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"All they knew was that people were saying, 'The one who used to persecute us is now preaching the very faith he tried to destroy!' And they praised God because of me."
(Galatians 1:23-24)
Adoniram Judson (1788-1850) was a brilliant man born in New England and educated at Brown University. He was reading at age 3, studied theology as a child, studied navigation at age 10, and went to college when he was 17. His father was a Congregational pastor and his mother a godly woman, but Adoniram was not converted while raised in this home. He had a friend at Brown University who won Adoniram over to deism, which basically says that God has no involvement in the universe He created. Adoniram's friend's name was Jacob Eames of Belfast, Maine. After graduating from college, Adoniram became a wanderlust, someone who travels in search of excitement. He checked into an inn where the man in the room next to his was near death and cried and moaned in pain all night. Adoniram could not sleep as he thought about this man and his eternal soul. Though not a Christian, he felt pity for the dying man. In the morning, Adoniram asked about the sick man, and he was told that he had indeed died. Then he was told what the man's name was: Jacob Eames, his college friend who influenced him to become a deist! Adoniram was shocked and deeply saddened that his friend was dead and died a lost man. He quit his traveling, returned home, and enrolled at Andover Theological Seminary. Soon he was genuinely saved at the age of 20 and surrendered his life to serving the Lord as a missionary. He married a godly woman named Ann, and they were sent out as Congregational missionaries. While on a ship sailing to India, he read the New Testament, became a Baptist, and he and Ann were baptized by an associate of William Carey. (See Danny Aiken, Five Who Changed the World, p. 19-25. I highly recommend Courtney Anderson's excellent biography of Judson entitled To the Golden Shore: The Life of Adoniram Judson.)
There is perhaps no greater proof of Christianity than a profoundly changed life. Every person God saves, He changes them. If there is no change in the way we live, then there has been no conversion. When God redeems a sinner by the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ, that person is, according to Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:17, a new creation. "This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!" Saul of Tarsus became the Apostle Paul, Adoniram Judson left his deistic beliefs and became a committed disciple of Jesus. What is your story? What change in your life has Jesus made that causes others to glorify God?
This phrase in our biblical text for today really grabbed my attention: "Because of me." When God saves a lost sinner, He does so for His glory and their eternal salvation. But that is not all. God wants our lives to be on display so that others will see the change in us, surrender to the Lordship of Christ, and glorify God. Everyone will think about God at some point in his or her life, and when they do, you want them to think of you. Others see your consistent walk with Jesus, they hear of the wonderful Gospel from your lips, and as a result of the convicting power of the Holy Spirit, they yield their lives to Christ. Praise the Lord!
Let us live for Christ today such that others will notice the change God has made, and as a result, give their lives to Jesus as well.
Have a blessed weekend. Thank you for your prayers and support of DFEA that make this ministry possible. We praise the Lord for using us to point others to Jesus.
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Reboot, refresh, and refocus this year!
Last year was challenging, so we want to help you have a fresh start in 2021 with Pastor Danny’s sermon series Restart. Get your copy when you give today!
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God Has His People Everywhere
Pastor Danny shares about his experiences traveling with his wife, Ashley, this past week to Arizona, both to speak at the "Who's Your One?" conference in Phoenix and to see the Grand Canyon. He shares about how God was able to use them to bless others in encounters on their trip.
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