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When I was asked to write down my testimony, I did not realize how difficult it would be. The more I tried to write, the more stories came to mind stories of what happened to me, my wife, to those around me. There is a unique story for each person I have led to Christ, each one exciting and amazing. I decided that my story started with the person who invited me to Alpha
Jim Leichnitz is just an ordinary guy. He holds an ordinary job, has an ordinary family and attends an ordinary church. There's nothing particularly extraordinary about Jim.
But Jim serves an extraordinary God. Jim serves a God who can do extraordinary things through ordinary people. And through Jim's willingness to trust in this extraordinary God, God was able to do some wonderful things.
I am a product of Jim's faithfulness and of God's power working through Jim. I thank God every day for putting him into my life.
Jim was still a fairly new Christian when he and his wife attended an Alpha course at another church. Immediately he recognized the potential of this course to transform lives. So Jim approached the leadership team of his church to ask if he could run an Alpha course at the church. Although the minister was reluctant, as were many of the church leaders, Jim was able to obtain approval to run the course.
It was Jim's influence that got me to attend Alpha. Although I was quite hesitant to go, I agreed to attend Jim's Friday night course.
I came to Alpha believing in the existence of God, but with no understanding of who Jesus Christ was. I had heard that Jesus was our Saviour, but that meant nothing to me. My understanding was that you got to heaven by being a good person. So, if I was getting to heaven on good works, what did I need to be saved from?
Video 2 taught me who Jesus was. The argument that Jesus was either a lunatic, evil, or God Himself was compelling. But I still had one doubt. If He was really God's son, how could mere mortals have killed Him on a cross? Would God the Father not have intervened and saved Him?
Video 3 explained why Jesus died, and I nearly fell out of my chair as I finally understood the Gospel. I had attended church (part time) for years, but had never really had the Gospel explained in a way that I could understand. At the end of video 3 I was ready to give my life to Jesus Christ, and I said the sinner's prayer along with Nicky.
But, nothing happened. I had said the prayer, but felt nothing. I thought for sure that God would have somehow acknowledged my prayer, and let me know that I was accepted.
I decided that my prayer must not have been accepted. There must still be some sin in my life that I had to confess and repent of. So I spent the next several months trying to remember my sins, confess and repent. Several times I repeated the sinner's prayer, and hoped for an acknowledgement from God. But that acknowledgement never came.
When Alpha ended, Jim encouraged me to join a small group Bible study. I was not a Bible study type of guy, but I knew I had gotten so much out of Alpha that I had to try Bible study.
The retired minister who led my Bible study group gently guided me through the scriptures. He believed God's word to be true, and this helped me to believe.
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One day we got to Matthew 7:7, where Jesus said, Ask and you will receive. The questions I had to consider were: 1) Did I believe that Jesus really said that? Yes I did believe that He said that. 2) Did I think He was telling the truth? Yes, He's God. God doesn't lie. 3. Did I ask Jesus to come into my life? Yes, I did. 4) If Jesus said Ask and you will receive, did I receive? YES, I DID!
It was like a huge weight flew off my shoulders! I had received! I was so excited that, immediately after Bible study, I went and told my wife Cory what happened. I told her that I had said this prayer during Alpha, and had expected something to happen, but nothing did. I was the same guy after saying the prayer as I was before I said the prayer.
What do you mean nothing has changed? said Cory. You're not swearing the way you used to. You're reading your Bible. You're attending a Bible study. You're not doing this you are doing that I hardly recognize you any more!
Cory had seen such a change in my actions, my attitudes, and my outlook on life that she had to go take Alpha to see what had happened to me. She wasn't sure what kind of crazy drugs I was on, but she wanted some.
Cory accepted Jesus as her personal Lord and saviour on the Holy Spirit weekend, and our family was transformed forever. We had peace, we had joy, we had a new love for each other beyond anything we had ever had before, and we had a love for others around us.
Our new love for others made us wish that they could experience the relationship with God through Jesus Christ that we had found. So, on the next Alpha course, Cory and I became helpers. The year after that we became small group leaders. Two years later, I took over from Jim as Alpha coordinator at our church. Two years after that I helped a neighbouring church launch its first Alpha course in partnership with our church. A year after that, I became an Alpha advisor in Waterloo, Ontario.
But that's not the end of the story. Not only did Jim influence me to come to Alpha, and thereby help Cory to come to Alpha. He also influenced numerous others, who then told their spouses and their friends and their co-workers.
After Cory and I came to faith in Jesus Christ, we invited numerous friends, co-workers and clients to Alpha, many of whom accepted Jesus all indirectly because of Jim. Through the seeds planted in us, Jim indirectly helped seed the faith of Jeff, Carol, Dan, Terra, Gabrielle, Kristin, Rafael, Elvira, Fred, Barrie, Kirby, Suzie, Roger, Heather, Jeremy, Trish, Wayne, April, Annette, Paul, Sarah, Pat and numerous others. Directly and indirectly, Jim helped seed new Alpha courses at St. John's Lutheran Church, Community Fellowship Baptist Church, Waterloo Pentecostal Assembly and Highview Community Church. These seeds continue to bear more fruit each year!
I want to send a heart-felt Thank You to Jim for his faithfulness. Although he is not currently active in Alpha ministry, numerous others carry on the work thanks to Jim's initial faithfulness, and many, many more continue to accept Jesus Christ because of him. Well done, good and faithful servant!
This story is contributed by our friends at Alpha Canada.
April 24/2008
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