Glimpses 33 - Dave

Why I am a Christian?
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The Apostle John, writing in 1 John 5:9-12 - "We accept man's testimony, but God's testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life."

Why Is It So?
A testimony is an assertion offering firsthand authentication of a fact. For the Christian Disciple, classically it is generally expressed as how they became a Christian Disciple. But I think it is more than just how, and should expressly include why you are a Christian Disciple. I wonder what is your testimony about how you became a Christian Disciple? When was the last time you thanked our God for your testimony? Have you even thought about your testimony of how you became a Christian Disciple? I am sure you have all heard kids in the supermarket yelling out "Why?" to their parents. We all have, I am sure, questions we want to know the answer to. Why? The question I am often asked is "You are a Christian. Why is it so?" My father, was and remained throughout his life a convinced agnostic and in the few conversations we had about religion and Christianity, he could never understand why it was, that I could not just admit that I would never know if God existed or not, far less a God who was personally interested in me. I was frequently told that Churches were dangerous places and Christians merely deluded fools... My reply as ever, was that the very question "Why is it so?" needed to be answered, in order for me to be satisfied.
Why I am a Christian?
Now I could say that at the age of 12, we moved to a town on the coast of Australia, and was invited along to a local youth group and several weeks later, gave my life to Christ and became a Christian. Of course that is partly true. I can't even claim to be a Christian because I was raised in a Christian country. Australia was and is probably the second most secular country on this planet. Sure Australia has its moral base grounded in historic Christianity, but for the latter part of its history, Australia has been thoroughly secular and non-religious. Even if I had been raised in a country such as England, with Christian parents, that would also, only be partly true and I could have rejected Christianity as many people do. The reason that I am a Christian is not because I chased God, but rather He chased me. Unknown to me at the time, God was chasing me and following my every path with the urgency of a lover after the beloved, just as described in the Song of Songs (Song of Songs 2:2-14).
God had been pursuing me
This piece of poetic Scripture speaks about the love that God has for his people, and the energy He puts in to calling his people to Himself. He is always reaching out, for all to return to His arms. As for me, it wasn't until I was a 12 year old that I heard that I needed to accept Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. Before that I didn't know I had to do anything with this Jesus. Jesus was only a curse word for me at the time. That or was just someone or something that the RE teachers bored me with at school.
We are primarily Christians, not because we come to church services or just happened to have been born in a supposedly Christian country. We are primarily Christians, because God first chased and harried us into His arms. We are Christians, if you are one, because God first loved you. And as a tremendous lover, He beckons and calls people all the time to respond to His call, and back to Him. How does He chase us with His love? He chases each person differently, just as each Christian testimony is different.
Take for instance the Apostle Paul in Acts 8 & 9. God chased him through Paul's mind and his religious upbringing and education. Paul had known about God from his childhood. Paul was a righteous Pharisee who saw persecuting these ‘Christians' as his religious duty, so that he may somehow find favour with God. As Paul was gloating over the death of the martyr Stephen, God was pursuing Him, probably raising doubts in Paul's mind as to why Stephen would say at the point of death "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit and forgive them for what they do" (Acts 7:54-60). Surely doubts must have been raised in Paul's mind as he approved of this death (Acts 8:1). Paul was also wrestling with his conscience. Externally he was a righteous man, a Pharisee of Pharisees. Yet when he internally examined himself and his heart, he found himself failing regarding covetousness, which is the last of the Ten Commandments. Then finally, Jesus himself makes a sudden and dramatic appearance before Paul and confronts him directly, "Why are you kicking against me? Why are you rejecting my advances?" (Acts 9) Paul's conversion to Christianity is often described as being sudden. But the only thing sudden about his conversion was this climatic appearance of Jesus.
Just as that was true of Paul, it is true of me, just as it is true of all those who profess to call themselves a Christian Disciple. I am a Christian Disciple not because of anything I have done, but rather because He first chased me, and because He first loved me. Jesus himself said "I came to seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19:10).
If you are a Christian today, it is not because of anything you have done. It is because of the events at Christmas and Easter that you are a Christian, when God entered this world as a human baby and took all the necessary steps so that all people could have the choice to be His people or not. In my more smug moments I used to congratulate myself for being a Christian. How proud I was that I, was a Christian and that God was a jolly lucky God that I had decided to follow Him. It was during one of my less self-deluded moments, that I examined myself and I found God pricking my conscience and correcting me, and I read the New Testament "For the Son of Man came, not to be served but to give His life as a ransom for many" (Mark10:45).
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Glimpses 34

