The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). John 1:41

On the week of December 17, five souls experienced the new birth in baptism at the Ocean State Church of Christ. One of those was Zoilo Guaba. Watching him get immersed that Sunday evening was one of Zoilo’s younger brothers, Joel. Joel was 21-years-old and had begun visiting our services. His personality was different from that of his older brother, but his fire to follow Jesus was just as strong.

Over the course of the next few weeks, Joel began to dive into friendships, repentance and Bible study. A couple of times, he almost made the decision to be baptized but pulled back to think and pray some more. Finally, on Wednesday, January 24, Joel went into some very cold waters of baptism (the boiler had been turned off in our facility that night). He came up a refreshed and new man, surrounded by family, friends and new brothers and sisters.

Joel said, “I know too much now. I can’t say ‘No’ any longer. I have to live this life for Jesus for all He has done for me.”

May we all be drawn to Christ and motivated to live life to the full for Him. And may we always think of sharing this great news with our physical families, co-workers, fellow students and everyone around us.