I Flunked His Test Of Fellowship
I Flunked His Test Of Fellowship
“Pastor Ballestero?” The female voice on the phone asked.
“This is he.” I responded as I settled into the Lazy Boy recliner.
“I’m calling on behalf of Pastor Lester. He would love for you to come to our new FM Radio Station tomorrow night.
He would like for you to evaluate our new Christian Radio Station’s transmitter. Could you come at 7pm tomorrow night?
“He will give you a personal tour of our new facilities, and I think he will try to encourage you to come on board as on of our regular broadcasters.”
I laughed. “Tell him that I’ll do my best to be there, thanks.”
I was into Amateur (Ham) Radio; I had even worked as an Electronics Wholesaler but I knew next to nothing about Commercial Broadcasting equipment. Why would I get invited to ‘evaluate’ the new 50,000-watt FM radio station? I couldn’t.
What was the catch? Was that just a ploy to get me to move our church broadcast to their new station? Probably.
At 7pm sharp I walked up to the front office and announced myself to the receptionist.
“Pastor Lester is expecting you,” she said as she welcomed me and shook my hand.
I heard my name announced over the intercom and almost immediately I was shaking hands with Pastor Lester.
We walked down the hall towards the transmitter room and he placed his arm around my neck like we were old friends. Actually we’d never met. I only knew of him because I heard him on the radio almost every day for several years and he pastored a large Charismatic church in the area.
“I just got back last week from Africa.” He began. I saw over 100,000 get the Holy Spirit in one service in my Crusade!”
“That is amazing!” I blurted out! How do you get 100,000 people to get the Holy Ghost in one service?”
“Aw, that’s easy. I just stretched my hands toward the crowd, and said in Jesus Name, receive the Holy Ghost!”
“And they did?”
“They sure did. Not only that, but we had over 50,000 confirmed miracles the same day.”
I replied, “How did you get 50,000 people healed in one day? How do you do that?”
“Why, I just stretched my hands toward the people and prayed, be healed in Jesus Name!”
“And they were healed?”
“Yes they were. But I also cast out over 1,000 demons in one day as well.”
I stopped walking. “How did you cast out 1,000 demons in one day?”
“I just pointed my hands toward those that were bound and said, in Jesus name, come out of them!”
“And they came out?”
“Yes they did.” He said.
“I’m starting to see a pattern here. I notice that when you prayed for the Holy Ghost to be poured out, or when you prayed for healing, or even when you prayed for demons to be cast out, you said ‘In Jesus Name’ every time. Why is that?”
“Why, Bro. Ballestero, Pastor Lester said in his most condescending tone of voice, the Bible says that ‘Whatsoever we do in word or deed, do all in the Name of Jesus’.”
He smiled.
I smiled.
“Then why don’t you get baptized in Jesus Name?” I asked.
Pastor Lester took his arm off from around my neck and walked back to his office without a goodbye.
I never did get to see that new 50,000-watt transmitter.
Apostolic Expository Series
Christy Ballestero (My Beautiful DIL)
http://marciaballestero.com/
Pastor Anthony & Kim Ballestero, New Destiny Worship Center, Clearwater, FL (My Son)
Pastor Bryan & Christy Ballestero, Temple Of Pentecost, Raleigh, NC (My Son)
James Groce Blog – "Toward The Mark"
Kenneth Bow Blog
Kingdom Speak Podcast
Philip Harrelson – "The Barnabas Blog"
Verbal Bean Ministries
Holy Ghost Radio
The Ballestero Blog 
I like that…hmmmmmm “you always have a way with diplomacy”…then there’s times you just gotta speak the truth and let the chips fall where they may-idiom–(to do something without worrying about the effects of your actions).
Timothy Spell
February 21, 2011 at 2:32 am
10-4 good buddy :o)
Mark McKinnney
February 21, 2011 at 2:32 am
Love it! A lesson was learned that day. You just can’t debate Truth!
bmarkwelch
February 21, 2011 at 2:34 am
I love it!
Nila Marxer
February 21, 2011 at 8:45 am
This is awesome! Thanks so much for sharing each blog, but this one is amazing to see how this guy hung himself and then was not big enough to admit it. God help him and thousands of others out there doing the same ridiculous stuff without a clue! Sending themselves and others to hell with their lack of obedience to God’s Word. Thank you for exposing it! Blessings
Nelda Kyzar
February 21, 2011 at 8:58 am
Classic Ballestero your Dad would have been grinning.
Steve Epley
February 21, 2011 at 9:37 am
That always puzzels me about the great Bible writers that write all these comentaries in the past.Why wouldn’t they take on his name in baptism.Did they get baptised or they just didn’t mention it.Good article.
Marian June Davis
February 21, 2011 at 10:14 am
This is good, my brother! I guess he died without it! How sad!
Dr. John Scheel
February 21, 2011 at 10:37 am
He did. So sad.
mballestero
February 21, 2011 at 11:03 am
Sweeeeeet……..
Veridical Angel
February 21, 2011 at 12:06 pm
I agree with the others who’ve commented. What an opening, what a set-up, and what a pity that he wasn’t astute enough to respond in faith instantly. Still, the “Seed” was sown – he won’t be able to escape the power of the seed – it will lay there dormant, perhaps, until God says – “Live!”
Marjorie Kinnee
February 21, 2011 at 1:58 pm
Roger!!! Something very wrong with that inconsistency!! Well….. 73’s and 88’s.
Kevin M. Shaw (N0BEP)
February 21, 2011 at 2:01 pm
Amen!
Looking forward to hearing you preach this week Brother.
Chris
February 21, 2011 at 5:57 pm
You sir have had an amazing Life! Thanks for sharing.
kennethbow
February 21, 2011 at 3:41 pm
GREAT!!! Hilarious!!! BRAVO!!! I could see it coming and it still caused me to almost fall over laughing!!
Don Pollock
February 21, 2011 at 3:56 pm
Is there any chance that you will have another opportunity to talk to Pastor Lestor? Prior to my baptism, Bro. Davis explained the difference between titles and Jesus’s name. It made sense to me and I was baptized in Jesus’s name. We need to pray for this man. Perhaps if you were to explain it to him, or if you could get him to agree to really seek the Lord’s will on this, he would come to understand that we should ALL be baptized in Jesus’s name.
Ruth Van Dee
February 21, 2011 at 5:47 pm
He died quite a few years ago. He strongly rejected Acts 2:38 and asked on the air that no one from my church call his station.
mballestero
February 22, 2011 at 2:05 am
How could someone reject Acts 2:38?? Especially someone “leading” other people to God? What path was he on….? Not the narrow one! Acts 2:38 is the “Keys to the Kingdom”!!
Bonney Thompson
February 22, 2011 at 3:22 pm
I am a caregiver for a couple with alzheimers. Every time they pray they end it with “in Christ’s name” or “in your son’s name”. I asked them why they never used the name of Jesus and they said it was the same thing. I told them that Christ meant King, not Jesus.And why not say “your son’s name”? They belong to the “Church of Christ”. When I told them the bible said that everything we do or say was to be in the “name of Jesus”, they changed the subject. Interesting observation.
Joyce Flewelling
February 23, 2011 at 9:58 am