1 Thess 1:5 (NKJV) “For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in much assurance, as you know what kind of men we were among you for your sake.”
Sometimes our eNote encouragements come directly from my email inbox. Here’s one today that I pray encourages you greatly!
BEGIN TESTIMONY: “This email is for both Pastor Ed and Pastor Allen. My name is Russ, and Allen I appreciate you being so gracious in meeting me both times I have attended church on Wednesday nights.
I just feel led to share a word about my life with you. I will keep it as concise as possible and sincerely appreciate your reading it.
I am originally from Georgia where, in the Bible Belt as they call it, I was raised going to church every Sunday as a child. Up through my early teen years I went, but never truly identified or related to the things I was being taught. After graduating from high school, I went to UGA and upon leaving there moved to Colorado (three years ago).
During both my college and Colorado years, I have spent my time desperately trying to find what would fulfill me and what my life journey would look like. Up until now, it has looked like going out to bars (downtown where I live) and partying, being in various unhealthy relationships, and declaring solemnly after a great deal of consideration that I firmly did not believe God exists, amongst other things.
Well needless to say, none of those things brought me any closer to fulfillment than banging my head against a wall. Without going into the story’s details at length, in the last month I found myself at the end of my rope. I could not have been any further from any real truth in my entire life. It was at this point I decided to confide in my friend Jason from work all of the things I was dealing with (not in ANY spiritual sense, strictly for advice). We ended up going to the gym so he could show me some pointers on weight lifting, and afterwards (and I could not tell you for the life of me how the topic came up) we started talking about God. This is the beginning of many evidences I have seen of God pursuing me in my place of darkness.
He explained to me some different questions I had about the Bible and some basic things about Jesus and God (not basic to you I am certain, but mind-boggling to me!). After we talked about those things, I left his house, and found my heart and my mind desiring to know more about this Jesus character and what He is all about. I started by reading this book that someone had once recommended. I have never identified with someone as much as the guy who wrote that book. Without going on about that, the author talks about a couple of his friends who were far from God reading the book of Matthew to see who this Jesus was.
So, upon the advice via book from the author, I started reading Matthew. I read about half of it in one sitting I was so caught up in it. The whole time I was thinking, this Jesus was revolutionary! I think I had let every cultural and “religious” aspect of Jesus I had learned crowd out any actual truth about Him. The next day outside at work I discussed how amazing and interesting Jesus’ life was with Jason. He talked to me about what I had read and it was very insightful. So that next afternoon after going to the gym, I went up to the roof of my building and read the rest of Matthew. Its hard not to type out all of the amazing thoughts I had about it but I am keeping this readable. For the singular first time in my life, I understood who Jesus was and realized that I had found where true fulfillment lies.
Up on the roof I prayed. I didn’t have a clue what to say but I prayed. I told God that I had come to the poignant realization that having me in charge of my life was not working out like I thought, and that I didn’t want to do it anymore. Unlike times in my childhood where I bargained with God for things in exchange for obedience, my only request was to receive His love and wisdom.
After that experience, I asked Jason about going to church (he had mentioned it before) and we went to Calvary Chapel last Wednesday. Pastor Allen, you spoke about the Holy Spirit and it was very good. I am still learning things and didn’t follow some aspects of the message (out of ignorance) but there were several verses you pointed out that were exactly what I needed to hear that night. Not to mention the encouragement of seeing so many people wanting to know God too, and friendly ones at that.
After that uplifting experience but still living a little in confusion, I went about my week and despite prayer and reading still found myself falling back into the same “games” over the holiday weekend that I had been in before. So I came again to Calvary Chapel tonight, praying almost like a confused but very sincere child that God would give me a message that would speak to me and give me guidance with some of the things I am still dealing with. Pastor Ed, I can’t fully express typing what your message meant to me. I never really knew the full non-kids story of Samson. That passage we read from tonight went like a laser to my heart. The way you related that story in your talk (and as you said eloquently yourself) I felt that Jesus himself was speaking to me.
I won’t recount every detail, but in the car ride home I couldn’t get the words out of my mouth fast enough to Jason how much I got out of it. You see, now that I knew my life needed to have someone else at the reins, I didn’t know at all what that looked like. The story of Samson is powerful to me because I identify with being blind and in shackles to what has been going on with me. It was funny to hear what you said Pastor Ed about looking in from the outside on Samson’s life. The whole time I was thinking, “Is this guy nuts? What is he doing? Stop doing that, what an idiot.” Then, as you said the Holy Spirit can enable insight when we are shrouded in those games, and I saw the irony of my thoughts. I am Samson. I am in that Valley. I am blind and chained because of fooling myself. I was set-up. And even in all that, I was as clueless as Samson about it.
Well to wrap up my now lengthy story, I will say this. I don’t want to end up pushing down columns on myself. I could see that what is at first appealing and sexy only inevitably will be the same thing that destroys me. So when you said that prayer tonight after your talk, I said it with you. I am sorry I didn’t stand up or anything, but I didn’t even think about that when I was sitting there listening to you speak. I was just hearing someone speaking directly to me. I had prayed to God (as you see in the story) before, but I wanted to say to Him the right words with the right heart and ask for forgiveness. Thank you so much for leading me in that prayer.
Pastor Ed, in your sermon you said at one point that you didn’t know if the person who was meant to hear your message was even there tonight. I think that was a part of my motivation to write you and Pastor Allen. I want you to know. I want you to know that your message was the spoken Word of Jesus Himself to me. I thank you as I thank God so much for that. Over dinner tonight before church, Jason was telling me truly amazing stories of his faith where remarkable unbelievable things happened. I was in awe, but didn’t relate as well because I had not seen that until just recently in my own life. After tonight, I see that if I have faith and ask God for a message or wisdom or guidance He will send it.
Pastor Allen, I really really hope to be at your Friday night thing this week to experience it. I want to thank you again for your kindness in meeting me. I don’t really have any believer friends beyond Jason so I hope to get plugged in somewhere that I can be around people who are believers too. Maybe that will be one of those places for me.
I tried to keep this as succinct as possible, but there is so much to say. It is late and I need to go to bed. But God bless you both and I hope to talk to you soon in person (hopefully not tearing up as much this time Allen). Thanks again.” END OF TESTIMONY
And so I encourage you to keep pryaing for your loved ones and inviting them to hear the life saving message of the gospel!
In His Love, Pastor Ed
Wow. Encouragement that I needed.
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