Jonny Rose
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Glimpses 35

God speaks at home and at traffic lights
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G’day and welcome to Partake Glimpses Stories. Where we see together how Jesus is alive today, working in peoples lives in different ways and is relevant to the world today, 2000 years after He walked the earth, died, rose again and ascended to the right hand of God the Father. Today we have an experienced pastor, Jim Allis, talking about a situation where God undoubtedly entered peoples lives and transformed them. So over to you – Jim!
Hello there! My name is Jim Allis and I have seen Jesus alive in many situations in my life where God without a shadow of a doubt has entered people’s lives and transformed them. Here is one of those encounters!
One morning the Lord revealed to my heart how to help a person to Christ by explaining the Ten Commandments one by one. During this time she would repent and be converted. Her husband would not respond on this occasion but would at a later date.
When I arrived at her home, I turned to Exodus 20 and when I came to the fifth commandment regarding the relationship she had with her parents she turned to her husband and blurted out “I haven't kept that one. I have not honoured them. Jim, can I get right with God now?” “If you know God is dealing with you” I replied. She did, and oblivious of others in the room listening, she submitted to God and her life was changed, proving she was wonderfully born again that evening. Many years later she is still going on with the Lord. When her husband saw what was happening to his wife he said “I am not ready for this” I quietly said “ I knew you wouldn't today, but you will one day.” Some months later just like the Lord said would happen, he was converted as he sat at traffic lights waiting for them to change from red to green. God spoke into his heart and in the time it takes for lights to change he entered into knowing the joy of the Lord as he came clean with God. He too is now a mature believer.
If you have found this helpful, please do let us know how it has helped your own journey of faith. Thank you.
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Glimpses 36

Jenny from Taiwan
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G’day and welcome to Partake Glimpses Stories! Today I have a special guest from Taiwan giving a glimpse of how she started her Christian walk. She will be speaking in Chinese, so please do let other Chinese speakers know about her testimony. Thank you and over to you, Jenny.
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Glimpses 37

Yinka
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Today we have a special guest! His name is Yinka. He is originally from Nigeria but now lives and works in that great city of London! He will be sharing with us why he is thankful to God and how Jesus has helped him in his daily life.

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Glimpses 38

Rachel
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Today we have a special guest! Her name is Rachel. She lives in London with her husband and cats! She is sharing with us why she is thankful to God and how He leads her daily life.

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Glimpses 39

Tale of 4 people!
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G'day and welcome to Partake Ministries! We continue in our series, Glimpses Stories, and today I want to introduce you to four friends of mine.  They all would say they are Christian disciples of a sort.  I wonder if you will recognize any of them!
Freddie Fe-elgood
First we have Freddie Fee-elgood or Freddo to his friends! He runs around to every meeting he can find that has some aspect to do with Christianity.  He believes in God and likes to always feel good, regardless of anything else!  When he goes to a Church worship or prayer service, usually twice on Sunday, it's for a good entertaining time!  He has no time for doctrine and thinks sermons and teaching in Church are utterly mundane and pointless, and sees no point in acting out his faith, coz they don't make him feel good.  As you can probably tell, Freddie's prime reason to live is to feel good.  The way to holiness for him is by going to as many religious events as he can, and feeling good because of it. Freddie is holy in the eyes of the world!
Amber Al-laction
And there is Amber.  Amber Al-laction by name and AllAction by nature!!  She runs around like the proverbial headless chicken, doing good to everyone and everything!  Amb believes God exists but thinks the commitment part of Christianity is all a bit too much.  Involved in such diverse groups from Greenpeace to the local homeless shelters, she has no time for Church or doctrine.  She wants to change the world!
Amber's prime reason to live is to do good and be active.  The path to holiness for her is being involved in doing good deeds.  The society she lives in think she is a holy person because of it!
Tommy Topheavy
And you have to meet Tom!  Tommy Toph-eavy is also holy in his society but for different reasons!  He has so much knowledge about God in his head; it's amazing his head doesn't explode!  He can quote Augustine, Martin Luther, Jean Calvin, Jurgen Moltmann and John Stott verbatim, complete with page reference and book title!  His passion is for doctrine and doctrine alone, and this helped him to a First at Oxford University.   He isn't concerned with living out his faith; he is only concerned with reading more about God!
Tommy's prime reason to live is the accumulation of knowledge!  He believes the path to holiness is by gaining as much head knowledge as he can possible store!
Chloe Christlike
Chloe is foolish in the eyes of the world because she has a firm faith, prays daily and reads the Bible fervently.  She is involved in the Church, attending prayer meetings and homeless tea-runs.  She goes to her local Bible college for evening classes to learn more about the God she wants to serve.  She is getting head knowledge but wants to apply it to her life so it goes from head to heart!
Her prime reason to live is Christ and to be Jesus to other people.  Believes that the path to holiness is to be as much like Jesus as she can, growing more and more like Him constantly.  Knowing that she is doing this, makes her feel good, as she can see herself living out her faith in Jesus, who is her joy!
What about you?
Every church has people like these four characters.  Which one of these are you like:  Freddie, Amber, Tommy or Chloe?  Which do you think is the committed disciple from what we have learnt together in this series Glimpses? For more to read and think about, please read Matthew 25:31-46.
Jesus speaking about the kingdom of God and the judgment to come (remember we talked about this in depth in Part 30 of Glimpses!
31 "But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.
34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.'
37 "Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39 When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?'
40 "And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!'
41 "Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. 42 For I was hungry, and you didn't feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn't give me a drink. 43 I was a stranger, and you didn't invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn't give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn't visit me.'
44 "Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?'
45 "And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.'
46 "And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life."
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Glimpses 40

