The personal experience of a very young Christian believer. Part II
... There as I sat on a bar stool and ordered a drink, the man next to me with the imposing physique of a huge football player asked me in a “basso profundo” booming voice: “Who, are, you? “
Who wouldn´t be intimidated? I certainly was. So with my best French accent, I recited my resume, name, birth place and other data that we usually give total strangers when we are introduced. This went on for a while as the man kept repeating the same question and didn´t seem to be satisfied with my adding each time true, factual answers about myself. But inside, my chest was heaving as I sensed God asking me the same question: who are you Jean-Louis? Are you going to properly identify yourself or are you ashamed of me?
Bear in mind that I had not yet read the verse on Christ being ashamed of us if we are ashamed of Him.
The Lord Jesus in Mark 8:38 declares: If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."
So finally, unable to resist the pressure of the Spirit, I told the man: OK, let´s go sit down in a quiet corner so we can talk undistracted and I can tell you who I really am.
The man replied: "well, that´s better” as if he knew something that escaped me and was setting me up for a strange encounter.
Up to that day, I had been shielded being around Christians and had never had to be in a confrontational situation as this. I proceeded to tell the man that I was a new born again believer and shared with him my testimony of how God had brought me miraculously to the US and had changed my heart and my life.
He, in turn shared how he had turned his back on God and felt his life was a wreck without any hope of finding his way back to his relationship with Jesus. He had become a hopeless drunk. He even passed me a bad check in exchange for a few dollars so he could buy liquor.
After a long heart to heart conversation, I told him about the grace and mercy of God and that if he had done it for me, a wretched sinner, he would do it for him also. All he had to do was to repent of his sins and ask forgiveness and God would accept him back into the relationship and help him to lead a victorious life.
He was truly touched by my words and his countenance brightened up. He told me to wait for him and that he was going to bring me back a present to thank me.
A few minutes later, he walks to the table with a big black bible and hands it to me as a gift for having taken the time to listen to his story and given him a ray of hope.
Continue reading Part III
... There as I sat on a bar stool and ordered a drink, the man next to me with the imposing physique of a huge football player asked me in a “basso profundo” booming voice: “Who, are, you? “
Who wouldn´t be intimidated? I certainly was. So with my best French accent, I recited my resume, name, birth place and other data that we usually give total strangers when we are introduced. This went on for a while as the man kept repeating the same question and didn´t seem to be satisfied with my adding each time true, factual answers about myself. But inside, my chest was heaving as I sensed God asking me the same question: who are you Jean-Louis? Are you going to properly identify yourself or are you ashamed of me?
Bear in mind that I had not yet read the verse on Christ being ashamed of us if we are ashamed of Him.
The Lord Jesus in Mark 8:38 declares: If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."
So finally, unable to resist the pressure of the Spirit, I told the man: OK, let´s go sit down in a quiet corner so we can talk undistracted and I can tell you who I really am.
The man replied: "well, that´s better” as if he knew something that escaped me and was setting me up for a strange encounter.
Up to that day, I had been shielded being around Christians and had never had to be in a confrontational situation as this. I proceeded to tell the man that I was a new born again believer and shared with him my testimony of how God had brought me miraculously to the US and had changed my heart and my life.
He, in turn shared how he had turned his back on God and felt his life was a wreck without any hope of finding his way back to his relationship with Jesus. He had become a hopeless drunk. He even passed me a bad check in exchange for a few dollars so he could buy liquor.
After a long heart to heart conversation, I told him about the grace and mercy of God and that if he had done it for me, a wretched sinner, he would do it for him also. All he had to do was to repent of his sins and ask forgiveness and God would accept him back into the relationship and help him to lead a victorious life.
He was truly touched by my words and his countenance brightened up. He told me to wait for him and that he was going to bring me back a present to thank me.
A few minutes later, he walks to the table with a big black bible and hands it to me as a gift for having taken the time to listen to his story and given him a ray of hope.
Continue reading Part III
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