Category: Testimonies

A cycle of sin, confess… sin, confess…

Sin, Confess... Sin, Confess...Let me take a moment of your time to tell you my story–the true story of a Christian who became a Christian. No, that was not a typo! Let me explain…

I grew up in the Bible Belt surrounded by churches. The local school was called a Christian school; and most folks were called Christians. My parents also subscribed to this way of thinking. We went to church Sunday after Sunday, read our Bibles and prayed regularly. In fact, we made a good number of short-term mission trips together.

So it happened one day that the local evangelical church we attended had a joint Sunday School meeting. All the kids were gathered together to watch a film. I can’t remember what it was about but I do remember an adult stepping forward after the film and saying that if we wanted to go to heaven that we needed to invite Jesus into our hearts. So around the age of five I did just that–without telling a single soul–not even my own mother.

Continue reading “A cycle of sin, confess… sin, confess…”

How churches are grounding their congregations

By This Name Clas in SingaporeRecently 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.

Continue reading “How churches are grounding their congregations”

I found my faith in Christ through this study

Ladies Church StudyOur ladies’ study group consisted of 12 ladies with different levels of Bible knowledge. There were ladies with no knowledge at all, some with many of years of study and everything in between. The study ran for two months and we met every Wednesday morning. Our book study was By This Name by John R. Cross of GoodSeed International. The commitment was to read 1-3 chapters every week and fill out the companion workbook before the sessions. At the sessions we would watch video segments that would reinforce the previous week’s reading as well as go through and discuss the questions in the study guide.

Continue reading “I found my faith in Christ through this study”

The Bible had always been confusing for me

By This Name ClassA 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.

Continue reading “The Bible had always been confusing for me”

Dad, are you ready to die?

Photo credit: Bruce on flickrStuart* levelled his eyes steadily at his father Frank. He took a breath before asking one of the most difficult questions a son could ask: “Dad, are you ready to die?”

Frank had been in and out of the hospital over the past few months with a series of problems. First there was a fractured hip, then the cancer and now there was fluid in his lungs. The doctors had run tests and determined the problem—his kidneys had failed.

Continue reading “Dad, are you ready to die?”

These healers used white and black magic for their treatment

Photo credit: Phalinn Ooi on flickrEditor’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.

Continue reading “These healers used white and black magic for their treatment”

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.

Continue reading “I was filled with a deep and cavernous void”

Four visits to the manicurist. Four books on the good news.

Photo credit: Hoa Dang on flickrWith willingness and a keenness to share the gospel whenever the opportunity arises, one can never tell how God will use a person to give away the Good News. Here are four consecutive visits to the manicurist that resulted in the good news being shared.

First visit
Last December, while Christina* was getting her nails done and having a chat at the salon, Christina’s manicurist wondered aloud what she should get for her seven-year-old son as a Christmas present. Ever alert for an opportunity, Christina asked if her son liked to read. The manicurist said yes and Christina went to her van and from her “Be Ready” box, pulled out a copy of The Lamb. She presented it to her manicurist as a gift for her son. On a subsequent visit, the manicurist reported that her son loved the book and got his father to read him the story every night.

Continue reading “Four visits to the manicurist. Four books on the good news.”

I want the God that you preach to free me

French All that the Prophets have SpokenThrough 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.

Continue reading “I want the God that you preach to free me”