I was born into a Christian home and grew up under strict parents. So, right from birth, I was introduced to the 'Christian religion'. This, and the family I was born into kinda made sure I had what you could call a protected childhood - no heavy peer pressure/ influence (in fact, so little of it. All my misdemeanours were self made) but that didn't make me any more good or to have a better standing before God. I just wasn't born again and anything short of that is just not it.
I had several opportunities to be 'born again'. Both at home - family altars and in Church where I answered almost every altar call. In fact, I got so tired of answering altar calls without any visible change (I always fell back to my normal life) that I verbally told God one day 'This aint working so there's no need answering any other call'.
I am just not cut out for things that don't work so I'd rather not find myself 'wasting my time' doing what obviously couldn't assuage the pain and hunger inside. So I shunned every other call no matter where it came...
And then, one Sunday morning, 4th April, 2004, I was in Church and the Pastor was preaching the Easter message. It got to me and I got down on my knees, crying. I made Jesus the Lord of my life. But that wasn't all.
I'd always been exposed to the message of condemnation and God's judgement on any wrong doing so I was always scared but deep down in my heart I knew I love God and want to live for Him but I didnt know how. And then seeing fellow believers in our supposedly 'very spiritual and heaven-minded' church live a life not consistent with what we were taught, and the fact that our lives as Christians were so devoid of the miraculous and supernatural, like Christians being in disadvantaged positions, seen as beggarly and poor and ignorable, I thought to myself, 'this is not what the Bible teaches' and I started seeking for answers.
Sometime in 2001 or thereabouts, I saw a certain Pastor Chris teaching on TV, though I couldn't place exactly what he was saying, I kinda liked it. I remember sneaking out of the house to watch him in our neighbours' houses(our Church forbade TV). Sometimes, I would peep from the windows. This continued until sometime in 2006 when God said to me 'Go to Christ Embassy'. I was like 'No! They shout a lot in that place. They are so loud'. I started going somewhere else but He wouldn't let me be.
Finally, one Sunday Morning in August 2007, I went to Christ Embassy, Agulu Street, Abakaliki and had the most wonderful service of my life. I knew there and then that there was no going back.
One Midweek Service, during prayer time, I suddenly heard myself speaking in other tongues. Oh! The joy of it! I was filled with the Holy Ghost. This was an experience I couldn't have in my former church.
Being in Christ Embassy has so changed my life. My mindset was altered, my life transformed, my personality improved. Now I'm no longer subject to the situations of life, nor to sin or the devil! Now I know who I am in Christ! Now I'm no longer ashamed to preach Christ anymore! Like John said "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;" (1 John 1:1).
To be continued...
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