Brother Paul Montgomery has graciously given us permission to publish his personal testimony to the praise of God Almighty on the Out of Bondage Website. There are others who have praiseworthy testimonies, we would love to share them with the whole believing world.

I, unlike Brother Allen, was raised in a Primitive Baptist family. I was baptized at the age of 10 at the Little Vive PB Church in Austin Texas by my father Elder Hugh Montgomery.

There are some who can give you the day and hour they felt to be born again of the Holy Spirit. However, there are some like myself who can not give you the day and hour this happens. I do not remember being born again by the Holy Spirit. I would like to believe I was born again before I was naturally born into this world, such as John the Baptist was when he leaped for joy in his mother's womb. If not then, it had to happen at a very early age before memory was available to me.

My first memory as a child was at the age of three. I did something bad and my mother came to spank me. I remember running away from her. But, while I was running, I thought to myself, she is going to catch me anyway so I might as well stop running. Oh, if only I can keep this childhood memory in mind when I run from the Lord from my sins. He is long suffering, yet he will chastise His children when they have done wrong.

All my life I have believed in the Lord. I can not remember a day without believing in Him. It seems I always knew I was saved from my sins eternally. I remember as a teenager a high school friend (we will call him Ted) and myself were trying to convince another friend (we shall call him Steve) that suicide was wrong. Ted made a statement that the only way you can't get to Heaven, is if you kill yourself. I agreed to this statement however, I knew something was wrong with this and felt bad agreeing with it. Even though is was used to prevent Steve from killing himself, it still was wrong to agree with a false doctrine. The fact was, even though I believed in salvation by grace, I could not explain it. It was not until after I left home, I began to study the bible and come to an understanding of the gospel.

Why did I begin to study the bible? I felt it was my duty as a member of a church to know the doctrines that church proclaims to be true. A year after I left my parents home, I was living in Kingsville, Texas and attended the Corpus Christi PB Church in Corpus Christi, Texas. My brother Mike was the pastor at that time. One Sunday service, a visitor came to the church. After the services were over, I and a deacon were talking to this visitor. The visitor asked me what do we as PB believe. I was shocked, I could not tell him for I could not explain it. I said not a word to him. The deacon realized I was not going to say anything, so he began to explain our belief to him. While the deacon was explaining this to him, the visitor looked at me and smiled. That smile cut me to the heart. That night I went home and began to study the bible.

Today, I can tell you what little I know.

• God elected his children before the foundation of the world and predestinated them to the image of His son, Jesus Christ.
• That this Jesus came from Heaven and died on the cross for [the sins of] His elect.
• This death paid the price for our sins because He was the lamb without blemish.
• No sin was found in him, yet he bear the sins of many.
• His body was placed in the gave for three days and nights.
• Even though man tried to keep Him from arising from the grave, by sealing the tomb and keeping guard.
• Christ arose and is standing on the right hand of God.
• Therefore, a day shall come that they who are asleep in the grave shall arise and we who are still living shall be changed in a twinkling of an eye.
• Heaven shall be our eternal home forever and ever.
• Lord come now.

Even after I have come to the knowledge of the truth of our Lord, I still fall into temptation and sin. My sins are the most wicked in the world. Oh please do not tell me I am a righteous man. For my righteousnesses are nothing but filthy rags and I am a evil man. Oh, who will save me from this body of death? I thank my Lord, for he has shown mercy upon me. Why I do not know. His love for me is the greatest gift I have ever had. Thank you Lord for your love, mercy and grace.

Since the experience with the visitor at the Corpus Christi Primitive Baptist Church, I have had the desire to tell all about my Lord and Savior and what he has done for me. It is hard for me to express verbally to others about my Lord. Yet, I have been blessed to write down what I believe. This is by the grace of God that I can do this. For my mind is weak and foolish. Yet he has blessed me in this which I have felt a burden to do. Please pray for me, for I do not know what the Lord has [in store] for me.

• If you are like I was, a member of a church and unable to explain the gospel, please pray and study the word of God.
• When I began to study, my relationship with the Lord grew stronger.
• The sermons became a joy to listen too.
• I use to day dream during preaching, but now I look forward to hearing the preacher.
• My joy for his church is far better that any worldly desire.

I pray for the church, for its members and its ministers.

I ask that you pray for me.

Brother Paul Montgomery