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For those who are not familiar with the Christian Faith, and I know there are such people among us today, I would like to say that water Baptism is not just a tradition. The Orthodox Church did not invent it; it is a commandment given by Jesus Christ himself. Jesus Christ himself received water Baptism, and he told his followers that they should also do the same. There are two very simple conditions for Baptism, but on the other hand, for many people, they seem very difficult. The first is repentance, when a person admits they are sinful in God's eyes, when a person admits that they need a Savior. And the second is faith, faith in Jesus Christ, faith in Him as God, as Lord. And after repentance and faith, the next stage is water Baptism. It is said in Holy Scripture, "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved." That is why it is so important. Many say, "I believe in God, I believe in my soul," but Scripture clearly states, "you must believe and be baptized." Baptism is when a person declares, "I am not ashamed of my faith; I publicly declare this decision today." This is something a person does at a conscious age because when infants are baptized, the children do not choose; the children do not decide anything. But when adults do this, it is already a weighed, mature decision. That is why it is so important.
Today, I would like to draw our attention to life after water Baptism. Unfortunately, I have seen in my practice that sometimes people who have received water Baptism, after Baptism, sometimes fall into various sins, addictions. Sometimes people fall away from the church, from God, and get lost. Water Baptism is such a great celebration that people strive for, long for, and wait for. Perhaps relatives, parents, and for the person themselves, it is a great event. It seems like the goal has been achieved, it is the finale. In reality, it is not the finale, it is not the end. It is just the beginning, the beginning of the journey, and it is important to reach the end. Scripture also warns about this. So, life after Baptism, of course, first and foremost, I would like these words to be advice, a reminder to our brothers and sisters, to all who will listen online, and to all present.
So, the first practical advice is: feed on the word of God. Why is this very important? Why is it important to warn people? Because a person can repent, a person can receive freedom from various addictions, from demonic influence. But if he does not live by God's word, if he does not feed spiritually, all of this is simply very temporary. Very quickly, a person will weaken, lose strength. It is written in Scripture, 1 Peter 2:2, "like newborn infants," speaking of spiritual infancy, "crave pure spiritual milk," referring to God's word, "so that by it you may grow up in your salvation." That is, spiritual growth is impossible without reading God's word. You can even attend church, and that is good, that is right. You can call yourself a believer, you can live morally correctly and be kind. That is also good. But if a person does not read the Bible, does not delve into living by God's word, we consist of spirit, soul, and body. Just as a person nourishes his body, so a person must nourish his spirit. Without this, spiritual growth is impossible; it is impossible for a person to remain strong.
This can be roughly compared to how many days a person can go without eating. Is it possible for a person to go one day without eating physically, without taking food? He will die. No. What about 2 days? 3 days? If a person does not eat, he will die. No. It is exactly the same sometimes when a person does not nourish himself spiritually, has not read the Bible for one day, 2 days, 3 days. A person does not immediately die spiritually, in principle, no. But if a person physically does not eat for days, he will become very weak, and after 10-20 days, he will stop walking, he will lie down, and they will carry him. Exactly the same, exactly the same happens in the spiritual world. Exactly this same principle works. If there are people here who call themselves believers but do not read the Bible, read it rarely, once a week, twice a month, spiritually you are a person lying down, you need to be carried, treated. You may be offended by different people, why it doesn't work out, why we lose in temptations, because you are spiritually weak, you have no strength. That is why spiritual nourishment is so important.
It is necessary not only to read the Bible, but Scripture says in John 8:31 that we must abide in this word of God. Jesus, addressing those who believed, that is, it is Christ's call to those who have already chosen Christ, who have already believed in Christ, and he says, "If you abide in my word, then you are truly my disciples." But only if you abide and read the Bible are different levels. To help you remember, what does it mean to abide? Always remember your phone. You always have it with you, and modern people always abide in their phones. Everyone understands, right? Every day, several times a day, any free minute, people are in their phones, looking into it. You can't leave it. This is how people live, abide. A good reminder, right, the phone. What does it mean to abide? Exactly the same in God's word.
