In February, 1978, the Lord started working in my life. He caused a number of things to happen; at first the thoughts puzzled me. Several months went by before I realized that those thoughts that were bothering me had been put in my mind by the Lord--but then in late May I knew that it was He.
In July we started going to church. Over the following months the Lord worked conviction in my heart on the way I had treated Him in my life. This went on until I was bowed low in grief and remorse. And I cried out to Him for forgiveness for the shameful way I had let Him down, as well as others too. On October 8th, 1978, I publicly confessed that I was a lost sinner, and I asked forgiveness in His name through His blood. On October 22nd, 1978 I was baptized.
A short while later I began to feel Him calling me into His ministry, but I denied it, saying “Lord, you can’t mean it”. But He did, and it soon became clear. As the conviction grew that He wanted me to preach His word I said “Okay Lord, if that’s what you want, I’ll go anywhere you want me to go, do anything you want me to do, and go and do whatever you want me to under any condition; but I only ask one thing: teach me Thy Word. I don’t want it according to man’s belief, I don’t’ want it according to any denominational doctrine or belief, I only want to know Your Word as You originally intended it to be when You caused the Words to be written down by Your Holy Men”.
And praise be to God! The Bible that I earlier couldn’t seem to understand, and seemed to be filled with contradictions, and difficulty to understand scripture, began to open up like the most beautiful flower. What used be a bother to try and read, became an absolute joy! I couldn’t get enough of it. I was filled with an insatiable hunger and thirst for the Bible I used to spurn.
And today I stand behind His Holy Pulpit, on His Sacred Ground, and preach the Word that He has placed within my heart. As I do so I lift up this prayer with a very humble heart:
Teach me, O Lord, to serve as thou deservest,
To give, and not count the cost;
To fight, and not heed the wounds;
To toil, and not to seek for rest;
To labour and not to ask any reward,
Save only of knowing that I do thy Will.
My friends, Jesus is real, and He is coming again.
Evangelist Sid Baker
