All4Truth.... I am fundamental/Baptist too. I was brought up to believe...
1. That speaking of tongues was of the devil
2. That all Catholics were going to hell.
3. That only Baptists were born again.
I once went to a Catholic church in which I am afraid that I was quite rude to everyone... And then the summer I graduated high school I spent my summer with my grandmother. Having farmed with the people I fell in with them. The services at the Pentecostal Holiness churches were quite lively. If a message in tongues was given out the people would wait for an interpretation.
As I would dwell with the people they would invite me to the Pentecostal Holiness church. As the summer came to the end I was at the alter after each service falling in with the people. At one particular revival one of the saints of the church came behind me praying for me. As he was praying warm tears were falling from his cheeks and hitting my shoulder. As a guy who didn't like to be touched this was profound. That evening I can only express the sensation using a few lines from John Bunyans Pilgrims Progress..
Now I saw in my dream, that the highway up which Christian was to go, was fenced on either side with a wall, and that wall was called Salvation. Isaiah 26:10. Up this way, therefore, did burdened Christian run, but not without great difficulty, because of the load on his back.
He ran thus till he came at a place somewhat ascending; and upon that place stood a cross, and a little below, in the bottom, a sepulchre. So I saw in my dream, that just as Christian came up with the cross, his burden loosed from off his shoulders, and fell from off his back, and began to tumble, and so continued to do till it came to the mouth of the sepulchre, where it fell in, and I saw it no more.
Then was Christian glad and lightsome, and said with a merry heart, “He hath given me rest by his sorrow, and life by his death.” Then he stood still a while, to look and wonder; for it was very surprising to him that the sight of the cross should thus ease him of his burden. He looked, therefore, and looked again, even till the springs that were in his head sent the waters down his cheeks. Zech 12:10. Now as he stood looking and weeping, behold, three Shining Ones came to him, and saluted him with, “Peace be to thee.” So the first said to him, “Thy sins be forgiven thee,” Mark 2:5; the second stripped him of his rags, and clothed him with change of raiment, Zech 3:4: the third also set a mark on his forehead, Eph 1:13, and gave him a roll with a seal upon it, which he bid him look on as he ran, and that he should give it in at the celestial gate: so they went their way. Then Christian gave three leaps for joy, and went on singing,
After that experience I lay down on my Grandmothers bed. My Grandmother was a very clean and decent woman and I could smell my clothesline fresh surroundings as well as hear the kady dids singing (this night it was as if they were praising the Lord) in the back drop with fire flies coming up our hill. Then for the first time in my life the Holy Spirit began to talk. I am like... Holy cow! The Holy Spirit is talking to me too!
When I went back to school that year people would want to sit next to me in church so 'a little of that' would rub off on them. I wish I could say that I kept that spiritual experience alive in my own personal life, but as Pentecostals are in and out of revival, have had my challenges.
Had I not experienced these things I would have believed to this day that everything Pentecostal is fake and garbage. But as fundamentals and Baptist are in the bible so I still consider myself fundamental. And listen to BBNradio.org daily. I just turn the channel when they get to throwing off on Pentecostals.
