(A mysterious dream I had after receiving the Holy Spirit came true—and I was baptized.)
Even though I had received the Holy Spirit, I hadn’t yet been baptized. But God, in His kindness, gently led me toward it. In the beginning, my faith was uncertain. It wasn’t easy for me to change over twenty years of habits and values, and traveling more than an hour to church every Sunday felt exhausting. Every month, as the baptismal service approached, a devoted church member, Ms. S, would ask, “Would you like to be baptized?” But I kept avoiding the question. I felt I couldn't be baptized unless I was fully convinced. For six months, I lived with one foot in the world and the other in the church.
After I received the Holy Spirit in April, many strange things began to happen. Today, I no longer need “signs,” because Jesus knows I trust Him and believe in His presence. But back then, I was still struggling with doubts about whether He really existed. It felt like He showed me miracles just to tell me, “I am here.” I saw so many of them that I could no longer think they were coincidences. I had to admit, “This is real—God is alive and at work.”
In October, Ms. S encouraged me again: “This is the last baptismal service of the year. Would you consider being baptized?” Unlike now, baptisms were only held through October back then. Still, I couldn’t make a decision. About ten days before the service, I suddenly developed a sharp pain in the pit of my stomach. I’ve always been prone to duodenal ulcers—maybe even as a result of past sins like fortune-telling—but until then, the symptoms had been quiet. I endured the pain without seeing a doctor, but it grew worse by the day. I began to feel that there must be some meaning behind it. I had many inner struggles, but in the end, the Holy Spirit gently led me to baptism. Looking back, I think if I hadn't experienced that pain, I might not have made the decision. I’m truly thankful—I was even saved through my illness.
The day before the baptism, I remembered a short dream I had back in June.
Everything was pitch black. There was no moon, no stars—just a vast desert. Countless people, thousands or tens of thousands, were running in one direction, as if being chased. My boyfriend and I were among them. We were wearing unfamiliar white garments, and we were holding hands, running together. Exhausted, I looked up—and there in the sky was a golden, glowing cross. I raised my right hand toward it, and then, only the two of us were lifted up into the sky. At the time, I just thought, “What a strange dream.”
I called a mutual friend that day to let him know I would be baptized the next day—and I shared the dream, too. I told him, “Isn’t it mysterious? That dream came true—I’m going to become a Christian through baptism. But since I’m the only one being baptized, I guess only half of it came true.”
October 14 finally arrived. My boyfriend came all the way from Nagoya to attend the service. After worship, I told him, “I’ll go change into my baptismal clothes—wait here, okay?” But when I came back, there he was, already dressed in white, ready to be baptized himself! It was only his second time at church, so I couldn’t imagine what had happened while I was away.
Our church practices baptism by full immersion. There’s a baptismal pool hidden beneath the floor, which we uncover for the service. Baptism is a kind of living funeral. When we confess our sins and accept Jesus as our Savior, we die to our old selves and are born again as new creations. When my turn came, the pastor supported me as I leaned back into the water with a splash and then quickly brought me back up. The prayer began. It felt both short and long at the same time.
After the ceremony, I asked my boyfriend why he’d suddenly decided to be baptized. He said, “Associate Pastor S just told me, ‘Doing the right thing takes courage.’” That one line had moved him to take the step. I believe it was the Holy Spirit—whom he had just received that very day—guiding him. (He later said he felt incredibly refreshed when he received the Spirit.) Hallelujah!
We were both filled with a quiet, overflowing joy and peace that lasted for a long time. I remember thinking, “This must be the peace of God.” Then I suddenly realized—my stomach pain, which had been so intense up until the baptism, was completely gone. I was astonished. I believe the illness had come from my sin, and because Jesus had forgiven me, I was healed. That’s how I became a Christian.
Postscript
That dream, I came to realize, was a dream about the end of the world. It was terrifying. Later, when I read the Book of Revelation at the end of the New Testament, I was amazed at how similar it was to what I had seen. What surprised me even more was that the white clothing in the dream turned out to be the same as the baptismal robe. At the time of the dream, I had no idea what a baptismal robe even looked like—I’d never seen one before.
にほんブログ村
にほんブログ村
