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Look! Here is Water!
11/14/2004
As [Philip and the Ethiopian
eunuch] traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said,
"Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?" And he gave orders
to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water
and Philip baptized him.
Acts 8:36-38
Last Sunday was our monthly
"House Church Sunday." It was a gorgeous, autumn day. The sun
illuminated the thinning number of yellow and red leaves of the trees along the
South Park Blocks of downtown Portland. This is the location of Portland State
University where the Campus and Teen House Church meets.
Fifteen months ago at our Evening
of Atonement, our congregation had only three college disciples and one baptized
teen. Sunday, with "no push," the Campus, Teen and Middle School
Ministries had an attendance of 98! To God be all the glory! Michael Williamson,
our non-full time youth minister, and Kian Nikzi dynamically led the singing.
Eddie James, a junior in high school, spoke powerfully during communion.
Our young brothers Kevin Corbin, Shawn Quintanilla and Brad Childs prayed at
key times in the service. Vic Gonzalez Jr., a sophomore at PSU, preached an
incredible sermon. Then we had "Chipotle burritos" for lunch!
Immediately after lunch we gathered for Angie Bressan's baptism.
Angie's mom had driven down from
Rainier, Washington (about three hours from Portland) to see the baptism.
However, because of her obligations she had to leave by three in the afternoon.
Consequently, we could not have Angie's baptism at our church building, the
Ambridge Event Center where the baptistery is located. But being a flexible,
resourceful New Testament church not bound by tradition, we decided to have
Angie's baptism five blocks away at the beautiful Civic Fountain. (After all, we
had a baptism there a little more than a year ago under similar circumstances.)
After the sharing by Carleen
Nikzi, Sarah Travis and Angie herself we proceeded to walk the five or so blocks
to Civic Fountain. All day during the service as well as during "our
pilgrimage" to the fountain, a TV camera was filming a documentary on the
life of Eddie James. (Eddie was the Christian teen featured on the front of the
sports page of the Oregonian two weeks ago.) While leading the way to Civic
Fountain, I looked back and saw ninety people walking joyfully, but spread out
over two city blocks. Then, the first of us reached the fountain. There was no
water! It was completely dry! As I shook off my embarrassment (in front of the
camera), Jeff Hernandez said, "I know where there is another
fountain." Jeff and I hopped in a car and went there. It was dry. We tried
another fountain site. It too was dry.
Finally, I said to Jeff,
"There's one more fountain, but it's a ways away." We traveled in
haste, as our group was still fellowshipping at Civic Fountain. On the way Jeff
said, "Isn't that fountain in the middle of the road?" I said,
"Yes, but it's our only hope." As we approached, Jeff exclaimed,
"Look, there's water!" We "cell-phoned" back to the people
our location and they walked another six blocks. Undaunted by the extended
journey, everyone was euphoric that we had found water! As the group gathered,
we sang a song on the side of the road. Then Angie and I crossed the road, we
stepped into the freezing water of the fountain and Angie was baptized! What a
celebration! And yes, Angie's mom saw the baptism and was able to leave by
three!
Vic Jr.'s sermon was entitled,
"Hard-line Truth." His first point was simple, "Hypocrite or
Christian?" He shared from Webster's Universal Dictionary that the
definition of a hypocrite is, "One who pretends to have virtues but does
not posses them" and "one's private life and thoughts are different
from one's public life and words." Near the end of the sermon, it was
necessary for me to go to the back of the room. As I surveyed the room, I saw so
many visitors. All the disciples were riveted on Vic's message and had open
Bibles and taking notes! Vic ended his sermon with the account of Daniel in the
lion's den. Daniel was righteous and true to his convictions, which was the
reason he was thrown into the lion's den. Vic preached that since there was no
hypocrisy in Daniel's life, God's angel delivered him. Afterward, King Darius
was in awe of Daniel and his God. He issued a decree for all the people of the
Medo-Persian Empire to revere "the God of Daniel."
As I drove home from the baptism,
I felt emotional and was a little misty-eyed as I considered the day's events. I
thought to myself, God must be so proud. In the past fifteen months, these few
weak but not hypocritical student disciples have persevered through a church
split, recent internet persecution that caused two to fall away, studies where
people turned back, the pull of the world and the daily grind of school. Yet
God's angel has delivered them! Almost 100 at a Campus, Teen and Middle School
service was unimaginable even six months ago!
Let us remember that when
everything seemingly goes wrong, when scores of people are counting on you, a
spiritual desert surrounds you and there is no water in sight, keep believing!
Keep seeking! "Stay the course!" As with the Ethiopian in the Gaza
Desert and Angie in downtown Portland, God will provide water that gives life.
Kip McKean
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