My Chains are Gone!

On my weekly visit with Silver Rest Baptist Church I taught on Baptism by telling the story of the Ethiopian Eunuch and Phillip. There was one woman there who had been saved but had not been baptized. Catherine is supposed to be in Baptismal classes at church but she has to work on Sat. and Sundays so she misses out on them. Please pray for Catherine to be able to somehow go through these classes and be able to go to church on Sundays even if that means a new and better job.
After finishing at Silver Rest I continued on to Chainda II Baptist Church. I taught the story from Acts 26 about Paul. We talked about what Paul's life was like before he met Jesus, when and how he met Jesus, and finally, what his life was like after he met Jesus. We used these 3 steps to learn how to share our testimony. I shared my testimony with the ladies and really focused on how we are to repent of our sins and not just say we are sorry. Repentance involves turning away from our sins, not trying to continue on in life dragging our sins along with us. They kind of thought it was funny as I was demonstrating carrying a lot of sin around with me but a lot of times that is what Christians do including many Zambians. These women struggle with their traditional beliefs and trying to mix it with Christianity. It just can't be done. These women like a lot of us have to break those chains that bind us. I got a little into sharing my testimony with these women and took a little too long so next week we will continue by allowing them to practice sharing their testimonies in small groups and then in front of everyone. Then we will go out and practice in their community.
As I thought about Paul's testimony, it is amazing to me to see the lengths that God took to draw Paul to Himself. Paul was a pretty wicked man but God changed all of that. He repented and he was then a changed man. He even became one of the greatest missionaries of all times.
I wasn't too great either before I decided to walk with Jesus and I am so thankful that God sought me out too. If you think about it, it is only by God's Amazing Grace that any of us can have a relationship with Him.
Here are some words to another Chris Tomlin song that I listened to on the way home. Hope they touch your life like they have mine.

First they sing the first two verses of Amazing Grace then the chorus which goes like:
My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, my Savior has ransomed me
And like a flood His mercy reigns
Unending love, amazing grace

3rd verse: The Lord has promised good to me
His word my hope secures
He will my shield and portion be
As long as life endures

last verse: The earth shall soon dissolve like snow
The sun forbear to shine
But God, who called me here below
Will be forever mine
Will be forever mine
You are forever mine

Please pray that the women, men, youth, and children of Zambia would allow their chains of sin to be broken in their lives and that they would trust in Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. Pray that these women I'm teaching would catch a vision of how God wants to use them in their villages by sharing their testimonies and the gospel.