Decisions

Spiritual Training Cycle: Examination (wk. 3/13)

Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:12-20

I find this series on baptism very applicable to me and a little convicting to be honest. I was baptized as an infant. A decision my parents made for me. It was their outward symbol of an inward decision to commit to helping me follow Jesus. Either that or they chose to baptize me because that’s just what you do growing up in the Catholic church. It’s a sacrament that checks the box before moving on to other ones in that particular denomination.

I think that’s why baptism Sundays at our church are so emotional to me. Every single time I get teary and as I write this it makes me emotional picturing it because it is no longer a decision made by a parent. There are people of all ages and life stages lining up to dip into a pool in front of the rest of the church, each one with almost the same expression before they go under the water - a peace yet unsure of being submerged and without fail as they come out of the water there’s a rejoice, a smile, and an embrace with the person who has baptized them. It’s really such a special moment to witness.

And yet, as an adult I still have not been baptized. It hasn’t been until recently within the last few years that I’ve felt the Holy Spirit trying to pull me into the direction of getting baptized and making the decision for myself as an adult. My reasoning for the delay has always been ‘I’ve already accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior; I’ve welcomed Him into my heart, my salvation is sealed. Why do I also need to be baptized?” And then there’s the voice of the enemy saying “What if you get baptized and then screw up? Everyone will know. You just made this public declaration and now you can’t make any mistakes!”

And I know that is the voice of Satan sowing seeds of doubt, fear, and inadequacy. Because we are all sinners – we all fall short from the glory of God. But here’s the difference. When we come out of the water, we rise as a new person as Christ rose from the dead for our sins. We put our old lives behind us, leaving it in the water and stepping out in unity in the decision to live with Christ in our hearts and we become a part of the body of Christ. This outward symbol of a decision we made inwardly to follow Jesus doesn’t immediately make us a better person or earn us another notch on our belt as a Christ-follower. It helps other Christ followers know we need accountability. We need each other to lead, encourage, and support one another in our daily walk with Christ. It’s not a let’s judge each other for any shortcomings that occur after you’ve been baptized, rather it’s a support system to help lift and guide one another.

Think about your own fitness journey. Some started as children in an organized sport most likely your parents made the decision for you to participate, but over the years as you became older you made the decision to continue in that sport because it’s what you loved and enjoyed. Or maybe you got burnt out from sports and being coached altogether; turned away from physical activity and are now finding yourself back in the gym because you’ve realized something is missing in your life. Perhaps you didn’t grow up playing sports or being physically active at all and you have made the decision as an adult to take on this new life that includes working out, eating better, and taking care of your body. No one expects you to be perfect on your fitness journey. There’s ebbs and flows, ups and downs just as there is in your personal journey with Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:12 says, “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.”

We all have different pasts, we carry different burdens, our walk with the Lord is unique to each one of us yet we are all united in the same Spirit. The Spirit of God. As different as we all are we share the same internal longing; to be with God, to walk with Him, to lead ourselves and others on this journey of life.

Questions for Reflection:

In what areas of your life do you feel united to Jesus?

In what areas of your life do you feel distant from Jesus?

Changed

Spiritual Training Cycle: Examination (wk. 2/13)

Reading: Matthew 3:13-4:1

CrossFit changed my life

I drink the CrossFit “Kool-Aid.” I came to CrossFit four years ago after a lifetime of other fitness activities that included team sports, strength training, swimming, running, and biking. And I also came after several years of no consistent exercise focus. When I started CrossFit, I was simply looking for a way to get back in shape and do something consistently.

But it was more than I anticipated. Indeed, I am one of those who will say that CrossFit changed my life. In the first ten months I lost 30 pounds. In the past four years I’ve also added twenty pounds of muscle.  Today, as one of the oldest members at our CrossFit gym, I am keeping up with people half my age and doing physical activities I haven’t been able to do in decades.

As a result of my new fitness level, my coming years look to be significantly healthier than they would have been without CrossFit. My future is different than my past.

Their future is different than their past

Baptism happens twice a year at the church my family attends. On these special weekends, the normal set-up at the front of the auditorium is replaced with a portable spa.  The typical service agenda of music, teaching and church announcements is pre-empted by a number of church-goers who have asked to be baptized.

