God's calling me to preach was a very special experience. As I have shared in giving my testimony in times past, the calling was so clear and conclusive that it seemed at the moment I recognised and surrendered to it that He laid a clear life path before me that left me no doubt nor choice but to obey His will!
It was a dark night after a service and I was sitting with the evangelist who had preached a revival at New Friendship Baptist Church in Benton, Arkansas. We were sitting on the back-steps of the church overlooking the cemetery. He was trying to help me determine what had been convicting me all week during the services. Since I was saved and I knew it and had confidence in my security in Jesus Christ, he was exploring possibilities. In doing so he just casually said, "Do you think the Lord might be calling you to preach." The next thing I knew it was just as if a light flooded my soul and I was sprawled on my face on the ground thanking the Lord for calling me to preach! Until that moment I had not even entertained such a possibility; especially since I could not see how a shy country boy like me could be called into the ministry. After this, we immediately sought out my Pastor, Gilbert Heflin, who had been waiting on us on the front steps of the church. We had a great time of rejoicing and praising God.
Mom had not attended the services that night. She was home with the children. Although it was getting close to midnight the two preachers followed me home to share the good news with Mom, When she opened the door to let us in Pastor Heflin said, "Do you know what happened tonight?" She replied without hesitation: "My husband surrendered to preach!" She then said that she had felt this was happening for quite sometime but did not want to mention it to me for fear of influencing me one way or the other.
But this was what might be termed a general calling. Each step along the way since has been a specific calling to go to a particular place and do a particular work: the calling to Australia being the greatest challenge. As far as being called as a missionary is concerned, this has been a matter of specific and special guidance along the way. I believe we have a permissive will of God as well as a directive will of God for our lives. I do believe I have always been blessed to be in the directive will of God but that if I had taken different steps God still could have allowed me to serve Him in a different place. For instance, I was tempted to stay at the church we successfully planted in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, Avalon Baptist Church, and try to build a larger soul winning church for the Lord there. I believe He would have blessed such an effort. But He called me specifically to Australia. For instance, I served at Sherwood Hills Baptist Church in Campbelltown as a Missionary Pastor, and then got off the mission field and stopped my support from overseas and was an Australian Pastor and Christian School Principal from 1980 to 1989. Then I felt God's specific leadership to come to the Gold Coast and plant our fourth church for the Lord. Which we successfully did, establishing Hinterland Baptist Church. My testimony is that the centre of God's will is the safest, most blessed and productive place for any child of God. God called preachers especially!
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