Boldness & Freedom: The Testimony of Stephano Joseph
The testimony of Stephano Sandley Joseph begins at one of the family bible study’s held by his parents Wilson Sr and Edlene Joseph. Right after the Bible study Pastor Wilson gave an alter call and Stephano felt a tug on his heart to receive Jesus Christ as his own personal Lord and Savior.
Immediately after receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior into his heart Pastor Wilson Joseph Sr. asked if anyone wanted to be baptized in the Holy Spirit. Stephano came up once again to receive the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. After asking Jesus to baptize him into the Holy Spirit Stephano felt a warming sensation on the inside of him rushing all over his body. According to him this symbolized what Jesus said in John 7:38 “he who believes in Me, as the scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” This was a powerful experience and confirmation in his life, but a still more powerful confirmation was that after being Baptized in the Holy Spirit he started speaking in other tongues.
A year after receiving Jesus and being baptized in the Holy Spirit Stephano felt a strong desire from the Holy Spirit to seek God diligently and to dive into the word of God. As he mediated on the word of God, spoke in tongues regularly, praised and worshiped God he got a tangible revelation of God’s love for him and a revelation of God’s grace toward him. Additionally, God gave him a revelation of his identity in Christ, empowering him with the freedom and boldness to live out his faith in spirit and in truth.
In seeking God and being transformed through the renewing of his mind to the word, the Lord was also able to give Stephano a glimpse into his God-given purpose. In this purpose Stephano got a vision from God of being a minister and teacher of the word of God to share the goodness, grace and victory of God in his life. In the King James Version 1 Corinthians 16:15 says that the ‘house of Stephanas’ addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints’. Stephano believes that he has also been given this same passion by God to minister to others through Love Motivation Ministry.
