Mick’s testimony is a lesson to us all, on a number of levels.
“I didn’t grow up in a Christian family,” he began, quickly adding “but I did attend Sunday School and I have always believed in God!” Intriguing. How did this come about? “Sunday School was run by a coupled of elderly ladies. They must have knocked on doors and asked around, I guess.”
And it would seem that from that simple beginning – a couple of ladies doing their best in a country town – that Mick’s love for God was ignited, even if just a spark. He never forgot the stories, the illustrations they used: the lessons, these ladies’ influence, remained long after he stopped attending. He still has the KJV Bible they gave him when he ‘graduated’.
While we spoke, Mick suddenly recalled something he had not thought of for many years. While playing war games with his mates after school one day (the kind you play in the open air, not on a device of some kind) one of his friends turned to him.
“Who is your best friend?” he asked. Without a pause, Mick replied “Jesus!”
“But He is not here now…”
“Yes He is… He is inside me!” As Mick recalls, the interrogation continued, “Is He in that tree… in that piece of wire…” as only young mates can do.
God continued fanning that spark and in his mid twenties, Mick began attending church, always searching for something more. He tried a number of different churches, large ones, charismatic ones, even got involved in new age ones. “But there was no grace. They didn’t sit right with me.”
He found he was getting more questions than answers. For a period of eight years or so, Mick didn’t attend anywhere. So God fanned up a bit of a wind storm.
Mick was part of an online forum, a Truth Seekers Group, with some of his childhood friends, and others who joined up. One guy, a Seventh-day Adventist, joined and started posting Amazing Discoveries clips. He encouraged other members of to watch them and as Mick did, skeptically he admits, he found answers to many of his questions.
He was fascinated by history, and very aware of how our world is in pollical and moral decline and seeing how prophecy and history fit together ignited more interest.
At Christmas time, while holidaying in Corryong, Mick decided he wanted to visit a Seventh-day Adventist Church, and started looking around. God’s wind blew harder and on two separate occasions the thought “Look at Yackandandah” came into his mind. He tried contacting a pastor, but was unable to get through, with bad reception.
Then back at work, a customer told him about the very videos he had been watching, that had drawn him to the Adventist Church. They got talking, and eventually the customer gave him Ellen White’s Conflict of the Ages series and said he would get the pastor from Wodonga to give him a call.
In the meantime, Mick got talking about the state of the world and the Bible. with another customer and he invited him to Yackandandah for church. Mick turned up and while he was talking someone else came up to him saying, “I thought I recognised that voice!” It was yet another Adventist customer who had just booked in a job! God’s wind had done its job and Mick is truly on fire for Him.
Mick is studying the Bible, attending Sabbath School, learning about the Church’s beliefs with one of the families. He really feels at home. He loves the small church environment and the beautiful people he is getting to know.
“This church is all about God,” concludes Mick. “It is not ‘playing at church’… it is authentic. I love that I am encouraged to learn and look into doctrines myself. That I am encouraged to study the Bible and prove it to myself, using the Bible.”
Mick prays that by sharing his story, you will be encouraged to just ask that neighbourhood kid to Adventurers or Sabbath School… that you will ask that person you have deep conversations with over the state of society today, to come to your small group or church. Who knows, maybe that will be all that is needed to help someone meet their Saviour.
IntraVic with Mick