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This is my testimony
God did not forsake me during the years I turned my back on him. I was so unworthy of his forgiveness. Hey, he did it for me! He will do it for you too! Just diligently make an effort, God will do the rest.
During my early childhood my family and I lived in Nebraska.
It was there that we attended a small church in Beatrice, which we drove about 30 miles one way to get there.
Sometimes we were the only family that would show up. There were four of us boys and we would complain about going to church and what we thought was the LONG drive to get there. After a while my parents got tiered of going. I guess and we slowed and then finally stop going at all. What Godly standards we did have we soon lost. Well being young at the time I got into rock music, heavy medal, new wave and some punk music. I accumulated about 250 CD's, 240 tapes 200 45's and 50 or so albums. Many of the words within the songs went against God's word, but I really did not think about it. I had my left ear pierced and wore an earring. Sometimes wore one that would hang to my shoulder. I grew my hair long past my shoulders, grew a beard and a mustache, both very untrimmed. I started to party with whoever and whenever I could. It did not matter, the more the better at that time. I was not ever thinking about God at this point.
After all this happened, I then moved to Texas and I found a girlfriend and her name was Sherri. Soon after, we started to live together. Then we had a child unexpectedly.
A few months went by and then I got a new job in Dallas, Texas. Almost right away A co-worker named Mike started talking to me about God. Everything that he said was true and I still knew it was true. So I would listen to him and to a point, it was reminding me about the grace of the Lord.
Meanwhile, at the same time my girlfriend Sherri, was being witnessed to at her job. We both were unaware of the other being witnessed to at the same time. We would go somewhere and if we took my girlfriend's car it would be on a Christian station. I would ask WHAT is this, and then change it. Sherri would tell me she was listening to a talk show or something. Well, this went on for a while and then one day it came to point where something was going to have to change.
Sherri told me that she was going to church with a friend at work, and she was going to go with or without me. Wow! Believe me that was a shocking statement from her. For that matter it would have been just as shocking if I had said that.
I asked her where she was going to go and she told me. I said yes, I will go with you to church but if we are going to go, lets go to the right one. Within a few weeks we went to Comanche to visit my Grandmother. We went to the church with her. That was the first time Sherri and myself went to church together. Well next week we were back home and we went to a local U.P.C.
At this point we were unmarried with a child and living together. I had long hair a beard and a mustache, (I looked like a biker) We were welcome from the start. They let God work on us and they stayed out of the way we looked. See we both have a desire and God knew that.
Sure now we look like Pentecostals, but it came from the inside, with God working on us. The church opened her arms to us and God worked on our hearts.
Well, we were married and soon after were baptized in Jesus name and now we have God leading our lives.
WHY DID GOD
CHOOSE
TONGUES
?
He was a deacon in a fashionable church, but he did not believe in the Pentecostal doctrine relative to the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Yet he had been exposed to that belief through members of his immediate family. One night, at the close of an Evangelistic service in an Apostolic church, he went forward to pray and was overwhelmingly filled with the Spirit of God. He spoke in other tongues fluently and was so inundated in the Spirit that even hours later he could not speak English. Definitely, this was a biblical experience accompanied not only by speaking in another tongue, but also by the joy and peace of the Holy Ghost.
Millions have experienced this same baptism in the Spirit. Wherever this message is proclaimed, the question is asked, "Why did God choose speaking in tongues as the initial, physical evidence of the baptism of the Holy Ghost?" There may be many answers to this question, and perhaps we do not know them all. Several key points are apparent, however.
The Sovereignty of God . . . . . . . . . .
First, we must recognize that God is not accountable to us for what He chooses to do. Isaiah asked, "Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counsellor hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and shewed to him the way of understanding?" (Isaiah 40:13-14). We have no license to question God's ways or to dispute His actions. His purposes are supreme, His promises sure, His performances sane and sensible. The following passages of Scripture, when studied prayerfully with a hungry heart and an open mind, show that there is a definite connection between speaking in tongues and the baptism of the Holy Ghost: Isaiah 28:11-12; Mark 16:17; Acts 2:4; 10:44-46; 19:6; Romans 8:15-16; Galatians 4:6.
Why did God choose blood as the basis for atonement? Why did God choose water as the element in baptism? Why did God choose gold as the overlaying metal for the ark of the covenant? Why did God choose stone as the material upon which to record the Ten Commandments? Why did God choose Jerusalem as the site for the Temple? Why did God choose dust out of which to form mankind? There is divine purpose behind these choices, although we may not understand all the reasons. We certainly cannot deny or disavow God's sovereign right to do as He pleases and to choose what He wishes.
An Immediate, External Evidence . . . . . . . . . .
One vital reason why God chose other tongues as the initial sign of receiving the Holy Ghost is that speaking in tongues is an immediate, external evidence. There are many other evidences of the operation of the Spirit of God in a person's life, but it is a matter of time before they are manifest. For example, the fruit of the Spirit mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23 follows in the wake of the spiritual infilling.
