A Spiritual Wash

About a year ago.  On August 18th 2019, I was baptized to declare Jesus Christ as my savior.  A memorable turning point in my life.  But how did I end up getting to that point?  How did a man like me go from a lukewarm Christian to a God-fearing, bible-thumper Jesus fan? Certainly, there were several people who played a part in shaping my faith, but those people didn't change me drastically.  And certainly, there was also a Jesus conference I reluctantly attended but that didn't change me either. Then, there was also the attempt to read the bible but I couldn't understand it at that time.  And lastly, there were several life-changing situations that led me to Christ but again, those still didn't change me either. But as I reflect back, I am grateful for all of those things in leading me to where I am today.  However, if I could sum it all up, then I would say there was one unique moment of my life that stands out.  A miraculous moment.  A Jesus moment. I had experienced a supernatural transformation when I called on the name of Jesus to reveal Himself.  And all the people and situations throughout my whole life had culminated in that one question, could you please reveal yourself...  And He did... 

The feeling of peace, rest, and heaven came upon me.  And when He does reveal Himself in such a way, its hard to refute His presence and live life the same.  After that experience,  I began to dig deeper, research, study the Word, watch testimonies, reach out to other born-again Christians, and pray more. Then, I knew it was time to get baptized... 

Pastor Josh (blue) baptizing me

                                                     

But what exactly is baptism?  Baptism is when you get washed by another Christian believer as you declare your belief in Jesus Christ:  his teachings, his crucifixion, and his resurrection. Baptism isn't just dipping one self into the water. It has a lot of symbolism. The water dipping represents death and then pulling back up represents life as you take your first breath.  Washed away is your old life and cleaned of your sins as you come up. Its a direct correlation of when Jesus died and rose from the dead.  It is when you rise from the water, you breath into a new life. All throughout scripture commemorates the significance of baptism:  

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. Gospel of Mark 16: 16

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit.”   Gospel of John 3: 5

And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.  Acts 22:16

Keep in mind, baptism won't change you over night and have you leading the perfect life.  It is more of a declaration of a person's faith that he or she will follow Jesus Christ and his teachings the best you can. Interestingly, even our own God, Jesus Christ, came into the world and got baptized at age 30 in the Jordan River.  When Jesus came to the river, John the Baptist felt he wasn't worthy to baptize Jesus.  But humbly he continued with God's will and baptized Him...  Because of this, Jesus wanted to show us the way, have faith in the process, and to boldly commit to our actions.   

Physical baptism and Spiritual baptism

There are two different baptisms as well that a believer may go through: one physical and one spiritual.  Usually in a physical baptism, there are two ways:  full immersion of oneself in the water or semi-immersion with the water on the forehead. Spiritual baptism, on the other hand, is the spiritual awakening when you receive the Holy Spirit.   

Because of my Catholic upbringing, I was baptized with "water-on-the-forehead" as a baby.  And in the Catholic denomination, it's very common to be baptized as a baby. Many Catholics believe that it's best to baptize early in life in order to declare to the evil spirits that this baby belongs to Jesus Christ right from birth.

Unfortunately, many baby baptisms have become more of a spectacle and tradition as opposed to the declaration.  When my kids were baptized as babies through Catholic faith, we dressed them in beautiful outfits, took photos, and had a big celebration at our house.  It's such a great feeling to celebrate and take those beautiful photos, but again, much of the real meaning of baptism is...  unfortunately... washed away (pun intended).   

My spiritual baptism, on the other hand, occurred later on in my life at 41 years old.  I had been transformed and born again by the true living God, Jesus Christ!  His embedding of the Holy Spirit was strong and heartfelt.  Without delving too much into my personal testimony, I asked humbly for Jesus to reveal Himself to me. He did as He promised. Everything had changed. He gave me a new heart, a new set of eyes and ears in which I was able to receive His Word.  I then heard a spiritual voice urging me to buy a bible. I did so that following week and I haven't stopped reading it since that day.  

That was my Spiritual Baptism....

My wife had a similar experience when she was touched by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit led us to a new non-denominational church.  It was during one church service when they announced they were planning on having their annual water baptism at the beach.  We were excited but we also knew we needed to humbly ask God if it was the right time.   

My wife and I mentioned to Pastor Josh that we were interested in getting baptized. He was thrilled but wanted to know more about why we were getting baptized and if we were ready. We planned a dinner with both of our families and discussed what it meant to be baptized and if our hearts aligned with baptism. We prayed. And then we all agreed it was a perfect time...

In August, we were baptized at Sandbridge Beach.  We declared our life in Christ in front of hundreds of church members and passersby.  We were greeted at shore by all the believers with a warm invitation to Christ Kingdom.  This baptism meant so much more later in life.  What a memorable moment for my family. 

My wife, Char (middle), baptized
 by Christi Combs (black) and Jenn Gripka (blue)

If you are thinking about getting baptized, pray on it.  Ask Jesus to come into your life if you haven't done so.  Jesus calls us to live in the spirit as we die in the flesh with baptism.  Keep in mind that baptism is the dying of self and rising into a new spirit just like Christ did for us.  As we rise from the water, we must be confident that Jesus has immersed our hearts with the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit will guide you, protect you, and provide you the necessary tools to live a more fruitful life.  And if you are serious about getting baptized, always know God will take you with all shortcomings. And always keep in mind that baptism does not magically change you overnight.  It is just the declaration to this world that you will do your best to live in the spirit.  There will be battles.  Spiritual warfare.  The flesh will still compete with the spirit. Baptism is just the declaration that you are committed to live for Christ even though we will have plenty of shortcomings.

As we celebrate a year of giving ourselves to the one and only true God, we reflect on how much He has done for us in one year. The countless blessings, the close friends, and miraculous situations have been an awesome testimony to his goodness and abundance.  Baptism is just a perfect way to declare your heart has been changed and that you are willing to go the path that Jesus has made for you.  

Step towards the believers
the waves slow you down

the believer asks if you believe

you nod with affirmation

Plug your nose
Dip into the treacherous waters
Rise
Take your first breath
into a new life
walk back onto shore 
with Christ. 

...Amen.  

Char and I after getting baptized