Testimony 4 - (1985)Jesus Call Me To Himself
We were expecting our third baby when we attended an Anglican charismatic conference in Manjimup (a country town in the Southwest of Western Australia). This was where I finally gave in to Jesus.
The keynote speaker was Father Terry, then the parish priest at St Paul's, Darien, Connecticut in the USA. Terry talked about John Baptist announcing that Jesus would come and baptise His people with the Holy Spirit and with fire, and what this means in the light of the Book of Acts, the Gospels, the New Covenant and the whole Word of God. He was talking about the charismatic element in Christian life and the life of the Church.
By now Trish, my wife, had been an enthusiastic born again Christian for a few years, but I was not. In truth I was "sitting on the fence", with one foot either side. Really I just went along, I enjoyed the singing and fellowship. We were familiar with "life in the Spirit" that was why we were at this conference.
Terry's teaching was very compelling, it had a certain academic and scriptural rigor, I saw things more clearly than I had previously. On the Saturday night, as we drove to our friend's house where we were staying, I told Trish that for my birthday I wanted one of the new NIV Bibles. She immediately asked "so you are ready to give your heart to Jesus then?" "No", I replied, "not yet", I knew that I would have to bow my knee to Jesus when I became Christian, and I didn't think I was able to do that. "Maybe next year".
Next morning we did Sunday Church at the conference. At one point Terry asked if there were any present who wanted to give their heart to Jesus that day, who wanted to become Christian right then and there. I had thought this through the previous night so stood quietly, a bystander, with my hands clasped behind me. Soon, very clearly, I felt strong fingers encircle my right wrist and tug me backwards. "Very funny", I thought. Trish had gone out to check that our kids were ok; no doubt this was her having fun with me as she returned to her seat. Imagine my surprise when I turned and nobody was there. No Trish. No-one was near enough to have reached out to touch me.
Who held my wrist? Who tugged my arm? In my innermost self I knew that it was Jesus. "Come now", He seemed to be saying, "don't wait till next year, I want you now".
Straight away I went to the front, I did whatever was asked of me, probably I prayed a "sinner's prayer", it was all just "extra"; I already had said "yes", I already knew that I belonged to Jesus, I was in a cloud of love. I was almost forty-three years old.
I have never for a minute doubted that Jesus actually came and took hold of my arm, and drew me to Himself. No matter how tough things have gotten over the years: how my life seemed to be inconsequential, how I was unemployed for long periods, how spiritually I was stuck, how I seemed not to be growing in Christ, not going anywhere for years at a time ..
Trish and I had serious trouble with our marriage for a time. My memory is that neither of us moved out because we both wanted to keep the children. Truth be told, I was more scared of God, who had given me Trish, than I was of Trish herself. After much prayer we decided to link up with Jesus into a three strand cord (Ecclesiastes 4:12). He has kept us together, bonding us ever stronger and closer.
Now, thirty (in July 2010) years later, I see Jesus' plans for me, for Trish, our marriage, our family, our salvation, and His Kingdom, all working out. There was never no progress. But it was always His progress. It is His plan, He equips and makes ready in His own time. Patience and perseverance are fruits of Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). We do not grow and become patient by living only in gratification. God is love (1 John 4:16), Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:9).
Amen.
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Be very blessed in our lovely Lord Jesus.
This sounds so real!
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