Last week, I attended my church’s annual women’s event, Pimm’s and Pudding. This event is for members of the church to bring along a friend who is not yet a Christian so that they can be introduced to Christ. This was my first time attending, and I wasn’t really sure what to expect other than hearing one of the church members being interviewed on her journey of faith.
I love hearing about how God has moved in the lives of believers, because we all experience Him so differently. Our God knows exactly how to reach every single one of us in very unique ways.
Still being new to Hailsham Parish Church, we were invited even though we weren’t bringing anyone. Mum and I arrived at the vicarage garden just before 7pm, and as always, we were greeted by smiling, welcoming faces that were genuinely glad we had come. The garden was quite large and full of stunning flowers, beehives, and chickens. The garden had approximately 10 tables with at least 5 -8 people on each table – the event was bigger than I expected.
The evening started with Pimm’s being served (also non-alcoholic options) and lots of chatter before the event got underway. The vicar’s wife, Susie, was hosting, and she said we were to choose any puddings we wanted and as many as we liked – this could be dangerous for the waistline!
Two puddings later, the time had come to hear from lovely Kelly-Marie and how she came to Christ and how He has moved in her life. She gave a wonderful talk about how she met her husband and had her daughter in a short space of time, and it was so clear God had pulled it all together.
She also spoke of the power of prayer and how having faith in God helped her mother-in-law go from having been told she had terminal cancer, and within 6 months she would die, to the cancer being miraculously reduced to the point where she was able to have surgery to remove the rest! The doctors were amazed and called it a miracle as they were planning for her to go into a hospice for end-of-life treatment! Only God can perform a miracle like this!
After the talk, we all chatted amongst ourselves on what we heard and what we thought. I was sitting next to a lady who wasn’t a Christian (yet), and she had come along with someone I knew from church. This lady wasn’t sold on Jesus at all, even after listening to the talk. She couldn’t understand why God would save Kelly-Marie’s mother-in-law and not her mother. We had a great conversation about this, and she then asked me how I came to Christ and what my experience has been like with Him.
“How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard?”
Romans 10:14 (ESV)
I gave her my testimony, told her how I heard Jesus’ actual voice when I was in a terrifying situation, spoke about how my sister got saved on Christmas Eve, and how Jesus got my family through the difficult time my dad was in the hospital, and he wouldn’t wake up from surgery. Throughout our conversation, she was genuinely moved by what had happened, and she said as much. She said she related to how I felt with the mental stress I had and how I turned to the wellbeing industry to feel better, as she was on that same journey now.
She believed she was meant to come to this event to have this conversation with me. I know it was God guiding her there and guiding me to sit next to her. She went away with a new perspective on Jesus and a free book, the Gospel of Luke. I encouraged her further, telling her that Jesus knows her intimately and exactly what she’s thinking and feeling, and if she goes looking for Him, she will find Him. He’s always there, waiting for us to go to Him, waiting for us to choose Him, on our own – with our own free will. He won’t force anyone to choose Him, but when we do, He won’t let us go.
I feel so honoured to have a testimony that reaches people in the way it does, planting seeds for the Holy Spirit to grow, and bringing more people to Christ. What a joy it is to be a Christian!
Sharing your testimony doesn’t have to feel forced or difficult. Speak to God, ask Him to guide your conversations so you can bless others with the joy of Christ.
Something important to remember when sharing your testimony is that if the person does not choose to follow Jesus after you’ve shared your testimony with them, that’s not on you. There is nothing you can do to control the situation. People will come in their own time. Control is the last thing you want to be thinking about; control is what we surrender to God. So in those moments, we share our testimony, answer questions, and our job is done. The Holy Spirit will do the rest of the work. The person may come back to you with more questions; in that case, welcome them, guide them, and invite them to church with no strings attached.
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