By Gabriel Ama
2 Timothy 2:19
"But the firm foundation of (laid by) God stands, sure and unshaken, bearing this seal (inscription): The Lord knows those who are His, and, Let everyone who names [himself by] the name of the Lord give up all iniquity and stand aloof from it."
Dear people of God, two days ago precisely Easter Sunday April 1, 2018, I heard a powerful testimony during our retreat in Church.
A brother told of how two weeks ago he left his base at Surulere in Lagos to Ajah in Lagos, South West Nigeria to attend to a client's job. On his way back, he boarded a commercial bus heading for Ojuelegba around 1600 hours (GMT +1) and he was using his mobile phone in the bus to chat another client of his.
Unknown to this brother, the bus he boarded was a den of abductors for ritual purposes and while he was chatting his client, it suddenly occurred to him that this bus had not stopped to pick another passenger.
When he looked around, he realised that the people had locked the window of the bus and they rushed him, collected his mobile phone, tied his hands and face and placed him on the floor of the vehicle.
Later on, he felt a vibration from his second phone inside his trouser pocket, which he made effort, moved both hands to take out the phone, then saw it was a church sister calling him. He managed to send her a text that he had been abducted, only for the lady to call him again when he pressed the send icon on his phone to get the message across.
It was dark outside at this time and the light from phone attracted the ritualists who rushed him and took his second phone. Meanwhile, the sister received the text, called to inform their pastor who immediately arranged for a group of church folks to come together to start praying for the abducted brother.
From there this brother was taken to Benin City in Edo State, Mid-West Nigeria, a distance of 286 kilometres. He knew he was in Benin because his abductors were making phone calls and told the person on the other end that they were in Benin City already. This was around 01.30a.m (GMT + 1) and when they got to the place, the brother was taken down and placed on the floor of the place.
When the brother was untied, he realized it was a voodoo shrine and he said he confessed both known and unknown sins to God whilst praying for mercy.
When the voodoo chief priest came out, he started chanting his evil incantations and after a while, the voodoo priest became agitated and asked where they got the brother from.
In fact, the voodoo priest started shouting that they should take the brother out of the shrine before his presence destroys everything in the place. The abductors were shocked and tried to convince the voodoo priest that this was the only person they got but the man shouted that they should take him away!
When the brother was taken away from the place, the abductors asked him which church he worships in and when he told them, they said they had never heard the name of the church. Even when he called the full name of the Church, they still said they had never heard the name but the abductors told the brother 2 significant things:
(1) He should never stop worshipping the God he was serving.
(2) Prior to that time, they had been in the business of abduction for ritual killing for a long time and never had anyone they took there come out alive and his was the first of its kind!
They then bound the brother again, took him to an unknown place and dropped him there after returning his phone in his tools bag. (they had returned the first one to him at the ritualist den).
When the noise of the abductors faded, the brother then untied himself, looked around and started walking towards the major Benin-Sagamu expressway. At the major road, he scanned the area and observed that a well-known commercial transport company's vehicle had stopped a distance from where he was and he walked up to them to explain his predicament to the passengers and drivers. This was around 10a.m. (GMT +1) the next day.
God granted him another favour in that the driver of the commercial bus agreed to take him FREE back to Lagos and dropped him off at Ojuelegba.
Dear friend, this is a true story because I was there, I witnessed the testimony and I saw the brother who testified. Now, the point we must learn here is that as today's lead Holy Bible text tells us in 2 Timothy 2:19, the Lord Jesus Christ knows His own and no evil can come near them.
It is equally pertinent to note the second part of the verse that says those who name the name of Christ MUST depart from iniquity.
God saved this brother because of the prayers of the brethren in Lagos who were praying for him and the fact that this brother asked for mercy and forgiveness from God.
More importantly, this brother is useful to the body of Christ as a church worker so Jesus still has need for him here on earth and saved him for that purpose.
Dear friend, this testimony is a call to righteousness for which God will always deliver His own from the hands of Satan. Do recall, according to the abductors, this brother was the first human being they got that had left that ritual den alive.
You cannot afford to live in sin, claim Christianity and expect God would call you His child. You cannot continue to reject Christ's call to repent of sin and surrender your life to Him and believe nothing evil can happen to you.
There is a distinguishing feature between the Christian and every other person in this world, which is that God and Father of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is also the Christian's Father.
Dear friend, we thank God for saving the life of this brother from Satan and his human agents. I invite you to come belong to Jesus today and now, and enjoy the same protection and Divine blessings only Jesus can give.
Most importantly, only as a Christian are you assured of entry into Heaven when you depart this world at death OR when the Lord Jesus comes shortly in Rapture to take His ready children.
Come now, dear friend, for tomorrow or later may be too late for you. Jesus Christ is coming. The King is coming. His coming is imminent.
May the good Lord bless you as you heed His Word today, act on it and share with others in Jesus' Most Powerful Name, Amen.
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