Jesus lived, is alive, and everything in the new testament letters is true. I testify that I received the Holy Spirit wind, and the tongue of fire just as they did, the first apostles. It is fact. It happened then, it happens now, and I am living proof. You have been told. Stop doubting and believe!
More specifically, this happened when I was 21 years old. I was a lowly maintenance man for a condominium association in Largo, Florida. My life was not good at the time. I remember saying to myself, I wasn’t going to do anther thing in this life until I knew why I was here, and was God real.
Since I was about 15 years old, I was on my own search for God. I was raised Catholic. I performed the sacraments, followed the laws, but needed to know the why before the what. On that day, after years of reading the bible many times, being educated in philosophies, debating the existence of God, listening to every preacher or holy man I could, in my notebook I wrote these words, “Ok Jesus, you fight satan for me”. Immediately after I wrote those words, I heard the sound of a mighty wind above me, coming down from a blue sky with puffy clouds. It passed through the tall oak tree above me, but the leaves did not move. It entered my body through my feet, working its way up. At first I was a bit frightened, but when it got to my waist I realized it was Jesus. And as it left my body out of the top of my head, the first thought I had was I was forgiven, totally, completely, loved by God completely, unconditionally. The next thought I had was I had to tell someone, but I was alone, and at the end of my work day.
I headed home, and for some reason picked up a hitch-hiker. He drove with me a few miles, and when I explained to him what had happened, he told me “he met Jesus a while back, and threw away the key”, whatever that meant, and I never saw him again.
When I got home, I told my wife what had happened, and she didn’t know what to make of it, listened, and told me that was great. She was very happy for me, but that was my first experience knowing perhaps no one else would ever be able to relate. When it happened, my thoughts were, Oh this is what happens to everyone. I have learned since, although most “experiences” you here described are similar, when people come to truly Know God, each experience is not the same, it is personal to that person.
Then, three days later, I was in my bed, sleeping. I woke from the start of a dream. I opened my eyes, and the dream continued (that is the only way I can describe it, perhaps I was in the spirit). I was in an infinitely large room, dark all around, and in the distance I saw a candle flame, approaching me. It came closer, and closer, until it got right up to me. It was not hot, just a flame, glowing, flickering, and then it entered me, my body. I remember constricting my body as it entered me, knowing I could not escape it, and after it entered, I knew all was well, and that it was supposed to happen this way, and I relaxed, and fell back asleep. I know now that was the completion of the Apostle baptism.
I told everyone I could what happened, and each had about the same reaction. In fact, some took offense, and I quickly learned that my experience was not common. In fact, in all my searching, I have not found even one person who has had this experience, except in the book of Acts, at Pentecost.
It happened to me just as I am saying. Jesus wants to Know you, and you must want to Know Him with all of your heart, your mind, your soul. But that moment will happen for you when you give Him you, all of you, however you need to do that. For me writing was my most sincere place, what my heart spilled on the page, who I really was and what I really desired, and of course He knew that. There is no one way to get to Know Him, there is only your way. He said it, He is the Way, the Truth, the Light, no one can Know the Father but through Jesus. When your heart is ready, truly ready, to ask, ask, and you shall receive Him, and His Holy Spirit, in a way that will be special, as special as your Relationship will be, and more precious than anything ever in this life, this world. With all of my heart, I ask you to ask Him, in the Way He Knows you can and will. He is waiting for you, for that special request.
But I tell you the truth, this happened just as I have said, without embellishment or interpretation. When the Holy Spirit tells me to write, I write, only what I hear him say to me to share, nothing more, nothing less. Whatever the outcome, that is in His hands. As I Trust Him, He Trusts me. If I listen to the Word of God, and try to add my intellect or interpretation, it becomes less, much less, and not His Living Word. He told me to tell you, and to write this, and I have done His Will. Hear what He has for you to hear, open your ears, open your heart, and let Him in. Believe.
