Thank God I did not continue to listen to those who do not have the Holy Spirit and tried to convince me that the full gospel of salvation was no longer available.
I was witnessed to by evangelists who shared their testimonies to the miraculous and opened up their Bibles and shared the scriptures with me.
Being Roman Catholic at the time I was really challenged by the word of God.
I was troubled by the scriptures on being born new again and the many other verses about the Holy Spirit so I prayed to Jesus "is this the truth what these people are telling me?"
I kept praying about this new church asking Jesus to show me that He approved of this other church - The Revival Fellowship - and He did move me to eventually attend a Sunday meeting.
I heard the gifts of tongues followed by the gifts of interpretation and then three gifts of prophecy for the first time. I listened very intently [still holding onto my Catholic scepticism] to see if I could find fault with what was being said.
But in the end the wisdom spoken was undeniably of God and very edifying and encouraging. It was then that the penny dropped and I realised the difference between my RC church and this church; for here in an unremarkable hall
God was present and speaking to his church - speaking as a father to his children.
On the following Wednesday night after the meeting I was baptised by full immersion confessing my faith in Christ Jesus as my Lord and Saviour who died for me.
Then I started praying again confessing many sins and desiring the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
On Sunday 1st December 1996 I was filled with the Holy Spirit and burst out speaking in a new tongue and received a wonderful revelation about Jesus and the Bible.
And like all others in my new Pentecostal church we speak in tongues as the Bible evidence of baptism of the Holy Spirit.
That day I enjoyed my first miracles and healings - I was instantly healed and set free from cigarettes, marijuana and intravenous drug addictions. Later I let go of alcohol when I submitted on this.
God went on to heal my bleeding kidneys and my blackened lungs.
Being Pentecostal I know what the book of Acts does teach about believers of the gospel shall speak in new tongues and how this is for everybody - and that this sign is completely different to what Paul is writing of in 1Corinthians
where he teaches the unruly Corinthians how to get their act together and do things decently and in order.
It is a shame that most churches today do not experience the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit that God wants to give to disciples - wisdom, knowledge, discerning of spirits, faith, healings, miracles, prophecy, various kinds of tongues
and interpretation of tongues.
Praying in tongues (praying in the Spirit) is very powerful and delivers through faith many blessings for oneself and for others who are prayed for.
Despite the unbelief that the original Pentecostal gospel of the first and only church in the NT and the accompanying nine gifts are not for today, God completely ignores all such denials, and is planting new vineyards throughout
the world where there is still an ongoing Holy Spirit revival through many nations with these signs following them that believe.
Matt 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come.
