Saturday 23 February 2013

Bro.H's Testimony

TESTIMONY WRITTEN TO BRO. JOHNSON SEQUEIRA from Bro. H from SRI LANKA (I have his permission to share it)
...................................................................................................................................................................


I am writing my testimony to you what is my journey with my lover, saviour and Lord Jesus Christ.
 
I was living a sinful life from a young age of 14. I found a part time job only so that i did not have to ask money from my dad - so that I could do whatever I wanted to do. I was getting lot of money from that job. At the same time I was schooling. I was a heavy drinker and smoker from that age. I was also a male prostitute and black mailed people by threatening them whenever I needed money. I used to come home by 3 a.m. everyday after drinking with my friends. Bu my life was a living “hell”!

Time went by with the same life style. I finished my schooling, found a job and worked until age 20. Things were moving smoothly in my sinful life. When i was just about to step on to the age of 21 things started to change. I have lost everything; even my job. I was “done” / fed up with everything. At that time I’ve started to go to the church on Sunday. Then one Sunday 'brother Milan' saw me outside church and called me to the front. It so happened he was talking about Jesus and God and i was also kind of interested as i had no other option than believe in God. That day only i came to know who my real "saviour" was!

Thereafter, we used to meet and talk about the Bible and Jesus. And after couple of days i told him “i have nothing to do now”, what should i do rather then waste my time? Brother Milan said so “read the Bible” , then i started to read the Bible and in the beginning it was so boring, difficult and for about a week i found my self falling asleep on the bible. After that first week it became so interesting to read the Bible, i was more and more interested in the Bible. On my 21st B`day my brother Milan and i had only two coffees from a pastry shop as the only celebration of my B`day. And we said by faith surely next year we will celebrate it better. And it actually happened as per our prophesy!
After 6 months i got a job at Airtel , worked there for three or four months. I was terminated from that job due to non-performance. After that back at home again. After couple of days i have started a business which was not legal neither illegal. In the mean time we came to know from a girl friend of one of Milan`s friend about brother Johnson and we attend to the service. I got the sower and the seed CD from there. I was doing the business and i was at home in the day time so i had the chance to study the CD the day time. I used to drop my fiance to office in the morning , come back home study the bible. Months went by and business was also so good , all the time profitable and I didn’t do any savings. In one point my heart was not right with the business i was doing and i stopped the business with in a one day. Now only I can realise it was the Holy Spirit who was talking to me. By this time i was totally out of addictions of alcohol and smoking.

Back at home again and i was asking Jesus what i must to , some how when i was listening to the CD i have heard you were saying be a blessing to someone so i have decided to be blessing to someone who needs help rather than wasting my time and I had lot of free time even after I study the CD. And one of my brother’s mother had a small accident while coming to the prayer meeting , her hand was cracked and doctor put a plaster. And she can’t work for three months so Jesus showed me a chance to help them. I went to their house , helped his mother to cook and for the house work. Everyday i would wake up @ 4 a.m. start with reading the Bible and praising God. Day time i help that brother’s business. That time was so difficult but praise God His word gave me strength and courage to be a doer of the word of the God and continue in the work.
At the same time i had a girl friend too. After about one month my affair was broke up with my girl friend after 6 years affair. It was painful thing for me but praise be to God , He bought me out of that situation and he kept the same brother whom I was helping strengthening me by the word of God.

Three months i was at brother’s place i really praise and thank Jesus because He gave me strength to bear all things and overcome the situations.

And i was applying for new jobs after i returned from brother’s house. And his mother was also totally recovered. I was called for an interview by HSBC bank. The day before the interview day I was suppose to go , i heard about the lady who was in the hospital and overcame the sickness by after you preaching Habakkuk 3:17-18. Went for the interview and i was failed from the first round as there suppose to be three rounds before the final interview. As i walked out the bank Habakkuk 3:17-18 came to my mind and i was confessing that , however after little time i was out of that mind set and rejoicing in the Lord Jesus.

