Brother James Jones

I was saved when I was about 8 years old during a fall revival at Sycamore Valley Missionary Baptist Church. The church is located in the southern part of Macon County, not far from the Smith County line. I was the youngest of four children. We were raised on a hillside farm not far from the church. We were greatly blessed with godly parents that loved us, taught us to work hard, and how to provide for ourselves, but the greatest thing that they did for us was to take us to church and teach us about Jesus.

As I set these words down to tell my experience of salvation, I cannot put a value on church going, godly parents. I can not express how important it is for parents to take their children to church.

My father was a preacher, and as a child I was taken to church quite often. Often times he would pastor two churches at one time. He helped in many revivals. Between regular Sunday services, business meetings, summer and fall revivals, weddings, funerals, graveyard decorations, and creekside baptizings, church was my second home. I have cried at church, slept at church, got in trouble at church, been punished at church, gotten sick at church, and thank God I got saved at church.

It was at the Sunday morning service of the fall revival when I first felt the hand of God. The church was full of people. The church doors were left open and people were standing on the outside. The preacher had finished his sermon, and they had given an altar call. There were several people on the mourners bench seeking God . I was sitting on the front row of the awomen section (if facing the pulpit, these were the benches that were lined up to the left where many of the women of the church sat, the opposite side or amen section, is where many of the men sat). I was sitting there with my mother. I was just a little kid without a care in the world. I have no memory of the sermon that day, not even who delivered it. My world was so simple and comfortable. That was all about to change, As I sat there on that bench, the sun was shining in thru the open back door to my left and just in front of me, young people were seeking God on the mourners bench. My oldest brother came over, sat down beside me, placed his hand on my back and lowly said my name. At that moment the bright sunlight was over shadowed by darkness as the crushing weight of conviction set up in my heart. Where only moments before a young boy with a carefree heart sat, there was now a heart blacker than the darkest of nights. My brother did not ask me if I was lost, he did not have too. All he did was come over and lightly touch me and call my name, God did the rest.

Where would I be today if he had not followed God’s direction that day? Oh how important it is to follow God’s calling during his services. It only goes to show how even such a small action on someone’s part can be such a wonderful blessing to someone else.

As I sat there in that complete darkness, I turned to God. For the many, many times that I sat under the preaching of the Gospel, I knew in whom to call and trust. So many times I had heard my father preach “you must forsake all things, brother, sister, father, mother, and all possessions”. I was just a small child, and if salvation had cost anything at all, then I was in bad shape, for I had nothing. Thank God it’s free. As I sat there praying to God, I began giving up all that was dear to my heart. One at a time I gave up each member of my family. As I would see them in my mind, each one would fade into the darkness. After giving up my last family member, my mother, I was left with a vast dark hole in front of me. At that point I came to God with a broken and contrite heart. I put all my trust in Jesus. When I let go of everything, even my own life, when I cast my very life in that dark hole, trusting Jesus to catch me, God saved me. After that there is a small amount of time that I have no memory. The next thing I remember is the church service was over and I was standing beside the back door upon the pulpit talking to a friend and how bright the sun was shining thru that door. No greater feeling has ever been felt than on that day. It was such a blessing for I became lost and was saved at the very same spot. I do not know how anyone can carry that burden and fear for any time at all. Thank God they do not have to.