My Testimony- Bro. Billy Vaughn from Billy Vaughn's blog

I had a fairly normal childhood I guess. My parents were divorced when I was about 7. I grew up loving wrestling and rock n roll. By the time I was 11 I was experimenting with drugs, witchcraft, and was addicted to satanic music. But I had always been taken to church all my life, in various denominations. By the time I was 12, I was having suicidal thoughts and deep depression. It just hit me that if  didnt get ahold of God I was going to end up Dead quick. So one night at a trinitarian "pentecostal" church I repented. I mean REPENTED! I went home that night and tore down the posters all over my walls and broke all my heavy metal cds. The next day people said "what happend to you?". They could see an immediate change in me. My teen age years were like most, lots of ups and downs, tempations and giving in to those temptations. But I always knew that I was going to serve God and that deep down there was something special God had for me. When I was 15 I began to study the Bible alot and about different types of chuches. I was drawn to holiness. I began to seek out sanctification and holy living. I began preaching in the Church of God denomination at age 16. About that time a gradual change was happening about how I veiwed God, that Jesus was the one to pray to.  I had read some apostolic literature then Bam! It hit me like a ton of bricks. Jesus Christ is God and I have been so blind! I got the revelation of the oneness of God. I new about a Jesus Name church about 50 miles away that an elderly lady had invited me to quite some time before. I knew she lived holy and had prayed fo me. One night I walked in that little backwoods Jesus Name church in south east Ky. That Lady turned around from her seat and pointed to me and said "I knew you would be here!" I looked around and people were shouting, praying, speaking in tongues, and praying for each other. I wanted what they had. I already knew the Holy Ghost was real, I already believed the oneness of God, I aready knew about baptism in Jesus Name. So just a few times of going there I was determined to get the Holy Ghost. I read Acts 2 and Acts 8 and I believed if I would obey the scripture to be baptized in Jesus name that God would give me the Holy Ghost. I called that pastor up one sunday and told him I wanted to be Baptized. He said come on down right now. So we went down there, way back in that holler, on a cold sunny day in February. I was Baptized in Jesus name at Slick Ford creek, near Monticello KY. I went on to service that night just feeling God like never before. I was up on the plat form playing on a guitar when they began to sing. I started to worship and got lost in the presence of God. Im not sure how it happend but I got that guitar off and was standing in front of the the alter. A brother put his hands on my head and I lifted mine and said Jesus! Then all I know is I hit the floor rolling and praising God in ways I couldnt understand or even control. I tried to get up and could not, I tried to stand and could not, I tried to speak normal but all I could say was Jesus. I new was changed and Jesus (the Holy Ghost) came in that night. Then came the rejection and persecution! I told my boss (the preacher who had baptized me in the titles when I was 12) that I got the Holy Ghost. He said that good. I said yes, but it what else I did that you wont agree with. I got baptized in Jesus name, I said. He looked with surprize and disgust. Then came the questions, the interogation in preachers offices, the losing friends, the being banished from pulpits, even my own family was against me. I was alone, But I hung on to that experience that night, I knew what I got was real and right. I got my strength from the word of God. Then God placed some knew people in my life that made me feel accepted again. I began to preach the One God, Apostolic, tongue talking, Holiness message and been preaching it ever since. Thats been over 10 years ago. I wouldn't trade this Jesus name, Holy Ghost salvation for anything in the world. Thanks be to God!

in Jesus name,

Bro. Billy Vaughn