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By Jean Jantzen (Matthew 11:25 King James Version) At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. (1Corinthians NIV 1:26-28) Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are. What is it like to be called by God in the Twenty -First century? To answer this question I interviewed a married couple who were recently baptized into the body of Christ. JJ: Why did you not find the world’s churches satisfactory? Wife: We feel we’ve been searching a long time. We found it frustrating…so many churches compromising with God’s word. I thought I had a grasp of the Bible, God’s purpose and love for mankind. I was shocked when I found out about the Sabbath being on Saturday. I thought it was Sunday. The churches never mention not working on what they proclaim to be God’s Sabbath. That is so wrong. …also they don’t teach it is God’s special day for us. God taught me a big lesson…I thought I knew a lot….I now know I know very little. God has opened my eyes so much in the last few years. It seems God has been bringing my husband and me to the truth bit by bit. Husband: I’d go looking for answers…none of the churches had the answers. At times I felt totally desperate, then I’d talk to God and a little window would open then I’d be off doing my own thing and the window would disappear. When I was a child I would get injured on occasion and only then would I look to God…once fat off the stove burned me and I called out to God… I had third degree burns… I don’t remember it hurting after I called out to God and I healed well. That left a lasting impression. I see a deception in most stuff now, especially in the churches of the world. It was a cool turning point, though, for me when a Catholic priest was honest…admitting the church went out of its way to deceive people… he was the first religious guy to be honest. That gave me hope. JJ: How did you feel about God? Husband: I would get angry at God for my faults…why I was like I was, it wasn’t fair .A load came off when I found out Satan was to blame for the suffering of the people of this world, including myself. When I finally saw it in print, in black and white, that it was Satan’s game here on earth to get people angry and blame God for all their troubles, I was actually relieved. I didn’t have to be angry at God anymore. I still get upset about it, but I know now God has a purpose. It’s funny though, nobody blames Satan for their troubles, it’s always God at fault. JJ: Why did you keep searching? Husband: Even though my wife and I attended many different churches we knew we hadn’t found the right one…the need was still there inside… I couldn’t shake off "a sense of urgency." We were at the point where we thought there was no true church. JJ: What compelled you to look deeper? Wife: We were reading on the Internet and discovered the Sabbath was on a Saturday. Something inside told me …and I was overwhelmed by this… but I just knew it was the truth. We typed into the Internet, churches and the Sabbath and that is how we found the church. JJ: Have you counted the cost: the price of being Christian? Wife: Yes, there is a cost, but the cost doesn’t bother me. I know God will see us through. There is more benefit to be with God …a benefit no one else offers. Husband: I have been the same way my whole life… angry! I can’t be what I was. It’s hard and it’s frustrating to change. I’ve known for a long time I’ve got to change. Now if I’m angry and want to lash out, God will make me calm. When life gets overwhelming I just close my eyes and say to God, "I can’t do this." Since we’ve started this, the last six months, it’s become easier to want to be good and now for the first time in my life I say "What do you think I should do God?" And as for counting the cost…it’s a win, win. It cost me nothing to let go of all that garbage. It cost me nothing to have a clear conscience. It cost me nothing to be nice to people. My goal now is to get focused on God. I wake up and go to bed and everything in between is God’s. That’s how I want to live my life. JJ: Was it easy sailing after you thought you had found the truth? Wife: Far from it. Satan works overtime on us it seems. He continually put up road blocks…anything to keep us from attending. I used to wake up and things popped into my head from my past making me depressed…making me feel totally unworthy. He’d try to deceive me about the Bible and what was the truth…so bazaar. I felt I was being dragged away from what I felt was the truth. It left me confused. I know it was a battle of the mind, a spiritual battle. I knew I had to win…this was it! Husband: If it hadn’t been for the love of the brethren and their constant encouragement we would have given up. But I found love and I found a family… something my wife and I have never had… experiencing what a real family was like…people who actually care about one another. Wife: first time…Wow! We could feel God’s Spirit…this is what a church is supposed to be like… a family… we felt so welcomed…so loved. So this is what God planned for us. Still, we’ve been on our own so long, its strange …it takes time to adjust…it’s hard to accept help…but we will get used to it. JJ: How did baptism change things for you? Wife: I felt so excited… a new spiritual awakening… leaving the old man behind… it was so beautifully done, I felt like crying…I felt so much love from everyone. Besides, it was a public declaration of love and commitment to God and my brothers and sisters. Husband: I have not been so angry…I see light at the end of the tunnel. Also, the sense of urgency is gone… I feel I’ve entered another room…one that’s nicer and bigger… I feel more content. I now hear God saying to me "You’re a disaster…you screw up all the time but you’re my son and I love you." I don’t look back now on things that made me feel bad. I’ve taken my hands off the wheel so to speak, "You’re driving God." I try to let God do the driving and my anxiety level had dropped a lot…before I would be always anxious. I still need to change a lot; however, I know how to do it. I just became aware that "I don’t have to be in control."
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