Grace - reasons to be thankful!
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G'day and welcome to Partake Ministries... Today  we welcome Grace! She lives and works in London in the United Kingdom.  She shares with us about reasons she is thankful to God as part of her journey with Jesus Christ being central to her life.

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Glimpses 41

CS Lewis - Atheist to Theist to Christian
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G'day and welcome to Partake Glimpses Stories. Today we take a step back to recent history, to the 20th century and a glimpse at why and how CS Lewis started his own Christian journey and the relevancy of Jesus Christ to his life! It may not be what you have heard it said to be!
Beginnings

Clive Staples Lewis was born in Northern Ireland in 1898. If he ever had any christian faith at all during is childhood, he soon lost it and was an avowed atheist during those formative years.  The story we tell here is from his autobiographical book "Surprised by Joy" (1982 Fount Paperback), which tells of his journey of, and to, faith. He relates of his search for God, and that eventually he discovered, that in actual fact, God was reaching out for him through human reason, human experience and intellectual honesty. Because of this, the only possible conclusion is the existence of a God or Gods.
Atheism
We start his story in the chapter "Check" on page 136 "... as a schoolboy, I had destroyed my religious life by a vicious subjectivism which made ‘realisations' the aim of prayer; turning away from God to seek states of mind, and trying to produce those states of my ‘maistry' "
He continues in the chapter "Checkmate" on page 180: "Really, a young Atheist cannot guard his faith too carefully. Dangers lie in wait for him on every side. You must not do, you must not even try to do, the will of the Father unless you are prepared to ‘know of the doctrine.' All my acts, desires, and thoughts were to be brought into harmony with universal Spirit. For the first time I examined myself with a seriously practical purpose. And there I found what appalled me; a zoo of lusts, a bedlam of ambitions, a nursery of fears, a hareem of fondled hatreds. My name was legion."
He continues on page 181: "If Shakespeare and Hamlet could ever meet, it must be Shakespeare's doing. Hamlet could do nothing." God was pursuing Lewis and it was all on the initiative of God. "Amiable agnostics will talk cheerfully about ‘man's search for God.' To me, as I then was, they might as well have talked about the mouse's search for the cat."
Theism
Now we come to page 182: "Doubtless, by definition, God must be reason itself. But would He also be ‘reasonable' in that other more comfortable sense? Not the slightest assurance was offered me. Total surrender, the absolute leap in the dark were demanded. ... Now, this demand was simply ‘All!' You must picture me alone in my room at Magdalen, night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me. In the Trinity Term of 1929 I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all of England. ... The hardness of God is kinder than the softness of men, and His compulsion is our liberation."
Many writers and speakers, conclude that this is Lewis's conversion to Christianity. But it is not - it was his conversion from atheism to theism! On the very next line, in the very next chapter "The Beginning" on the very next page, page 184, Lewis writes "It must be understood that the conversion recorded in the last chapter was only a conversion to Theism, pure and simple, not to Christianity. ... The God to whom I surrendered was sheerly non-human." He continues "My conversion involved as yet no belief in a future life. I now number it among my great mercies that I was permitted for several months, perhaps for a year, to know God and to attempt obedience without even raising the question."
He continues on Page 186 "As soon as I became a Theist I started attending my parish church on Sundays and my college chapel on weekdays; not because I believed in Christianity, nor because I thought the difference between it and simple Theism a small one, but because I thought one ought to ‘fly one's flag' by some unmistakable overt sign. I was acting in obedience to a sense of honour.. ... Thus my churchgoing was a merely symbolical and provisional practice. If it in fact helped to move me in the Christian direction, I was and am unaware of this."
Christianity

