Today marks the 27th anniversary of my baptism at Pacific Beach in San Diego CA! Though many details of the day have been lost, a few continue to be specifically embedded into my mind:
The water was really chilly (in the 50s) but, being a late-spring Saturday afternoon, there were still a lot of folks playing and laying around, curious to see what this group of 20 or so mostly 20 year olds were doing marching out into the water together.
I was nervous, though for no specific reason. I’d been in the surf countless times before – “hey, I’m a local” – and we were only going into two feet of water with foot high waves. No biggie. Besides, though I didn’t have much church experience, how scary could a baptism be? Yup, I was nervous!
Reaching “the spot”, there was some talk about baptism and some prayer – no doubt inspiring but unfortunately lost from memory. I may have been asked to share something, but I don’t really remember if I did, much less what. I do vaguely recall hearing my pastor say, “Rocky, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” after which followed a descent into the cold salt water.
Within moments of being submersed, however, I recall the ocean around me losing its chill. As I was brought up, my eyes opened and all to be seen was contrasted and brightly colorful. Nervousness and anxiety had been replaced with peace and joy. And an awareness of the unsaved, beginning with the beachcombers witnessing my baptism, became impressed upon my heart. What a wild split-second!
Although I didn’t understand it at the time, what I’d experienced was the baptism of the Holy Spirit, as in Acts 2! While I had been “saved” through faith in Jesus Christ months before, my water baptism (as the Lord exemplified for His disciples) was accompanied with this baptism – not tongues or any other outward sign, but powerful Spiritual inspiration to testify of Jesus Christ!
Joh 15:26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.
Ac 1:8 “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
As I celebrate another May 18 anniversary of my Beach Baptism, 2012′s is milestoned with the Birth of a Blog. I pray all who visit will be as encouraged, informed, and ministered to as I have been by the Lord, to His glory. Amen!