#9 Rebirth - Part 2

1998 (2AD)

Echo Beach, Tallebudgera Creek, Gold Coast, Australia

One Friday night, my mother in law Nell phoned me to invite me her daughters baptism. I had been married for three weeks to Mark, and it had been 18 months since my three night encounter with God in Nel and Noel's home whilst they were away on Mission (see #7 Rebirth – Part 1). Since that experience, I had continued to remain devout to my newfound God of Love, Healing and Wisdom, but I was yet to identify Him with an organised religion.

Nel was calling to invite me to the coast the next day for her daughter’s baptism. Mark’s sister, Sandra, was an adult so it was a curious notion to me, having only known babies to be baptised. I understood Mark’s family held some unusual Christian views; Mark affectionately referred to them as the God Squad, as they travelled throughout Australia and overseas on regular mission trips. He preferred to keep his distance from their activities but loved and respected them as Mum and Dad.

I had only met Mark’s parents briefly, four times - the first 16 months prior, then three times lately when they had flown home from a mission trip in the USA just a week before our wedding. Whist I had spent little time with them, they had been immediately loving and accepting of me, happy their son had found someone to build a life with. They were very gracious, overlooking my many imperfections and loving me as I was.

Over the phone, I joyfully accepted Nel’s invitation, keen to get to know my new family, and share in their special occasion, but I was not looking to expand my knowledge of the Christian faith. I had already concluded my God was far too alive, powerful and liberating to belong to any organised, constricting religion. When I was off the phone, Mark expressed to me he had no interest in attending the baptism, I would be on my own with his family.

Early the next morning, my parents-in-law, Noel and Nell, picked me up from our Brisbane home to drive to the Gold Coast. Nell had mentioned on the phone we would be going to the beach so I figured it was an all-day trip, church followed by the beach; I dressed accordingly with togs under my outfit. I slid onto the back seat of their car, feeling like a kid again. It had been decades since I felt the security of a Mum and Dad in the front seat covering over me with their unified love, my parents had divorced when I was nine years old. There was some small talk among us, till I heard from God, He left me speechless.

Thirty minutes into the drive, I felt God envelope me with His love and impart into my spirit, “Today you will be baptised.” As it was with our relationship, I accepted the foreknowledge and said, “OK,” then I waited. I remained quiet, awed by love, but also nervous about the unexpected agenda item.   

I was uncertain where exactly we were going, what an adult baptism was, and what it meant for me to be baptised. I did not share with Noel or Nell what God had whispered into my spirit, as I had learned to keep quiet when I heard anything in the spirit, to guard my sanity’s reputation. I was curious how I was supposed to crash someone else’s ceremony, as the baptism’s I had seen in the past were formal church events for babies, certainly not an event a stranger could pop up and say, “Can I interrupt proceedings to jump in on the action?” But I had learnt that if God said it would be so, so it would be. I waited to see how events would unfold.

We pulled up at the southern side of Burleigh Headland, and walked down onto the sands of Echo Beach on the shore of Tallebudgera Creek. East of Echo Beach, the Creek runs a further 500m out to the Pacific Ocean, and from the west it travels 25km from its origin in Springbrook National Park. Echo Beach is a popular family beach, offering beautiful white sands and calm waters, with swimmers remaining in the shallows to avoid the tide sweeping them out into the open ocean, or into the suburban canals, depending on the tide. This place was familiar to me as I used to live about 2km south in Palm Beach; familiar, but certainly not where I expected to arrive for a baptism.

On the beach, we joined Sandra, her husband and children, and another couple, James and Mim, and their young children; it was a surprisingly small gathering. Everyone was dressed for the beach so I was unsure what was happening, I wondered if we were doing the beach thing before heading to the baptism. Quiet conversations followed and I stayed back, quiet, watching, awaiting the next instruction, unable to relax into the occasion. Whilst I was with my new family, I did not really know anyone.

It seemed everyone who was coming had arrived, and then James and Sandra headed into the water. I sat on a blanket with Mim, James’s wife. Mim began chatting to me, explaining that her and James were Sandra’s Connect Group Leaders, the group met every Wednesday evening. I then realised James, dressed in his boardies and T shirt, was the bloke who would be baptising Sandra, in the salt water. I continued listening, Mim continued talking. She went on to explain the man James was before he knew Jesus, and how Jesus had saved James from his addictive behaviours of drugs, pubs and partying, and in turn saved their marriage. It was not the conversation I was expecting at a Christian baptism. Nothing about this baptism was what I was expecting. I could not recall hearing of the sordid past of any preacher I had met in my younger years; this organic expression was certainly non-pretentious, refreshing.

As Mel was chatting, my eyes were turned to what was happening in the water. There was a radiance flowing from within James and Sandra as they stood waist deep in the sun-soaked water. They chatted and laughed for a few minutes. Then with James’s supporting her, Sandra fell back into the water, fully submerged then resurfaced, her joy and contentedness evident in her huge smile.

As they began exiting the water, I realised I had just witnessed my first adult baptism, without audio, apart from Mel’s out-of-the-ordinary narrative of James’s overturned behaviours through Jesus. I had such a mental block on Christianity I could not see the parallel of what Mim was telling me, with my own experience of God eighteen months earlier. And I was still unsure of the meaning of what God had me lined up to do.   

Sandra and James came back onto the beach, hugs and joyous chatter followed. After a few minutes, James asked, “Is there anyone else who would like to be baptised?”

My turn! “Yes please!” Everyone was a little surprised, then joyful. I was so relieved that my opportunity to follow Gods guidance had presented itself, rather than me trying to make it happen. I walked into the water with James, and followed his lead, trusting God’s words, “Today you will be baptised.” The same God who for eighteen months had spoken to me, rescued me, healed me, cleansed me, guided me, re-established my life, loved me, protected me, miraculously transformed me. He had provided me a husband, new friends, a home and employment, and now He wanted me to be baptised on this day.

Waist deep in the beautiful waters of Tallebudgera Creek, James asked me, “Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour?”

I felt my God all around me. Jesus? Really? It has been You who has been with me for the past eighteen months? Jesus remained silent but for His enveloping love. I replied to James, “Yes!”

I gave my rest and trust to Jesus, and fell back into the water, submerged. I came up out of the water, relieved to have ended my search. I had found the identity of my living, loving God. Jesus Christ. WOW! All this time, it was You, Jesus, the God of my devout maternal grandmother. Why had no one ever told me about You the way I was experiencing You.

I went to work on Monday and mentioned to one of my Christian work colleagues I had been baptised over the weekend. She was so excited and invited me along to her church. I went with her the following Sunday and immediately knew I was where I belonged. I was hearing about God using Bible scriptures, and this God shared the same nature as Gods Spirit that had been leading me. I was home. I discovered that discerning Gods voice was so much easier with the Bible in hand. I began to relax and trust people again, however ......

to be continued at .... to https://www.sweetshepherd.com/post/this-is-church

I have remained in church and a follower of Jesus Christ since that day.

God’s Word

1 Corinthians 12:13

For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether bond or free; and were all given to drink into one Spirit.

Ezekiel 36:25-26

[The Lord Yahweh says,] “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols.  I will also give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh.”

Romans 6:4

Therefore we have been buried with him through baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so also we may live a new way of life.

1 Peter 2:24-25

He [Jesus] himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live to righteousness. You were healed by his wounds. For you were going astray like sheep; but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Matthew 7:7-8

Jesus says, “Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened.”