I was living in Nashville when I became a Christian. The dear saints at First Baptist Church Donelson prayed for me to be saved and then welcomed me when I believed in Jesus. I remember Bro. Baker a little, but I remember Bro. Harris more. Funny, I only remember parts of two of his sermons. One Sunday night he recommended R.A. Torrey’s book on the Holy Spirit. Another Sunday, I had an encounter with Jehovah’s Witnesses and was shaken in my faith. That night he spoke of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and really re-established me. What I do remember is visiting with him. I asked him if I could go visiting with him on Saturdays. What a privilege to do personal work with the pastor! I learned a lot about spiritual warfare before I ever heard anything about it. One day, he was talking to a woman who was rather anxious for her soul and her baby began to cry so that conversation was impossible. I began to silently but earnestly pray and the baby stopped crying. The power of Jesus.
I also remember a retired pastor, Mr. Livingston (that’s the name I recall!). He was my Sunday School teacher. I recollect two of his sermons, one on Justification and the other on Propitiation. So clear. I loved it.
There were three authors that I discovered that really helped me a lot: Watchman Nee wrote The Normal Christian Life. R.A. Torrey wrote The Holy Spirit: Who He Is and What He Does and How to Pray. (He wrote a lot of other books as well!). And then Hannah Whitall Smith, The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life. These were the beginning of my introduction to a positive Christian faith.
I became a believer in 1973 and in January of 1974 I went to the University of Tennessee at Martin. I started attending Southside Baptist Church and got involved with them – I was teaching on Sunday nights (church training) and going out on visitation. Then we discovered a campus ministry called Maranatha Ministries. Such Bible studies! Baptist preaching then tended to be so negative and even though they preached the new birth, no one knew what it was - it was a synonym for getting saved. At Maranatha Ministries we learned what it was, what it meant to be born again, how to live as a part of the new creation, how to pray, walk in the Spirit etc Great Bible studies.
I mentioned that Baptist preachers then were so negative. They were always emphasizing what you were NOT supposed to be doing. I suppose they were trying to produce conviction, since the main sermon topic was usually salvation. I can recall one pastor telling us strongly, “Don’t even pretend you have victory, ‘cause I know you’re lying.” Maranatha Ministries and the people I began to listen to on the radio taught positively. They believed in victory, in overcoming, in the abundant life, in experiencing the promises of God. It was amazing. I determined to preach like that.
While in Martin I became friends with John & Melanie (they have a last name but it escapes me!). Anyway, John and I used to do a lot of evangelism. It was so cool, we visited everybody. We went all over Martin. We used to go room to room through the men’s dorm telling people about Jesus. It was awesome. He was a good brother.
I met Mary in Martin - we were both attending UTM. We married, she graduated and we moved to Memphis so she could work and I could go to Bible College. We began to attend Cherry Rd Baptist Church and once again I was actively involved in teaching and outreach. I started a children’s church ministry and then began teaching the young people. It was at Cherry Rd Baptist where I encountered the intense conflict between Baptists and the Holy Spirit. They clamped down hard and eventually I left the Baptist church. But while we were still there, I remember Mrs. Lynn Stennett handing me a tape series by a man named Derek Prince. It was called, Exchanges at the Cross. Such powerful teaching! After that I read and listened to everything Derek Prince had. He was deep, thorough, spiritual. He taught about prayer, fasting, the authority of the believer, deliverance, healing, the gifts etc.
As I mentioned, we moved to Memphis so I could go to Bible College. And I did. Go to Bible College, that is. Mid-South Bible College. I got a good education at Mid-South, a theologically oriented education. But by the time I got there I was already fairly well versed in the Bible, spiritual experience, and service. I remember, right before our class on the Book of Acts, a fellow student said, “I have never read Acts." I was shocked. I had been through Acts many times: because it came after John, for salvation, baptism, the Holy Spirit, church elders and more. All as a consequence of my witnessing encounters.
I was listening to a lot of people on the radio and then I discovered this guy in the late afternoon. Loren Calkins. He was pastor of Alliance Bible Church. He was going through the book of Acts and I was really impressed. It was simple, verse by verse teaching and if the Bible said it he believed it. He even told stories of modern day miracles. Then one day he introduced what he called “the four-fold gospel.” What is the four fold gospel? Jesus Christ our Savior, Sanctifier, Healer, and Coming King. I was so excited. I came home and told Mary all about it and said, “We need to go visit that church.” And this was my introduction to the Christian & Missionary Alliance (and 25 years of ministry with them) and a brother named A.B. Simpson.
I came at the tail end of the Jesus movement. “You need Jesus, man.” Well, let me tell you, A.B. Simpson was a Jesus person. Oh, he wasn’t a long-haired hippie (he did have a big bushy beard!), but he was a big time Jesus person. I was impressed by his faith, his openness to God and all of God’s promises, and of course his focus on Jesus. His life verse must have been, “They saw no man save Jesus only.” I devoured his books.
To sum it up, those who strongly influenced me taught the Bible, preached the whole Gospel, believed in and encouraged a dynamic spiritual life; and they all believed that if God said it it was true, and if He promised it you could experience it. Amen! It is exciting recalling those times and those folks. I tried to follow their example.
All in all forever, Jesus will I sing
Everything in Jesus, and Jesus everything
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