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01/11/08 |
    
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On May 21, 1972 I received Jesus Christ as my personal savior; He came into my life and I have never been he same since. I stayed home from church that Sunday night to watch a show called FBI, it was my favorite television program, but that night the FBI did not come on. I went to bed pouting like a little baby…my favorite television program did not come on. I laid my head on the pillow and went into a vision there I met Jesus for myself. We went into this field; it was the most beautiful place that you ever saw. The grass was so green and the trees were so big. As Jesus and I walked across the field, he told me, “This is your new home.” His hair was white as wool, his feet was as fine brass, a robe that was whiter than any white that I had ever saw. He was supreme, this was so beautiful that words cannot describe. I felt a calling on my life to preach the gospel, but I did not want to preach, anything but preach. I loved to go to church and at that time we spent a lot of time in the mountains (Blue Ridge mountains) at churches. It seemed like about every church that we went into; it did not matter denomination …Baptist, Methodist, Full Gospel … all I seemed to hear preached was Jonah. Every minister that I heard preach seemed to have the same message … Jonah. I was even starting to feel like Jonah. I’m running from my calling…Please Lord don’t make me preach…anything but that. Then, my wife, Mary Lynn went into a diabetic coma. The doctors said that it could be weeks, months, and maybe even years before she came out of the come if she ever did. I left the hospital that night and went to church. Along about 8:30 that night I broke and announced my calling to preach. We were attending Faith Baptist Church in Newton, NC at the time.
Still hoping the Lord would change his mind, (and we know that he don’t) on my way back up the road to the hospital, I prayed, “Lord, if it really is your will fro me to preach then let Mary Lynn be sitting up when I get back up to the hospital. She was in the Intensive Care Unit and back in those days, only two people was allowed back at a time to visit. There was already two people back there with her, my brother and his wife were back there, but the door was cracked just a little…my wife was sitting on the edge of the bed. She was laughing and talking. Three days later, I took her home. I then started preaching. In 1973, I was working in a furniture factory and called WNNC about getting time on the radio. He asks what kind of experience I had. Did I have any singers? I told him, no. He said, well I cannot give you the time then. I started praying in my mind, “Lord, you told me to do this.” I just stood there, the line was silent, and then he spoke in after a short time and said, “What time do you want?” We took the 4:00 on Saturday evening slot. I was depending on my wife to help pay for the radio time and before I hung the phone up, she walked by and told me that she had just quit her job. (She worked at the same place that I did.) Management wanted us to change times, so we switched to 12:30 on Sunday. We stayed on until management decided they needed that time for other things. During the time at WNNC we met some very dear people. Little did I know when I took the time that I was getting a slot between two women preachers, Sister Guest and Sister Parker (both whom have went onto meet the Lord). At this time, I was strongly against women preachers. Women were supposed to be silent in the church and definitely not suppose to preach. As time went on, everywhere I looked was a woman preacher. After reading and studying the Word, I came to the realization that it was the Holy Ghost speaking through these women. Two of the key verses that really opened my eyes were: John 4:29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? And Galatians 3:26-29 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. Still on WNNC, Sister Parker and I decided to make our programs one and be on an hour together. During this time, I started preaching Jesus to a lost and dying world instead of denomination. On a cold and rainy day in late 1973 or early 1974, I met Brother Robert and Sister Joann Alexander. We started ministering together and going to different churches.
I started the television program called Witnessing for Jesus on October 28, 1974, which was a Saturday. Then I asked Brother Bob and Sister Joann to come and help us out. We were together for many a years. We came on for years on Saturday, then a slot came open on Sunday at 1:00 and we took it. During my ministry, I have traveled with several ministers and held revivals. I have preached in Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, and here in North Carolina. I pastored Full Gospel Sunrise Church for over 5 years from 1995-2000. On May 12, 1998, my wife, Mary Lynn went home to meet Jesus. She was laid to rest at Full Gospel Sunrise Church in Hildebrand, NC where I was the Pastor. God then sent me along another helpmate and we married on February 14, 1999 at Full Gospel Sunrise Church. Her name was Mary Smith. We are currently living in Lincolnton, NC.
In May 1999, I ended up in the emergency room and found that my stomach was pushed up against my heart and lungs from a high hernia. Years earlier, I had surgery to fix this, but it had come back. The doctor operated and fixed the high hernia and put my other organs back where they were suppose to be. I went back to see the doctor and he ask me, “What are you doing here? You are suppose to be dead.” I said to him, “Well, I’m very much alive thanks to Jesus.” In December 1999, I had open-heart surgery; they had to give me a mechanical valve. Several months later, I received a letter in the mail stating they had issued a recall on the valve. There were weeks on end that I wasn’t so sure that I would make it and several times I almost gave up. I could not drive, but wanted to come to the TV station for our program, so my daughter would come and pick up my wife and me and take us to WHKY-TV for the program. One Sunday I was having a real tough time breathing and hurting when she came and picked us up. Later on she told me that she wasn’t sure if she should have took me to the TV station or to the hospital. I had her to read the scriptures that day they were in 1 John. After she read them, I read back over them… 1 John 4:1-2 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: My breathing returned to normal, thank God. Then the anointing power of God really came down upon me and we had service. Everyone in the studio looked at me as if to say, “Wow, what happened to him?” In March 2004, I had to have my gall bladder removed. The doctor left a gallstone in the duct and punctured my liver; by my liver being punctured, it poisoned my whole body and nearly killed me. I was in and out of the hospital 3 1/2 months. In May 2004, I had a triple-bypass heart surgery. They said that I had four blockages and needed to do a quadruple bypass, but couldn’t. In May & June 2004, the doctors found a kidney stone that was 17mm in diameter it was still in the kidney and very painful. I was so tired of the hospital, I was ready to go on home, but it just wasn’t my time to go. After then trying different types of therapy, they crushed the stone. In June 2004, right before I came home from the hospital; Frye Regional Medical Center in Hickory, NC. My wife brought me a t-shirt that said, EXERCISE YOUR FAITH, on one side, and on the other it said, WALK WITH JESUS. That started a great movement in my life. I began to exercise my faith. I came home in the middle of June thanks to God he has delivered me again. At the age of 65, I have started back preaching and God is really blessing me. I am now doing evangelistic work and praising God through it all! Previously Licensed under: Zion Temple H. Richard Hall Currently under: House of Prayer of Faith - Bro. Terry Martin
© 2005
Witnessing For Jesus
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This site was last updated 01/11/08
