Jo Testimony - (George below)
It always seemed like I was the one on the outside looking in never managing to fit in with any group. From a very young age I questioned why was I born? What’s my purpose? What’s the meaning of life? Everything seemed so pointless - And then you die??? What’s that all about?
New Age
Witchcraft
After my first marriage ended painfully I began to search desperately
for life’s hidden answers and sadly I made some wrong decisions by turning to
New Age occult, a form of witchcraft involving Transcendental Meditation, yoga,
shiatsu, spiritism, visualisations, Reiki, Auras, Tarot cards etc. You think
these things are innocent? I know otherwise from painful and expensive
experience.
Do you
think you’ll go to heaven?
It took 12 years and lots of wasted money to realise that New age was
just a money making sham. I wondered what next? Actually, I only knew one
Christian and considered just maybe God or religion was the answer to my search.
Eventually, I took the courage to ask if I could go with her to church. But
before that happened I met George. During one of our many conversations he
asked me directly one day “Jo, do you think you are going to heaven when you
die”. I said “of course”. Then, gently he began to explain to me the truth
about God and why He sent His son Jesus to die for my sins on the cross so I wouldn’t
have to take the punishment for them. Jesus suffered so that I could go to
heaven if I repented for my sinful self will and accepted Christ as my personal
saviour.
You will
go to hell!
I can tell you, I was shocked as I learnt for the first time that I was
a sinner. Sin simply means not living Gods will but fully committed to my will,
my way, my life. George told me that the bible teaches by rejecting Christ’s
salvation I had already made the decision that I would go to hell not heaven. God
would simply respond to my decision to reject His free offer of forgiveness.
Can you even imagine it wasn’t God sending me to hell, but instead He was
simply allowing me to refuse heaven! This message that Jesus loved me and wanted
to save me made so much sense. I quickly repented, asking forgiveness for my
sins and invited Him to take over my life instead of me!
A
Relationship NOT a Religion
Before I made such a mess, now at last I had found what I had always
been looking for only I never guessed it was
Jesus. What a relief to learn it wasn’t a religion but a relationship
with the son of God Himself. Now, my life is full of joy, hope and purpose. I
didn’t simply believe a cleverly designed story that someone told me. I can say
for sure that now I know the Lord Jesus personally for myself. The good news is
that just like me, you can know Christ personally and know you are going to
heaven also.
GEORGE'S TESTIMONY
I’m
George from Scotland. My childhood was very different to Jo’s, I had a drunkard
father, a house full of terror, no money and all our neighbours avoided us. We
were the odd ones out on our street. I felt trapped in shame and poverty; Twice
beaten without cause by catholic priests as a child, had developed in me a
hatred for all things religious. I called myself an atheist, lost all morals
and the name of Jesus was just a blasphemy and a joke to me. In reality I was full
of bitter self pity. I despised my life and everyone in it. I was 13 yrs old
the first time the police locked me in a cell. Anger, frustration & crime
became a way of life for me.
The Monster Calms
I was
16 when my drunkard father suddenly converted to Christianity. I was amazed at how
gentle he became, but I was still too angry for the years of shame he had
brought on us to talk to him. I never considered his pain, only his failure. By
now only a miracle could change my hard heart from the path of crime and
destruction I’d set myself on.
The Tidal Wave Broke the Explosives
Loose
At 18
yrs of age the miracle happened. I was a drug dealing, porn selling seaman
crossing the Atlantic Ocean. Our large ship pitched and tossed for days in a
raging hurricane. Mountainous seas washed right over us and then a roaring tidal
wave smashed into and almost capsized the ship breaking loose explosive deck
cargo as it did so. These heavy and dangerous drums rolled and crashed around
the deck, death seemed certain. In fear
I offered the God I didn’t believe in a prayer “if you will get me out of this
I will serve you”. I have no recollection of the following minute as I seemed
to lose consciousness. The amazed crew later told me how I ran out on to the storm
tossed deck and with superhuman strength began lifting and securing the 45 gal
drums as if they weighed nothing. I was lifting the fourth drum as I regained
awareness and saw the astonished crew staring in disbelief. And, in less than one
hour the mountainous seas had become a mirror flat calm. Now I was really afraid.
“What just happened? Who are you”? Allah, Buddha”? Because of the hatred I held
for the priests I couldn’t imagine this miracle was anything to do with their
God or Jesus Christ. I was willing to accept any other god but not Him.
I saw Jesus Christ & He
spoke to me
Six
months passed and I was daily asking this mysterious God “Who are you? Where
can I find you? One night Jesus Christ himself appeared before me. I cannot
describe the shock when I saw Him, His face shone like the sun, He spoke and
showed me there below His feet the wicked sins I had recently committed. Seeing
His great brightness and my filthy sin shattered my hard heart with repentance.
I wept aloud and uncontrollably. He told me that it was Him that created me and
He had a plan for my life. I cannot deny that amazing encounter changed me
forever. Now, I know that Jesus
Christ is the Son of God. We have since witnessed many life changing miracles,
blind eyes opening, deaf ears hearing, the lame walking. Yes my friend Jesus
Christ is very real and willing to forgive your sin also, He wants to adopt you
as His child. Will you accept? I can hardly wait for heaven and I hope I see
you there.
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