When it is their turn, these people climb into the spa, turn to the rest of us and share stories of how God has changed their lives. Some of their stories are amazing.  From horrible pasts and dark activities, from broken homes or no homes, from abuse and neglect and lifetimes of bad decisions, they are now starting over spiritually. While not all their stories are dramatic, all of them are profound. These people are now declaring, based on their faith in Jesus, that their future is different than their past.

At the end of each of their stories, one of our ministers baptizes them in front of all of us. When these people come up out of the water, our auditorium erupts in a spontaneous celebration of their new lives. Their futures will be different than their pasts.

Jesus used his own baptism to mark a change in his life

Jesus was himself baptized. The perfect Son of God who had no need to turn from his past, chose to be baptized himself.  And his baptism marked a transition for him from his past into his future. As the story is told in Matthew’s gospel, as soon as Jesus was baptized, he entered his time of testing in the desert and then began his three years of public ministry before heading to the cross. Even for Jesus, baptism marked that his future was different than his past.

Questions for Reflection:

What would a different athletic future look like for you?

What would a different spiritual future look like for you?

What can you do to step into that future?

The Plunge

Spiritual Training Cycle: Examination (wk. 1/13)

Reading: Acts 2:36-41

Cold plunges have become a very popular activity in the fitness and physical therapy worlds; the ‘coolest’ new health craze (yay dad pun!). The type of people who have jumped on this bandwagon love a good cold plunge and won’t stop talking about them. On the other hand, the people who aren’t a fan of the plunge really don’t understand the motivations behind those that do. This type of person may have tried it out once or twice and didn’t experience the same awe and wonder as the “cold plunge bros.” They dunked under the water and came back out completely unchanged; except freezing cold, of course. On the flip side, the “chilly dippers”, have a completely different experience. They come out of the water and appear electrified! Something about their internal experience is obviously different from the others, as evidenced by their external response. The physical act of dunking under the water isn’t necessarily what accounts for this difference in response. It’s the mental reasons WHY they’re performing the act that matter.

For those individuals who are genuinely seeking positive change, they are entering the water believing there will be something better or greater for them on the other side physically. We can think about the spiritual act of baptism in much the same way. The mental and emotional decision to make a life change occurs long before we step into the water to be publicly baptized. We come to the belief that real and lasting spiritual change can only occur when we’re in direct relationship with Jesus. Our hearts are no longer emotionally connected to the things of this world because we desire greater purpose in Christ. The decision to be dunked under water represents death to our old life and the act of rising back up out of the water represents being resurrected into new life. Our genuine love for Christ is the reason WHY we choose to perform this act.

In the book of Acts, after Jesus’ crucifixion, we read a speech the apostle Peter gave in front of a crowd of mostly Jews. They were coming to understand that Jesus really was who He said He was. That the man they crucified on the cross, Jesus Christ, really was resurrected from the dead and that He is both their Lord and Messiah. Acts 2:37-38 says:

“Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’

And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’”

This phrase Peter uses, “cut to the heart,” indicates an experience of extreme anguish as the Jews realize what it meant for Jesus to be crucified. They could have chosen to move on with their lives and operate no differently in response to Peter’s speech. But after coming to a genuine understanding of who Jesus was, they could no longer remain the same and felt compelled to act in some way. Peter tells them exactly how they can move forward and physically demonstrate their spiritual belief. Baptism becomes the observable outward behavior that expresses their inner heart posture, as well as their understanding of Jesus’ position as Lord and Messiah.

For the cold plunger who only sees cold water and doesn’t understand the purpose behind it, all they will experience is the cold water. But for the person who views the cold water as an opportunity for ‘new life,’ there is a feeling of excitement and anticipation. This same type of person enters the water to be baptized because they have seen a glimpse of what Jesus can offer them in new spiritual beginnings. When we’ve accepted Jesus in our hearts as Savior, we know the next call to action is baptism. AND WE CAN’T STOP TALKING ABOUT IT! We follow through with the physical act of a dunk underwater, already prepared for the goodness we trust we’ll experience in a new life with Jesus. We come out of that water (warm, cold, hot, freezing, whatever) with a joy that we cannot keep to ourselves, and we experience real change.

Questions for Reflection:

If you’ve been baptized, what was that experience like for you?

If your baptism happened a long time ago, have your expressions of love for Jesus changed in any way?