Christening didn't work!
Brian Kerr
(19/3/2001)
My name is Brian Kerr. Shortly after I was born, I was “baptised” i.e. sprinkled. My parents meant well, but I don’t remember a thing about it! Like a failed skin graft, it didn’t take! My parents were (and are) Christians, so they taught me the Bible as I was growing up. I remember going to a summer camp when I was nine. Many of the children who attended the camp were Christians, but I knew that I didn’t have a personal relationship with God. I did want to be a Christian, however.
A year later, I heard a preacher say that God didn’t just want my soul when I died. He wanted my life here on earth also. I had to come to Him on His terms and in His time, not on mine. (These may not have been his actual words, but it is what I understood him to be saying.) This challenged me as I had been putting off the decision of giving my life to Him. The Christian life just seemed too difficult. However, that night I knelt down, told God I was sorry for my sins and committed my life to Him. Immediately I experienced a tremendous peace and joy and I knew that, at that moment, I was born again and my sins were forgiven. It was the best decision I (with the help of God, of course!) have ever made. (If you’re not a Christian, let me encourage you to commit your life to Jesus Christ right now. You’ll never regret it!).
A couple of years later I was baptised as a believer (by immersion). (Baptism does not make one a Christian, it should be said. One can only become a Christian by repentance, i.e. by turning away from everything that’s wrong, and faith, i.e. trust in Jesus Christ. Becoming a Christian is a personal choice, and therefore one that no one else, however well meaning, can make for one).
Unfortunately, I would have to say that, as a Christian, I “drifted” though my teenage years. The main problem was that I didn’t tell my school friends that I was a Christian. (If you are a Christian, let me encourage you to be open about it with your family and friends. This will help to strengthen your own faith.) However, when I got to college I plucked up the courage to tell my friends that I was a Christian. Amazingly, or so it seemed to me anyway, I didn’t lose them!
Two significant things happened to me during my college years. Firstly I got filled with (or baptised in) the Holy Spirit. Suddenly I not only believed that God loved me, I knew that He loved me and I loved Him in return! I began to worship Him with a freedom I’d never had before, e.g. by raising my hands in praise! My prayer life was transformed! I began to attend early-morning prayer meetings, something I still do and love to do! Secondly, I rededicated my life to the Lord. This meant giving up some things that weren’t bad in themselves, e.g. chess, but which occupied a lot of time that I could be using to “serve the Lord”. However this wasn’t really any sacrifice. Praying, reading and studying the Bible, meeting with other Christians and telling non-Christians about Jesus are all such rewarding activities that not giving up the good things I’ve referred to would have been a sacrifice!
I spent almost three and a half years teaching Science in a rural Zimbabwean Secondary school. This was a wonderful experience. My kids were keen to learn and so teaching them was a pleasure. In addition I had the joy of attending a large rapidly growing black Pentecostal church. When I returned to Ireland, I tried to get into teaching here but after about three years decided it wasn’t for me. I then spent a couple of years on a community employment scheme before starting my current work of managing a Christian bookshop.
The Christian life is not an easy one but it is extremely worthwhile! If you’re not a Christian, I urge you again, don’t put off this most important of decisions!