A Conversion story from Cork Harbour by Colin Jenkins

I had been asked to visit this Chinese ship by a colleague in Liverpool, because he said there was a Christian on board. This was very exciting for me as Chinese Christian seamen seem to be very rare.

So I visited the ship and asked if there were any Christians on board. They said no, but I was invited into the mess room (place for eating).

Later I asked about the man I'd been told about, so they brought him to me. We had a wonderful time chatting.

Fred (not real name) said that he had received a Bible (Chinese) in a Korean port and because he read it he thought that this made him a Christian. However, he had many questions and had no peace in his heart. He said it was so bad that he couldn't eat or sleep properly!

He said that he really needed to speak to a Chinese Christian to ask him the questions. Wonderfully I knew the leaders of the Chinese church in Cork and was able to bring my friend Jim (Chinese) to the ship. We then went back to Jim's house for fellowship and food.

Fred really enjoyed chatting to Joseph. Then one lady from the Chinese church said that we should pray. We had a lovely time of prayer and could really feel God's Holy Spirit with us. We sat in silence for perhaps 5 minutes enjoying the peace. Then Fred suddenly said "Now I know Jesus is alive!"

We were surprised and asked him how. He said that as we prayed, he could feel God's love coming to him. He said that this kind of love only exists amongst family members and that since we had opnly just met him this must be God's love!!!

Then he said something really profound. He'd had so many questions bothering him that he had no peace, and couldn't sleep etc...

Then he said "Questions can't do anything, but love can do everything!!"

God's love had reached his heart. In our culture we get so hung up on all the right questions and having all the right answers; on precision and being professional and knowing everything. However without love, knowledge (as it says in the Bible) just 'puffs up'. It's a waste of time without love. Love must be a (or perhaps the) mark of authentic mission.

Fred also began piecing together how God had answered his previous prayers! It was really amazing, and very moving. However he feared going back to the ship when he knew all the temptations and pressures from his crew-mates would surround him again. He asked us for some Christian music to encourage him.

Please pray for Fred who's wife laughed at him when he told her that he'd become a Christian.

---------------------------------------------------

Another story of a lovely Christian Chinese seaman just sprang to mind.
This man told me that in 14 years sailing on Chinese ships he'd never met another believer. Their typical yearly contract last 10 months, with a 2 month vacation back home. Imagine how lonely this is away from family and unable to go to church or even meet another Christian!

This man told me that when he was little there was only 1 Christian family in their village. He was a very sick baby and the doctors told his parents that he was going to die. One old Christian lady in the village said that if the family became Christians then their baby son would be healed. The family agreed and miraculously he was healed! Praise God! Now there are many more Christians in the village.

Pray for this seaman who is often starved of fellowship, but clearly has a vibrant faith. It was such a blessing to meet him.

Multiple Conversions from Colin Jenkins of the Society of Christian frends of the Seamen

I can share a testimony of a Korean friend who came to Cork to learn English. She came with us to church to see what it was like. My wife held Korean Bible studies for students with three or four girls. Some of them became Christians and were even baptised. Sadly some others made comitments, but now seem to have fallen away again, possibly due to a lack of 'follow-up' or discipleship.

One of the girls said that before she became a Christian it was as if she was walking in a dark tunnel with no end in sight. She then said that since she became a Christian its like she's walking in the bright sunshine!

Another two girls said that before they became Christians they were skpetical of religion and thought that only weak people need religion. They believed in themselves and their own abilities. However they realised that they were rejecting Christianity without even giving it a chance. This infuriated one of the girls especially, and she one day found herself giving thanks to God in prayer!! She had been coming along to church with my wife Sunhwa and I, and one day the minister asked that if anyone wanted to become a Christian they could share in the communion service. Both girls joined, and it was clearly a significant day for them. Sometimes people who are away from home, or are foreigners in a strange land have much more open hearts to hear and believe the Good News of the Gospel. Seafarers are also like this.

Please pray for these girls who face opposition from family and friends now that they are back in Korea. Pray for them to settle in church and make many Christian friends.

Another friend of mine whom I met in Cork who comes from Burma has an amazing story. He had to flee Burma because it was dangerous to stay there, and he has recently been granted refugee status in Ireland. He (Mike) said that God brought him to Ireland. He originally intended to go to America. It's wonderful that God brought him to us. He had been coming to church a lot and has an open heart also. He came along to Bible studies and games nights, and also visited ships with me. He wanted to become a Christian, but wasn't really sure where to begin. One evening I had the joy of leading him in the 'sinner's prayer'. There has been a big change in his life. He was so excited about being baptised that the night before his baptism he told me he couldn't sleep, and he even had a vision of Jesus baptising him! He shared a powerful testimony during his baptism service. Please pray for Mike as he has had clear spiritual attacks since his baptism day. He also needs discipleship and good Christian friends.

