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Saturday, February 23, 2013

TESTIMONIES

Do we know who we are? Where we come from? Why some are attracted to the the bible, some are nonchalant, and some are directly opposed and repelled by the bible? Why? There is a reason. God approaches us through the bible and the past as if a memory which we temporarily forgot but He didn't. I am sure that you brothers and sisters have had overwhelming experience with God that could not be denied as I have. I was never a religious person and hardly had stepped foot in a church as a young man. The few times I had gone, mostly hoping to meet a cute girl, I would see weird things taking place and would soon have to depart from there. I do remember one time as a small child about the age of 5 that my parents were having a very bad argument and all of a sudden my little sister who was maybe 2 at the time said I see Jesus' hands and all at once there was silence and peace in the house. :-) My parents separated when I was 7 and my mother left with my sister and I didn't hear anything from them until I was 18. We tried to rekindle our relationship but things didn't work out and she kicked me out of her house when I was 19 because I told her she was wrong in how she was treating my sister as a friend instead of being a mother to her. My sister was going through some teenage things and my mother told me that my brother and I were to blame because my sister was not used to sharing her attention and I told her whose fault it really was. I have tried to contact her after I grew older and understood better but she didn't seem interested. I pray for her ease and peace and I would like to let her know I forgive her and ask her to forgive me but the door is not open. Well needless to say much of my heritage has been cut off from me but then my mother was always sort of estranged from her family. There is a reason why I share this with you and a point my friends. I don't remember anyone really ever speaking to me about Jesus or our Father but all my life I knew Him but only partly for I did not Know God as my Father but as long as I remember at times I would feel a very powerful need to talk to Him and would suddenly stop and speak to Him but then would go through times when I didn't. One day while I was at work a lady I worked with approached me and said the LORD is calling you Tommy. I was with my friends and felt kind of embarrassed at that moment and said some funny comment but it stuck with me. At the time I had just been separated from my wife and we had a child on the way and I was very hurt. I would walk late at night for exercise and cry and ask the LORD to allow me to forgive my ex. (Might I add that today my ex and I get along very well and we have a beautiful daughter that we both love very much and we are a united front when it comes to our daughter).

At the time I was very hurt. So I talked with Him. A few months later I started a new job and my supervisor was a good man named James who happened to be a pastor of a small church. He hardly spoke about God at work but his action spoke more than words. He would always listen to gospel music. I kept having these thoughts that I had never been baptized and would keep thinking how funny it was that I was having those thoughts.

I decided to go to my grandmother's church with her but as I listened to the sermon that was being spoken it did not sit with me well for it was on the subject that where the head goes the tail will follow and that by lifting up your pastor (who was the head) that you (the tail) would be lifted up also. I was rather disturbed by it to put in lightly. That Monday morning I asked my supervisor about it and he said we are having a revival at our church and that a man named Joseph Luxum was doing the revival that I was welcome to come and perhaps my question would be answered. I didn't go that night but decided to go the next night. I came in and sat down and as soon as I did Joseph began to speak on the very question I had and my reasoning was that how could he know what I was wondering on and my conclusion at that very instant was that the man doesn't know but God does. God had spoken to me and I knew that for a fact. I came the rest of the week and on the last day I got saved. That very next week James told me that Joseph was doing another revival at a church in the next town and that he was going so I told him I wanted to go also. I went every night. On that Wednesday night I was noticing that everyone was having such a good time in the Lord, but I didn't feel it and instead of faking it just to fit in I just sat down and put my head on my hands and said Lord I don't feel you and everyone else is having such a great time. People started to go to the front of the church and some were getting slayed out, and I don't mean just laying down, I mean they were just falling on their backs. I had never seen or heard of this before so I went to catch them because I thought they might get hurt. Out of no where like a flash Joseph appeared in front of me and touched me on my chest and I went down. I was out, but I was also aware but couldn't get up or open my eyes. I kept thinking, is this real?

After a while I was able to get up but Joseph said those that can speak in tongues start speaking around me and next thing I know I was on the ground beating with my hands and speaking in tongues and yes the tongues of fire the angels of the Lord as I understand today. When I got up and went home I cried for 3 days I just couldn't help it but what I felt on the inside was not sadness but a melting. I didn't want to explain myself to my fellow workers so I would have to hide sometimes at work just to cry and melt. Something happened that day that today I have a deeper understanding of. You see He is our Origin continuously we are coming from Him in the present and continuously we are being renewed. He is our instant heritage.

We look at things as long ago and interpret scripture through those lenses of time and create dogmas and decaying theology but why do we treat Him like He is a doctrine or a religion? It seems just seems like nonsense to me. I won't treat Him like that. I just want to quote some scripture and let the Holy Spirit put it together for you. Shalom brothers and sisters.

Thomas Victor Nance

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