We've Got History

Our history in God is really important as it gives us a clue what our destiny is in God.

I was thinking about my childhood:

My parents were assigned a church that needed a pastor in a specific denomination upon finishing seminary. They were excited to begin their new adventure with some new people. They enjoyed ministering the Word and soon were sharing about something new they had experienced while in seminary. Both of them had received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and it had changed their lives completely. They had been filled with power and joy from the Spirit. Dad was eager to teach on the Holy Spirit and began in Sunday School class.

It is interesting how quickly there is opposition when people start talking about being filled with the Holy Spirit. It wasn't long till my parents were asked to take their ministry somewhere else. So they started another church. Back then there were hardly any churches in California.

My mom tells me that I remarked about the whole affair, "We got kicked out....Glory!"

I don't remember all of this but my very first memory of my life is when we got the new building for the new church and I was looking at my shoes as I stepped out of the car and walked up the stone steps to the Finn Hall. We rented this Hall for several years until we were able to purchase our own building. Being "kicked out" as I put it was really a blessing, for in that Hall we truly experienced "Heaven coming down and Glory filling our souls."

In the winter time we met upstairs because it was warmer up there. I remember I loved it up there. It was so cozy. There were purple velvet curtains on the wall from ceiling to floor and lots of wood. We called it "the upper room."

Some may think we paid a price for our beliefs, but I say we got such a reward from Heaven it was totally worth it.

My parents were not members of the denomination any longer and suffered because of it, but I am so thankful for the sacrifice they made. I am who I am today because my parents saw the importance of being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Now days, there are millions all over the world who are filled with the Holy Spirit, but back in those days it was a very new thing. There was hardly any fellowship for my parents and they had to walk alone in those early days. We had few resources, but my parents prayed and read the New Testament. They decided if it was in the New Testament, we would expect God to do that in our church.

I think how similar these experiences are to my life now.