| So, This Message Was Here All This While? To Sister Clara who has searched for the truth from Pentecostal Church to Pentecostal Church, having belonged to at least three denominations, it was a great surprise for her to come face to face with the truth. “So, for all this time that I wasted in the denominations this truth was here?” she keeps asking. The deep in her finally answered to the deep of the Message when she finally walked into the church of Pastor Ivo Chango, attracted by the billboard of that church. She had seen the word “Discipleship” on the billboard and thought to herself, “This looks like one of my old assemblies; let me try once more and see…” When she came back about a month later, Pastor Ivo was teaching on the subject of “What is the Church?” during which time the Scriptures came to life before her eyes. She was convinced, concerned and took her baptism in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. When she told her lukewarm elder sister about it, she complained of her church, but was convinced when she told her that she wanted to be baptized in the Name of the Lord Jesus. Her sister replied: “Oh, I was also baptized in that way by my former pastor.” When she finally took her baptism, she was challenged by the religious people around her including her mother, son-in-law, her daughter, and friends. They repeatedly told her that she had joined a cult; saying that these “new” churches are the false prophets. These, combined with a short illness, she began to doubt and decided to stay back at home. However, the deep call was still there and the Lord dealing with her. She then looked at the Scriptures which Pastor Ivo had pointed out to her and satisfied herself that these things were Scriptural and so they could not be antichrist. Later on her elder from the Full Gospel Church came along and she gave her testimony of why they no longer see her in their denomination. Then the elder engaged her in a lengthy discussion to try to disprove her new-found faith but finally gave up saying, “I have a headache,” and left her. On Thursday the 12th of April, after two months of doubts, a strong urge came upon her to visit the church of Pastor Ivo again. That same day, I felt strongly to visit the young church of Pastor Ivo and see how they are going along with the Message. Although I did not plan to say anything to the church that evening, the Lord had ordained events such that the pastor asked me to speak to the church. When Sister Clara saw me stand before the people, she was greatly surprised, and deeply sorry that she had been criticizing us in our neighborhood for our faith without knowing that we were holding what she was looking for. She shed tears and repented, and I spoke to her about the Message books and immediately she came for them. Seeing me testify of the prophet was enough confirmation to her that the Message was true and all her doubts went away. Only the Message books are now able to answer her numerous questions on issues of church order and a life of holiness. She spends whole nights reading the books and praying. She wants to redeem all the time she has wasted in the denominations. The Lord, by the books, has done more to her in a short while than what any man could do in the given time. When her elder sister and the mother, who have constantly told her to look for a partner for prostitution in order to contribute food in the house, spoke to her this time, she held her peace – something she could never do before, and they would quarrel and quarrel. Her desire to abandon their home in order to avoid quarrels was quenched the very first night she read the book, “Lean Not Unto Thy Own Understanding,” and prayed all that night. The Lord spoke to her heart and asked her to hold on and testify to her people first. From that day, a peace came upon her heart and the arguing spirit left her. She testifies: “When my sister insulted me this time and I kept quiet, I knew that something had happened to me.” She keeps testifying to her family and full of joy and wonder that this Message had been preached for such a long time, and is yet so unknown and still so rejected. |