Chosen to serve an idol? A life changed to serve the one and only God
I recently spoke with a Togolese pastor who teaches at our
Bible Institute and has been accepted to an online M.Div
program in the States.
He shared his testimony with us and I’d like to pass it along:
How did Jesus
save me?
 |
| A fetish in a field near Kpalimé, Togo |
I grew up in a
non-Christian family. There was a fetish in our house and it was our god. Among
many other children, when I was about 10 years old, the fetish chose me one
night during a ceremony to become its servant. I agreed happily and was
consecrated. Since then, my role was special; I became the number two after my
father and was expected to replace my father in leading the worship for the
fetish in the future. It is in that darkness that some people started talking
about Christians’ God, but I trivialized it. As some people were saying that
God will burn unbelievers in the fire, I was afraid and started making my mind.
One person who influenced me much was my senior brother who was not yet a
believer but was repeating to me what he heard from Christians in town where he
was student. I promised to start going to church when I will be in town after
primary school. After I finished with primary school, I left the village and
went to the town for the secondary school. There people talked about church and
invited me to join them but two things prevented me from doing so. First it was
difficult for me to leave the fetish to which I was so attached and trusted for
protection and success in everything.
Secondly I didn’t want to change my way of life nor abandon my worldly
desires, so I was not willing to go to Church. These two raisons prevented me
from keeping the promise I made to start going to church once I am in town for
secondary school. I was in the village during holidays, when some members from
Catholic Church went from house to house to register the names of those who
accept to go their church. I gave my name and attend the church two Sundays
but nothing special happened and I
dropped. During the same holyday in
August 1995, I went to the town and met a friend of my brother who was a member
of Baptist Church. Again the discussion arose about going to church and he
insisted that I must make a decision. He mentioned the coming judgment of God
and this made me again terribly afraid. It was on that evening that I decided
to go to church laying aside all my arguments.
The next day
which was a Sunday I attended for the first time the Baptist Bible Church of
Amou-Oblo where it was made clear that
Jesus Christ is the only Savior who died
for my sins and rose again on the third day
( Acts 4. 12; I Cor. 15. 3-4). I believed in Jesus-Christ my Savior and
Redeemer and got saved. My life turned upside down from this point in a way
that my family and neighbors were astonished. I cut out sharply any connection
with the fetish and other traditional ceremonies. I cease taking part to
worldly parties. But no sooner did I start attending church than persecutions
befall me from everywhere, but Jesus helped me resist and even I started
leading others to him. Now, all my life is about Jesus and I try to please him
and serve him with all my strength until he comes. This is how Jesus saved from
darkness of sin and brought me to light and eternal life.
If you are interested in supporting the education of the
local leaders in Togo please give to the Togo Leadership Education Fund
(0763093) at http://www.abwe.org/give.
Thank you,
Andrew Paul Ward
