:
kneeling across the alter in the Manti Temple with my wife to be sealed
for time and all eternity, receiving my mission call to serve as Mission
President, the day my father passed away, returning from my first mission, being
baptized, baptizing my children, my confirmation ordinance to receive the Holy
Ghost, etc.
I remember where I was at my baptismal service. I was 8 years old, my uncle baptized me, I
remember the feel of the water and I remember the baptismal service.
The ordinance of baptism is huge to this existence and is founded
on the 3 pillars – The Plan, The Creation and The Fall. The Plan was devised by our Father in Heaven
to allow you to receive a body in this earth life where you can learn and grow to
become more like Him in ways impossible to do in the pre-existence. Through the Atonement you would be able to
return to live with Him. The Creation
prepared this wonderful earth where you are exposed to opposition and adversity
with free agency to choose your actions.
The Fall gave you the opportunity to receive a body of flesh and bones
and be tested. We all make mistakes plus
our physical bodies will die. These 2
obstacles would have keep us from returning to live with God but the atonement
overcame them. The atonement of Jesus
Christ is the center of the Plan and provides the resurrection,
forgiveness of sins stemming from inevitable wrong choices and comfort and
relief from pain and sorrow. (Alma 7: 11-13)
Therefore, in this life, trials and adversity are mandatory; misery is
optional.
To receive exaltation you must
believe in and accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, repent of your sins, receive
saving ordinances and keep your covenants, referred to in the church as
enduring to the end. Baptism is the
first saving ordinance. The other saving
ordinances necessary for salvation are: the
gift of the Holy Ghost, weekly sacrament, priesthood ordination, temple
endowment and temple marriage.
Since the world began, all the
prophets and later the Savior himself, spoke of the importance of Baptism:
“32 …
Father commandeth all men, everywhere, to repent and believe in me.
33 And
whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved; and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom of God.” (3 Nephi 11:32-33)
“9 And again, it
[baptism] showeth unto the children of men the straitness of the path, and the
narrowness of the gate, by
which they should enter, he having set the example before
them.” (2 Nephi 31:9)
“21 And
now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and
there is none other
way nor name given
under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold,
this is the doctrine of
Christ...” (2 Nephi 31:17-21)
The ordinance of baptism is a
memorable, life changing experience for everyone. It is someone’s solo flight. A personal bond between the one performing
the ordinance and the one being baptized is always created. But, missionaries who perform the ordinance
are soon transferred and eventually return to their home and post-mission life. It is a great blessing to the one being
baptized if that bond stays in Holland and Belgium.
Consider the one performing the
ordinance of baptism. Ideally, he may be
the home teacher to the newly baptized, he may be a new convert himself, a
newly reactivated member or a priest age boy who needs to experience performing
the ordinance. With a little
forethought, the one performing the baptism could already have been on joint
teaches to the one being baptized so a relationship has been established before
the ordinance. It is a great blessing to
the one performing the baptism to strengthen his testimony and reinforce his
faith and commitment.
It is
now a new mission rule; the ordinance of baptism must be performed by a member
not the missionary. Missionaries must diplomatically explain the
importance of this protocol to investigators who will usually ask the
missionary to baptize them because of their special relationship with the
missionary. Missionaries must also explain
this protocol to the Ward or Branch Mission Leader so they can make the best
assignment for a member to perform the ordinance.
We are
following here the example of Jesus Christ.
He understood the value of the ordinance and the importance to allow
others to perform the ordinance:
“1 When therefore
the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more
disciples than John,
Sister
missionaries have never performed the baptism ordinance yet their relationship
with newly baptized members is not diminished.
Elders will have many opportunities to perform baptisms with their own
children, relatives, missionary work in their home ward and as young men
leaders at youth temple trips to do baptisms for the dead. In the meantime this new mission rule will
bless the Dutch and Belgium members. I
recently attended a baptism where a member did the ordinance. From time to time during the service the
member explained things and answered questions to the young woman being
baptized. After the service he talked to
me about his wonderful experience and then said, “I am committed to give her the
support she needs to prepare to go on a mission in one year.” That is what I am talking about.
President
Robinson
For what it's worth... two thumbs up on the new rule regarding baptisms. Strikes me as a very inspired decision.
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