Further, in Matthew 7:24, Christ warns, "Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock." It is written that he will be sensible, wise. But whoever hears the Bible but does not practice it, Christ warns, "storms will come, the weather will change, wind and water will come, and it is written, the fall will be great." Have you heard that you can even be baptized, you can be called a believer, and do everything right, but if a person does not practice God's word, does not read and does not practice, does not obey, then there will be a fall, a collapse. That is why it is important to see the difference, to know the Bible and some verses, and to practice them. There is a big difference, and this text warns us that storms will come in the lives of believers and non-believers, but only those who practice God's word will remain unshaken during stress, crisis, economy, anything. They will remain unshaken.
The second point, what is the advice for life or steps after water Baptism? It is temptation and a mentor. Why is this important? Because Scripture warns, 1 Peter 5:8, "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." So, this warning is already in Scripture for us, but especially, I think, those people who are spiritually young, who have just taken this step, and their decisions are easier to overcome. That is why it is important to have a mentor in your life so that he can help you go through these stages, guide you, advise you, a mature spiritual person. And you know, it depends on you. If you want to, if you understand that this is important, do not think, "I am spiritual myself, yes, I grew up in church, I know everything, I understand." Such strong people like Samson, you know, the strong ones fell very quickly. You cannot rely on yourself here. Here you need to rely on God and simply take someone and say, "Please, don't let me go, call me, ask me, pull me. If you see I'm not in church, call me." The second option is to be offended, "Oh, I've been missing from church for a month, and no one even called." Yes, responsibility lies with the church, with friends, parents, ministers. But if you want this, it will be the most effective method. You need to want to be accountable. You can force a person to be accountable, or you can ask for accountability. That is why it is important that this be your personal decision.
When isolation occurs in a person's life, when a person withdraws, you always need to know the motive that draws the person to solitude. Either it is solitude caused by seeking Jesus Christ, a personal relationship with God, or it is a secret sin that draws the person into solitude, and he isolates himself, hides, and tells no one anything anymore. Always ask yourself this question: what is driving me? And may God help us all.
The third reason, a step that is important not to miss in making decisions after water Baptism, is friends and society. The Bible, again, the advice that we are discussing now is based on Holy Scripture. The Bible warns, 1 Corinthians 15:33, "Do not be misled: 'Bad company corrupts good character.'" That is why, when a person has made this right decision to follow the Lord, to live a holy life, and friends remain who live by other goals, priorities for them, these friends can be very dangerous for you, because the proverb says, "You are known by the company you keep," and the Bible confirms this, although the Bible is higher than the proverb. That is why you should always ask yourself the question: who is influencing whom? Sometimes people say, "Well, my friends are not that bad, I don't influence them badly, they don't influence me badly." This may be true only temporarily. Sooner or later, either you will influence them, or they will influence you. And in this society of friends and society, it is important to be in a healthy, spiritually healthy society. That is why I always advise: do not work on Sundays if it is possible. I sometimes understand that it is temporary, sometimes it happens once a month, but if a person goes for a month, two, three, and is not in church, friends, it is only a matter of time. A matter of time.
The church, about which I am preaching today, the Lord created with a purpose and invites all who believe in Him to it. So, there is a specific purpose, conditions where a person can develop, be preserved spiritually, be nourished spiritually. This is very important for us, friends. Become part of a home group where you will be known by name, noticed, and you will have close communication, especially in God. It is very important to be part of a home group.
The fourth step, what is important after Baptism? Because everything before Baptism, they have already taken courses, they were taught, explained. That is why today we are focusing on after Baptism. The fourth step is service. Why is it important to serve? Firstly, because Scripture compares, 1 Corinthians 12, compares all believing people to a body. Each member in the body of Christ has a function and a role. If a person has been attending church for a long time, is a believer, but brings no benefit, no role, forgive me, those who have been believers for a long time, this is an unhealthy situation. Unhealthy. At least bring some benefit to the local church, attend church. Someone might say, "Here is my benefit, I came, rejoice that I am here, praise God, I did the right thing." But remember the calling, the role. How does the Bible explain it? Everyone must bring benefit, not necessarily on stage, in any sphere, but he must contribute to the body that functions in connection.
