I was born and raised in Kisii town, Kenya. My parents were Catholics who throughout my childhood ensured that we attended church every Sunday. I later joined a Catholic Boarding School for my primary education. With its strict rules, my character and morals were greatly shaped.
At 12 years of age, I was baptized as a devout Catholic and started attending mass. But in high school, I joined an all-denomination school that pushed me out of my catholic beliefs and into a Pentecostal faith. I was a hard worker and as per society's standards, I was termed to be of "good" character. I was friends with Christian girls and was even elected as a Christian union leader of our class.
Being a hard worker in class, obedient at home, and highly moral made me believe that I was a Christian. I never doubted it. I prayed and read my Bible daily, but I often wrestled with sin, always confessing my sin but immediately falling back into sin again and again. I didn't know that: “our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be brought to nothing so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin" (Romans 6:6).
After high school, I went to college, and this transition presented me with new challenges. As I entered adulthood, I struggled to find my identity and purpose in life. I began exploring different beliefs, delved into self-realization and self-meditation, and came across self-help books like The Secret. I thought these were firm truths, but indeed they were broken cisterns.
My attitude toward God began to change. In many ways, I acted as though there was no God and even believed that God doesn't exist. I didn't know that it is from a fool's heart that such lies come from.
This made my performance in college drop, and I was often sad. The Holy Spirit then started convicting me of my utter weakness and sinfulness and my need for divine help.
He reminded me of the many times my friend, Medah, had talked to me about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit began to show me my sin and wretchedness. For weeks I walked in great heaviness and darkness, my sins were ever before me, and I cried out to the LORD for forgiveness, but He, in His wisdom, continued to show me through His Word and in my conscience how sinful I was.
One morning I woke up and I felt a peace and contentedness that I had never had before. Perhaps I had been finally forgiven. The darkness and heaviness I once felt before were no longer there. "I have been saved!", I exclaimed.
I immediately took my Bible and the Holy Spirit showed me from verse to verse and chapter to chapter in the Gospel of John profound truths of Christ's work. I was ever on the phone with my friend Medah, who continued to explain these truths the Holy Spirit was showing me in His Word.
My heart and eyes were opened to understand the Scriptures - as God says that He'll send the Holy Spirit and He'll teach us all truth. The Holy Spirit became my teacher. He taught me in His Word God's majesty, His holiness, and His mighty character. This again left me in despair of my sin. I was greatly discouraged by my previous attitude toward God. I wrestled for assurance that indeed I had been saved and forgiven. The Holy Spirit led me to John 6 and showed me that it is God the Father who draws us to Christ and that those who come to Jesus He'll never cast away and no one will take them out of His hands. I was greatly encouraged.
I eventually found a church that I joined, but Sunday after Sunday I would come home discouraged. The preaching was mainly focused on self-improvement and wealth rather than God's holiness and our need to be saved from his wrath. I would cry to the Holy Spirit that perhaps I was the one who didn't understand the Scriptures. But the Holy Spirit, through the true biblical teachers he had led me to on the internet and His Word (like R. C. Sproul, John MacArthur, John Piper, Voddie Baucham, and Elisabeth Elliot), confirmed in my heart that what I believed about God's character and our sin was true. A friend later invited me to her church, and in January 2020 I was baptized.
But still, I knew for me to grow, I needed a biblical church that didn't water down God's Word. By God's grace, in May 2023, God providentially led me to a Biblical church in Oyugis, Kenya, where I have been attending ever since.
For years, even after I was saved, I still battled with condemnation. I prayed and studied God’s word often, and Romans 7 and 1 John 1:9 were always my consolation. I battled with perfectionism and always tried my best not to sin, and often when I had fallen into sin, I’d try to earn forgiveness by performing good works.
Since 2023 when we started our study in Romans at Grace Baptist Church Oyugis, I have seen the Lord working greatly in me through His Gospel. It was as though I was hearing the Gospel for the first time. These truths have freshly entered my heart, and I cling tightly to the news that I am redeemed and not on my account but Christ’s. The sweet confirmation that I am His forever has been my song, and I know that nothing will ever separate me from His love.
By God's grace, I got engaged to a Reformed Baptist pastor in November 2024, and we got married on April 18, 2026.
Mercy's husband: Joseph Randall's Testimony
God And The Gospel
To learn more about the great and true Triune God, the God-Man, Jesus Christ, His cross, and His glorious Gospel message and everlasting Kingship, please watch American Gospel: Christ Alone. You can watch the full documentary here and here for free!
Help For Writing Out Your Christian Testimony
1. Describe what your life was like before Christ.
2. Tell the story of how you realized you were a sinner and offended a holy God and came under the conviction of sin.
3. Tell the story of how you heard of Jesus and His life, death, and resurrection for sinners - how did you hear and come to believe the Gospel?
4. How has your life changed since you've trusted in Jesus?
5. I encourage people to actually cover the basic points of the Gospel in their testimony and use Scripture for each point: For example: God is the creator and holy; all have sinned and deserve death and hell; Jesus lived a perfect life and died for sinners and rose up from the dead; I repented of my sins and trusted in Him, etc. Use Scripture too! Actually include the Gospel!
6. I think including other Bible verses that were central to your conversion is also helpful. John 14:6 was crucial for me.
Below are two articles that give more helpful instructions on how to write out your Christian testimony:
How To Write A Testimony (From Grace Baptist Church)
Here are some leading questions to help you write out your testimony. This is a generic overview, so there's no need to copy this exactly or answer all of these questions. Rather, they're intended to target your thinking. A testimony may be just a paragraph or two, or it may be a couple of pages long. There is no magic formula. The most important thing is to be yourself and speak clearly to the work God has done in your life.
1. What I was like:
My family, friends, and interests were...I found my hope and security in...My religious background & attitude about Christ was...
2. What God used to begin to open my eyes:
I was awakened to my need for Christ by (people, books, meeting, circumstances, etc)...What I understood and noticed (about myself, God, others) at this point was...
3. What it was I saw and understood:
Those aspects of the gospel that touched me were...I came to understand that Christ...A particular Scripture that the Lord used to draw me to Him was...I saw my need was....
4. How Christ is affecting my life:
My relationships with...My attitude toward...My desires now are...A difficult area of obedience is...
5. Why I want to be a member of Grace Baptist Church:
I obeyed the Lord and was baptized on...I hope to serve in this church by...What I value about this church is...What I value about church membership is...
Guidelines for Writing a Testimony (From Trinity Reformed Baptist Church)
First, confess your faith in Jesus Christ.
1. What do you believe about Jesus Christ? Whom do you say that Jesus Christ is?2. What has Jesus Christ done? What do you receive through him or in him?3. How did you come to know the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ?
Second, describe the change that you have experienced.
1. Speak about conviction of sin, i.e., the realization that you are a sinner in the sight of a holy God and are in need of a Savior. (It is not necessary to identify a precise moment or day in which you were converted. Not everyone’s experience is like that.)2. Briefly, describe what “things are passed away.” What thoughts and behaviors had ruled over you? How was your life marked by wickedness, before?3. Also, briefly describe what “things are become new.” What changes show that you are being led by a new Master and a new life? What has changed in your thoughts, behaviors, and relationships?
Advice:
1. Write in your own words. This is Christ’s work, but Christ’s work in you. Use your words and your understanding to tell others what has happened to you and why you want to join the church.2. Write specifically, but be prudent about the details of what you share (regarding your sin) so as not to cause unnecessary temptation.3. Be brief. Write a plain and simple testimony of your faith in Christ and conversion to him, not a condensed biography.
No comments:
Post a Comment