Okay, so here is my heritage...
It starts in the Baptist church. It was full of family and love, in fact my family members were charter members over 160 years ago. My grandparents attend and so do my parents and we were a very close knit bunch. As a child I had a hunger for God and would talk to Him throughout the day, having experiences in the presence of the Lord that nobody understood, not even myself. As a kid, I was in the choir and God would use me to sing. I was later baptized- Father, Son, Holy Ghost by my Pastor and my Grandfather. I could hear my mother shouting in the background as I went under the water.
I grew up in that church, but never truly felt that I "fit." I sang often as a child, and would go to surrounding churches to sing at different events. One Sunday, I was invited to sing at a Full-Gospel Church. The minister there was praying for people and they seemed to be falling to the ground at his slightest touch. Most kids my age would have been afraid, or would have mocked those that were rolling on the floor, crying, screaming...etc. but I was drawn to it. The minister was speaking in tongues, and I was full of questions. When we got home I asked my mother and she told me that he was "just putting on," and not to worry about it. However, that answer did not satisfy me and I prayed about it for myself. Before long, I was filled with the Holy Ghost, evidenced with speaking in other tongues- and I truly did not know anything about speaking in tongues, other than I just wanted Jesus.
At the age of 14 I began preaching the gospel. I heard God's audible voice calling me into the ministry and after sharing that experience with my Pastor, he immediately began to train me in the ministry. I preached my first sermon shortly, and began to do the work of an Evangelist. I was licensed at the age of 18. The gifts were very active in my ministry, and I displayed wisdom beyond my age so I was afforded many open doors to preach in most of the churches in the city and surrounding cities. I traveled off to college. While there, I was invited to an Apostolic church (thank God)! I had NEVER HEARD of Apostolic but I knew that if they were a "holiness church" I wanted in on it. I was living holy the best I could, but felt that I was missing out on something.
The Apostolic church was in revival and the preacher kept asking if we were Baptized in Jesus' Name. Being a preacher myself, I just assumed it was a doctrinal difference and did not pay much attention to him. However as the service went on for the remainder of that week, my heart was drawn to the scriptures and I assumed that "It would not be so bad" to be baptized in the name of Jesus....and I was.
I have NOT looked back. Although my family is still in the Baptist Church, because of my love for souls and the witness God has given me, I've been able to go back to that same little country church and preach about the Baptism in Jesus Name and being filled with the Holy Ghost. I've had family members and many friends that received the infilling and the baptism who like me, had NEVER heard of such a baptism.
I'm grateful to be the 1st generation of my family, but certainly not the last. And to GOD be all the glory.
(That's the short version...but I see it was not so short)
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