Baptism Story: Jonathan Lincoln

Jonathan Lincoln was baptized on September 25th at The Paradox Church. This is the story of how God saved him and why he got baptized.

There were two defining moments in my life that brought me to God. When I entered the military, I felt as though I had no need for God. This was very different from my upbringing. As I progressed in my military career, there came a moment when I became desperately aware of my need for God. After leaving the military, I wanted to start attending church again and did so at Triumph Church. In God’s pursuit of my heart, He grew a deeper sense of calling to Him and others. I began to understand how my purpose in life is tied to glorifying God. This was really when I began learning about the person of Christ and seeing baptisms modeled as a celebratory experience.

A few years later, while pursuing marriage with my wife Tonya, she asked that a pre-requisite to our union be a course at Triumph church called Perspectives. God used this class to reshape my life in an extraordinary way. I gained a genuine understanding for God’s mission for all races and ethnicities. I discovered how the great commission, given to us through scripture, had strategic and global implications.

After Tonya and I became married and moved to Fort Worth, I knew I wanted to walk in obedience to the things God had forged in my heart at the Paradox Church. I’m excited about learning and partnering my new church family as an extension of God’s hands to bridge the cultural divides alongside other African Americans who share the same passion. I’m so grateful to see a depth of discipleship among our believers and posture of pursuing God’s missional purpose for every tribe, tongue, and nation.

When the baptism class was announced, I remembered that I wanted to be obedient to how God had brought me back from a dead way of thinking and into a deep, fulfilling dependence in Him. I talked to Pastor Ryan about it and signed up. In the class, Josh Morgan gave the analogy of how baptism is similar to a wedding ring: it’s an overt declaration of who I belong to now. I cherish my wedding ring because it shows everyone that I belong to Tonya and she belongs to me. I was excited to share baptisms with the Paradox family because it’s an outward expression that now I belong to Christ and He belongs to me.