Peter and the six Jewish Christians who went with him to Caesarea knew that the Gentiles had received the Holy Ghost, not because of longsuffering, gentleness, meekness, or temperance, but because they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God (Acts 10:46). Peter specifically pointed to speaking in tongues as the irrefutable evidence (Acts 10:46-47).
Speaking in tongues is an outward, external evidence, instantly observable and heard. By contrast, peace, joy, righteousness, and spiritual fruit are inward, internal results of the infilling that become evident with the passing of time.
A Uniform Evidence . . . . . . . . . .
Another reason why God chose other tongues as the initial sign of receiving the Spirit is that speaking in tongues is a uniform evidence. It applies to everyone, regardless of race, culture, or language.
Some people quote I Corinthians 12:30 in an attempt to prove that not all speak in tongues when they are filled with the Spirit: "Do all speak with tongues?" However, this verse refers to the gift of tongues, that is, speaking a public message in tongues to be interpreted for the congregation, which is a spiritual gift that a person may exercise subsequent to the infilling of the Spirit. Though both tongues as the inital evidence of the baptism of the Holy Ghost and tongues as a later spiritual gift are the same in essence, they are different in administration and operation. For example, the regulations regarding the gift of tongues in I Corinthians 14:27-28 did not apply to the conversion accounts in Acts, where many people spoke in tongues simultaneously, without interpretation, as the sign of being filled with the Spirit.
Some people may question this distinction between the initial use of tongues at the baptism of the Holy Ghost and the later use of tongues as a spiritual gift in a Christian's life. But the same distinction is apparent with regard to faith. To be saved, everyone must have faith (John 3:16; Romans 10:9; Ephesians 2:8). Yet I Corinthians 12:9 reveals that there is a special, supernatural gift of faith that can operate in a Spirit-filled person's life over and beyond the faith necessary for salvation. Saving faith and the spiritual gift of faith are the same in essence but different in administration and operation.
In speaking about the birth of the Spirit, Jesus emphasized the uniformity of the experience: "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit" (John 3:8). Moreover, Jesus placed emphasis upon the accompanying sound, not on sight or feeling. The sound of the wind blowing is evidence of its presence.
Some people conclude that Jesus referred only to "the sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind" on the Day of Pentecost. But this sound of wind is never mentioned again in the later accounts of receiving the Holy Ghost, while speaking in tongues is. Speaking in tongues by itself caused the Jewish Christians to recognize that the experience of the Gentiles at Caesarea was identical to theirs on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 10:44-47; 11:15-17). Hence, the important, conclusive evidence of the Spirit's manifestation at Pentecost was speaking in other tongues. The sound of wind was impersonal, but the speaking was personal. Speaking in tongues was the first evidence of each individual infilling.
At Caesarea all who heard the Word were filled, and all who heard the Word spoke in tongues. If some of them had not spoken in tongues, would the Jewish Christians have accepted their experiences? Clearly not. All twelve men mentioned in Acts 19:6 had a uniform experience. If ten of the twelve had spoken in tongues and the other two had not, would Paul have believed that the two had received the Holy Ghost just as the ten? Certainly not. Paul would not have accepted their experience if they have failed to exhibit the uniform evidence.
A Symbol of Complete Control . . . . . . . . . .
Speaking in tongues symbolizes God's complete control of the believer. Perhaps this is one of the strongest reasons why God chose speaking in tongues as the initial evidence of the baptism of the Holy Ghost. This symbolism becomes apparent when we study James 3, which provides more information on the tongue than any other chapter in the New Testament.
First, the tongue is capable of defiling the whole body. If so, is it incredible to claim that the tongue is also capable of symbolizing the sanctification of the whole body?
Second, though the tongue is a smaller member, it has never been tamed by humanity. It is the most unruly member of the body. If so, is it not necessary for the tongue to be tamed before the whole body can be consecrated to God? James illustrates the importance of the tongue by comparing it to the bit in a horse's mouth, which gives the rider complete control over the horse, and to the helm of a large ship, which gives the pilot full command of the vessel. In other words, whoever controls the tongue of a person controls him. And a person cannot tame his tongue by himself; only God can tame it for him.
According to Matthew 12:29, before someone can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, he must first bind the strong man. The strong man of our house is the tongue. We can tame every member of the body but this one. When God tames a person's tongue, that person comes under God's full control. He is in the hands of the Almighty. He has been conquered by Christ, endued with a spiritual force from on high, and empowered for God's service.
Humanity's Greatest Expression . . . . . . . . . .
The tongue provides the greatest expressions of the human spirit. We humans are spiritual and emotional beings, and as such we must give expression to our emotions. The ability and power to coordinate thought and tongue into intelligent speech is one of our highest prerogatives, elevating us above the beasts of the field. This ability makes us superior to the rest of God's creation on earth, and it is the most distinguishing feature of our being.
The tongue becomes the vehicle of expression for the spirit. All of the emotions--such as love, hate, anger, sorrow, joy, happiness, relief, serenity--are communicated through the tongue. The tongue is the gate way to the heart, feelings, attitudes, and spirit.
