What is your Christian story?
Hopefully those of you who were here last week, have been thinking about your 30 second (& 5 min) testimony as we were challenged to do by Stephen Carnaby. He shared a very brief story of his own commitment to faith at the age of 18.
What would you say if someone asked you why you are a Christian, or why you go to Church? Or how could you share something about your faith when the opportunity arises even if someone hasn’t asked you…but the Holy Spirit prompts you to share?
The apostle Paul had an amazing conversion story to share which you can read about in Acts, and he repeats it several times as he meets with others. He tells of how he met Jesus on the road to Damascus where he was heading to persecute Christians, he was literally blinded and came to see and believe and devote his life to Jesus Christ. In the 1 Timothy reading today we don’t hear his full testimony, but a shortened version of his faith, we hear how he came from being a persecutor and violent man to being under the grace of God and coming into faith and love that are in Jesus Christ. Paul describes himself as one of the worst of sinners and now he devotes himself to glorifying God in all that he says and does.
The Samaritan woman at the well in John chapter 4 also had an amazing encounter with Jesus. She was so enthusiastic about meeting Jesus that she ran to tell everyone in her village to come and meet him too and as a result many came to faith. This woman was possibly a bit of an outcast in this village, but her passionate one-line testimony “He told me everything I ever did”, was enough for the people to take note and go and investigate Jesus themselves.
We might not have had such a dramatic encounter but hopefully you have all had an encounter with Jesus, you have some reason for following and committing to the Christian faith, some reason for coming to church every Sunday.
What is your story? What does faith mean to you?
Today we will hear from a couple from our congregation, their stories. Next week it might be you I ask to share a testimony or reason for your faith.
(Invite David and Ruth to come and share their testimonies, they have given permission for me to share them with you)
Ruth’s Story:
I’ve never shared this story publicly. Not with friends or family for fear they will be disappointed in me, or shocked or they will judge me. It’s a time in my life I’m not proud of but it’s a time when God showed me his love for me and his character. Most of you I don’t know and so I guess I can’t lose anything by sharing it. But I hope and pray that my experience will encourage you if you ever find yourself where I was.
This story took place about 25 years ago now when my marriage to my first husband Peter was in very poor shape. I was very unhappy and depressed. I went to my god daughters Deb ball with Peter and was seated beside a man named Steve who was on his own, his wife was back in Adelaide where he lived. I can hear some of you saying oh no!
My husband encouraged me to dance with him as he was alone, so we talked and danced all night. Mistake no. 1. And we clicked. We found we were both in the same boat, an unhappy marriage and generally depressed and wanting out. We exchanged phone numbers at the end of the night, mistake. Number 2. I rang him the next day, mistake no.3. And from then on, we rang each other every day and the relationship became a very intense emotional one. And there began a very inappropriate long-distance relationship, Mistake no. 4. which lasted a very long time. Clearly, I was doing a lot of stupid things.
I had a few trips to Adelaide with my work and the relationship developed but thankfully at that point I never slept with him, but we were definitely headed in the wrong direction. But I was in over my head, and I didn’t know what to do or how to fix it. I wanted it to go away but I was incredibly weak, and I didn’t have the strength to stop it.
Well further down the track I was asked again to go to Adelaide for a job. I knew this was dangerous as my feelings for Steve by now were very intense. I really longed for this man by now. I shared my problem with my pastor Richard who said Ruth say no to the job and don’t go. But I worked in a small dept, and I was the only person who knew the job and there was no way out for me, and I had no option but to go.
And so, I went. Steve and I arranged to meet for dinner, and I knew the night was not going to end well for this Christian woman.
I rang Richard again and told him how weak I felt and that I had no strength. I said as much as I want this, I don’t want it. But I’m not going to be able to say no to him if he makes any physical advances to me which I knew he would as he told me what he was hoping for. Richard said go somewhere quiet and pour your heart out to God, tell him what you’ve told me and ask God to help you.
So, I did exactly that. I went to a park and cried out to God. And this was my prayer more, or less. I said I’m sorry Lord, but I don’t have the strength to say no to this man. I am so wanting of a man who is loving and kind unlike my husband who is finding solace in other women.
I am so weak, but I know you are strong. You’ve promised to help in times of trial, and this is one of those times. I said Lord if you don’t want this to happen then You’re going to have to do something miraculous.
Well, I went home and that afternoon I received a call. It was Steve. He said I’ve been thinking, I think it’s best if we don’t see each other anymore. I don’t want to be other man! We can pick up where we left off after you’ve left your husband but not before. I was flabbergasted! I couldn’t believe what he’d just said.
If that wasn’t an answer to prayer, then I don’t know what was. That was my miracle from the Lord. I was so relieved and happy that I wasn’t going to do a despicable thing.
God showed Grace to me that day and I am forever thankful to him and to Richard who gave me good advice. If he hadn’t given me the advice things may have turned out very differently. I’m so glad that I can say I was a faithful wife to the end albeit for the many inappropriate phone calls we shared.
Many years later my husband and I divorced but I didn’t see Steve again. Instead, I met a wonderful man called David and we got married and had our 8th wedding anniversary last week.
In finishing I’d like to share 2 scripture verses.
Matthew 26:41 NLT “Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!””
1 Cor 10.13
“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
He was faithful, and he gave me the way out. Hallelujah!
David’s Testimony:
Who is David ?
