New Life

The last two articles I posted were regarding my early experiences as a Christian. All Things Have Become New was about my salvation experience with Jesus Christ. The River That Flows From The Throne of God, was about the experience I had when I was baptized in the power of the Holy Spirit. In both articles I stressed that it is not my intention to make myself appear as someone more special than anyone else, or that I am more spiritual than anyone else. I have been sharing these experiences to show that if God can move in my life as He has, He can move in anyone's life in similar ways.

The month of May 1976 was a very significant month for me. On May 8th I met the woman who would at short three years later become my wife (however, I didn't know it at the time). On May 16th I was baptized in the power of the Holy Spirit at a home fellowship meeting. I mentioned that when I was baptized in the power of the Holy Spirit, I experienced three things that are in the Bible that at the time I had no idea was in the Bible. Number 1, I had a vision of a huge white throne in which a powerful river flowed out from the seat of the throne and poured all over me. I actually felt a physical sensation of the river bending me over backward. I did not know at the time the phrase, “the river that flows from the throne of God,” was in the book of Revelation. Number 2, I did not know that one of the results of being baptized in the Holy Spirit was speaking in tongues-having a heavenly prayer language. Number 3, when being prayed for was over, I experienced being drunk, hugging everything in sight and being so full of joy I could not stop laughing. Chapter 2 of the book of Acts records 120 people in the upper room where the Last Supper took place, the Holy Spirit poured out His power on them. The 120 people included the 12 apostles and Jesus mother, Mary-they were accused by some in the crowd at Jerusalem for being drunk on new wine.

On Monday, May 31, 1976, Memorial Day (believe me, that day in my life was truly memorable) I had another experience when I was baptized in water. Why did God give me these experiences? I believe that it was to help me through some difficult times that nearly caused me to turn away from God. These experiences helped me know just how real God is, how personal He is, and how true His Word, the Bible is.

After I was baptized in the power of the Holy Spirit, I went to home fellowship meetings at several places scattered around Long Island. My friend Frank, often attended a fellowship in Queens, New York on Saturday nights. I became friends with several of the people at that fellowship. I typically went to Bob and Sharon's fellowship in Melville, Long Island. There were a few others I went to on Tuesday and Thursday nights.

On the Sunday night preceding Memorial Day, Frank brought several of the people from the Queens fellowship to Bob and Sharon's. Once again, Bob and Sharon's house was packed. Also in attendance was Ed, who the Lord involved in my salvation. That same night I met the man who brought Ed to the Lord, whose name was Jim. As soon as I shook his hand, I knew we would have a significant relationship.

As the meeting wound down, Frank suggested having a picnic for the next day, Memorial Day. Some people from Bob and Sharon's were going as well as several people from the Queens fellowship. Bob and Sharon could not make it. Most of the people who went on the picnic were in their early to mid 20's. We were all to meet at Frank's home in New Hyde Park, Long Island. Amazingly enough, I remember just about everything on that day, but I forget if we went to Wading River again, or if we went to a beach somewhere in the proximity of a town on Long Island called Rosalyn. Because of it's location, I lean more towards Rosalyn.

When we all met on Memorial Day, the sun was shining brightly. There was not a cloud in the sky. There was a slight nip in the air but you could tell that it was going to warm up rather quickly. When we made it to our destination for the picnic, we all grabbed tables on the picnic grounds that were not in use and put them together so we could all eat and fellowship together. Some of the guys started breaking out the hamburgers and hot dogs and began to grill. I walked by Frank as he was grilling. Just like he did when he asked me if I wanted prayer to be baptized in the power of the Holy Spirit, he again asked, “Hey Paul, do you think you'd want to get baptized in water today down at the beach?” Once again, I didn't want to be the center of attention. However, there was more to it than just that. I winced at the idea and dismissed it by saying, “Maybe, Frank. We'll see how it goes.”

Almost as soon as getting baptized was brought up, I started feeling awful. As time went on, the only way I can describe it was that I felt like there were two men inside my body having a brutal boxing match. My ribs began to feel sore and hurt. It was getting difficult for me to breathe normally.

As God as my witness, something else happened, that I wouldn't blame anyone for not believing it. But like I said, as God is my witness this also happened. The sky started clouding up almost immediately after Frank suggested about me getting water baptized. The more intense the brutal boxing match became within me, the cloudier it became. It also became misty. I did not feel nauseous, but I did not want to eat.

After a while, we all went down to the beach area. Jim and Ed took a long walk on the beach. No one knew exactly where they were. Frank had mentioned to them about me getting baptized. The war inside me became so intense, I laid down on the beach. I kept saying, “I want to die, I want to die.” Little did I know the significance of what I was saying. The rest of the people who were at the picnic sat in a circle around me. Some of them began to sing some of the Bible verse songs that we would sing in our fellowship meetings. Someone asked when was I going to be baptized. Frank said whenever Jim and Ed would return. He felt that they should be involved in the baptism. That did not make me very happy. The agony of the brutal boxing war inside had me continually calling out, “I want to die, I want to die.”

Finally, Jim and Ed returned. Some of the people explained to them what was going on with me (although no one knew I felt like two men were having a boxing war inside me). Jim and Ed sat down by where I was laying in the circle. Jim asked me if I realized the importance of water baptism. Of course I did not know, nor did I care to know at that moment. I just kept saying, “I want to die, I want to die.” Apparently that was good enough for Jim.

Jim and Ed stood up. Frank and some of the other guys helped me up. Once they got me up, Jim and Ed guided me into the ice cold, frigid water. I was in my jeans, with no shirt on. When we got about hip deep in the water, Jim and Ed prayed and under I went. When I was underwater, I thought to myself that I would stay under a few moments more for the baptism to “take.” Not that it would “take” by staying under the water longer in reality, but that's just how I was thinking at the time.

Ed and Jim started to get concerned. Ed said, “Paul, Paul, Paul,” and then started tugging under my arm that was underwater. With that, I leaped up out of the water. When I came up out the water, the sun broke through the clouds and the mist. I kid you not. I also had a physical sensation of something sliding off me. I looked back into the water. I “saw” an old man sinking into the water and disappearing. As Jim, Ed and myself approached the shore, the people were singing praises to God. The clouds and the mist dissipated. Once again, I had no idea of what I experienced was in the Bible.

Romans 6:3-8 says,

“Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized unto His death? Therefore, we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection. Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him.”

I did not come across these scriptures until a few years after I had been water baptized. If you read the experiences I had in my previous article, The River That Flows From The Throne of God,” and in this article you should see why I am absolutely convinced that the Jesus is the Son of God and that the Bible is the Word of God. One other point to make. God did not give me these experiences because I earned them. He didn't give these to me because I did things for Him to gain His favor. God did not give me these experiences because of how good I was. God gave me these experiences because of His goodness. Blessings that God gives to anyone, is not based on anyone doing anything to earn the blessing based on our goodness or merits. God's blessings are given on the basis of His goodness and the merits of Jesus Christ being in our lives. I hope this message blesses and encourages you.

Until next time, love and God bless, Pastor Paul.