My Testimony (renewing the mind)
Opening Scripture Text: Romans 12:1-21:
1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. 3For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. 4Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully. 9Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. 14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. 17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. 20On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”
21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Introduction:
Last week I shared how I became a Christian and highlighted my growing up years and the challenges I faced. Today I want you to understand that my story does not stop at salvation but it continues on from that glorious climax.
I watched many people pray the prayer and accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior and then that’s it. I see some who never grow but stay infants in the spiritual walk. I have seen others who have accepted Jesus get all fired up and eventually drift away from their Lord and even backslide and fall back into a life style of sin.
The truth is some of the guys who lead me to Jesus Christ fell away from the Lord because they did not keep their spiritual fervor for the Lord and His ways.
Thomas the great evangelist who led me and many others to Christ ended up in Stillwater Prison in Minnesota. He got 7 years for armed robbery. When I called him and asked “What happened?” He shared how he slowly drifted away from Jesus and finally started playing with sin again and again. It started taking root again and it landed him in prison. He said he got into sin worst than he had been in it before. He said it got foot hold and sucked him back into the abyss of sin. While in prison he rededicated his life to Christ and became a great witness for Christ in Stillwater Prison. He even started a Christian newspaper in the prison. I lost track of Thomas about 10 years ago so I cannot say where he is at today.
But for me I made my stand on the Gospel and I determined after reading Romans 12 that I would serve him 100% and renew my mind so that I could be a faithful witness for Jesus. I told the Lord that I was in this for the long haul.
You may ask the question: “Mike how did you make it when others fell away?”
I would say because I linked up with mentors who took me under their wings and discipled me.
1. A case for mentoring:
I had a man at Outreach Church who helped to train me in the way of the Lord. His name was Roland Hunt, today he is an officer in the Salvation Army serving that ministry faithfully. Roland was a gift from God and a North Central Bible College Student at the time. He taught me the Bible, he quizzed me, encouraged me to read the word and talked a lot about Christian beliefs.
I had another couple also take me under their wings. Their names were Bill and Jill Jackson who helped to teach me the ways of the Lord and instill Biblical values in me. They became good friends and great teachers.
I had another couple take me under their wings also Rufus and Diane Thibedoux. They were in charge of the New Believers class I attended on Thursday night and they invested their knowledge and insight into me.
I also had Pastor Nate and Gail take me under their wings and invest in me. They taught Biblical truths, they imparted wisdom into my life and believed in me. Pastor Nate saw the call of God on my life and told me so. He told me one day after church that I needed to get ready to preach because one day I would walk into church and he would say, “Mike is going to deliver the word today.” So I had to get ready! He did not take no for an answer and told me “God’s call is all over you – I see it in the Spirit! You will become a preacher of the Gospel!” At first I thought he was nuts! Me – I am a carpenter and I love carpentry – but talking in front of people – no way! But his warning got me to dig into my Bible and to start working on a message – My first sermon was on Love! Because this is what I studied for a long time – God was teaching me how to love and what He was like – because God is love! I feed on God’s word like a frenzied shark!
The key with me was that I was teachable!
2. The renewing of the mind process God took me through:
The Lord gently led this angry short-tempered fighting Irish man to love. You could say that the Holy Spirit started to flush out all the faulty thinking, the lies I had believed, the sinful mindset, the junk. I flushed out the fleshly mindset with Bible reading – I read the Bible every day, every waking moment I had I read it and digested its truth into my heart and mind. I renewed my mind doing Bible Studies with Roland and memorizing Scripture with him. I changed my thinking by going to service on Sundays, to Sunday School, to Sunday night service, to weekly Bible studies at work with the guys, to Wednesday night service, to Thursday New Believers Class. I loved church and the Lord so much I was there all the time – I was in love with Jesus and I wanted more-more and more.
I went to prayer meetings, all night prayer meeting, week-long Revival meetings, and most importantly mentor relationships with others in the church. I hung after time with church people – church became my life – because Jesus was the number 1 person in my life.
I grew in Christ because I also memorized James 1:22: “22Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” When I read this it hit me – it embedded it’s message into my mind and heart. The Lord spoke to me Mike don’t sit in the pew – fix it – clean it – serve my Kingdom. I heard Him say “Do my Word!”
