Prepare Now for Baptism

Alone in the wilderness, Moses heard God speak to him through a burning bush. The young Samuel was startled awake when God called out the boy’s name. In the New Testament, Saul, later renamed Paul, was on the road to Damascus when he was suddenly struck down, blinded and heard Christ tell him what to do.

There was no doubt in these accounts that God was calling these men. He even used their individual names!

Teenagers who have grown up in the Church or who started attending services with their parents at a young age may wonder if they will also receive a sign that God is working with them. Many have heard brethren in the Church refer to their calling when they came out of the world.

The accounts are not as dramatic as those of Moses, Samuel or Paul, but the stories are often bursting with excitement. There is usually a certain degree of adventure involved as brethren recall when God revealed the truth to them for the first time. They can often remember a specific earth-shattering moment when they realized they were actively being worked with by the Creator of the universe.

Those growing up knowing the truth will never have moments quite like this, which can make them doubt God is working with them. This can cause them to put off getting baptized—a step that leads to receiving God’s Spirit and full membership in the Church.

Yet you can know that God is working with you, and have hard, concrete evidence. There is no need to wait for a special experience or sign—you can begin working toward baptism now.

Start Early

The age when you can be baptized usually starts at 20, but can sometimes be earlier. There are reasons for this. Baptism is the most important decision you will ever make! You have to grow to a more mature age before making an educated and informed decision to become a full member of the Church.

The age guidelines follow biblical principles. In Ezra 3:8, the Levites who worked in the Temple had to be at least 20 years old. The same age was also a requirement to be counted in the census for war (Num. 1:45).

But you need not wait until you are 19 before you can start preparing for baptism. You can invest in God’s Way now.

Note the example of Timothy in the New Testament. He is a type of someone who was reared in God’s Way: “That from a child you [Timothy] have known the holy scriptures, which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (II Tim. 3:15).

You can know the “holy scriptures” now—which will “make you wise unto salvation” after baptism.

In addition, your teenage years are a time to apply the command in I Thessalonians: “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (5:21). Start proving all things in the Church now so that you can hold fast to God’s Way as you grow older.

Special Circumstances

God places all children in the Church in a special category. In I Corinthians 7:14, it states that you are “holy” because of the obedience of one or both of your parents.

Realize what this means. The God of the universe sees you as holy—set apart—from all other teenagers across the globe. You have the ability to go before the Father in prayer. You can understand His Way and truths now. You have the Holy Spirit working with you.

These are awesome privileges for any teenager, especially when considering John 6:44, which states, “No man can come to Me [Christ], except the Father which has sent Me draw him.”

No one can understand what you do unless the Father “draws” that person to Him. In other words, you do not need to wait for a specific calling—you have already been called!

When a person is baptized, God’s Spirit of power begins to work inside his mind. Before that time, He works with a person. While there is a significant difference, do not feel helpless because the Holy Spirit is not yet in you.

First, consider the power that is working with you. God’s Spirit holds the universe together (Col. 1:17). With it, He created all things and did powerful miracles such as parting the Red Sea in the Old Testament. This same power is working with you.

Consider an analogy. Imagine if a world-class professional quarterback (the leading offensive position in American football) was to come play on your high school team. First, his skills and experience would be far beyond any of the teenagers. He would be able to fill in the weaknesses of others and give everyone pointers on how to play better. Also, his very presence would push your team to work harder and achieve more.

This small example can help you begin to understand who is on your “team” in life. Yet this is no professional athlete—it is the all-powerful God of the universe. What an awesome privilege!

Let’s expand this further. Before Christ established His Church, He directed and taught His disciples well before they received the Holy Spirit. Similarly, God will also help and prepare you before baptism.

Even Christ’s disciples had to prepare for more than three years before they received God’s Spirit on Pentecost in AD 31. During this time, they learned the right way to live and gained scriptural knowledge.

There are some differences though. The disciples were given power to cast out demons and heal the sick. Yet the point for you should be clear: You have an opportunity now to learn all the truths of God.

One final example. Think of all the adults you have seen come into the Church from the world who were not yet baptized. You probably witnessed them change their lives and conduct. From the time you first met them to the time they were baptized, they likely grew a lot. (If you have not experienced this process before, be sure to watch for it the next time someone new comes to your congregation.)

Guess what? All the changes you see in such people are done with the Holy Spirit working alongside them. You too can grow and change now leading up to baptism.

What You Can Do

During your teenage years, make the Church your own. Do not allow it to be “your parents’ religion.” Dig deep. Study your Bible. Build a solid foundation in God’s Way.

For starters, focus on proving that God exists. You may think that He does because your parents say so, or you have heard it in Sabbath services. But find hard evidence!

