One of the greatest perks of being a pastor is seeing people’s lives change. I have had the privilege of seeing alcoholics find deliverance, drug addicts trade in the drugs for a Bible, and broken homes restored. Some of the greatest life changes that I have witnessed were when I planted a church in the East Chicago/Gary area several years ago. Though the difficulties were tremendous, the blessings were far greater.

What I would like to do in this blog is to share a few of the life changing experiences that I was fortunate enough to witness with hopes that it would foster encouragement to those who would read it. Revelation 12:11 states, “11They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death”.

First, there was Mo Mack. While he was doing time in the state penitentiary, he found Jesus Christ as his savior. A friend of mine, Keith, happened to be the one who led him to the Lord. Keith spent many months disicpling Mo Mack and a couple months before he was to be released, sent me Mack’s address at the prison and we began dialoguing, which led to a friendship. This friendship was nurtured through many letters that went back of forth between Mo Mack and me.

When he was finally released, he and I met. I told him that I would be willing to disciple him and help him any way I could. The ensuing months turned in to a few years and I saw Mack transformed before my eyes. He had changed from a drug dealer to a person that his previous acquaintances probably would not recognize. His heart had been transformed from the jaded, calloused condition that it once was, to a heart filled with mercy and gratitude for the things that God had done.

His heart for the Lord was evident to me as we went out to minister together. I remember several occasions when he and I would visit a certain “crack house” to minister the Gospel. We entered that establishment with simply a Bible, a flashlight and a willingness to share the love of Jesus. To be sure, this kind of ministry is a trifle risky, but for someone lack Mo Mack whose heart had been transformed, felt that he was simply doing what the Lord had called him to do. Interesting enough, he once was the one who would supply the drugs, but now had been transformed and became the one who will help people leave that lifestyle.

Second, there was Jackie, who was a friend of Mo Mack. She was another one of those incredible miracles that God would bring. The first time that I met her it was evident that life had been unkind to her. The wrinkles under her eyes and the frown on her face spoke loud and clear that life had been tough. As my wife and I got to know her, she shared with us some of the trials and tribulations that she had endured. While it would not be befitting for me to share those trials in this blog, I would say that she had experienced unimaginable grief. So much so that she was ready to try anything.

Her desperation had finally motivated her to search for answers for her grief. As a result, after one of the Sunday morning services an altar call was given, and she responded to the Holy Spirit’s wooing; she gave her heart to the Lord

About six months after receiving Christ, she found out that she had terminal cancer. It wasn’t long that the cancer began to ravage her body. About three months into her battle, she was too ill to come to church. Consequently, Mack and I went to visit her. I can still remember on one occasion when shots were fired near the building next door sending chills down my spine. Jackie, however, responded with amazing faith telling me that I wasn’t to worry, God was in control. I remember leaving there dumbfounded at the amazing display of faith that I had witnessed. Most people in her situation would have been downtrodden, feeling sorry for themselves. Jackie, on the other hand, could only talk about the goodness of the Lord.

After a few more months had passed, Jackie went on to be with the Lord. It would be a funeral that I would never forget. It was a day that God showed up to a poor woman’s funeral. Here was a woman that the world had forgotten about, but was the apple of God’s eye. The spirit f God descended on that service like I have never seen. It was like God was confirming to all of us how special Jackie was.

The last life-changing miracle that I would like to reflect on is a man named Joe. Joe was a alcoholic from the streets. I had spoken to him on many occasions. The church I was pastoring was between a house of ill-repute and a large rundown apartment building. Often the guys would hang out in front of the building drinking and cutting up. I spent a lot of time getting to know many of them. Joe was one that I got to know very well. At the time, I didn’t remember ever seeing him sober.

On one occasion I had invited him to church. However, like many times before, he turned down my request. However, midway through the service, he came stumbling in and sat down. Clearly inebriated, I wasn’t quite sure what to do. I prayed a quick prayer and I felt the Spirit of God speak in a still small voice telling me to preach God’s Word. So I did. When I gave the altar call, Joe responded. I wasn’t sure what to make of it. I must admit that I did doubt his conversion experience.

Those doubts were reinforced when I didn’t see him for a long time. However, about a year later my wife and I were driving down the road and we saw Joe. This time I noticed something different about him. He was sober. I proceeded to turn the car around and went back to ask him if he wanted a ride. He said that he did, which gave me an opportunity to speak with him. He explained to me that what happened that night was real; he gave his heart to the Lord. Even though he found another church, God showed up that night to change Joe’s life for eternity.

What I was able to witness in the life of Mo Mack, Jackie, and Joe was the power of the Gospel. While society had wrote these people off, God loved them and changed their lives. What I saw those five years were tangible expressions of the statement made in John that “God so loved the world.”