Testimony of How I Met A Man From Glory

By:  Marcus Bennett

This is my story of how I met a man from glory.  My name is Marcus Bennett, born December 23, 1967 to Bible believing parents Fredrick and Barbara Bennett.  From the time that I could remember, I attended church on a regular basis.  During this time, I was a happy kid and loved spending time with my family.  I enjoyed school and played sports.  I was also a typical kid that got into trouble for challenging my parents, but I knew how far to go.

When I turned twelve years old, my parents began to ask if I wanted to go to church as church was interfering with my play time.  I decided not to go to church.  At twelve I began to make worse choices like who my friends were, places I would go, and the things that I would do.  I began to listen more to my so-called friends and their ideas, instead of remembering the morals, values, and ethics my parents had instilled in me.

This was the turning point in my life because I had exchanged what was best for me for what was exciting for a moment.  This choice led to being disruptive and ditching school; fighting, drugs and alcohol, crime, sexual immorality, and the disrespecting of my parents.  This behavior became more intense which caused me to distance myself further from my family.

I heard these words, “I am praying for you.”  Then I was arrested and sent to juvenile hall.  My mother encouraged me to go to church and ask God to deliver me.  I went and the minister spoke and all I remembered were these two scriptures: Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” and Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  These verses have been with me ever since.  The minister told us to ask God for anything and He will reveal himself to me in thought.  So I asked God, “If you let me out, I will believe you.”  Within a week, I was being released from juvenile hall, put on a bus, and given directions home.  As a juvenile, you were only to be released to your parents.  I know it was God letting me know He was releasing me unto Himself and into His care.  This happened in August of 1983.

I did well for a month or so, and then I began to hang out with the gang members.  I was fifteen years old and had an attitude.  I thought I was hard, so I put all my efforts into being hard and making a reputation for myself.  I succeeded to a degree because I had begun to be targeted by other gang members due to the activities I participated in as a gang member.       I was arrested again in 1986 and spent several months in a juvenile camp.  This time I didn’t go to church.  I didn’t call out to God because I had not kept my word the first time.  I came home and my behavior was worse, especially the drinking and drugs.  I had totally dishonored my parents.  I had taken each relationship for granted and violence became my way of communicating.  I was becoming more detached emotionally, physically, and spiritually which made it easier to harm other people without any thought.  I became really insensitive.  I no longer had a care or concern for people.

In 1987, I met a young lady that challenged me to want better for my life than crime and punishment. I had to admit that she did cause me to think of the direction of my life.  The lack of meaning that it had really hurt because I thought I was tough.  While pregnant with our first child in the summer of 1988, she began to push harder for me to focus on the child that we were about to bring into this world.  Her fear was that I would die before our child was born.  I knew she was right; but I thought how do I turn my back on my homeboys?  This struggle caused me to drink more and smoke weed more.  My daughter was born August 12, 1988 and I was still in my madness.  She decided to take our daughter and raise her elsewhere, so she left me.  After some time had passed, she asked me what I was going to do.  My response was, “What are you talking about?”  Her response was that she was not going to raise a child under those circumstances and was taking our child back to her country.  I became more violent and drank more.

In 1989, I assaulted and attempted to kill a person.  I was sentenced to seven years to life plus three years.  In 1990, I entered state prison, still drinking, smoking, and behaving the same.  In 1994, I was told by the parole board that I needed to attend AA if I wanted to get out of prison.  I was attending an AA meeting and I began to hear about God in everything.  I began to really give AA some thought, but that’s all it was, a thought!

God had begun to put people in my life.  They shared with me who God is, how God loves me that He desires a father/son relationship with me, and that God has a plan for my life. These men of God would invite me to service.  They would give me scriptures to read on my own and they would ask me later about those scriptures.  As I began to get older, I started thinking about my family, my current situation, and the people that I’ve harmed throughout my life.  I had started feeling again.  Whenever I would do something wrong or against the rules, it would go terribly wrong.  God was softening my heart which caused me to hear His voice that much louder.  It was April 23, 2003 when I decided to receive Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and savior.  From that moment, I knew that I had met a man from glory.

From 2003 through 2006, I struggled as a new convert, and what I came to understand was why I was struggling.  I learned from many brothers that I needed to be discipled in how to conduct myself as a follower and servant of Jesus Christ.  The brothers shared with me that I had entered into a battle between my flesh and the Spirit that now lives in me.  I was baptized October 11, 2007.  I began to serve the local church by becoming an usher which was, and is, the most humbling lesson of being a servant and of service.  I began to be more involved in various areas of ministry as a servant.  Then God put it in the heart of Pastor to entrust me to facilitate groups and conduct Bible studies.

In 2009, as faithful servant, God put it in the heart of the Pastor to install me as a Deacon.  Then in 2014, serving as faithful Deacon, I was installed as an Elder until I transferred to Solano.  I arrived at Solano August 8, 2015; and as I observed the church, the church was also able to observe me.  After 90 days of attending services, Bible studies, prayer service, and videos, I spoke with the Chaplain and submitted myself to the man of God for service whenever and however.  As I remained faithful, God put it in the heart of the leaders to allow me to conduct Bible studies.  Then I was blessed to be a part of the Life Above Reproach.  There I was able to fellowship, grow in the area of being accountable, and grow in the knowledge and grace of our Lord and savior; but mainly, it allowed me to meet more of the family of God.  It is now August 2016.  I continue to trust and serve God, the body, and the community as a whole giving God all the honor, glory, and praise.

I will close with these scriptures for those who do not yet know the Lord.  2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”  Matthew 25:41, “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:” For those who are in a relationship with the Lord, I leave you these two scriptures.  2 Corinthians 4:1-2, “Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart.  But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but my manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.”

Matthew 5:13-16

God is Good

Brother Marcus