International Testimonies – Page 6

Why wouldn’t I believe!

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What would you do if your son or daughter was interested in someone of a different worldview? Learn how one father in Australia lovingly provided a way for a young man to explore the Bible’s worldview and see what God did in this young man’s life.

We recently received an email from Greg* in Australia. He related to us how his son-in-law, Kyle,* came to put his trust in Jesus. When Kyle had been serving in the military, he had wanted to date Greg’s daughter, Megan*. She was interested in Kyle, but unwilling to date an unbeliever. Her father also made it clear to Kyle that he did not approve of a relationship. But Greg offered Kyle an opportunity to get an understanding of what the Bible is about so Kyle could understand Megan’s faith.

Kyle said he was willing to explore the Bible and so Greg led a study with Kyle and Megan. They got together to read through By This Name. Greg was understandably skeptical about Kyle’s level of interest. Was this just Kyle’s way of getting over the family’s objections? Was Kyle being sincere in wanting to investigate the Bible? Kyle had never been to any church and he had no knowledge of the Bible. He wasn’t even religious in any way. But Greg pushed ahead with the study.

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How churches are grounding their congregations

Recently we received two testimonies. One was from a ladies’ small group from a church in Alberta, Canada and the other was from a church in Singapore. These two churches were an ocean apart but they had the same vision: to ensure every member understood a clear gospel.

These two churches found it useful to use By This Name as the book for small group study. Longtime churchgoers as well as and people still seeking to understand what the Bible is all about benefited from going through the creation-to-the-cross approach used in the book. They saw how the Old and New Testament tied together as one story, and for many, it made them want to read the Bible more! Here are their stories.

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The Bible had always been confusing for me

A church in Singapore regularly runs its own version of a TERM Seminar. They use By This Name as the text and run the course over seven Friday evenings. All types of people, from long-time church goers, to new believers, to those who are just seeking to find out what the Bible is all about attend. Here is a testimony from a recent participant.

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These healers used white and black magic for their treatment

Editor’s note: Previously, we had shared Kaspar’s story on how he came to put his trust in Jesus. In this post, we present Alys’s* side of the story.

I grew up “religious” but have always felt an inner emptiness. I kept asking myself questions concerning the meaning of life. I couldn’t find satisfaction for my soul—neither in philosophical views nor in wealth and success.

During my school years I became friends with a Christian woman. For my birthday, she gave me a book entitled, Der Fremde auf dem Weg nach Emmaus (The Stranger on the road to Emmaus in German). At that time, the book did not really interest me, so I put it aside on a bookshelf and there it sat.

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I was filled with a deep and cavernous void

Photo credit: Matías Ávalos on flickr

A testimony from Kaspar.* (Read the follow-up post from Alys.)

Ever since I was a child, I thought I was a Christian. I lived my life how I wanted, spent a lot of time at wild parties and did everything that I thought was fun. I thought I was living life to the fullest. All of this went “well” for a while, but when a long-term relationship broke down I began asking myself what the meaning of life really was. Nothing was fulfilling anymore. Initially, I didn’t find a satisfactory answer to these questions and so I was filled with a deep and cavernous void. Everything seemed pointless to me–having a family, going to work or making a lot of money. When my father became seriously ill I asked myself where he would go after his death. I did believe in a heaven and a hell, but I still couldn’t be really sure. I became ever more depressed and could even understand people who had committed suicide. Life made absolutely no sense.

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A very duplicatable process

This is a recent testimony from James and Kate* in the UK. Both of them had just started a Worldview Rethink course with a couple who had recently moved into town. Joining them was Pamela*, who had attended a Worldview Rethink workshop last October. Pamela had joined in to learn how the course was conducted.

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I want the God that you preach to free me

Through connections that our ministry has with other organizations, we were able to send a quantity of All that the Prophets have Spoken in French to Africa. The books eventually made their way into the Congo and ended in the hands of a pastor who was involved in prisons’ ministry.

He led a Bible study in French with the inmates of a local prison. Each Sunday, an average of 44 prisoners gathered and the pastor taught through All that the Prophets have Spoken. These men, hearing the Good News were riveted.

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Don’t stop Easter (Part 1)

Four friends The Easter season is a time when the “Christian community” commemorates the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Friends and family show natural interest in the gospel. Churches take the opportunity to reach out to the community. But why limit it to just one weekend? Don’t lose the momentum. This Good News should be shared throughout the year.

A couple of weeks before this Easter season, a group of four women took a flight to another country and spent time teaching teachers how to reach their students with the Good News. What they did will help to spread the Gospel year-round to students who have not heard the message before. Here is their story.

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I walked away from God and celebrated with a beer

Photo credit: Fireramsey on flickr

Editor’s note: This testimony came to us in French and has been translated into English.

I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour when I was 12 years old. At that time, I had recognized that I was a sinner—the deep desires of my heart were wicked and separated me from God. Thanks to Jesus Christ, I was reconciled to God.

After my conversion, I followed the Lord, not without struggle, until halfway through my sixteenth year. I knew that I needed God and His Word in my life, and yet, at the beginning of the summer of my sixteenth year, I decided to follow my own path, doing whatever I pleased. Upon telling the Lord what I intended to do, I opened a beer which I drank to celebrate the choice I had just made. I knew in my heart that this decision would continue long after the summer holidays. That was the beginning, until not so long ago, of a life filled with alcohol, drugs and sex. I abandoned the Lord for 25 years.

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They didn’t waste a moment

Recently, a GoodSeed team travelled to a country that is hostile to the Bible. There, they conducted a TERM Seminar. The participants were pastors and believers who had a desire to share the Good News with others. As they were taught step-by-step, the participants caught on very quickly on how they could teach as they were taught. Here are some quick testimonies from the participants.

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