May 26, 2004
It Is Finished
Today's chapter in PDL is the last of the book. It encouraged the reader to write down a purpose statement for their lives. The author encouraged us to not expect to nail it in one writing, but to re-edit it as you meditate on it.
When I think about the purpose for my life I think about a controversial doctrine. That's a drag, but it's what I seriously think about my life. It touches on the whole belief about the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and wiggles all the way down to the concept that God still acts and does miracles through His people by His Spirit today (in the here and now). When I prayed with a friend to "receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit," * I felt like I was committing to something serious. Almost like a recruit into the military or the government's spy agency -- the C.I.A. I actually remember formulating the thought that, if God was going to invest His Spirit in and on me as a person, then I will have to be willing to be woken up in the middle of the night and travel to such and such a place to do something specific. I imagined God whispering to me to go to a certain street to tell someone that would be there something very specific. It was a sobering moment for me, because I seriously counted the cost. I knew that when this sort of thing happened, that it would not be comfortable. Sleep is comfortable. My own surroundings are comfortable. Being quiet and not talking about God or things that could offend -- that is a comfortable state to be in. Not sure where all these thoughts came from. I never recall anyone else ever telling me this stuff. I assume that it was the Lord. I'm glad that it was such a serious moment for me, though. I've been around certain charismatic circles where the "event" of receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit was like a sporting event -- with lots of cheering and super high emotions. Those things are exciting and emotion is cool, but it's so fleeting that it can be real easy to equate "I don't feel it anymore" to "it wasn't real."
Anyway, if I were to draft a life purpose, it would probably involve that sort of "I'm at Your disposal, God" kind of statement. I don't believe God needs me or anyone else, but I think I have a privilege and an opportunity to offer myself to God in a unique way. Each of us does. There is a real sense of satisfaction of doing a "mission" for God. Some of the most exciting ones can seem ever so small, too. They might involve doing some good deed or service in total secret. This may sound really dumb (and I wouldn't hold it up as evidence of any modern day supernatural work whatsoever), but one day at campus while I was going to college, I was walking past a bricked bench and some girl's spiral notebook was blowing open in the wind. As I walked by, I quietly turned it 180 degrees so the wind wouldn't blow into the open end anymore. No one else saw it, which made me smile. To me it felt like a good deed that I wouldn't get noticed for. I use that as an example of how minute some act of kindness might be. Not noticed, but somehow spreading love in a tangible way.
* The whole doctrine of there being a "baptism of the Holy Spirit" is not believed by everyone in the body of Christ. My understand of it is based upon 3 different baptisms being talked about in Scripture. Luke 3:16 talks about 2 kinds of baptism -- water and Holy Spirit/fire.
"John answered them all, 'I baptize you with water. BUt one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.'"
1 Corinthians 12:13 talks about one other type of baptism -- by the Spirit into the body of Christ.
"For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body..."
We have three different baptisms with three different characteristics: element, the baptizer, and the baptizee:
element
water
Spirit
Body
baptizer
John
Jesus
Holy Spirit
baptizee
believer (each time)
That was enough for me to understand that the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, which is mentioned in Scripture many times is different and distinct from the baptism by the Spirit into the body at conversion.
I could be wrong about this. And whether I'm right or wrong on this matter is not the most crucial thing in my life. Just thought I'd gently share what I believe as it pertains to writing a purpose for my own life. If you disagree with this doctrine, you can at least benefit from the perspective of knowing how another person views this thing.
Pictured above is another view of our offices here at HM. This is the view as you head from the "meeting area" into the individual offices.
Posted by Doug Van Pelt at May 26, 2004 07:58 AM