This man was a friend and colleague of Billy Graham. When Charles was eighteen, after a night of (ahem) frivolity, he knelt beside his bed. As he recalled later, it felt like “a black blanket was draped over me. Guilt consumed my whole mind and body. The only words I could manage were

‘Lord, come down…’” and then,

“Slowly, a weight began to lift, a weight as heavy as I. It passed through my thighs, my torso, my arms and shoulders, and lifted off. I felt warm. It seemed like a light had been turned on in my chest and that it had cleansed me…I hardly dared breathe, thinking I might alter or end the moment. And I whispered softly again and again, ‘Thank you, Lord. Thank you’”.

Guess what? Even after that powerful conversion, Mr. Templeton had doubts. He was no greater human than you or I. Too much reasoning, too much “stinkin’ thinkin’” prevented Charles from doing what Billy Graham did. What happened? Mr. Templeton didn’t allow for the power of the Holy Spirit.

(You can read more about this man in Lee Strobel’s book “The Case for Faith”, introduction).

Regardless of whether we accept Christ through adult baptism or have a supernatural experience that grabs our attention and turns our life inside-out, we will still have moments of uncertainty. I have found this especially when a prayer seems unanswered. Remember that God never says “no”. The answer might be “yes”, or “I have something better in mind. Trust and believe”. The love that is unconditional understands, even when we fail to grasp how phenomenal He is.

Pastor Art