Full sermon text.

32 years ago this summer at vacation Bible school, I gave my life to Jesus. I was just shy of 10 years old, and didn’t know what to expect. I grew up in a non-Christian home.
We went to church for around six months when I was little, and my Grandpa, and friends provided influence that my parents didn’t. As a result Jesus was brought up at Easter and Christmas, but not much else. I did have friends at school, who were believing at the time, thankfully! The question I most remember asking my formerly Catholic grandfather was, Grandpa, “what is Easter actually about?” It was then, when I was around 7 or 8, that he told me the story of God and Jesus.
I grew up with a mom who really didn’t know what to do with me, which is honestly not her fault, because youu don’t get a parenting manual when kids our born, you just have to rely on your own ingenuity and innovation. Oh, and a vision teacher who constantly decided to reprimand me, because that was just her way of doing things! She even interrupted other teachers to do so.
To her credit, she thought I could do more than my parents ever did. Not so much more, though. She did have me enrolled in ballet class, when I heard my dad say to me at the very beginning of my first year, “you can’t take ballet lessons.” However, my parents and her both thought I would never graduate high school, and they nearly made sure I didn’t, even though I was on full track to graduate, I was thrown into the remand and sentence system.
In other words, I was given a modified diploma, forced to take an incomplete in one of my classes, and sent to an institution for three years. Fortunately, the place no longer exists today!
During this time, I prayed daily, and relied on my faith. Even though I did not have biblical knowledge, I relied on what my school friends, and my Grandpa told me. That The Lord died for me, and that he rose again on Easter Sunday, and also, that he would be my savior for the rest of my life!
Romans 5:8 says, But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. John 3:16-17 state:
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begottenSon, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
Now is the time for me to ask you, if you would like to know Jesus like I do, if you want him to come into your heart, and be your Lord and savior?
This is only the first step. The next step is to be baptized with the holy spirit, and receive the gifts that he wants to give us! Without the gifts, we make ineffective witnesses! In other words, we wouldn’t be able to “go and make disciples of all nations,” as Matthew 28:19 says.
The baptism of the holy spirit is extensively discussed in scripture, something I don’t have time to get to today, however I will get to these two things. acts 1:5says for John truly baptized with water,but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
Acts 1:8 says But you shall receive powerwhen the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea andSamaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Now, would all of you like to be baptized with the holy spirit, and have all of the gifts?
The last and final step, is to ask anyone if they need healing. In addition to being our Lord and savior, and sending the holy spirit to guide us, Jesus is also our healer. What do I mean by this? he will heal anyone with any kind of issue physical, or emotional.
Isaia 53:5 states:
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.
James 5:14-15 ssay:
14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
So, is anyone here sick, or injured? I would like to pray for healing for you!