A man named John, independently of the religious establishment of his day, began to preach in isolated places (without official credentials) and to challenge people to fully surrender their life to the Lord. As a sign of their surrender John would dip people in water. The Greek word “baptizo” is used to describe that dipping. It’s interesting that Jesus didn’t go to get the approval of the leaders of any religious organization before beginning His ministry. Instead, “Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized (dipped) by John,” and the Spirit of God descended on Him like a dove. Perhaps it’s time for Christ-followers to shift from following religious organizations to being led by the Spirit. See Romans 8:14.

Many of the heroes of the Bible had no official religious credentials, for instance: the patriarchs, Moses, the judges, the prophets, Job, Ruth, Ester, John the Baptist, Jesus, and the apostles. They simply obeyed what the Spirit of God told them to do. The Bible tells us to wait on the Lord, not on a religious organization.