So one rainy day when we could not work at the construction site the Lord told me to challenge our now saved construction crew to go and remodel Outreach Church. We would donate our labor and the church would only have to pay for the material. The church was very run down and in need of repair. We agreed that this was a God idea – so we set the plan in motion and 1 year later the church had been totally refurbished. I spent all my spare time working on the church – We remodeled the sanctuary, the nursery, the class rooms, the fellowship hall, the kitchen, and some work outside on the church. I want you to know I did for the Lord and God just kept blessing me – I loved doing it and as I served God and His Kingdom I grew more and more spiritually.
3. How the renewing of the mind changed my direction in life – the slow turn.
When I first accepted Jesus I did not become saintly overnight. Yes, I had a dramatic conversion but Mike still needed to be cleaned up from all his worldly ways.
a. The first thing God started working on in my life was my dating relationship with unsaved women. I had been dating a girl named Mary at the point of my conversion. We had met in the disco club on my Friday and Saturday night outings. So after my salvation – if you remember I got saved in November so by Christmas time I had grown a lot spiritually. Mary had called me and asked me to come to her apartment on Saturday morning so I could go with her to get a Christmas tree. I had a truck so I thought sure sounds great. I arrived early at her apartment and saw that he car was there. So I did my morning devotion in my truck and I prayed this prayer, “Lord is this girl you want me to marry? Please give me a sign?” I then went up to her apartment and knocked on the door no one answered. But while I knocked I had footsteps in the apartment and loud crash. I cried out “Mary are there?” No answer, but something said in my heart “Mike things are not right!” I tried the door it was locked – I tried a carpenter trick to open it did not work. No response, so I pushed on the door and heard it start cracking so I stopped and I went and got the Super. He called the police and we all went back to the apartment. We knocked no answer, he opened the door, I called out no answer, the policeman called out and she answered, “I am sick don’t come back here – go home!” I thanked the super and the policeman and they left. But I stayed, ‘I went back to her bedroom and she yelled – Mike you need to leave – I asked again are you okay. Then I heard a man’s voice whisper – “How big is he?” It then hit me – “She has a guy in there!” So I left.
Later that day she called and apologized to me. She told me her old boyfriend had come over and he was having a hard time. But they had not slept together. It was all innocent but he saw how big I was and felt if I found him there I would have killed him.
I really had not been that close to Mary – we were friend but that was it. I felt guilty about cracking her door so I told her I would come over later that night and fix her door. She said “that would be great!” So I went over fixed her door. She gave me the song and the dance about nothing happening. I believed her – fixed her door –she gave me my Christmas present early – a bracelet. I thanked her and went home. The next Friday I was at the disco and met up with a friend of hers who saw me. We had a drink and she proceeded to tell me that Mary was sleeping with this guy. She then told me how Mary bragged to her how stupid I was to believe she had not. Now I was no rocket scientist in that day but I knew God had answered my prayer about Mary. No she is to be avoided like the plague. She is not the one!
Mary called me several times wanting me to come over because she had something for me. I never went until one night she called and said he window was broke and could I fix it. I said I could so using wisdom I brought Bob and Karl with me. She was not happy when she answered the door and two other guys were with me. They waited in the living room while I went into to repair her window. I fixed it quick and turned around to see her on the bed making motions to me to join her there. Let’s just say I did what Joseph did with Pothipar’s wife – “I ran out of the bedroom and said to my Christian friends let’s get out of here.” I never saw her again but I did pray for her.
Later on when I was dating only Christian women I prayed to the Lord about a girl and I heard a small voice say, go look at a text in Proverbs which stated in the KJV: “Beware of wicked women for they are the downfall of many kings.”
I learned to listen to the voice of the Lord when it came to dating women.
b. The drinking dimension of life faded away after about 6 months of growing in the Lord. I drank heavily in my teen years and after I got saved it took the renewing of the mind process to cause me not want to drink anymore – even socially. The Lord put in my heart to not do it - so I stopped! It lost its appeal - my high came from Jesus now not drugs.
c. The disco life hung on for a while about a year - Yes, I was like John Travolta in “Dance Fever!” Every Friday and Saturday hitting the disco’s and dance clubs. Which I continued doing for about a year after salvation. I loved to dance and eventually just went to socialize with my old friends who by the way became distant over time. I always talked about my recent discovery “Jesus!’ They got tired of hearing it! My friends started to fade in that world. So eventually my close friends emerged at church and I would rather go to church than the disco so I eventually quit going. My interests had changed my desires had changed. I was changing.
d. My next maturing experience came as I was trying to decide whether I should stay at Outreach or go to church somewhere else. God sent a charismatic catholic to be a guide for me. He referred me to a church in Andover – which I liked but knew it was not home. Later I would preach at this church my first week of revival meetings – who knew? After God leading me I decided to stay right where I was. Outreach was where I was to stay and I knew it!”
