The Five Gifts Podcast

The Five Gifts Podcast exists for Christian Leaders and Christ-followers to rediscover Christ's presence and activity in their lives and their churches.

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Charles Russell has served in Pastoral Ministry for 26 years. He is also a certified John Maxwell speaker, coach, and trainer for staff, leadership teams, and volunteers. He has a Masters in Organizational Leadership. Find out more at charlesrusselltraining.com.

Bruce Ritter Bruce Ritter has been a lead Pastor for 28 years and a Spiritual Life and Leadership Coach since 2005. He is also a consultant with Church Life Resources. He has a Masters in Pastoral Ministry and a Doctorate in Evangelism and Discipleship. Check out more at his website Coaching Cardia.

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Baptism - Waters of

2026-09-28

Baptism is more than getting wet. It is a declaration: “I belong to Jesus.

What if baptism is more than getting wet? In the first episode of this two-part series, Bruce Ritter and Charles Russell explore baptism as a biblical sign of identity, covenant belonging, participation, consecration, and allegiance to Jesus Christ. Beginning with the waters of creation, the conversation follows the biblical water motif through Noah's Flood, the Red Sea, the Jordan, Jesus' baptism, and the believer's identification with Christ's death and resurrection in Romans 6 and Colossians 2. For a Pentecostal-Charismatic audience, the episode asks an important question: Can we develop a richer, more sacramental appreciation of baptism without abandoning our conviction that salvation is by grace through faith and that the Holy Spirit is the One who regenerates? The answer explored in this episode is that baptism can be symbolic without being merely symbolic. The water does not save us and is not magical. Yet God has given His people a physical, embodied sign that visibly proclaims and enacts our identification with Christ. Baptism declares: I belong to Jesus. His death is my death. His resurrection is my new life. His kingdom is my allegiance. His mission is my calling. The episode concludes by connecting baptism to the Five Gifts of Christ—apostolic, prophetic, pastoral, teaching, and evangelistic—and considers how baptism forms disciples who live as Christ's people and participate in His mission. Next episode, the conversation moves deeper into Michael Heiser's supernatural worldview and the connection between baptism, Noah, Genesis 6, the unseen realm, spiritual warfare, and Christ's victory over the powers. Baptism is more than getting wet. It is a declaration: “I belong to Jesus.”

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Filetype: M4A - Size: 54 MB - Duration: 54:17m (134 kbps 48000 Hz)