I’m a bit like King David in the Bible; greatly loved by God & one who’s made some catastrophic mistakes in his life!
Jesus is recorded as having said:
John 14:6b “I am the way, the truth, and the life….”
For me that verse has come to mean, Jesus is the way of truth that leads to life!
I was a shy child, not one full of confidence (many can relate to that), but I had a spiritual curiosity; I used 2 sneak off at home and secretly read the Bible; I felt it might somehow be important but could never understand what I w reading (starting at Genesis didn’t help).
God won my heart when I was a young adult through the witness of Christians in community and through the witness of a very attractive Christian girl named Jenny, who I had a crush on.
A few years after uni, God called me v clearly to give up my life as a Maths teacher & return 2 uni, but this time to study theology & prepare for a ministry of some sort.
While on a retreat in 2005, I sensed God invited me to pray for anything I wanted, I felt I was given a spiritual blank cheque. I prayed, “Lord, make me new”.
6 yrs later and after 15 yrs of Pastoral Ministry and 10 yrs as a home Dad, I saw God answer that prayer.
In 2011 I lost almost everything I held dear (my job & place in society, my family, my home, and any financial security I had up till then). In many ways my life up to that point ended, but I gained a clear conscience before God & a greater resilience and strength in Christ; The One who sustains me!
God & I have worked incredibly hard together 2 rebuild my life, step by step, day by day.
I’d like to end with 1 of the scarier passages in the Bible, but one quite relevant to my life thus far:
Mark 8:34c [Jesus] said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me.35 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.36 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your [very] own soul?
I hope you’ve been encouraged to hear David and Ruth’s stories. I thank them for being brave and vulnerable to share with us this morning. You can see how God might use those stories to encourage someone just when they need it – someone going through relationship difficulties, or temptation, or wondering if God answers prayers. They might be a starting conversation for someone to ask more about their Christian faith.
Testimonies often inspire and boost our own faith. It is the testimonies on the Alpha videos that so often move people, they see what a difference God is making in people’s lives, that he is real, not just up in the clouds or that he was only active and alive when Jesus was on earth over 2000 years ago. People need to see that Jesus is alive and living in us today! And to know that he longs to meet them too.
We may have an initial conversion story like the apostle Paul, (or maybe not quite like Paul!:)) but like Paul, we need to continue to grow in our faith, continue to encounter Jesus everyday so that people will see that our faith is a daily, living, breathing part of our lives. If your faith has grown tired, then perhaps you need to ask Jesus to fill you afresh with his living water, the Holy Spirit. Spend time remembering all that Jesus has done for us.
I was given this book Amazed by Jesus, from the author Simon Ponsonby when we went up to Oxford on the Alpha conference. I have just finished it and I find it really helped lift my eyes afresh to Jesus and to be amazed.
He writes a few pages to consider why Jesus is amazing. I’ll read you just a few lines…
He reigned divine in unapproachable light and incomparable glory,
He created all things and kept them going by His powerful word,
He was endlessly worshipped and adored by myriad upon myriad of angels,
He overflowed in restless love and created humans in His image to love…
He did not turn away when we turned away but kept advancing toward us,
He never gave up on us never rejected us never stopped loving us,
He wed himself to human flesh in virgin womb,
He took upon himself our very nature so He might give His nature to us,
He dwelt among us, one of us…and age 30, he left obscurity, and began His public ministry and He spoke as no man ever spoke before and people who heard Him were amazed and some afraid and some angry and,
He called people to leave all and follow Him and he forgave the sins of the adulterous woman and the cripple who got up and walked and He tenderly touched the leper and healed their skin and removed their shame and,
He bent double with compassion at the suffering He saw in others, and He raised the dead boy and gave him back to his mother, He opened the eyes of the blind and He opened the ears of the deaf and He opened the prisons of the tormented and He opened the way for us to God. Now that is amazing…
Ponsonby continues describing Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension finishing with these words:
He is coming back to be with us, and He will judge the living and the dead and He’ll wipe away all our tears and drive away our fears and heal our wounded years and He will fully, finally vanquish all evil and He’ll make all things right,
Meanwhile He’s still healing, still cleansing, still delivering, still inviting and today 2 billion follow Him and many millions suffer for faith and one day the whole earth will be covered with His glory and
He’s called Jesus – which means God saves us – and He does and,
He’s Emmanuel which means God is here for us and,
He is the Lord – He is God over us,
Yes, He is amazing.
When we truly encounter Jesus, we see how amazing he is then like the Samaritan woman we will want others to see him as well.
I pray that you will daily meet with and be amazed by Jesus. The disciples met the risen Jesus and were filled with the Spirit and proclaimed his name. Paul and the Samaritan woman met Jesus. They believed and received his amazing grace, accepted his offer of living water. They were spurred on to share their stories and God’s love. Ruth and David met Jesus and have experienced answered prayer and shared their stories that have encouraged us today. It’s as we truly fill up on Jesus’ life-giving spirit his love will naturally flow out of us when we meet others… A smile, a caring listening ear, an encouraging word, an offer to pray, sharing your story of the hope you have in Jesus and at the right time telling them that God loves them.
Let’s pray: Jesus thank you for who you are and how much you love us and show us grace. Come and fill us afresh today, I pray we will seek and meet you every day, growing deeper in love with you. May your love for others overflow through us, use us for your glory. In the amazing name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.