I remember sitting in the choir stand, behind the pulpit during service in our denominational protestant church. I was listening to the pastor preach. As I sat there, the preacher began to teach about Jesus, and asking, “Do you know Jesus?” The people around me began to declare that they did know Jesus. I thought about the fact, that Jesus was not here, or had not met any of us, so perhaps the meaning could be in the fact that we had heard so much about Him. I thought warily, I guess I do, just as much as anyone else here could know Him. I knew about him and Dad sang church songs at home. I had seen movies about him, so I guessed that I knew him. That wasn’t enough though. My sister, it seemed had felt the presence of God in church once. She seemed overcome once. I wondered, does this mean she knows Jesus? However she never spoke of him or anything special.
The preacher excitedly began to preach about how the “children of Israel” crossed over the red sea, and it opened right up, and let them cross. Wow, that was personal. The LORD saw them coming, and Moses pointed his staff and the sea opened to them, and the Bible says, they went across on dry land. But the Egyptians who obviously did not know Jesus, drowned when they tried.
But if knowing Jesus was a personal thing, I thought, how is a person supposed to live for God or know Jesus if He only did things in the Bible for the people of the Bible days, way back then. He never did anything for us today? I began to think. THERE MUST BE MORE THAN THIS!
In my heart, I wanted to know God. I wanted to be saved, I remember thinking, but I didn’t know what the church I was in believed about salvation. I just heard men shouting at us and then we would go home. It seemed to have no bearing on how a person lived of anything. We never talked about it at home.
I decided that I wanted to be saved, and somehow I knew I wasn’t. I remember telling my sister that I wanted to be saved. She should only say, Deborah, no you don’t. To which I responded, Yes I do. I didn’t know what it meant to be saved or where I heard the terminology. Guess it was at church when you would go down to the front and sit in a chair, shake hands with the pastor and later be baptized in the titles, “Father, Son, and Holy Ghost”. It seemed so special to me at the time, but Mom said we all only got worse afterwards.
I starting taking communion after this, and I would see the form of a cross in my cup that scared me. I later learned that it was the ceiling fans overhead, but my Aunt said I had religion. Still I didn’t feel that I was saved. Why did we only get worse afterwards?
Finally after I had my own place I would only go to church when it was the Sunday for the youth choir to sing. I think I had kind of given up. Once though there was a guy with literature in the mall and I asked him about being saved, but I don’t remember a thing he said. Meanwhile, my sister repeated that I didn’t need to be saved, you don’t want to do that, she said.
At any rate, after reading the Bible cover to cover, and a children’s Bible story 10 book collection, I was still no better off. I did see that the people fasted and prayed when they wanted the attention of the LORD for something, so at a rough time in my life I decided to fast and literally cry out to the LORD.
Not long after that I got a new job at Exxon, in down town Houston, and met a lady named Mary Thompson, that seemed to be religious. She had all of these religious hanging around her desk. By this time though, I was through trying to find the LORD. I had been to several churches and nothing clicked. I had given up, annoyed with religion.
However, she gave me a card and invited me to something called an upper room service. I accepted graciously, but had no intentions of attending.
When I went home that night to my apartment, a voice spoke to me and said read Revelation. Revelation is the last book of the Bible. The only use I had for my Bible during those days prior to this was to use it as decoration on my living room table. I never heard a voice speak to me like this before, so crystal clear. So I picked up the Bible and started reading. That voice had also let me know that the events of that book would take place in my life time. Though I didn’t understand quite a bit of it, the whole ordeal was frightening.
The next day I went back to the office, and anxiously asked her to tell me whatever it was she was going to tell me. She showed me acts 2; 38, Where people repented of their sins, received the Holy Ghost and were baptized in Jesus name. She also showed me another scripture Acts 2:1-4; where they spoke in languages, or tongues that they had never learned before, when they received the Holy Ghost. This was the beginning of the plan of salvation.
I asked her had she spoken in tongues, and she said that she had. I was afraid of speaking in tongues, and a spirit coming inside of me, because I had just seen the Exorcist movie, and it did not turn out so well for the girl in the story, nevertheless, I had seen the scriptures in the Bible, and I was willing to try. I just don’t know how I had missed these scriptures before.
I attended the church service, hearing nothing that was preached, because I was waiting to receive the Holy Ghost. When the message was over, members gathered around me, instructed me in prayer, and began to pray themselves. As I told the LORD that I was sorry for my sins, I fell to the floor, but continued to pray. It was a mighty force that came over me, but I thought of a fault in my life, and I just stopped. However, I did continue to come to that church and another one that she attended, and finally I did receive the Holy Ghost.
It was the most wonderful and powerful experience I had every felt, and all in Jesus name. I was later baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of my sins, and it felt like not only my sins were washed away, but that every problem that I had was under my feet. I felt so light, and sooooooooooo happy. My pet phrase became, “it’s wonderful”. I told my friends and my family. Several of my siblings received the Holy Ghost, and still remain to this day, more than 30 years later. We know we have entered into salvation like never before. Without a doubt, there is no turning back.
I love Jesus now! I know Him. I talk to Him and He talks to me. Just as is said in the Word of God, My sheep hear my voice and they know me. It is by far the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me, and continuing to happen to me. I have learned so much about the LORD, His word and His love. I not only received a great overwhelming love for God, but a great love for people. I also received His great joy and peace! It’s wonderful!
If it hasn’t happened to you, don’t let someone discourage you from receiving this wonderful salvation found in the Bible. You won’t regret it. It was worth the search.