But notice that even though we say that Church "goes and makes disciples by baptizing and teaching," we still say that God does the baptizing. Why? Because He's the One who sends the church to do it. It's His command and the power in baptism is rooted in His promises. In the end, we can do a lot of things, but only the ones that have His command and promise hold out any hope for us and inspire our faith.
When it comes to conversion and baptism, I like the analogy of God as a chess grandmaster. Do you need to hear the Gospel to believe? Yes. But do you need to hear it all at one time in a crisis conversation with a friend who happens to be a deep Christian? Well, it might happen like that and I've heard some pretty incredible conversion stories.
But here's another one! Eric was raised in a "secularized home" with two athiests for parents. And I don't mean the run-of-the-mill athiests. I mean militant atheists. Atheists who were angry every time "those Christians" were on the TV or newspaper. Atheists who resented that kids got out of school for a Christmas break, because they knew the holiday had its origins in Christianity, even if it has lost much of its meaning in today's culture. Atheists who were diligent to lift up every logical flaw in the arguments of any Christians they happened to hear. And they were never wrong about these things!
Which had the effect of keeping Christianity in front of Eric all his life. Many of his friends growing up were probably Christians, but Eric would never have known it. They were quiet about their Christianity the same way he was quiet about being an atheist. He just never gave it much thought. They seemed like normal people; same as him.
The "rebellious teenage years" saw Eric exploring religion. He'd tell his parents that it made him better able to argue when he needed to fend them off - words his parents appreciated - but in truth he was curious.
High school and college were a mishmash of religious experiences, but they always includes a handful of Christian friends, who became increasingly vocal about their Christianity. ("Not militant, but not quiet, either.") Eric didn't know how he felt about that, but they were all less aggressive than his parents and willing to talk to him. They would talk about their lives and life choices, and Eric was struck by two things: 1) they owned up to mistakes they made and were willing to say they were sorry; 2) they were willing forgive Eric and others when they said THEY were sorry. Over time, Eric found that this reliable pattern of apology and forgiveness made him more comfortable in his friendships. He didn't have to justify himself when he was wrong, as though he'd lose his friends if they found out he'd made a mistake (even one that hurt them).
As a young man after college, he was dating a woman name Cara who was - surprise, surprise - a Christian. During one of their weekend trips, he shared his reflections about the way some of his high school and college friends would apologize and forgive each other. Cara said, "They sound like Christians to me... were they?"
Eric's conversation (and conversion) continued from there. Cara connected a deep impression Eric had formed of Christians with the life Jesus Christ lived for us, so that we might receive forgiveness from God Himself. This sounds very "bland" to you and me - especially those of us who have been "in the church" a long time - but with Eric, God used Cara to strike exactly the right chord. The twenty-plus years prior were just the warmup.
So I ask you? When Eric was baptized three years later in the church he and Cara now go to, who did the baptizing? Was it Eric who figured it all out himself and brought himself forward? Or was it God who used the constant mention of Christian's in Eric's militantly anti-Christian home, followed by Eric's teenage rebellion and subsequent seeking, followed by Christians who lived out a critical feature of Christian living (i.e., asking for and receiving forgiveness), followed by an intimate conversation in the context of a trusted relationship?
I assure you: Eric had the experience of making a choice to be baptized, and we should never try to take that away from him. But Eric now recognizes the hand of God leading him to that moment from a very early age.
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