THE LAST BAPTISM

CORONA, CA (ANS) -- This is the story of a beautiful little boy called Justin, who was just eight years old when we met him. As Angels for Christ was distributing food at an outreach, in a very poor part of town, he ran up to us and asked if he could have a yogurt. He was thrilled when we gave him a case. His mother and father were also given food. It was much needed as they were drug addicted.

Justin didn't know who Jesus was, but found out that day. He simply fell in love with Him. He started faithfully attending church coming all on his own. He constantly sang a little song he had learned two lines of it said "Jesus I just want to praise you more, Jesus I just want to love you more". Later his mother confessed that it greatly irritated her. But Justin would just tell her "Mum, if you would listen to it all the way through, you wouldn't get so mad!"

As the sign up's for water baptisms were being taken, Justin was adamant that he would obey Jesus and be water baptized. But his mother refused to give permission saying she didn't want anything to do with that kind of thing.

The day of the baptisms it was very chilly. Several adults backed out complaining that the water was just too cold. The children stayed committed. Justin stood by watching and after the last baptism was finished he lunged forward and just jumped right in with all of his clothes on insisting they baptize him. How could they refuse?

Only a few weeks later Justin, unsupervised, ran out onto a busy main road and was hit by a car and fatally injured. Ironically, our friend pastor Gerry who had baptized Justin heard the accident, ran to him and started CPR but to no avail. Gerry said it was as though he felt little Justin's spirit leave his body. Justin closed his eyes and said goodnight earth, and we know when he opened them again, he said "Good morning heaven."

Little Justin was likely singing that same song, looking into the eyes of the One he loved so very much, only now the words are a little different, "Jesus now I can praise you more, Jesus now I can love you more."

His mother requested the song be sung at his funeral. The children in the choir barely made it through breaking down at the end. Salvation came to Justin's household that day and his Mother committed her life to Christ and was 'born again'. She was given his water baptism certificate and said how happy she was that he had been baptized before he died.

One of Justin's kidneys was donated to a pregnant Mum so she could give birth to her baby.

He was still giving....

When we give to the least, Christ is doing so much more than we can imagine.

This was a little life that taught us so much. Perhaps a soul too big for a little body, too filled with the glory of God for this evil world, and too ready to go on to be with his Master. Isaiah 57:1 (c) and 2) says...the righteous are taken away to be spared from evil, and they enter into peace.

Amy Carmichael, in her book "Gold by Moonlight" says "The soldier who simmers but does not boil, is no soldier." "Of all figures on the battlefield he is the most futile."

Our prayer is that this little "soldier's" life will touch thousands of "big people" who are only simmering, and that their hearts be set on fire and changed to Christ in a deeper way, or that they receive a new life in Him.