Sir,
I wanted to tell you about another supernatural experience that I had when I was around 2½ years in the Lord where I received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit while talking to you on the phone.
The story began on the first night that I came to the church after you prayed me through at the service. I went into the prayer room at Crescent Heights to seek the Baptism. After praying with Tony Calagna for about 2 minutes, I falsely believed that I had received the Baptism and thought I did for 2½ years. But I really didn’t have it. Although I truly had a supernatural experience when I said the sinner’s prayer, yet I didn’t have the powerful experience that others talked about when they received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
So after working in the kitchen in Saugus for several years, sometimes 16-18 hours a day, by choice because I loved the work, one day I was replaced and ended up in Bakersfield. While I was there, I really started getting a hold of the Lord. I was having fantastic prayer time and reading with the brothers. At this time, I was around several new brothers who followed me around and would always beg me to read with them. At least one of them thought I was some kind of big shot because Bob and I were in charge of the kitchen before coming to Bakersfield.
Meanwhile, the Lord was starting to convict me through the testimony of these new brothers. I realized that I had put my work first and my reading and praying and seeking the Lord secondarily, and some of these new brothers were just the opposite.
This went on for several months, and I found myself driving into the Lord with a zeal that I never thought could be possible. Every time I would pray or sing the Gospel songs in the services, I could feel the Lord pulling me closer to Him. I had this fear that God was raising up these new brothers to take my place in the Lord as He did to Eli and Saul with Samuel and David, and it drove me deeper into the Lord. At the same time, the devil was coming as an angel of light, tormenting me by saying, “It’s too late. You failed God. Why don’t you just give up?” trying to make me believe it was the Lord.
One night, I found myself praying on my knees behind one of the buildings in Bakersfield. I was begging God to have mercy on me and deliver me from these tormenting, discouraging thoughts. I believe it was the next day or two, the church was filming the first TV program, and I was asked to be the salesperson at our thrift store in Hollywood, because most of the church was going to the filming. So I was determined throughout the day when there were no customers in the store, that I was going to read my Bible and not get caught up into my work like I used to do, to the point where I wasn’t seeking the Lord. I felt led to read 1st Samuel and something supernatural began to happen. It seemed like every verse was deliverance, deliverance. It was the most supernatural reading that I had ever had. It was like the Lord was trying to give me something and if I quit reading this book, I was going to miss it.
I believe it was some time after midnight I finally decided to lay down in the back room and get some sleep. I was by myself in the back room and it was pitch black. As I lay there, I felt the presence of the Lord like a rushing, mighty wind. His presence was so strong that I thought I was going to be raptured or maybe the Lord was telling me that Susie was healed. As the Lord was pouring His power on me, I could feel the devil being on the outer perimeter with his weak accusations and the Lord was saying, “I know your heart, I know your heart.” And then for some reason, I could feel my mind drifting and at the same time I was wondering what all this was about. And then the phone rang. So I got up to answer it, and it was you, Sir. You asked me who was there, but I stuttered and could barely speak. Normally, you would have reproved me, but you just went on to give me a message for someone to relay to if they came by the store.
Then I said, “Sir, you know what just happened to me? And as I started to explain it to you, you didn’t say anything. You started praising and thanking the Lord, and as I was praying with you, it happened all over again. The power of God came down and I received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. You then asked me, “What kind of fire have you been going through?” And after I told you my story, you simply said, “Well, sometimes we get caught up into our work and we don’t seek the Lord like we should.” I told you I had been worried that God wasn’t going to use me and you said, “The Lord is using you right now. I really enjoyed this fellowship.” You went on to say that you started to have a brother make this phone call to relay a message, but the Lord checked you and drove you to the phone and made you make the call. Thank God for your obedience to the Lord.
After this experience, I felt a closeness to the Lord that I never had before, and the Lord began to open up the Scriptures like never before. Now I really did have the Baptism. I never doubted that you and Susie were of the Lord, and experiences like this throughout the years confirmed it over and over again. Praise the Lord.
Doug Pendleton