IT'S NEVER TOO LATE!

Today a prayer of mine was answered.  It wasn’t even a prayer exactly, but when my friend came to church last week and I wrote about it in my journal, I wrote about how I would like to see her get baptized.  But she’d already been baptized, so it wouldn’t be happening.  Today, she not only came to church but , she responded to the altar call.  I did not know she was there.  I was sitting toward the front and she sat in the back when she came in.  I was surprised to see her come forward.  The Pastor’s wife talked to her and took her in the back room.  I could hear her making loud, unusual noises, which according to this church is speaking in tongues, and she was baptized.

I asked her about it later and if she’d told them that she had been baptized because I thought they do not re baptize people.  She said that she told her that she had been baptized when she was about 12 years old but did not understand what it was about then.  The pastor’s wife told her that she had a similar experience. I still don’t think Mary understands what it is about, but I pray that she will continue to come and learn.  I believe she sees it as a way to get supernatural power which the church does emphasize, but that power is for living the Christian life, not to use as a tool for obtaining one’s own desires.  She has been trying all sorts of "religious" experiences.  I hope and pray that this time she really has been born again, but if she does not get good training and start showing evidence of a changed life I will not believe it.

The pastor’s message this morning was from Genesis 37 beginning with verse 22 and was title "But God."  It was about how man can say certain things, "but God," will say the opposite.  He was describing the difference between the ideas we get from the world and what God says in His Word and how they are in conflict with one another.  My friend has been going through a trying time which has had her confused about the best course of action to take and I know she is seeking direction.  I pray that she will get that from the Holy Spirit.

She did not stay for the meal today, or the afternoon service and to me that is cause for suspicion of her motives and understanding.  I would expect someone who has been genuinely converted to want to be in God’s house as long as possible.  Of course I have no business making such judgments and I do ask the Lord to forgive me, but we are to practice discernment.  Many people can say they are "born again" and even believe it because they did all of the things they were told to do and yet not be, because they did not make the commitment from their hearts.

This afternoon, we had a guest minister, Elder Michael Douglas.  He spoke from Acts 2:37-40 and titled his message "Save Yourselves."  I wish my friend had stayed to hear that, because it would have helped her understand what she needs to do now.  Three young men came forward and were baptized.  The children were back from their retreat and the Sunshine Choir sang in the morning service and one young lady with a beautiful voice sang a solo this afternoon. There were about 20 kids in the choir.  I am always moved by the youth taking active roles in the church, and in such great numbers.  That is more than the number of adults that attend some church services now.