“An Acts-ive Faith (Part 2a)”

Acts 2: We Are all Witnesses

Acts 2:32 “God has resurrected this Jesus. We are all witnesses of this.”

This was spoken by Peter on the day of Pentecost. Standing near him were others who walked with Jesus as he ministered on earth and who had seen him alive after the crucifixion. Peter could say he was a witness of the resurrected Jesus.

Here is part of my witness of the resurrected Christ:

The snow blew toward the windshield as the car traveled toward an emergency room in the city. I was seated between my parents , struggling to breath from a severe asthma attack, as they drove me to hospital. The snow continued to swirl around the car, but we finally arrived at the hospital. I was given medication. My mother tells of the doctor thinking that I wasn’t that sick. If my asthma was not as bad as it had been at home, it was probably because of the trust I had in my parents during the car ride. I had felt safe and secure seated between my Godly parents.

I grew up on a farm and my parents took their family to church every Sunday, so I had a chance to hear about Jesus at a young age. While I was in Grade 5, the Gideons came to a small country school to give out New Testaments. My copy is falling apart now, but it still states that I received it in February of 1971. On October, 29, 1974, I signed the back of the New Testament, saying that I wanted to accept Jesus as my Savior.

I wondered if I was a successful Sunday school teacher. I was in Grade 7 or 8, teaching the four-and five-year-olds with another young lady. One of the students asked me ‘is God real?” and I felt that I had not communicated well. A wise Sunday School superintendent (who I always addressed as ‘Mom”) said that I was successful — I had succeeded in having the student ask if God was real!

In high school, I heard about Campus Life meetings. I was shy, so it took me awhile to be brave enough to join the group. In Grade 12, I made a commitment to Christ in front of the Campus Life director. (I had more understanding of what I was doing than I had had years before.) After I had made the commitment, the group was at a meeting in someone’s home and people were sharing. I prayed “I’ll testify if the lights flicker on and off.” I still do not know why those lights flickered — but my testimony of my salvation was a surprise to some. With my church background and lifestyle they thought I had been saved for years. (I probably had been saved since 1974, but again, my understanding of salvation was greater when I was older.)

God continued to bless me in my early adulthood. I moved to a larger city to attend journalism school, and for the first year was blessed to stay with a wonderful Christian couple.

“It feels like I’ve been to the dentist!” It was a weird thing to say at church — but it was exactly how I felt. I was in a prayer line at a revival meeting sponsored by the small Pentecostal church I was now a student at. I felt like I had just had a filling put in a tooth!

I had graduated from journalism school and then worked for three years at a small city newspaper. I loved reporting– and had been sent to cover revival meetings. Two or three years after I first covered a meeting, I began my training at a small Bible centre, run by a local pastor. I had felt the call of God on my life at the first meeting I attended, but it took awhile for me to decide to leave the career I had planned and trained for.

Banana trees and beautiful beaches, and even more beautiful people. Those are my memories of St. Lucia and Barbados, I was blessed to travel there as a helper to an elderly missionary.

After that experience, I returned to my home city, and attended Bible College, working my way through to earn a Bachelor of Religious Education degree. I sometimes went through hard times at my work place. “I wonder if he is an angel”, i remember thinking about one customer, whose words of encouragement were extremely appropriate. God was with me at work and at the Bible College.

At church I helped with the younger children and was active in a prayer group, It was led by a wonderful woman, who is still a friend. I got to know many, including a young man named Murray.

God has been very gracious to me. Jesus is alive and working. Of that, I am a witness.

I will continue my testimony tomorrow.

(Dear readers: I understand if you are slightly annoyed with me for spending two days on Acts 2, instead of going on to Acts 3. If you are joining me in reading the book of Acts, please feel free to reread Acts 2 or go onto Acts 3. Meditate on how they speak to your life. I would love it if you would send me part of your testimony.

CC: K Carswell 2022

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, Copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by Permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible, Holman CSB and HCSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, Copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by Permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible, Holman CSB and HCSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.