The next day after the interview the same brother was invited by another brother for a movie and i was also invited by them. And i was sharing with them what was my experience of the interview, how I overcame from that and after the movie one brother invited me to join with him and we have started working together from that day onwards. Then another new journey began with Jesus Christ.


And a one fine day i met my ex-girl friend in the bus. And i was out of self-control tried to speak to her and it turned into a cold war. The same day evening her present boy friend came search of me to my place, i ran to hid myself and i was saved. Then what i thought, if fear can make me run so much and drive me , how much more faith can do. Anyway after that i was keep on confessing “ I love them in the name of Jesus” and I was out of that hatred , bitterness. Now even if I see them or if they come to my mind I bless them all the time and I am at peace all the time. And they are married now.

After I joined with that brother we were going through lot of things but praise be to Jesus and His word we are here today brother. I always believe in john 12:24 and today God put the “seal” some of the things. Praise be to Jesus there were never a day i lack anything brother and there will never be a day also. Clients are making the payments in advance. Even the apartment business we are into, all the apartments we've got even without paying a cent , people come from abroad and buy the apartments , they have given the apartments for us to manage. We always wanted to buy the apartments for this business but God directed people to buy those and they have given them us to manage, even without paying a cent to keep the apartments with us, where as other companies are struggling , fighting to get the same apartments and they are even willing to pay money for those. But for us all are Free. Praise Jesus.

• And this time when you preach about worship God saved me from a trap of the devil. I was struggling to make decision about my life as i was cheated by very closest person of mine. But i have realised i must love that person unconditionally and help him to come out of the situation. Even though he has done a very wrong thing. My good Friday was 10/2/13 but today is my Easter Sunday. I know one thing brother the topic of "die to self" has changed my life and it’s the secret of my success in business, in this journey with Jesus Christ but i am not able to do any by my strength but by His grace only.



Bro this is my life's testimony

Tuesday 19 February 2013

GLAD TIDINGS OF PEACE

The Bible says that Jeremiah was a weak and timid man, but God’s power worked in him.  “Before you were born I sanctified you.” Like the apostle Paul, Jeremiah was set apart from his mother’s womb (see Gal. 1:4, Acts 9:15; 22:14). Then God spoke further to him, “I ordained you a prophet to the nations,” and finally “I shall send you.”

Jeremiah, still quite young, is frightened at the prospect of this divinely appointed mission. He meekly protests, “Ah, Lord God! Behold I cannot speak, for I am a youth.” Isn’t it true that we make similar objections? How often we feel our own inadequacy to speak of the Lord and to let the testimony of His grace shine! We forget that when the Lord invites us to serve in this way, there are resources in Himself sufficient to enable us to respond to His invitation.

When the Lord miraculously fed the crowd in the desert, He commanded His disciples, “Give ye them to eat.” Hearing this order of the Lord’s, the disciples could not understand how five loaves and two fishes could possibly feed so many people. But what did Jesus say? “Bring them here to me.” Then He multiplied the meager resources of the disciples and not only satisfied the entire crowd, but had a number of baskets still left over.

This same voice which encouraged Jeremiah and Gideon was heard by the great apostle Paul at Corinth, having arrived there “In weakness, in fear, and in much trembling” (1 Cor. 2:3). It spoke to him in a night vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do not keep silent; for I am with you” (Acts 18:9,10).

What a contrasting message was to be preached by Jeremiah: “See, I have this day set you ... to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down.” It was the tragic element of his life to constantly prophesy judgment, destruction and captivity.

But our situation as well as our message is much different. “How beautiful are the feet of them that announce glad tidings of peace, of them that announce glad tidings of good things” (Rom. 10:15). Isaiah had had a vision of it, that is, of the feet of Him who announces glad tidings of peace (Isa. 52:7). From that time on, in the steps of the Lord Jesus, how many messengers have been sent to proclaim the same gospel; and, to warn sinners of the dangers threatening them (Heb. 2:3). 

