TAUGHT BY THE HOLY SPIRIT

A Testimony by Rev. and Mrs. Carl and Vivienne Roberts

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. (John 14:26)

While reading the scriptures I started to look at the subject of ‘Water Baptisms’. I felt led to it, and could not get away from it, but the more I read, the more I became confused, and I could clearly see I lacked understanding on what I was reading. What did not help was previous teachings that ‘Water Baptisms’ were of no importance. This left me in a more confused state of mind, because contrary to what I was taught, when reading the scriptures I found ‘Water Baptisms’ were important. It was relevant to my walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. Realising I needed help, I asked the Lord to help me in my understanding. Amazingly within a short period of time Jerome Lucas, a friend who was from the same Christian background, asked me and my family if we would like to come down to Cornwall, England to a class called ‘Weapons of Our Warfare’. It was to be run by a group called ‘Workers Together With Him’, and there would be ‘Water Baptisms’. I could not believe what I was hearing. How did he know what was in my heart? My Christian brother had spoken to my heart, and if he had not mentioned ‘Water Baptisms’, I simply would not have gone. Over the years I felt I had done every class that was available. The only one missing was a class on how to do another class. My prayer to God was not another class, but the demonstration of power of the Holy Spirit.

I had heard enough, and was convinced we were going to be taught by the Holy Spirit, where God would use men as vessels, demonstrating His power!

2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

When we arrived in Cornwall, we booked into a farm that doubled up as a guest house about two miles from where the class was being run. I went to the Friday evening session which covered the subject on baptisms, and told my wife, Viv that I was going to be baptised, her response - I’ll leave it for her to tell:

Carl had decided that he wanted to get baptised but I wasn't so sure. I had received a lot of teaching about water baptism having been replaced by baptism of the Holy Spirit. Carl and I had gone through a lot of Biblical records but I was still pretty confused.

During the night before the baptisms were scheduled I was restless, my mind was churning over all the questions that I had. In the early hours of the morning I woke Carl up and told him that I still had so many questions. We talked for a while before going back to sleep.

I finally made the decision to go ahead with being baptised after hearing some of the preceding words of prophecy over the others being baptised including our middle son, Tim. When my turn came the first words of the prophecy were,

“Questions, questions, questions my people have been ministered only questions and not truth. But I am the God of truth I am the God that gives a certain answer, a sure answer. And that is what thou hast sought, and therefore that is what I shall give unto thee...”

The impact of these words was incredible. I knew then that God was the only one who could have heard my words from the night before. It brought to mind the scripture,

2 Kings 6:12: And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, telleth the king of Israel the words that thou speakest in thy bedchamber.

I knew then that I had made the right decision. In the following months I took the class, “The Weapons of our Warfare” in Penparc near Cardigan in Wales. During this I had to unlearn so many false doctrines and attitudes that I had to God and His son Jesus Christ. I cried a lot, prayed a lot and repented of the way that I had treated my Lord. I had to question just about everything that I had been taught previously and ask the question does this line up with the Bible?

While Viv and I were in Penparc, I was assisting Rev. Tim Sullivan with some Baptisms. We were using a baptistery which had been kindly loaned to us by a local chapel. It looked very much like a grave and when looking at it and considering the moment, the symbolism of ‘Water Baptisms’ truly brought the scriptures to life.

Romans 6:4: Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.