MACK'S LIFE

When I was eight years old I lived on the North part of town and the only

Independent Baptist Church was on the West side of town and my Mother and Daddy

started going to North Broad Baptist Church in Rome, Georgia. This was the

starting of the forties

World War II was coming to an end and money was tight because of that Daddy

couldn't pay my way to R.A. Camp. The church had a contest. The person

memorizing the most scriptures could get their way paid and go free. I won my

way to camp the year I was eight, nine, and ten years of age memorizing

scriptures.

When I was eleven years old some children in the church walked the aisle and I

walked with them. I was baptized and became a member of a Southern Baptist

Church. I did not spend much time in church from then until I left for the U.S.

Airforce when I was seventeen years old.

I was stationed in Fort Wolters located at Mineral Wells, Texas. It was there I

met some good friends from Brooklyn, New York which were Catholics and started a

process through the Knights of Columbus to become a Catholic.

After I was discharged and married my wife in 1957 I became a Methodist on

Easter Sunday of 1958 because her family were all Methodist.

We moved to Atlanta. There was not much church activity until Jim Davenport, a

friend of mine, invited us to church at Mid City Baptist Church in Buckhead,

Georgia. It was at this church and at this time that the Holy Spirit brought

great conviction. I walked the aisle becoming a member of an Independent Baptist

Church.

So now I am a Southern Baptist, a Roman Catholic, a sprinkled Methodist, and in

a God fearing Independent, Bible preaching church still lost and on my way to

hell.

It was at this church I borrowed a book from the pastor, Dr. James Atkins. I

don't know the author's name. It was a book of ten sermons and the sermon I read

was GOD AT MY DOOR taken from Rev. 3:20. At the end of the sermon the author

asked me to put my name in the blank and ask God a question. The question was,

"If I died tonight would I go to Heaven or hell?" The God that cannot lie told

me I was on my way to hell. This really made me nervous. The time was three

o'clock on Thursday morning. My wife was asleep. We did not have a Bible in the

house so I went out in my backyard, got down on my knees and started talking to

God. I confessed everything I could think of that I had ever done wrong. I

remembered two Bible verses at this time. They were John 3:16 and Romans 10:13

and I quoted these verses to God. I prayed, "God, if I go to hell I know I will

be exactly where you want me to be" and I offered my prayer up in Jesus name,

not knowing why but only because I had been taught to do that. I got up off my

knees, went in the house and went to sleep.

On Thursday morning I went to Foote & Davies where I worked. I still did not

know that I was saved. When I opened the doors it was as if God did to me the

same as He did to the Apostle Paul, He took the scabs off my eyes. For the first

time in my life I realized the kind of life I was living. God allowed a young

preacher by the name of Arthur Whorten to be the first person who crossed my

path. Arthur never said a word. It was as if the Holy Spirit told him to be

quiet and let me do the talking and I told him what you have just finished

reading. Arthur looked at me and I quote, "Mack, did you get saved?" And I

responded, "Arthur, I got saved!"

I picked up my check that morning, cashed it, went to the Baptist Book Store on

the corner of Baker and Peachtree Street in Atlanta, Georgia, bought me a KJV

1611 Bible and started telling people what Jesus had done for me.

The first book I read after I got saved was Blackstone's, JESUS IS COMING. I

knew He died but I didn't know He was coming back. I believe the Lord allowed me

to get a good foundation in this doctrine early in my Christian life.

Two years later I was ordained as a deacon at the Mid City Baptist Church in

Buckhead, Georgia. I preached my first sermon on a Wednesday night. I had

memorized one of Charles Spurgeon's sermons. It took me about five minutes to

preach.

While attending this church I started to Immanuel Bible College, later on

Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia (the same school Peter

Marshall attended).

The Lord is good! He led us to Forrest Hills Baptist Church under the young

Curtis Hutson. We worked and served there for nine years. During that time

Forrest Hills was the fastest growing Sunday School in America for eight years.

Dr. Hutson was a great soul winner and taught us to be the same. We left Forrest

Hills two years before Curtis went into evangelism.

We started the Rome Baptist Tabernacle in Rome, Georgia and the church ask

Forrest Hills Baptist Church and Dr. Curtis Hutson to ordain me. We stayed with

this church for sixteen years, supporting forty-four missionaries on the fields.

We left there going to the Berean Baptist Church but never could have peace. I

resigned this church, accepting the call to missions and ask Dr. Billy Goolesby

if we could become a part of his church, the Rome Baptist Temple where he

pastored.

We were on deputation for three years. During that time I taught the Auditorium

Bible Class at Temple on Sunday mornings and Marilyn taught the Adult Ladies

Bible Class through the Sunday before she left for the field on Monday,

September 9, 1996