Over Half a Century in Pentecost
This is just a brief testimony of what the Lord has done for me.
In
Isaiah 46:3-4 in The Living Bible God says, “Listen to me, all Israel who are left; I have created you and cared for you since you were born. I will be your God through all your lifetime, yes, even when your hair is white with age. I made you and I will care for you. I will carry you along and be your Savior.” The Lord assured His people that He loved them, cared for them, and was committed to a long term relationship with them.
I have also enjoyed a long term relationship with the Lord. I was born into a family that was not particularly religious so as I grew up, God was not a real part of my life. That all changed on March 28, 1955 when I asked Jesus Christ to come into my life. I was 17 years old and my life was drastically changed. I became a new creature.
2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “When someone becomes a Christian he becomes a brand new person inside. He is not the same any more. A new life has begun!”
A new life had begun. The change was so drastic that 50 years later at a high school reunion some still mentioned the “old” Jim and the “new” Jim. I began to read my Bible and joined a local church where I took an active part. As I read my Bible and listened to some preachers on the radio and read some of their writings I realized there was more for me. On October 27, 1955 I was baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then I began attending a different church. This one was Pentecostal. On Pentecost Sunday which was May 20, 1956 I was baptized in the Holy Spirit and spoke with tongues.
This Holy Ghost Baptism was not the end of my experience with the Lord. The Lord and I have been in relationship for over half a century. During that time he has given me a wife to whom I have been married for 52 years. He has given me 5 children, 13 grandchildren, and 1 great grandchild. He has brought me through major surgeries (quadruple bypass in 1995 and cancer surgery in 2004) and has met every need in His way and in His time.
In 2006 the religious world celebrated a “Century of Pentecost” and that year I celebrated “Half a Century of Pentecost.” This week end when Pentecost Sunday rolls around I will celebrate 54 years in Pentecost. And, you know what, that experience in the Holy Spirit is still fresh! When Jacob was an old man and was introduced to Pharaoh, Pharaoh asked, “How old are you?” Jacob triumphantly replied, “The days of my pilgrimage are one hundred thirty-eight years.” Well, I can’t quite say that but I can say, “The days of my pilgrimage are seventy-two years,” and I can triumphantly add, “And the Lord has been faithful all of those years.”
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