Interestingly he commented on the lack of interest in church and the Bible in Cork. He contrasted this 'closed' heart with the open heart of seafarers. He himself has been a seaman before coming to Ireland. He said that if you gave someone in Cork a Bible (even if it was a gold-covered Bible) they wouldn't be interested or even read it. However he said that if you give a seaman one piece of paper (like a tract) they will read it 1000 times, even if they come from another religious background! I have found this to be true. Many seafarers are spiritually starving! Mike said that whenever a ship chaplain visited their ship it was as if God himself had paid them a visit!

In our days of post-modernism, relativism, individualism, religious skepticism, pluralism and aparent 'post-Christendom' God is moving silently! God works despite our selfishness and failings as his people the church to be 'salt and light' to our generation.

Before I go I would also like to share the amazing story of the Korean church! 100 years ago Korea was called the 'graveyard of Christian missionaries'. When I paid a visit 2 years ago we actually visited one missionary graveyard.

Today S.Korea is one of the biggest missionary-sending countries! An amazing transformation has ocurred! How could such a thing happen? The answer is PRAYER! "Prayer and fasting" one elder in the largest church in the world (Yoido Full Gospel - 800,000 members) told me is the key! The revival which happened in Ireland 150 years ago this year also began with prayer. However, not only prayer...

Each member of this amazing church witnesses to at least 1 person each day for Jesus. They also read 3 chapters of their Bible each day and spend 1 hour in prayer each day!

This may seem to regimented or legalistic to many here in our part of the world, but it speaks volumes to me about sacrifice, dedication, loyalty, service and faithfulness. Perhaps words which we feel a little uncomfortable with, but words which should characterise the Christian life. Let's be inspired onto greater service and sacrifice by our dedicated brothers and sisters in Korea. In all the churches every day they have early morning prayer meetings before the days' work. These begin at 5, 6, 7, 8am! Then people go and do their days work! On Friday nights there is usually an all-night prayer meeting!

Christians in Korea take their faith seriously and put God in the only place he wants to be - 1st place!
--------------------

FROM GANGSTER TO STREET PREACHER by Victor King

As a child, I went from troubled - to bad - to worse. By the time I was 17, I had dropped out of school to become a gangster. I was addicted to alcohol, smoking, vulgarities and pornography while pursuing a life of crime. One day I met a girl who invited me to church. There I met Jesus Christ and surrendered my life to Him. I have never been the same again, as my life continues to undergo an amazing transformation.

I was born in Singapore in 1980, and grew up in a Christian family. Despite hating to go to church, I was forced to attend by my parents. They sent me to a Christian school but that didn't help. When I reached high school, that's when I was influenced by my friends, and got involved in a gang, smoking and skipping school. Things were turning from bad to worse as this became a lifestyle of bondage for me.

Then I started stealing, vandalizing, drinking and getting into fights. My folks found out about it and tried to talk me out of it, but it didn't work. I was very rude, hot-tempered and vulgar. My teachers, the school staff, relatives, good friends and even counselors tried talking to me, but none of them could get through.

The Street Life

I was expelled from school because of my bad attitude and poor attendance. I became a dropout at age 17. It didn't really matter to me that I was a dropout. Rather, it gave me more reasons to become a full-time gangster.

I frequented pubs with my gang members daily. I became a very heavy smoker and I got hooked on alcohol. I was full of obscenities and got addicted to pornography. I started womanizing and stayed away from home most of the time. There were times I got involved in armed robberies. Most of my friends were drug addicts and ex-convicts. This troubled life took control over me. I was so lost in my sin. I became the worst guy in my family. No one could change me; not even the Army.

After I was drafted into the Singapore Armed Forces, many people thought I would change for the better, but unfortunately, I did not. I got himself into the army prison (detention barracks) for going A.W.O.L (unauthorized absence) and for my bad attitude. I was also brought back to the police station a couple of times. My lifestyle kept pointing me to the prison, but I would always escape without getting caught.