4. The truth of his word was changing my life – slowly but steadily.
a. Ephesians 4:17-5:10: 17So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.20You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. 21Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.25Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26“In your anger do not sin” : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27and do not give the devil a foothold. 28He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.29Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. 1Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.3But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. 7Therefore do not be partners with them.8For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10and find out what pleases the Lord.
b. I had become a Holy Roller – I lived and breathed the Lord! I Loved him with a zeal that could not be satisfied. I wanted more. I began feeding on Him like a frenzied shark. I read the Bible, I went to every service, I listened to radio preachers at work, at home, in the truck
T.S. - I actually had a lot of zeal and very little wisdom which caused many trials in my life.
5. The imbalance of a zealot with no wisdom and grace.
a. I became the fire and brimstone man of God. I became emotionally overcharged. I hurled the Word with the zeal and tact of a pro-wrestler. I let the fire spill out of my mouth. I threw brimstone at the unsaved, my friends and my relatives. I treated my family horribly. I preached at my parents relentlessly. I told my mom that Catholicism was from the pit of Hell and all Catholics where going to burn baby burn and she needed to repent.
b. When I burned my porno magazines I did it dramatically. My family was watching T.V. in the living room I bundled them up walked into the living room holding them up saying something like “I am going to burn this vile filth of Satan and I want everyone here to know that if you look at sin like this you will burn in Hell forever.” So I burned them for all to see. (I lied a little here on how actually happened!) Please forgive me! I then gave away all my secular albums. Announcing that I only listened to Christian Music now!
c. I eventually ended up getting kicked out of the house because of my harsh ways. I came home from work one day and found all my stuff was on the front lawn. The straw that broke the camel’s back was when I called my family prejudice. I let them know I was dating Violet a black girl and they all needed an attitude adjustment. But really that was minor to what I was doing speaking in tongues at them rebuking them and preaching at them all the time! I remember my response that day too my brother, “Persecuted for Jesus sake!” But I had actually did it to myself! But God was faithful, because my stuff was moved to the church and I lived with Roland who mentored me every day with the word. Thank You Lord. I did the same to my co-workers and my bosses. This behavior eventually got me laid off from my job with this company. I at one point had a relationship with Bill but I drove him away” With in your face Christianity!” The unsaved workers would get “Repent or you are going to Hell everyday!” I and some of the others were eventually laid off. I recall testifying at church how we were being persecuted for Jesus’ sake! I had become like Zophar with Job - a Christian redneck bully! I was not showing the Fruits of the Spirit! I was obnoxious, repulsive, unloving, judgmental, merciless, and harsh all in the name of Jesus’ love. I lacked wisdom! But eventually I matured and God started giving me wisdom and insight. In spite of losing my job I just collected unemployment and remodeled the entire church literally. I loved just volunteering to help out and eventually when unemployment ran out I went back to work. But during this time I grew in leaps and bounds and Pastor Nate took me under his wing daily and spoke into my life.
d. James 1:2-5: Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.”
I thought I had it but man I lacked it wisdom and insight in my early years of Christianity! The Lord started convicting me of this and how I needed to gain his wisdom. He had me do about a 2 year study on what Biblical Love is! It changed my attitude and actions.
I Cor. 13 described to me what love looked like and I learned I was not doing it.
My first sermon was on “Love!” Through my studies on Love the Lord worked on my anger, and un-forgiveness toward my dad. When I was done with my study I discovered that Love drove out anger and those other defects. I could actually tell my dad that “I loved Him!” It blew him away when I said it!
6. The grace of God at work in my young zealot life as a Christian.
a. Even though I caused a lot of heart-ache for myself --God was always there showing me grace and molding me into what He wanted me to be. God worked inside of me. My family became so concerned about me they went to experts for help. My mom went to her priest and told him my story. He asked her what I was doing she responded:
1. He is reading his Bible all the time- He said,” What’s wrong with that?”
2. He is praying all the time. He said,” What’s wrong with that?”
3. He is going to church all the time. He said,” What’s wrong with that?”
4. He is changing his life – and he said, “What’s wrong with that?”
5. He knew I was over zealous and told her that I would balance out.
My dad went in to talk to his boss at work. His boss ended up sharing with my dad that he was “Born Again” and could relate to where I was. He shared about how the Lord had changed his own life. He told my dad I would balance out and that it was a good thing. My dad actually took me to meet Bob. I ended up doing a lot of carpenter work for Bob he helped me balance out a lot. My dad changed after his talk with Bob. He asked my mom why I did not come around anymore and my mom said because you threw him out. He then called me one day and invited me out to lunch and also wanted me to bring violet. He ended up buying me a suit that day which ties into another story on the lesson of tithing. But that story is for another day.
