A church member let me borrow this book/magazine from 1972. He was part of the Jesus people movement and has been sharing stories with me from that great outpouring. This reporter covered a lot of those happenings at that time. Below was one particular aspect that was part of that move of God.
“But Bob Larson's altar call this night was something very different and for me, a little unsettling. The young people who had gone up to the altar had already been saved' but now they were preparing themselves for a second experience--the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. I vaguely remembered someone telling me a person could have two Baptisms the Baptism of water and that of the Holy Spirit.
The second, I was told, gave Christians greater power and strength in their faith, and it could often occur when hands of a strong believer were laid on the head of the one to receive the Baptism. What precisely it was, I didn't know. The Christians said it was the power of the Holy Spirit entering a person's body. That wasn't really very descriptive for me. The Holy Spirit had always been the vague member of the triumvirate. I was always able to picture him only as a slightly obscure flicker of flame or a plump white dove. Watching Bob Larson, I got a better idea of this supposed union.
About a dozen young people had answered this altar call and as they approached the rounded stage, counselors -others who had been Christians for some time and who had been taught to assist at services came up behind them.
Larson stood before each person and prayed over him, a little in English, a little in tongues, "Oh Jesus, halleluia, praise you Jesus, praise you Lord, ala ca mea, kea malici mea ola kala, oh praise you Jesus, give her the Holy Spirit, Father."
The intensity was electric. Larson's loud forceful, beseeching was accompanied by the counselors who were praying out loud themselves, also half in English and half in tongues.
As Larson's prayers reached a certain peak of constructed tension, he would put his hands on the person he was praying for. Some would fall over backward to be caught in the waiting arms of the counselors. Others would begin to gyrate and cry out loudly, "Thank you Jesus. Oh thank you, thank you Jesus."
One young girl, dressed in a long flowered dress, was prayed over for several minutes. Larson prayed for her loudly with his head raised, and several counselors surrounded her with their arms on her shoulders praying fervently. "Oh Holy Spirit, come to her now. Come to her. Oh praise Jesus. Praise Jesus."
The girl was kneeling, slightly bent over, and then suddenly she threw her head back and shouted "Oh God! Oh my precious God! Oh thank you Jesus," and tears were streaming down her cheeks and her face was absolute ecstasy. The counselors kept their hands on her.
After a few moments she sprang to her feet and hugged them: 'My God! I never thought it would be like that!
I never dreamed anything could be that fantastic. Oh praise Jesus!"
The counselors were smiling and hugging her and one said, "didn't we tell you?" And the girl kept saying over and over, "yes, oh yes, but I never dreamed! Oh thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus."
