Nr.135 ended with: “Guido and Marianne heard the truth and accepted it, this dear lady heard it too, and rejected it. What are you doing with the truth, what are you doing with Jesus………..? (See richardandmarina.net).

Quite a number of the new believers had come along to Beerse to be baptized, and great was the joy! We felt the time had come to start a church here in Lovendegem. What is a church? A group of born again believers who come together on a regular base to celebrate the Lord’s death and resurrection, to study the Word, to pray and to spread the Good News. So we started meeting on Sunday mornings, still in our house, singing, “Breaking bread”, preaching the Word and having Sunday school. By now there were three classes with children. Marina taught one, one of our daughters another, and a couple young converts taught the third class, after Marina helped them during the week to prepare a lesson. It was interesting to see that those who started teaching grew spiritually faster than those just sitting in the meetings listening.

You’ll have to pardon me if I repeat some things, but I have just stood amazed again and again at God’s work in the hearts and lives of people everywhere, in Antwerp, Beerse, Limburg and now here in East Flanders. Amazed at the miracle of the new birth, of which Jesus said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God”, John 3:3. And with “see”, He means of course, “understand.” We use that word too when we explain something to someone, as we will often end by saying “you see?” You understand? You get it? Well, I have seen so many people “get it”, it is so real. I have often seen the expression on their faces change when the light dawned.

And it’s the same for all kinds of people, of all kinds of background, age, level of education, color and you name it, absolutely amazing. God is real. The Gospel is real. The Holy Spirit is real, and so is the new birth! Many a time people have told me that they don’t understand God, or the Bible, etc. I have answered by telling them that they are proving what Jesus and the Bible are saying. You can’t understand until you are born again, and that happens when you are willing to admit that you have sinned, and accept Jesus into your heart. Have you done that? Are you born again? Are you family members born again? And what about your neighbors? Maybe you should share some of these musings with them…….! (Go to Musings).