The Apostle Paul says in Romans 1.16, ‘I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ for it is the Gospel which is the Power of God to deliver everyone who believes’. All the Power of God, through the Holy Spirit, is in the preaching of the Gospel! It is the Gospel that is the Power of God – and this Power is in you! It’s not an emotion. When the Power of God falls, when the Spirit of God comes on you, you will fall on your knees, on your face and cry out to God.
I accepted Christ as my Saviour at the age of 7 years and 11 months because I knew that if I did not accept Him in my life I could not enter Heaven. I took this decision alone in my bed, because the conviction of the Holy Spirit was so strong I could not sleep. I knew that if Jesus were to come back that night, my parents and my twin brother would go to be with the Lord, but I would be left. I knew Jesus was coming back, but only for those who have found personal salvation through faith in Him. That night I had to obey Him. Without Him, life at the age of 7 years and 11 months was meaningless!
I do believe that it was from that moment that I knew I needed to spend my life saving men and women from the hell which had been so real to me that night. And having since spent a year in a communist prison, I determined, that if hell is worse than that prison, I would give my life to save souls from that hell.
It could only have been a short time after this, possibly the end of that same year, that because of the intensive bombing in London every day, my parents took us to stay with Christian friends in Kilsyth, Scotland. Kilsyth was where my father was based in the 1920s as Superintendent of the Apostolic Churches in Scotland. I still remember that visit because my parents ‘did what you did in those days’ – we, the children, were sent up to bed while the adults spent the evening together. Although we were supposed to be in bed asleep, I could hear music coming from downstairs. I remember getting out of bed and standing at the top of the stairs to listen. I was probably still only 8 years old, but what I heard was the most beautiful music rising up from downstairs. Someone was singing so clearly a beautiful song: ‘Hear the Lord of Harvest sweetly calling, who will go and work for Me today, who will bring to Me the lost and dying, who will point them to the narrow way?’ With the refrain, ‘Speak My Lord, speak to me, speak and I will answer, here am I send me.’
Standing there at the top of the stairs listening, I felt so strongly that the Lord was speaking to me personally and that I was the one whom Jesus was calling. I was so moved by the challenge, so certain that I needed to respond, that without hesitation I quickly answered Him, aged 8, “Here I am Lord, send me.” How like the boy Samuel in the Bible.
Within one year after taking communion and being baptised, now aged 13, I became anxious to hold a meeting in the church. Yes, I was taking part in the youth activities, but this was not enough, I wanted to use the church building to evangelise. Of course I was not allowed, I was only 13 – far too young. Looking back, I am surprised at myself with this desperate desire to evangelise. Eventually after much persuasion, it was decided that, as they did not use the church on Fridays, I could have it then. Together with the other young people we advertised, arranged a worship group, and I was the preacher.
It all went according to plan, except for one thing. That night I went home really distressed and asked my father what was wrong? I was in tears as I explained, I had preached from the Bible just like he did, and I expected someone would repent, wasn’t that the purpose of preaching? My father sat patiently with me; after all he wasn’t just a pastor, he was Superintendent in charge of all the pastors. Slowly he calmed me down and that night, aged 13, I learned the biggest lesson of my life which would change everything and show me the secret of evangelism.
In simple terms, my father said that it is not just preaching which brings people to repentance. He said you’ve not yet received the Holy Spirit; he told me, the Bible says Jesus taught His disciples the first lesson in evangelism when He said, “When the Holy Spirit is come, He (not you, David), He, will convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgement.” My father said, you need the Holy Spirit.