Jesus entrusted to His disciples and to us after them, the mission to preach in His name “repentance and remission of sins” (Luke 24:47). ARE WE READY TO GO ON THIS MISSION believing He is going to be with us? ( OR... are we going to protest like Jeremiah?)



Sunday 17 February 2013

PERTINENT QUESTIONS, APT RESPONSES


Questions from a brother in Christ:

  • When Jesus was crucified he said  "My God My God why have you forsaken me? why did he say this?
  • When God created Adam & Eve, he gave them the garden of Eden to rule, but Adam and Eve sinned against Him. Did God knew those things will happen? That they will not obey and ate the fruit? what is the purpose of putting the tree in the middle of the garden?
Response by Pastor D:

1) Jesus had to go on the cross to suffer the eternal judgement of all mankind. So when He was on the cross He took all our sins upon Himself. At this stage, God the Father brought upon Him all the eternal judgement and punishment that was due to us. Just think of it - Jesus had to suffer God's punishment that was due to all men who have ever lived, including, Hitler, Saddam Hussein, etc, etc. It was at this stage that He cried out: "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"

2) God knows in advance everything that is going to happen. So when He created Adam and Eve He knew that they would sin and disobey His commandment. The purpose of this very short earthly life is to test our faith and obedience to His commandments. So He put the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the centre of the garden, but He warned Adam and Eve not to eat its fruit, saying, "the day that you eat of it you will surely die." Adam and Eve failed God's test, because they believed the enemy and not God. This, in turn, led to all men being born with Sinful Nature, or in a state of Spiritual Death. But God had already planned the solution and the Savior of mankind. This is why 1 Peter 1:18-20 tells us that we have been redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus who was "foreordained before the foundation of the world." And Rev.13:8 tells us Jesus was "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." 

(Since Pastor shared them with me, i thought I'd share them with my readers too ... Be blest!)

Sunday 3 February 2013

'ALL INCLUSIVE' LOVE


I choked with emotion on a story of Mother Theresa today!

Mother Theresa sent two young nuns to invite a Hindu leper to the leper's home that the Missionaries of Charity were running. When the two nuns appeared at the door of the filthy hovel of the leper, they were greeted with a barrage of bad words. They took all the bad words with a smile and kept coaxing the leper to accompany them to the Leper's Home. The leper kept on abusing them. They both returned to the convent to report the incident to Mother Theresa.

The next day, Mother Theresa went to the leper herself. She too received the same treatment! Mother Theresa took all the abuse with a smile and stood her ground. The leper then hurled an empty metal cup which struck her face. But Mother Theresa kept standing there with a smile! When the leper had exhausted himself of bad words, she stepped into his hut and began to clean the place. She then cleaned a kerosene lamp and lit it while the leper kept watching. Before she left the hut, she asked the leper to light it daily. 

"To whom should i light it?' He asked (Lepers resent God and man for abandoning them! They feel a deep rejection and 'no love')" Light it for me", said Mother Theresa.

A few days later, the leper found his way to the Leper's Home with the same lamp. He not only lit the lamp every day for Mother Theresa but he also committed his life to Jesus! He ultimately died in Mother Theresa's lap.

The Bible gives many examples of God's 'ALL INCLUSIVE' love for His people. The Lord heals a Commander of the Syrian army (Naaman) of leprosy through Elisha the prophet. It doesn't matter to God that Naaman is not a Jew but a pagan

Prophet Elijah too is sent to the widow at Zarephath (outside Israel) who brings her dead son back to life. It did not matter that she was not a Jew but a pagan.

Have you ever considered how gracious our God is? He knew that the Jews would have hard hearts toward the message of the Lord.  Jesus offers redemption not only to the Jewish people but to us as well.  I praise God that because of His grace we can be included in His plan!!