Recap
The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.
A note before the recap: this recording does not appear to be a prepared sermon. The scheduled preacher, Christian, was out sick, and what was captured is a congregant named Felix sharing his personal testimony during the open service time, with translation assistance offered for the congregation. What follows reflects that.
---
Felix shared his testimony with the congregation on a Sunday when the scheduled preacher was not able to be there. He spoke about surviving childhood abuse, a near-fatal construction accident, and thirty-two years of smoking, and what he believes God's hand had to do with all of it.
What was said
Felix opened by acknowledging that many people suffer the way he has suffered. He said that to some people, God feels like just a word, but that he wanted the congregation to know: "We're not alone. There are a lot of us in the family."
He described growing up with a father who hit him almost every day. He recalled one particular moment when the beating was coming and he saw two cliffs nearby. He said he genuinely would rather have gone off one of those cliffs than face another beating. He ran and jumped, and his father grabbed him before he went over.
He then told about a day working on a rooftop with his small construction company in New Jersey. He was rolling up a hose when someone said to move back. Something inside him said to stop right where he was, then to move again. He stepped back, and a 16-foot two-by-four fell and broke apart exactly where he had been standing.
Looking back at that moment, he said, "God had me. God has me. He had me. He has us in His hand and sometimes He does not allow us to fall."
He spoke about smoking for thirty-two years and trying many times to quit. He said he had not even wanted to bother God with that problem, because he was sure he would fall again. But he said that for two and a half years he had not smoked, and that God had changed him from the inside. "God knows the interior of the human being," he said.
He closed by saying that he and his wife are new creatures, not in outward appearance, but from the interior. Looking back over everything, he said, "Lord, how much You love me, and I can see it." He ended simply: "God loves sinners. He loves Felix."
Doing a Bible study?
Here is a guide we have prepared for you: the passages in order, questions for the group, and room to write.
- Felix described moments of suffering and danger where he later recognized God's hand protecting him. Have you ever looked back at a difficult moment and seen God's presence in it that you could not see at the time?
- Felix said he felt like 'God is just a word' at some point in his life. What helped him move from that feeling to recognizing God as real and personal?
and 3 more questions in the guide