My slavery to the devil came to an end just a few years ago. I had had quite a number of girlfriends in the past, and most of them were unbelievers. Five years ago (as of 2008), I got to know a girl who was a Christian. She brought me to her church. The Lord Jesus touched me and I started to break down. I suddenly felt so in love and loved, but I didn't know how or by whom. All I knew was that this love was something beyond human experience. That day I received Jesus as My Lord and Saviour.

Life Transformation

My life was not the same after that day. As time went on, Jesus delivered me from so many things. Nine years of heavy smoking ended. Six years of alcohol addiction was gone, and as time went by, God supernaturally took me out of the gang; delivered me from vulgarities, anger, womanizing, pornography, filthy lust and many more bad habits. The Lord made me see women in a different way.

I became a new creation in Christ. And I was also healed of a 10-year urinary bladder problem. Amazing grace! What man could not do, Jesus did. The people who knew me were shocked at the changes in me. The Bible says, with man it may seem impossible, but with God, all things are possible. It also says that sin shall have no dominion over us for we are not under law but under God's grace.

The Lord is still working in my life. I have felt the power and the manifest glory of Jesus in my transformed life.

There is hope in Jesus Christ. I'm living proof!

Victor King

An Indian Testimony by Brother SAMBI

My full name is - SAMBI REDDY or simply Sam and I am from Hyderabad, Southern India.
SAMBI- "Spiritually Awakening Mortals by Biblical Illuminations"


My website aqddress is www.sam4salvation.blogspot.com Please feelfree to visit


The Essence of the Good News I heard-

ROMANS 5:8-9 (8)But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.(9)Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!


JOHN 10:11 - I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the
sheep.

PHILIPPIANS 2:9-11 (9)Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,(10)that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,in heaven and on earth and under the earth,11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christis Lord,to the glory of God the Father.

He was saying that Jesus came into this world to save the sinners..but not the righteous(no one is righteous in the sight of God).The Holy scriptures said that every human was a sinner.Man by his birth alone has sin in his nature. But God ,in His mercy, showed me the heart of Father towards his sons and daughters who had gone astray. The Father alone,in search of his children came into this evil world in the form of man(son)by humbling himself from the Throne of Heavens to the rugged cross and surrendered himself to the enemy of our soul, and in love,thinking of you and me, took the place of us. There He ,took the punishment on the cross were he was brutally murdered .. How genuine and convincing the message was?-i sighed.But,i was not ready to accept Him as THE ONLY WAY for Mukti.

THE HOLY SPIRIT-THE POWER FROM ABOVE-NO OTHER RELIGION HAS HIM [THE PERSON OF THE HOLY SPIRIT] -
Gentle Holy Spirit hovering over a hindu like me....

Joel 2:28 (King James Version)
28-And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:


John 16:8 (NIV)
8-When He comes, He(HOLY SPIRIT) will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment

JOHN 3:5 - Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' 8The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit."

JOHN 16:13-But when He, the Spirit of Truth, comes, He will guide you into All Truth. He will not speak on his own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come.

In the last moments of message,the servant of God led us in the SINNERS PRAYER.I knew I desperately needed it. I was conscious of my sin since my childhood. I confessed that I was a sinner to the core of my being and invited Jesus as the Saviour of my life[not as the only Saviour].I had lighter feelings. Afterwards some radical things happened in my life.Dr.Paul Dhinakaran was praying for the deliverance from the bondages,afflictions and addictions like alcohol,drugs and smoking.He was urging the crowd to plead to the Lord for the anointing of the HOLY SPIRIT.It was very new for me as there is no such power in our religion.I hadn't witnessed it in the Catholic circles also.I knelt down and united with the prayers of the speaker and asked the LORD for the HOLY SPIRIT.Suddenly i was empowered and a supernatural weight descended on me.I knew i was not the same person .I was empowered.At this time also,Jesus was like an additional god apart from millions of gods.He had a super natural impact on me.In the last minute,people were testifying about the miracles experienced.Some testified that they had changed their religion suddenly and dumped their idols.I hated that point and gnashed my teeth against them.As an empowered soul, I went to the ‘Jesus calls’ Book stall. I was attracted to one particular book penned by Dr.D.G.S Dhinakaran.The title of the book is -7 LAST SAYINGS OF LORD JESUS ON THE CROSS.In the midnight i reached my room.The very next day,a sudden urge came to take alcohol.I knelt down and cried.In that moment I sensed the deliverance of the strong desire for alcohol. I felt it was a complete deliverance. I never touched alcohol again despite the forces of my friends. Glory to God.Yet, i didn't accept Jesus as my only Savior.