Conclusion . . . . . . . . . .
In light of these truths, it is not difficult to see why God has chosen speaking in tongues to express the greatest, most wonderful experience that we mortal humans can receive. In the baptism of the Holy Ghost, His Spirit and our spirit become one. He uses our tongue and voice to express this union. It is a wonder of wonders, chosen not by humans, but by God, the sovereign ruler of the universe.
Why fight against Him? Believe His Word, accept what He says, and you too can be baptized with the Holy Ghost, for God will give the Holy Spirit to all who repent and ask in faith (Luke 11:13; Acts 2:38-39).
*Taken from the Word Aflame Tract "WHY DID GOD CHOSE TONGUES" #6108
Word Aflame Press
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The most important question of life...
ARE
YOU
RIGHT
WITH GOD?
Do you struggle with persistent feelings of guilt, anxiety, pain, sorrow, depression, fear,
hopelessness, or emptiness? Each of these feelings is an indicator that a person is not
right with God. Jesus Christ promised that everyone who believes in him would be filled with
peace and joy, plus the gift of eternal life. If you are concerned that you do not have a
genuine relationship with God, please read on to find out how you can personally experience
the love of Jesus Christ for yourself.
SIX STEPS TO PEACE,JOY,AND ETERNAL LIFE
- STEP 1:
- The first thing you must do is be completely honest with both yourself and
God. You must be willing to admit that you have done wrong and that God will judge you for
your sins. The Bible says that "all have sinned" and certainly that includes you. (Romans
3:23). Some examples of sin are lying, stealing, cheating, hating, taking drugs, having sex
outside of marriage, and so on. Though each of these activities is wrong, the real sin lying
at the heart of them all is not being right with God. The Bible says that every human being
will have to stand before Jesus Christ and give an account. Those who have refused to follow
Jesus will be cast alive into the lake of fire which burns forever and ever (Revelation 20:
10-15).
- STEP 2:
- The next thing you must do is accept that Jesus Christ loved you and
died for your sins so that you wouldn't have to go to the lake of fire. The Bible says that
"while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). Jesus understands
our human weaknesses and has made a way for us to escape the judgement to come. He is willing
to give each of us a second chance to live for him by forgiving our sins and filling us with
his own Spirit.
- STEP 3:
- The third thing you must do is repent. This means that you must be
sorry for your sins and must make a firm decision within your heart to believe in Jesus, to
live by his Word, and to do the best you can to keep yourself from further sin. The Bible says
that God "now commands all men everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30). Repentance is
not optional. It is impossible to be forgiven and receive eternal life unless you are willing
to turn away from your sins. If you are ready to live apart from sin, then Jesus is ready to
help you.
- STEP 4:
- The next thing you must do is be baptized in water in the name of Jesus
Christ (Acts 2:38). This is the first act of faith every person must submit to in
order to show their desire to be obedient to God. Jesus will respond to this act of faith by
forgiving every sin you have ever committed. Jesus said, "He who believes and is baptized
will be saved" (Mark 16:16). If you believe that Jesus died for your sins and have
made up you mind that you want to live God's way, then you ought to be baptized in the name
of Jesus Christ as soon as possible.
- STEP 5:
- Peter said that those who repent and are baptized "shall receive the
gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38). The Holy Spirit is the power and presence
of Jesus Christ coming to live right inside of you to help you live right and to fill you with
life everlasting. The Bible says, "He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life
to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you" (Romans 8:11). What a
wonderful promise! Just as Jesus was raised from the dead and is now alive for evermore, so
will it be for you once you have been filled with his Holy Spirit.
- STEP 6:
- The last thing you must do to be right with God is begin attending a
local church that teaches the truths of the Bible. You must also begin reading the Bible for
yourself and spending time each day seeking the Lord to guide you into his perfect will.
Salvation is not a one time occurrence; it is a way of life. It begins when you repent of
your sins, believe in Christ, get baptized in water, and receive the Holy Spirit. But if you
are to remain right with God after your baptism, you must learn to live your life his way.
Once you have followed these six steps and have entered into your own personal relationship
with God, you may still face many difficult and painful situations in your life. But with Jesus
Christ, no matter how difficult life may become, you will always have plenty of peace,joy, and
hope on the inside...
"Come unto me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my
yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am gentle and lowly of heart, and you shall find
rest for your souls." Matthew 11: 28-29
If you are ready to say goodbye to guilt, anxiety, and emptiness, then make up your mind
right now that you are going to place yourself in the hands of the only true Savior, Jesus
Christ. Come to him repenting and believing, and be baptized in his glorious name for the
forgiveness of every sin, and he will fill you with his wonderful Holy Spirit.
If you would like someone to help you learn more about the Bible, or if you would like to
be baptized and get involved in a Bible-believing church in your area, please contact your
nearest United Pentecostal Church or e-mail now to find out where a UPC church is near you.
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