Christianity - Testimonies

Several people who go to NWCC have kindly agreed to allow us to include here a brief account of how they came to know the Jesus. These are personal stories written by the people themselves.

Joan

I became a Christian in 1985 - June 23rd to be exact, and at 3:35 in the morning to be precise!

My marriage had run into trouble a few years earlier and I began to blame God for everything that had gone wrong. I seriously questioned whether he could exist and decided he didn't - that we humans made him up as someone we could "pass the buck to" - take the blame and responsibility for everything.

As my marriage failed I sought help from anywhere - doctors, therapists, counsellors - but as my own emotional hang-ups and inadequacies were revealed I couldn't cope with them. My marriage finally broke up in 1985 and my father suddenly died at the same time (my mother had died when I was nine). I had absolutely no one to turn to. I was in such a state I couldn't go to work. One particular day I nearly crashed the car on purpose. Only the thought of my young daughter stopped me.

A very dear friend of mine ask if I would like to talk to her minister, who, she said, would not mind that I didn't believe in God. I was so desperate I said I would. To my surprise, instead of offering me tea and sympathy, he offered me - Jesus.

He gave me Luke's gospel to read and I did - trying to use logic to determine that things couldn't be true. As I continued to read I became interested in a God I hadn't known before - a God who created me because he loved me and wanted to be involved in every aspect of my life.

After some persuasion - and wanting to please this minister who had given me so much time - I went to church or the first time in 20 years. I sensed a lot of love in that church and as I left the minister put a comforting arm round my shoulder.

That night I battled with whether I would believe in God or not. I couldn't sleep and wanted to return the love I had experienced in church. I tossed and turned and at 3:35am I said to myself "I have to make a decision otherwise I will never get to sleep". I chose God - and I mentally put my head on his shoulder. I cannot find the words to describe what happened next but it felt like my spirit left my body and I was floating in an intense love. I was aware it was God and when I next remember being in bed I got on the floor, said sorry to God for everything I had done wrong, and committed my life to Him - the God that Jesus had shown me, and had died so that I could come near Him and be forgiven.

Since that experience nothing has shaken my faith in Jesus. I have had some hard times - bringing up my daughter alone, holding down a stressful full time job, moving homes, even leaving a job in difficult circumstances making me totally rely on the Lord to provide for all my needs - which of course he did. I have never doubted that He is with me, loves me and plans only good for me. It is up to me to keep hanging on to His promises which He has kept time and time again. He is always there for me and I have heard His voice in so many ways, showing me the way to go. One of my favourite verses in the Bible is "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5). We will never fully understand because we are not God - so accepting that, we have to trust Him, because He is so much bigger than us. If He created us and the world He can surely take care of me!

Mark

I was brought up in a Christian home and went to church with my family until my mid teens. From a young age I knew I was special to God (as we all are) and tried to do the right things. Even so, in my teens I stopped going to church because I didn't have any real friends there and it was fairly boring. I guess I felt a bit guilty about this but it wasn't enough to make me go.

I went off to University (polytechnic then) and settled into college life. I shared a flat with some other students and one day they were talking about God and Christian things. I knew they didn't go to church and they said some things which I didn't agree with. Mentally I was arguing against them but just at that instant a kind of 'uninvited' question popped into my head which asked - 'What do you know about it then?' That question, which apparently came from nowhere, caused me to think more seriously about God and my relationship with him. Some time later I was challenged again to decide whether I was going to go God's way or my own. I chose God's way that day and have not regretted it once. Life has not always been easy, especially in recent years but He has been there and has led me on to trust him more and grow in maturity.