2 Cor 5:17 (NIV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
Richard was an interesting character to say the least. I met him in 1998 while ministering in England when he wandered into our church, sat down, never looked up, didn’t speak to anybody and left. We tried to communicate with him but it was obvious he was not interested. I simply chalked it up to another odd incident in ministry and thought I would never see him again. If anybody was not attracted to our church and its people it was this man. To my surprise he came back the next Sunday and repeated this odd behavior. This would carry on for weeks, no interaction, nothing but a blank look and downcast eyes.
Then one day Richard looked up and Richard smiled and Richard talked and talked and talked. We discovered he had been suffering from clinical depression and on that day had been delivered through the preaching of the Gospel. God had swooped down into his personal darkness and had turned on the light and Richard was beaming.
Richard epitomized 2 Corinthians 5:17. He was truly a new creation in Christ, the old had gone, the new had come and it was glorious to watch. He started attending everything we did; he volunteered to help and was one of the most faithful servants in our church. Every aspect of Richard blossomed in Christ including his sense of humor; to our surprise he was hilarious!
This is why we do what we do as a church. Why we continue to proclaim the message of Christ service after service. It alone has the power to take a man who barely existed, who was just keeping his head above the water and give him his life back. The gospel gave Richard his smile back, it gave him his laughter back, it gave him a family that loved and cared for him and most importantly it gave him heaven by bringing him into an intimate relationship with the living God.
No wonder the gospel is called the Good News.
John 10:10 (NIV) The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
Richard was living proof of how true that scripture is.
Also see: How the gospel saved a hero.
Any comments?
What about your testimony? What has God done for you?
I will always remember Richard when he first came to us standing in the corner of our church and looking down. He always wore his coat no matter how warm it was. He had many peculiar behaviors and slowly some of them began to drop away as he grew in Christ. I was amazed at how this man started to change from the man we once saw come into our church. He was quite a character and won all of our hearts. Being a young christian, he sometimes said things that shocked you but he was real and we loved him for that. He was the last one to leave at home groups and loved the after study discussions and fellowship. I remember him every time I open my Bible because I now have his Bible that he left behind after he went home to be with the Lord. He is another one of those trophies of our ministry in England. Thank you Lord for the honor of knowing Richard.
We too loved Richard as we came to know him more and. His reclusive nature in the beginning was difficult to penetrate but once he came to know the Lord he opened up as a new man. He was one of the most helpful people we knew although his time with the church was sadly cut off so soon. Remembering how he looked after another chap who lived with him, who had learning difficulties, who many whould have passed by. He made an impression on our lives in the early days of Grace Fellowship and he is not forgotten.
Mike and Angela. Nice to see you here on the blog. Thank you for your comments about Richard. He was truly unique, what a testimony to the power of the gospel.