My Testimony

My Testimony Part 1 - Introduction

The Blessing that came from being oppressed by an unclean spirit as a child meant that I was destined to understand this topic better than any other. There's a verse that says:

...all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

I didn't always love God, but I learned to love Him over time, as He began to show me just how much He has loved every single one of us, despite the enormity of some of our sinful and hurtful ways. It was never God's plan to leave us to our own devices, being the loving Father that He is, He was always going to devise a plan to save us all from ourselves. The question is, how good was this Plan, how big was His Plan, and does He really have the power and might to bring it about?

Before Jesus was "lifted up" on the cross He made a statement that shows He was quietly confident of His Plan to win the world to Himself:

And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all unto me. John 12:32

I wouldn't blame anyone for looking out on the world today and saying, "It's not going to happen!" But I've learned to be quietly confident as well, that the Lord will have His way and He's working out His Plan in the world as we speak. We just need help sometimes, to see His hands tirelessly working all things together for all our good in the end. Because He knows, that we're all going to love Him in the end anyway.

It wouldn't be right to start my testimony, without first informing the reader that I am a believer in Universal Salvation, otherwise known as Universal Reconciliation and the "Restoration Of All Things".  This is the belief that the entire Creation with both good and bad people, will be reconciled back to God in the end.  This is expressed in the following verses:

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.  1 Corinthians 15:22

The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 1 Corinthians 15:26

And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.1 Corinthians 15:28

Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?  1 Corinthians 15:51-55

And all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses to them; and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he has made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.  2 Corinthians 5:18-21

And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began. Acts 3:20-21

And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. Isaiah 2:4

I share my personal testimony for people who might have experienced the scary extra-ordinary in their personal lives and wondered "why me?"  The Bible has given me answers to questions that no other field of healing has been able to give, and more importantly it's been able to give me hope and comfort when no other form of comfort has helped.  My hope in sharing my story, is that it will help you to see the hand of the Lord working in your own life, quietly weaving a calling and purpose that is uniquely yours and uniquely you. 

Along with other Christians, I have been waiting many years for the fulfillment of the biblical Feast of Trumpets and Tabernacles (in October of some year), when the Lord Jesus Christ will Tabernacle with us once again, during the First Resurrection.  There are different views within Christendom of what the First Resurrection will look like, but it is my belief that it will be just like the 40 days that Jesus spent with His disciples after His personal Resurrection, except there will be many other people who will be granted the right to walk with Him in Resurrected Bodies as well.  And if you want a vision of what that might look like, have you ever wondered if teleporting was possible?  Philip was one disciple we know of, who got to experience teleporting while he was in a mortal body.

And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached in all the cities, till he came to Caesarea. Acts 8:39-40

Following is a story involving the Lord Jesus, after His Resurrection:

And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs. And they talked together of all these things which had happened. And it came to pass, that, while they communed together and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them. But their eyes were holden that they should not know him. And he said to them, What manner of communications are these that you have one to another, as you walk, and are sad? And the one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answering said to him, Are you only a stranger in Jerusalem, and have not known the things which are come to pass there in these days? And he said to them, What things? And they said to him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people: And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, today is the third day since these things were done. Yea, and certain women also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulchre; And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive. And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not. Then he said to them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. And they drew near to the village, where they went: and he made as though he would have gone further. But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them. And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and broke it, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?  Luke 24:13-32

It doesn't happen all of the time, but I have found that we too can have this experience when reading the Bible, of our hearts burning with peace, love and joy and all sorts of beautiful feelings.  I have come to believe that in these moments, the Lord Jesus is talking to us by the way, and opening the Scriptures to us.  Despite having read the Bible for over 25 years, I have found that the Lord still continues to teach me things in the Scriptures, that I never noticed before.  And when He does, I always feel lighter and freer than I did before, which always gives me encouragement, to not give up, to keep going, to keep trying to walk in his precepts and follow his commandments.