"Why are you getting baptized again?" I was recently asked by a friend of mine. "Didn't you just get baptized a few weeks ago?"
If you see baptism as a festive religious exercise through which you show the world your salvation, where you walk away with nothing more than your mother's proud smile and a paper certificate commemorating the moment, this may require a stretch of your theology.
My eyes were opened to this idea by The Ramp, a high-impact ministry in Hamilton, AL where my daughter attends the Ramp School of Ministry and where my wife and I had monumental transformations in our walk with God. However, I offer my own opinions on the subject, as I doubt their ministry team would appreciate me speaking on their behalf.
Lets get this out of the way first. I am not challenging the age-old teaching of the church that baptism is "an outward sign of an inward change". I mean not to replace that definition, but to build upon it by examining an enhanced meaning and an enhanced method.
Consider that water has played a significant role in the bible.
God used the flood waters to wash away the disobedient and sinful practices around Noah.
God used the Red Sea's waters to destroy a relentless enemy whose bondage had formerly enslaved God's children.
Elisha sent Naaman to the waters of the Jordan River to heal his leprosy.
Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the waters of the Jordan River as an example for us to follow and as a statement that there was a new path to righteousness. But don't overlook the timing of Jesus' baptism: just before He began his earthly ministry.
The meaning of baptism, to me, goes much deeper than public declaration of faith. It can represent different things to different people at different times.
Like Noah's flood, I've been baptized believing for deliverance - believing that God is destroying the things that don't please Him and saving only the things well-pleasing to Him. This particular time was the closest to the traditional interpretation, as I had just rededicated my life.
Like Israel's Red Sea experience, I've been baptized believing that old sinful habit of mine, the one from which God delivered me, the one that has been trying to drag me back into bondage, is being drowned in the waters.
I've been baptized to mark the beginning of new things. When Kelly and I received our awakening and had our passion for God rekindled, we wanted to be baptized together before returning to ministry together. It was a monumental moment in our marriage and one I'll never forget.
In the previous 12 months, each of my 4 baptisms has had a different personal meaning to me.
To further explain my choice to continue in baptism, I'll explain the method. The Ramp-style baptism I first experienced a year ago was very different from any other baptism I had ever seen. It's not the ceremonious event you're accustomed to; it's more like a prayer line conducted in water. A long line of people leads to the creek where about 20 people are baptized at a time, each flanked by two spirit-filled individuals. As you approach your spot, no less than 30 people lay hands on you, praying for the very will of God over your life; the same happens on your way out of the water. This style of baptism has been, without a doubt, one of the most spiritual experiences of my life. By the looks of it, it's been an amazing moment for many. I've seen other ministries adopt this style of baptism recently and the results have been the same - lives radically impacted by the presence of the Holy Spirit.
To be honest, my most recent baptism was nothing more to me than a moment in God's presence. As one friend put it "if God is in that water, I want to be there".
It still may not make sense to you, but that's okay. I've quit caring about whether or not my religious experiences, my God encounters, fit within the boundaries of religion.
"Where does the bible say you should be baptized more than once?" you may ask. Where does it say it should only be done once? You won't find this explanation in the Assemblies of God handbook, either, but that's okay, too.
In my baptism moments in the last year, I have committed many things to God. I often go back in my mind to that creek bank and I remind myself of the impact God has made on me through those experiences. Oddly enough, Jesus, too went back to His place of baptism. In John 10, Jesus was almost stoned while ministering. Soon after he went back to the Jordan to the place where He had been baptized. Maybe after His really bad day He wanted to remind Himself of the words God spoke over Him during His baptism: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased". Sometimes you have to cling onto those moments.
The old timers used to say "ride the altar to heaven if you have to". Maybe I'm just swimming my way there. If I have to keep drowning my flesh to take new leaps in my spiritual journey, I'm game.
Commenti