FROM 'ONE OF THE WAYS' TO 'THE ONLY WAY'-

Acts 4:12, "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."

"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.'- C.S.LEWIS

I had experienced a miracle personally with the empowerment of the HOLY SPIRIT from above. My old faith couldn't help me get rid of my addictions.Should I follow this new religion by shifting loyalty to this new god? I contemplated. No. Miracles like this happen in other religions. I wanted to know what really distinguishes Jesus from these other gods. What Jesus only can do and others can’t? Though I know I was a new man both outside and inside, I didn't accept Jesus as the only God. I posed many questions genuinely. How can you alone be the ONLY GOD? How can thousands of saints of other religions be wrong? How come you are exceptional? Perhaps, you are the BEST among all gods and ways-I reflected: When the best is free, why the rest? I pleaded Him to reveal the mystery and enlighten me if He were the ONLY WAY.
A sudden appetite to know Him more and more grew in my soul. I started reading His scriptures. The New Testament, Gospel of John. Each night, since AUG-16th, I used to kneel down and pray in the Holy Ghost. I was studying and deeply pondering over THE SEVEN SAYINGS OF LORD JESUS ON THE CROSS. What a miserable death He had on the cross-Why, Why no one else in the history of humanity? When even the one created by His hands were killing HIM - Jesus in His mercy urged the Father:"Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing"...I was struck there. It sounded to me something great. I found myself in the 4 worded letter "them”. But, unlike what others say, this Jesus in his last words was forgiving us. Some illumination penetrated my inner eyes. This example of Jesus has been exceptional. I was sure that nobody could emulate Him on the cross. I found solution. His last words penetrated my soul and. I asked Him forgiveness.
I reflected a lot over this sui generis example of JESUS-Was Jesus a Lunatic to pay His LIFE on the cross merely for being treated as one of the multiple means of salvation?The other so-called gods and ways hadn't suffered like HIM-Why? I got convinced that it is indispensable to believe Jesus and His intriguing claims for Mukti .I observed that my previous faith had been the continuation of the legacy of my forefathers and allowed no place for me to take my own decision.I sensed -In the name of Religion, something wrong has been happening in the world.I then believed that HE WAS THE TRUTH,THE WAY AND THE LIFE.NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH HIM- John 14:1-11

In that silent night,in that darkness,rays of light penetrated my soul.I knelt down and surrendered to His love and gave my life to Jesus.

When i started loving Jesus,the world started leaving me(not all). Beloved,the pains. the world has been hostile to Jesus.I also encountered many trials and storms.But, i have also experienced the goodness of the Lord..
I sing
"On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.

Reflect - Had I taken the right decision?
The real person or the nature of anybody will be revealed when he/she goes through the TRIALS.The personality of God,the character of Father,love of Jesus was revealed when we have gone astray.In His last words God didn't react unlike humans and demigods.God so loved the world and sent His only begotten son - Jesus to save us.Those who believe in Him will be saved and will have eternal life .


Continued as a comment on this post.

The Nicky Cruz Story: God and the gangs

The Moses Alexander story 1

Roy Davidson

I wasn’t raised in the church. I had never attended a church or read a Bible, but when I was 21 years old I had a girlfriend, Amy, who treated me like I was God. No previous girlfriend had ever given me so much attention and made me feel so special. But to finish my college education, I had to move away from home and attend the University of Kansas. Amy stayed in St. Louis, and for two years we commuted five hours each way for dating. The physical distance between us took its toll, and we broke up before I graduated.

I was devastated. That was the most serious relationship I had ever been in. She had convinced me that I was everything to her, and then, boom, it was over. I was feeling terribly lost and lonely over that breakup. I felt like my whole life was a mess. For the first time, I was so distraught over a girl that I cried, but I never would let anyone know it.

As the days went by, I got more depressed. It wasn’t so much the loss of Amy as it was the fear of building a new relationship with another girl that might also end some day. I didn’t want to risk another heartache or rejection. I was feeling so down I was literally sick to my stomach. There was a burning, gnawing feeling inside that almost felt like I had to throw up.

Pacing the floor of my apartment, I walked into the living room and turned on the TV. It was almost evening on a Sunday in March or April of 1972. I had an old, portable black-and-white TV with only four or five channels on it. I flipped through each station, and on all the channels were preachers and church services. I wasn’t interested in listening to any of those kinds of shows, but when I stopped searching, the last station had evangelist Oral Roberts preaching.

