9-25-2015

You may be asking yourself why am I posting some of my personal experiences and history.  Simple - sharing my experiences may just help someone who reads this blog.  Less than a week ago I finished reading Kenneth Hagin's "Understanding the Anointing" in which he shared some of his personal experiences in how God helped him to come understand the anointing God gives us.  I found myself relating to a lot of what he (Kenneth) wrote and it helped me to a better understanding of some of the things I've been experiencing this past year (especially since He gave me the 'Watchman').  Ergo, my prayer is that someone reading this blog will relate to what is said and it will help them as well.

My experience with the 'baptism of the Holy Ghost' was frustrating yet rewarding.  My wife & I were living in Frederick, Md. at the time when we attended a 'Starr Scott rally' held in Frederick in 1978.  Starr Scott was a Spirit filled preacher from Springfield, Va. whom we had heard about and (I believe) on radio on occasion and whom we liked, so when we had the opportunity to go see him in person, we did.  I have no clue what he spoke on that night but at the end of the presentation he broke the audience into groups - those who wanted healing, those who wanted salvation and those who wanted the baptism of the Holy Ghost.  At that time both my wife & I  knew Jesus well and weren't looking for a healing so we went with the group for the 'baptism'.  They did something that I didn't then and still don't agree with and that is using a 'jump start to bring out our spiritual language.  The jump start was to 'repeat after me'.  The leader would say a few words in 'tongues' then encourage the people to try to imitate him.  The idea was to help people to speak in their own God-given spiritual language.  The danger is that some would do exactly what the leader said - copy what he was saying and nothing more and think they had God's gift.  I don't know if it actually worked or not.  I can't judge what happened with other people.  I only know what I saw.  I saw everybody speaking in tongues - except me.  And I mean everyone in the group.  Even my wife.  I was the ONLY one who couldn't get past 'English' syllables!

I thought surely I was spiritual enough to received the baptism and surely I was more spiritual than my wife.  I had been saved a whole 2 years longer!  My wife & I returned home and I was not a happy camper.  I knelt down in front of the couch asking God "why not me?"  Why was I the only one who didn't receive the baptism.  It was probably around 11:00 PM when we got back home after the rally and my wife sat with me for an hour or so then excusing herself, she went to bed.  I don't know how long I wrestled with the Lord over this, maybe a couple of more hours.  I didn't look at the clock but it must have been at least 1:00 AM if not 2:00.  Finally I heard the lord say "praise Me."  So I did - in English.  After a while I said "Lord, I'm getting tired of this.  All I'm doing is repeating myself and nothing's happening!"  Then I heard "praise Me" again and then "let Me give you the words to speak."  I started praising Him again, in English, then I stopped.  "Lord, You said you'd give me the words?"  I paused for a moment then I opened my mouth again.  A couple of words came out and guess what.  they weren't in English!  I opened my mouth and some more came out.  Soon the words were snowballing out of my mouth - more and more, faster and faster like a snow ball rolling down a hill accumulating more snow as it goes down.  I'm not sure how long this went on.  As I said my wife and I returned home around 11:00 PM, my wife went to bed sometime after midnight and I went for another hour or two.  It felt good, but then I knew God had blessed me with what I had requested and I knew it was Him.  It wasn't me 'forcing' or imitating something.  It really was a blessing from God!  It was time to hit the sack.  So I did.  AND just like the day counseling for marriage in the pastor's office when I finally and truly accepted Jesus into my heart, I knew, ever since that day that I was heaven bound I knew that morning God had baptized me with His Holy Ghost.  I've doubted many things since that time but I have never doubted my salvation or the baptism with the Holy Ghost.

Several years (yes I said years) later I asked Father why I hadn't received the baptism at the rally so He told me - "I wanted you to know it was something that came from Me and not something you learned from man or mimicked.  I appreciated this because I don't remember if this revelation came first or if the 'dancing in the Spirit' episode came first; but the 'dancing' episode helped me put and keep what Father told me in perspective.

There was a time when we were in a Charismatic Church in Frederick and there were several of us in the back of the church one of whom was one of he associate pastors.  Several people around noticed him moving around, dancing, and asked what he was doing.  His reply "dancing in the Spirit."  "Can you teach us to do that?" they asked.  Can he teach them to 'dance in the Spirit'?  If one can be taught or learn how to 'dance in the Spirit' then my question is it the Holy Ghost motivating you to the movement or are you just mimicking something you've learned?  When the Holy Ghost moves us, we follow His lead, not do something man has taught us.  And that's why Father told me it was just Him and me the night I received the baptism.  Amen.