My dad has become a Christian and he is maturing in his walk with the Lord.
7. The Holy Spirit is the best teacher in the universe.
a. The lessons and teaching of the Holy Spirit came each day and through various ways. When we were doing a tent revival on Penn and Plymouth the Holy Spirit taught me a lesson about dying to myself and letting go of my natural abilities like strength and fighting to resolve issues. Pastor Nate had asked bear and I to guard the tent at night in this rough district of Mpls. We were honored too. Well one night around 12 midnight we were sitting in lounge chairs listening to Keith Green sing about putting away you idols when a guy came onto the tent site. It was obvious that he was high. He came in started bugging some of the other people who were there so I told he needed to leave. He left muttering under his voice and few minutes later we heard a clattering in the tent. I went into the tent and turned on the lights and here is this guy with a can of mosquito spray ready to pour it over the mixing board. I ran over to him mad and grabbed him by his neck and according to bear lifted this man right off his feet by his neck. I then threw him into the first row of chairs. I figured the situation was over as he lay there in the tangle of the chairs and moaning. I went over to him and told him to leave before I hurt him worse. He got up and lunged at me at again at which time I did an Akido move on him and flung him over into another row of chairs. I was amazed as he came at me again this time I took him up over my head and slammed him into ground with my whole weight coming down on top of him. He laid their gasping for air. I figured he was done and severely hurt so I walked outside the tent. I was actually going to have bear call the police and ambulance for the guy. Besides that would be the Christian thing to do. He came running out of the tent at me screaming and I did another Akido move on him and slammed him on the concrete parking lot not once but twice. As he was there gasping again for air and moaning I became irritated with Bear who was huge and said, “Why don’t you give me a hand – at least you could sit on him next time I slam him into the ground.’ Sitting in his lounge chair he says, “Mike when are going to give up your old ways of handling situations like this?” “He then added “You are the one called into the ministry and I think you need to quit relying on your martial arts training and strength and give this situation to the Lord for him to handle.” I looked at him in amazement – but inside the Holy Spirit was yelling at me to trust His power not mine. The man got up started toward me again and I pointed my finger at him and said, ‘Clyde I am sorry for slamming you – forgive me.” He stopped dead in his tracks sat down next to Bear and no kidding Bear led him to Jesus. Clyde then became a part of Outreach Church. The next day Pastor Nate had heard about my heroics and he said something to me I will never forget. “Mike, we do not body slam people into the Kingdom of God – we love them into the Kingdom!” I apologized to him and never forget that lesson from the Holy Spirit.
b. The Holy Spirit also took me on a fielded trip when I started to read a book put out by Salem Kirban called “Satan’s angels exposed.” He enlightened me to the beliefs of the occults, and cults and then the Holy Spirit gave me real life encounters to verify what I had just read. It was an amazing series of lessons which I never forgot.
8. The dating of saved women also helped me to mature in faith and teach
a. Violet - The courtship - The prayer and receiving of rings - The prophetess Kay-The turmoil-The breakup-Her backsliding and presence at Moby Dicks on Hennepin Ave.-Her pregnancy from another guy.- She was married and divorced. I’m not sure where she is at today but I do pray for her.
9. Then I decided I would wait on the Lord after I received this “Word of Knowledge” from a preacher who knew nothing of my situation. “The one you were going to marry you will not marry but God is going to give you the best.”
The dating of Denise and the warning from Proverbs, “Beware of wicked women for they are the downfall of many kings!”
The dating of Dawn opened the door to a great friendship with Paul and Becky. This relationship eventually led me to the FCA and even to SHLBC. At this camp I met a spunky blond who was also counseling there whose name became very famous.
The dating of Mary who encouraged me to go to Bethel to school. She helped lead me to leave Outreach and Holding Forth the Word of Life and to go to Bethel in St. Paul. It was all God’s design!
The dating of Ginny - Challenged me to live 100% for Jesus
Then the catch of a lifetime a girl named Kathy
My wife- that’s next week’s testimony!
Conclusion:
The key here is that it does not stop with being saved it’s just the beginning of a great process of maturing in Jesus.
Closing Scriptures:
II Peter 2:2-9:
2Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.
4For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment; 5if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; 6if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; 7and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the filthy lives of lawless men 8(for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)—9if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.
