Gary Hall
I was raised as a Roman Catholic and intended to become a priest after I left school, but the Lord had other plans for me. In 1973, at the age of 17, I came to know the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour at the headquarters of the Liverpool City Mission. This immediately caused problems regarding my family.
My mother and father were against what they called my "change of religion". The situation came to a climax when I arrive home one evening from a Christian friend's house only to be met by my father on the doorstep with the words, "You don't live here anymore". So at the age of 18 I would have been homeless but for the kindness of friends.
One cannot rely on the goodness of others for too long, so I decided to move into a local boarding house. What I saw and experienced there cannot be written here. Eventually, after spending time living rough and in the Salvation Army hostel, I found my own apartment. I had fallen away from the Lord for two years at this time. My thoughts went back to my childhood desire to become a Roman Catholic priest. I made enquiries and found that the only real option for me was to become a monk in the Franciscan Order. The Saturday before I was due to leave for the monastery in Guildford, Surrey, I pleaded with the Lord, asking, "Lord, is it your will that I should become a monk like St. Francis?" That evening I attended a tent meeting in a local park. A preacher from Northern Ireland, Derrick Bingham, was teaching from the book of Nehemiah. During the service the preacher turned to my direction (there were about 500 people present) and said, God does not want you to become a monk like St. Francis of Assisi." Here was my answer from the Lord. From that moment I made a complete break from the Catholic Church and have come to see it as the biggest cult that this world knows.
In 1979 I joined a church, The Mission, in the neighbourhood where I was living. From the moment I walked through the door of that small building I knew that I was home. The godly lifestyle and inspired teaching of Pastor Charles Bolton (promoted to glory 12 December 2003) and his wife brought me back to my first love for Christ. The church had no young people, but I never once felt that I was out of place. These people obviously loved the Lord.
In my desire to reach others with the Gospel of Jesus Christ I began to give leaflets out in Liverpool City Centre. Many a Saturday afternoon was spent witnessing to those willing to stop and listen. On one Saturday in late Autumn 1979 I was approached by a girl with an Irish accent. She asked if I was a Christian and where the church I attended was located. The next morning the same girl was found at The Mission. To cut a short story shorter, six months later on March 29 1980, we were married by Pastor Bolton at The Mission.
Margaret, my wife, also comes from a Catholic background, but was soundly converted to Christ and from the errors of Rome whilst visiting relatives in New York in the summer of 1979. (You may find her personal testimony one day on these pages.)
In 1986 Pastor Bolton retired from the ministry at The Mission. The leadership of the church was handed over to me. To be very honest I did not fully understand what this would entail, but the Lord has been good and has led me each step of the way. Through the Lord's power we have been used to reach many hundreds of people, though our fellowship is actually small in number. In 1988 we changed the name of the church to Living Word.
I am convinced that God is about to pour out His Spirit in revival one last time before the Return of the Lord Jesus Christ (see my article on Revival on this site). This revival will not come via the charismatic movement, it will not come from Toronto or Pensacola, it will not come from the ecumenical movement or the so-called Churches Together - these movements are bankrupt of the truth and the Spirit of God. This final revival will come as a result of the true believers in Christ Jesus getting right with Him. The revival will include a return to the Authorised King James Bible.
My great desire is to see people coming to know Jesus as Saviour and Lord, to see backsliders returning, and to see the church of Christ revived. Though I have many failings I love the Lord Jesus Christ with all of my heart. I am willing to serve Him wherever and whenever He sees fit. The word of God is the delight of my life for I'm still amazed after all these years just how fresh and new The Holy Bible is each day!
Articles by this Author
It is easy to allow the burdens of life to hinder our walk with Christ, but this is where commitment steps in, because all but the committed will know the victory over sin, the flesh and the devil. If we have our foundation in this earthly life, then we will find our resolve to follow Christ failing, but if He is first in our lives, we will stand firm in Him to the end.
We are called to have a close personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. The disciples had the wonderful blessing of being with Jesus and learning from Him throughout His ministry, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life” (1 John 1:1). What use is it to follow Jesus’ teaching yet not have a real relationship with Him? How many Christians have lived a life of obedience to God’s word, but do not know Him as their closest Friend?
All those who have true faith in Jesus Christ are the children of God, but we are meant to heirs also. As heirs we inherit everything that God has promised us in Christ, even if we undergo severe suffering for His name.
"Trial" is defined as "an affliction or trouble”. The remainder of the definition is very important: "act of testing or trying”. There are mainly four Greek words translated "trial” in the King James Bible. One of the four (purosis) suggests refining or testing by fire, “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified” (1 Peter 4:12-14).
As Christians we are always to have our speech seasoned with "salt", “Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man” (Colossians 4:6), which infers that our words must be inline with God’s word. Our speech ought to be free from pride, gossip, foolishness, bitterness and uncleanness. This analogy of Paul comes directly from the teachings of Jesus.
The New Testament teaches nothing more clearly or urgently than the possibility that at any moment we might hear the angelic voice and the trumpet blast that announces the Lord's return, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17). None of us know when He will return, but we have that sense in our spirit that it will not be too long. Christians should live on the edge of their seats, that is, with urgency and great expectancy. The Israelites on the night of the first Passover must have had a similar ‘feeling’ that kept them from falling asleep. With each sound near the door, they must have wondered if this was the moment of their deliverance. Each passing hour heightened their anticipation. Do we feel this way about our Saviour’s Second Advent?
All over the world people pray. Prayer is called for when there is a national or international disaster or when a person is abducted by a terrorist. Through prayer we are asking God to move on our behalf or for the sake of someone else; this is termed “Intercessory Prayer.” “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us” (Ephesians 3:20). Prayer can and will, providing God's conditions are met, accomplish many wonderful things.
God created everything according to His will. There is nothing created that does not have a purpose, therefore God has a purpose for each of our lives. The apostle Paul states that God is working in those who have submitted themselves to Him. This submission means that we ought to please Him in every aspect of our lives. God’s activity in our lives must produce results, that is, what He is working in should be worked out. This is the divine cause and effect. How can we do His good pleasure?
It is obvious to the Bible-believing Christian that false prophets are in abundance in today’s church, but how do we guard against the doctrines that they teach? The church at Thyatira, as seen in the Book of Revelation, was complacent, corrupt and compromised. The believers tolerated false teachers, especially the self-appointed prophetess whom the Lord called “Jezebel.” Historically Jezebel was the wicked wife of king Ahab of Israel. She was able to influence Ahab to promote Baal worship and all kinds of evil in the nation (see 1 Kings 16:31-33). False worship and false doctrine go hand-in-hand. Today’s church has much to learn from the errors of Thyatira.
We are in desperate need of a Heaven-sent revival in our churches, community and country. But the blessing of revival is conditional. Without obedience to God’s precepts and standards there is very little chance of experiencing a visitation of the Lord in our generation.