Study the booklet Does God Exist?. There is also a five-part World to Come series “Does God Exist?—Many Absolute Proofs!” Both of these use hard scientific evidence coupled with clear Bible verses to make their cases.

Another way to prove that God is real is through answered prayer.

This means you should pray—talk to God on your knees—on a regular basis. Because His Spirit is working with you, God will listen to your prayers. He can even empower you in certain ways such as giving you the confidence to speak to a teacher about needing to take time off for the Holy Days.

Also focus on proving that the Bible is God’s inspired Word. Again, you can know this for certain! The booklet Bible Authority…Can It Be Proven? uses fulfilled prophecy to demonstrate God’s authorship. In other words, God said He would do certain things and recorded it in His Word. History shows that He brought about the events and trends just as He stated—sometimes in awesome detail.

Another foundational topic that you should focus on is proving that you are in God’s one true Church. Does it teach all of the truths of the Bible? Does the Church’s history line up with prophecy (Rev. 2-3)? Read the book Where Is the True Church? – and Its Incredible History! to help you grasp this.

Beyond these three—proving God exists, His Word is truth, and that you are in the true Church—are the many other doctrines and commands of God. All of these are detailed in the Church’s wide array of literature. Make it a point to read all of it before you reach the age of baptism.

Keep your parents and minister involved in this entire process. They can help answer any questions you have.

The teenage years are a time you can develop habits that will stick with you for the rest of your life. On a more personal level, this means you should pray, study the Bible, meditate on God’s Law, and even fast occasionally.

As far as being involved in Church activities, youth can do nearly everything that baptized members in the Church do. While you may not carry out certain leadership functions, you can still serve. If there are areas you can help during the Sabbath, such as with hall setup or preparing potluck meals, volunteer to help! If there are fundraising opportunities, get involved! In fact, you can even think of your own ideas for fundraising or serving brethren. Remember, always ask a minister or other adults before you jump into something.

There is no age restriction in preparing for baptism. However, there is a restriction on when you can begin counseling for baptism. It is helpful to understand the difference between the two.

Baptismal Counseling

Around age 18, you may start thinking more about baptism and ask your minister for more information. If you have been reading the literature for years and sincerely trying to live God’s Way, this will be a natural process. Depending on your circumstances, the minister may either begin baptismal counseling or tell you to wait until you are 19 or 20.

If you have to wait, it is to give you more time to grow and mature so that you can better grasp the monumental decision of baptism.

Yet it is better to ask and be deferred than to wait. Many teenagers—and some adults—mistakenly think they should reach a certain level of righteousness before they can be baptized. This is often because they feel embarrassed about the sins that they recognize in their lives.

Despite our best intentions to be obedient, we remain carnal without God’s Spirit in us. The apostle Paul clarified this when he explained our condition before we receive the Holy Spirit. Notice: “There is none righteous, no, not one…there is none that does good, no, not one” (Rom. 3:10, 12).

Although obedience to the letter of God’s Law is doable and necessary, God does not expect us to become righteous on our own because it is simply impossible without His Spirit. God calls “sinners to repentance,” not those who are already perfect (Matt. 9:13).

But repentance is not something easily understood when you are younger. This is why you will have to wait until you are older to begin counseling for baptism.

Another part of baptismal counseling is understanding the most precious and sobering gift we can ever receive. Note the consequence or penalty for sin: “The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus” (Rom. 6:23).

How then is it possible to become a converted Christian and achieve eternal life? Unless we have a savior—someone who pays the penalty for our sins—we are headed for death.

During baptismal counseling, we must come to deeply understand Christ’s sacrifice for humanity. He was brutally beaten and crucified to pay the “wages” of death for mankind.

Only by accepting Jesus Christ’s sacrifice can you begin down the road to conversion and eternal life. Again, these are much weightier topics that can only be fully understood when you get older.

Heading Toward the Goal

Teenagers, do not let yourself slam into age 20 without preparing to continue living God’s Way into adulthood. Look to your parents to help and guide you as you grow.

Notice Proverbs 4: “Hear, you children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. For I give you good doctrine, forsake you not my law” (vs. 1-2).

Your converted parents are there to teach and guide you. The ministry is in place to help. God will also direct you.

Proverbs continues: “Let your heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live. Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth” (vs. 4-5).

Ground yourself in God’s Way. This is your Church. Go out and get wisdom and get understanding taught in the Bible and the Church’s literature.

Verse 6 shows the end result: “Forsake her [wisdom] not, and she shall preserve you: love her, and she shall keep you.”

If you diligently seek to live God’s Way now, He will preserve and keep you. But this requires action: Start now to prepare for baptism!