Before I could turn the TV off, something struck me like a freight train. All Oral Roberts said was, “God loves you,” but it felt like he was talking directly to me. Everything he said after that seemed to be exactly how I was feeling and thinking at that very moment. It was uncanny. At that moment I had an overwhelming notion that I should get to a church right away. I didn’t know why, but it was urgent that I get to a church as soon as I could.

I jumped up and scrambled around looking for a phone book. I looked up churches in the yellow pages and tried to pick one to go to, but I couldn’t decide. I didn’t know what the church names meant or what the difference was in the denominations, so I just got in my car and started driving around town looking for the right one. When I turned the corner onto Massachusetts Street, there was a small building on the right that looked inviting. By this time it was dark out, so I could see people through the glass doors in front. I knew there must be a service going on inside. A red, neon sign out by the road read “Church of the Nazarene.” I had no idea what that meant, but something was enticing me to go in.

As I parked my car and headed for the door, I realized I didn’t have a clue what I was doing there. I couldn’t anticipate what I was going to hear or see. My mind was thoughtless. It didn’t even matter to me why I was there; I just had this unusual, instinctive feeling that I was supposed to be there.

It was quiet when I walked in. There were about fifteen to twenty men, women, and children scattered around in the pews. I don’t remember any old people. Everyone seemed to be fairly young. The only sound I could hear was the pastor crying. I sat way in the back where no one would notice or talk to me. I kept waiting for a sermon, but none came. Everyone but the pastor sat still and quiet. The pastor began to cry harder and started wailing. He paced back and forth across the pulpit with his Bible open in his hands as if he were reading it. Then others in the pews started sobbing. Some of them got out of their seats and laid down on the floor. Soon they began wailing, too, and rocking from side to side.

I was stunned. Having no idea what this was all about, I got up and started to run out. But guess what? I ran straight up to that pulpit and threw myself down at the pastor’s feet. I began uncontrollable weeping and wailing myself, and to my surprise, I felt a warm, oozy feeling coming over me.

The pulpit was a raised platform about two feet high. I knelt with my knees on the floor and my chest flat-out in the pastor’s path. I have no idea how long I laid there. I remember trying to pray, but the only thing I could say was, “Thank you, God. Thank you, God.” I kept trying to pray something, anything, but my mind was blank. All I could do was cry and keep repeating, “Thank you, God.” I can’t remember if the pastor touched me, prayed, or even spoke to me. I was so overwhelmed with such a good feeling of release that I never even looked up at him.

When I stood up and turned around, I could see that a few people were gone and the overall volume level was a little quieter. The pastor was pacing again, and no one was paying any attention to me. I felt so relieved; it was like a thousand pounds had been lifted off my back.

Slowly I began to walk down the aisle, wiping the tears off my face and heading for my car. I felt so good; I wasn’t in any hurry to leave. I got to my car, and before I started the engine, I burst out talking to myself about what had just happened. There I was, sitting in my car, laughing and talking out loud to God just like He was right there with me. I can’t describe the feeling exactly, because it was a presence of something, someone, that I had never felt before. It was the presence of God, assuring me that my troubles were over and that He had a plan and purpose for my life that was much better than I could ever imagine.

God had given me the revelation that if my relationship with Amy had continued, I would have had a lot of heartaches and a miserable life, ending in divorce. I realized that breakup had to happen because God had something better planned for me. This was no subtle little understanding I would have eventually come to on my own. It was different and had nothing to do with my mind or my thoughts. It was in my whole being, not in my head. It was a confirmation that God was real.

I left that church a changed person. I couldn’t do some of the things (sins) I used to do anymore. That experience set me free from trying to fit in with the crowd. I was less worried about what others thought of me, and it put a drive or need in me to tell others that God is real. I started my car and drove away with my windows rolled down, laughing and hollering at everyone I passed by. All the way back to my apartment, I was so excited I kept shouting out my car window things like, “Don’t worry. God is real. God will take care of you. ”

That born again experience started my personal walk and personal relationship with God that has lasted my whole life, leading me all over the world to do volunteer mission projects, and even write a book titled: God is Real. The book documents His undeniable supernatural powers. Please visit my web site below and read the excerpts from my incredible, miraculous testimonies… they just might change your life!

God Bless You.

Roy Davidson
redav50@aol.com
www.roy-davidson.com

08 February 2009 06:50