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by Brother Carlton

02/21/22
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At the time of my giving this personal testimony I was a member of Faith Baptist Church of Stockton, CA. My pastor at this time was John Doolittle and I gave this testimony before a small congregation before I attended a Bible conference at Mount Hermon near Santa Cruz.

I was about 15 or 16 at the time.

The following is a typed out version that I read to a group of perhaps 20 people.

Looking back on my life now I do not believe I was truly saved although I thought I was and I had the language of a Christian having read and memorized many scriptures.

Why do I say this?

Because my faith, looking back now, appeared spurious. I believe I lacked a true evangelical repentance. The church where I attended is much like those fundamental ones today and I was brought up under an easy believism gospel where the law of God was not preached as a tool used by the Holy Spirit to convince people of their sin.

I knew I was a sinner but over the years I can look back and see that my heart was not really purified by faith. I was filled with lust and other evil desires and listened to many bad and worldly songs on the radio and almost never missed a TV showing of the Miss Universe and Miss American Beauty Pageants besides peeking inside "girlie magazines." I was also filled with much pride and God hates the proud but gives grace to the humble. We don't often see pride as a damning thing but scripture says it is.

These are just a few examples of my character and therefore what I believe was my unconverted state.

Only years later after moving to Hollywood did I truly see my dangerous and desperate condition as a sinner headed for hell.

Salvation is not saying a prayer as I did at around age 14 or going forward at an altar call to verbally "accept Jesus" in front of a local church but salvation is a work of God by divine or special grace as the Almighty draws us to Himself and creates in us a new heart that never wants to sin again. John 6:44

I believe God had enlightened me to my lost condition but I had been deceived into a false assurance and in fact given assurance by many friends and perhaps even my pastor. However, many years later before moving to Hollywood a friend named Bob Pricolo who had read and studied the Puritans got me engaged in serious conversations about spiritual truths within the bible and he got me doubting my salvation. It was a good thing because before my friend challenged my thinking I was in my own mind totally convinced that I was in a right relationship to God.

Many a person who makes a profession of faith is told by their pastor to never doubt their salvation because that is of the Devil but that is simply not true. It may be the Devil attacking you but it may also be the Lord showing you your lack of evidence and your sins that condemn you and prove your testimony to be false and a sham.

We are told to "make your calling and election sure." and "Test yourselves to see whether you are in the faith."

How many times has your pastor or a fellow believer challenged your faith with these scriptures? I'm afraid many if not most professing Christians within the local church are really tares amongst a few chosen wheat. (true believers)

These are almost indistinguishable because we haven't done a careful study of the difference between true believers and false professors or hypocrites.
Here's my testimony at the time I thought I was saved.

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I was asked to give my personal testimony, so I'll first begin by stating that at the age of 9, I was living with my aunt and uncle in Union City, CA. They were good to me. They comforted me, and provided me with nice clothes.

The one discomfort I did have, was the fact that the boys that I went to school with pushed me around all the time. I wasn't able to control this uneasiness.

A few times I got in fights because of the constant pressure that built up inside of me. But now that I've accepted Jesus Christ it's easy to avoid fights. and I think God for it.

When I reached the age of 12 I moved to a dependent Children's home out by the San Joaquin Hospital.

It was there that I ran away twice committed an assault and battery and burglary and as a result was thrown into Juvenile Hall. Fortunately however, I was only in there one night and half a day.

It was a good thing I got out as soon as I did because I was building up an attitude of not wanting anybody to tell me what to do.

My social worker took me out of that place and placed me in a foster home.

After living there about a year, I came to know Jesus Christ as my Saviour.by a man named James Holcomb who witnessed to me and told me how to be sure of going to heaven when I died.

I realize now that God had to bring me down from my boastful attitude, good grades and easy living to a life of trouble and misery until I reached the point and said God help me. Save this soul from hell. I want to be sure of heaven.

Now that I'm a Christian I no longer wrestle against flesh and blood but against principalities and the rulers of the darkness of this world.

At the time I was put in Juvenal hall I was ashamed. I said what am I doing in a place like this. But today if for some reason a policeman were to start taking people to jail because they claimed to be Christians I wouldn't be ashamed. I'd say like Paul said, "I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth, to the Jew first and to the Gentile.

BeforeI was saved I couldn't bear the sorrow and troubles I had. But now I can rejoice in the partaking of Christ's sufferings. I'd like to read a few verses of scripture. Listen carefully to the words.

Peter writes: "But rejoice in as much as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings that when his glory shall be revealed ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye for the Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you. on their part he is evil spoken of but on your part he is glorified.

But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evil doers or as a busy body in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God on this behalf."

When I was in Juvenal Hall I was suffering as an evil doer but now I praise God I can suffer as a Christian and glorify God on this behalf.

Carlton Pruitt ministers the gospel to the Los Angeles area. Formerly a Hollywood actor (SAG member) and junk removal expert he now spends most of his time studying the scriptures, writing articles, hymns and poems and doing street preaching. See all his videos YouTube brother Carlton.

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