What else is important? We know from that the entire spirit of the Gospel contradicts an egoistic life. That is why service is important. That is why service is important where you benefit others, give to others. And I want to quote one more text from the Bible, which for me, I think, we often miss, but because of this, many believers, long-time or recent, fall. Matthew 12:44 says, "Then Jesus says," and Jesus shared a parable where he talks about how an evil spirit, an unclean spirit, that can live in people, sometimes when it leaves, then what does this evil spirit say? Reading Matthew 12:44, "I will return to the house I came from. And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they go in and live there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first." So, it turns out that Scripture says that a person's heart is compared to a house, and something evil can live there, or something holy, good, and bad. And when a person is freed from sin, from bad habits, addictions, or was possessed or occupied by an evil spirit, it is important at this moment not only to rejoice that I am free, I quit smoking, drinking, I quit all sinful habits, I threw everything away from myself, I have already cleansed myself. But then, if you have not replaced it with anything, therein lies the danger. If you have not replaced it with anything, then it is written, this evil spirit returns, and it is written, "it comes," and if possible, text 12:44, "and finds the heart, life unoccupied, not occupied with anything useful, not occupied with any service." And here, in the context, empty, just empty. You stopped doing bad things, but you didn't start doing good things. And so, it seems I am free, but then, you are left empty. This is a dangerous state, a dangerous state. Do you understand, friends? Yes, you cannot just stop doing bad, sinful things; you must start doing good. That is why it is important not just to rejoice, "I was baptized, I am free," but then, you understand, it is very important not to miss this text, Matthew 12:44. This is in the life of a Christian. Some people say sometimes, "I am discouraged, I am depressed." Another very practical advice. 2 Corinthians 4:1 says, "Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not give up." Why do people? Because it says they have ministry. Let's read the opposite. "Therefore, because of my busyness, I have no ministry, so I..." I didn't even say that. You said it yourself. You understand, right? So, it's like, you have to replace everything. If you leave one thing and don't replace it with anything, then this is what happens. Everything is clear, right? It is important to understand and accept and then practice.
And the last point after Baptism is to be a disciple. Do you know how many times the word "Christian" is used in the Bible? Who knows? How many times? Just guess. Only three times. And who knows how many times the word "disciple" is used in the Bible? Almost 300. Not completely 300, but almost. A disciple, can you imagine? And now, think about this meaning. Scripture uses the word "disciple" to call believers. This means that he learns all his life, he learns all his life. He does not rejoice in what he has achieved, that "I have already achieved everything, I have already understood everything in life, I have already understood God, and God has understood me, I have already defeated all sins." No, no, no. A disciple learns all his life. And this is important, friends. Here too, it is important to understand. This is just the beginning. In Matthew 16:24, Jesus says, "Whoever wants to come after me," and in the English translation, "Whoever wants to be my disciple, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." This is not just a one-time action, this act of water Baptism, but it is a process. You follow Christ in the role of a disciple, always learning, always learning, and going through life. And here, friends, I would like to emphasize that in our church, there is an opportunity for those who have already received Baptism. We call it discipleship, level two. Have you heard about it? That after water Baptism, you will have classes again, only this is the second level, discipleship 2. Have they talked about it? Yes. So, know that from practice, who goes to discipleship 2? If, say, a group was 50 people, there were past experiences, or 20 people, then only about 30% out of 100 go to discipleship 2. If it's 50, that's good. Do you know why? Because everyone thinks, "Ah, I'm already capable, I can already defeat everyone." No, no, no. This is a big mistake. That is why I strongly advise, I am very glad that the church has such an opportunity, discipleship two. If your relatives, friends are here, always remember, after water Baptism, it is important not to abandon discipleship, to know that I have a spiritual mentor, a spiritual mentor to whom I can share, open up about my falls, my struggles, and I continue to learn and grow. I hope that your group will have 100% attendance at discipleship 2, because this is what we are called to.
And I would also like to address the church, all present. Perhaps God will lay it on your heart to pray for them, to support them, to invite them for coffee, for tea, just to meet somewhere, ask how they are doing spiritually, to support them, to carry them, because you know that for believers, it is written, Christ said in Matthew 28, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations." And in English, it says, "you can be in the role of either a disciple or raising someone." Although even when raising someone, we ourselves continue to learn throughout life. So, may God bless you, friends. Let us all stand up and pray now that God will preserve those who have received water Baptism, who are on this path. Let us repeat these five steps of life after water Baptism again, if they can be put on the screen, five points. So, the first is: live by God's word. Second: remember that after Baptism there will be temptations, and you need a mentor. Third: remember that friends and society will greatly influence you. Fourth: occupy yourself with useful things, serve, definitely serve. And fifth: be a lifelong disciple. Amen.