Then, ultimately, we come to CS Lewis' conversion from theism to Christianity. Writing in the final chapter of this book, on page 188-189 "I was by now too experienced in literary criticism to regard the Gospels as myths. They had not the mythical taste. ... As I drew near the conclusion, I felt a resistance almost as strong, but shorter-lived, for I understood it better. Every step I had taken, from the Absolute to ‘Spirit' and from ‘Spirit' to ‘God' had been a step towards the more concrete, the more imminent, the more compulsive. At each step one had less chance ‘to call one's soul one's own' to accept the Incarnation was a further step in the same direction. It brings God nearer, or in a new way. And this, I found, was something I had not wanted. ... I know very well, when, but hardly how, the final step was taken. I was driven to Whipsnade Zoo one sunny morning. When we set out I did not believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and when we reached the zoo I did.  Yet I had not exactly spend the journey in thought. Nor in great emotion."
In this story, CS Lewis has moved from atheism, to theism, to Christianity.  Each a natural stage in the development of his faith and christian journey.  We get a glimpse of a great God calling people to see Himself as He truly is: a God of unmistakable joy.  If this story has helped you, please do make a comment and let us know! Thank you!
Links to more about CS Lewis
CS Lewis on the BBC CS Lewis Foundation

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Glimpses 42

Ann meets Jesus!
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G'day and welcome to Partake Glimpses Stories. Where we see together how Jesus is alive today, working in peoples lives in different ways and is relevant to the world today, 2000 years after He walked the earth, died, rose again and ascended to the right hand of God the Father. Today we welcome back once more, Jim Allis, an experienced pastor, relating to us a situation where God undoubtedly helped people and shows His relevancy to them. So over to you - Jim!
Hello there! My name is Jim and I have seen Jesus alive in many situations in my life where God without a shadow of a doubt has entered peoples lives and transformed them.  Here is one of those encounters!
Separated from God!
One person close to me in my family, is my sister Ann. As a child she went to confirmation classes but there was nothing to confirm. She didn't know God. Later in her married life she found herself in tragic circumstances when her husband died an alcoholic.
Her attitude became embittered and she was not slow to blaspheme God's Holy Name. Whenever I visited her she was not responsive to my pleas for her to seek Christ until another terrible thing happened.
She had contracted MS which is bad enough and left her staggering about on a stick. Her face had become wizened and she had difficulty in walking. Her troubles multiplied as she sought drugs to relieve her pain but God listens to our prayers, doesn't He? I was converted when I was 27 and from that day on I prayed for my sister to come to Christ. Over 45 years I prayed for her without any sign or desire of a seeking after God!
Until...
Less than a year ago, she was driving her car to a school where my niece attends to pick her up. As she was approaching the school she lapsed into unconsciousness, the car swerved into the path of oncoming traffic and a direct hit caused the air bag to fly out at her and fracture several ribs and lacerate her liver. Ligaments in one of her legs were torn and she was admitted to hospital straight away and placed in intensive care.
I visited the hospital a considerable journey from my home and arriving made my way to see her. The sight I saw was pitiful and frightening to a brother who loved his sister very much. On a morphine drip to counteract pain which was intense and almost constant it was difficult to communicate. She was in a life threatening situation. I felt so helpless. I prayed over her and from that day on prayer from myself and friends was intensified.
A change!
Slowly she was released to a less intensive ward and finally after many weeks she was allowed home. Meanwhile a verse of scripture had been given to me from a friend for her. "You are fair my love there is no spot in you" With not a little fear of rejection I passed on this verse to my sister. She thought it meant her body would be healed. I saw the spiritual side of it and knew it was primarily to do with her sin sick soul.
A further wonderful day arrived when Ann's life was turned around and she is now a firm believer and with incredible courage and hidden strengths makes her way to church up a steep hill each Sunday and is a soul winner for Jesus now as she takes member of her closer family with her. To pray with her on the phone is a treat as she has no inhibitions and joins with me in prayer enthusiastically. Is Jesus alive" I will say He is. So never give up in prayer, God is faithful.
If you have found this helpful, please do let us know how it has helped your own journey of faith. Thank you.
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