Jesus Christ instituted and established ordinances for His Church. An ordinance is a “prescribed practice.” It is something that has been prescribed and ordered by Jesus Christ and practiced by the Church. The New Testament makes it very clear that the early Church practiced and observed two ordinances:

• The Lord’s Supper or the “Breaking of Bread”
• Baptism

The Lord’s Supper is a symbolic act of obedience for Christians practiced through the partaking of bread and the fruit of the vine, to memorialize the death of the Redeemer and anticipate His second coming. At First Baptist Church of Valentine (FBC), we practice this ordinance on the first Sunday of every month.

At FBC, the Lord’s Supper is open to all “born-again believers,” meaning anyone who has received and trusted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, (this includes believers who are guests or visitors who do not call FBC their home church). Before partaking of the Lord’s Supper, each believer should personally examine his or her motive; irreverence, prejudice, selfishness, and lust have no place at the Lord’s Table.

“Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.” – 1 Corinthians 11:27-28 ESV

Additionally, we strongly encourage anyone who has not yet received Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior to not accept the elements when passed and not participate in the ordinance.

Baptism is the ordinance of the Lord by which those who have repented and come to faith express their union with Christ in his death and resurrection, by being immersed in water in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. The symbolism of baptism is that, just as Christ died and was buried, so the baptized person is submerged under water.  And just as Christ rose again from beneath the earth, so the baptized person rises again from beneath the water. Under the water is the believer’s old, dead, heavy, suffocating life. Out of the water, cleansed by the blood of Christ, is the believer’s new, fresh, purposeful life.

“The purpose of baptism is to give visual testimony of our commitment to Christ. It is the first step of discipleship.” – Acts 8:26-39

The Greek word for “baptism” is “βαπτιζω”. The English letters look like this: “baptidzo.” The Greek word “baptidzo” literally means to “immerse”.

If you’re interested in getting baptized or have questions about baptism, contact our pastor at pastortim@fbcvalentine.com