Circumstances, Choices, Consequences

Today in the United Methodist Church is known as Heritage Sunday, a 
day for the church to remember the past by committing itself to God’s 
continuing call. A call two sons of a pastor and of a mother who deeply 
loved, adored and supported them. While they were in college they began 
to methodically study the Bible and to reach out to the poor that nobody 
else would, let alone acknowledge. One brother answered the call from 
God and became a preacher. The other brother answered the call from 
God using the artistic talents God had given him to write songs and poems. 
Their names are John and Charles Wesley and because of their methodically 
studying the Bible the name Methodist was derived. 

On April 23, 1968, in Dallas Texas, the Methodist Church and the 
Evangelical United Brethren Church became one when Methodist Bishop 
Lloyd C. Wicke and Evangelical United Brethren Bishop Reuben H. 
Mueller joined hands and declared their two peoples to be one as the 
United Methodist Church. 

I believe Heritage Sunday is about John 15:16-20,

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you 
that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should 
abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he 
may give it to you. This I command you, to love one another. 
“If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it 
hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its 
own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you 
out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember 
the word I said to you, ‘a servant is not greater than his 
master.’ If they persecute me, they will persecute you; if 
they keep my word, they will keep yours also.

I believe Heritage Sunday is not just about the founding of the United
Methodist Church which has a world renowned publishing company, the 
Upper Room, as well as colleges, orphanages, churches and missionaries 
around the world. The United Methodist Church is about the people like 
those described in John 15:16-20, who have sacrificed, been persecuted, 
and gone underground in some countries around the world to have church 
to spread the Good News to the lost, thirsty and hungry. 

Through the United Methodist Church, the lost have been found, thirst has 
been quenched through the living water of our Lord and Savior Jesus 
Christ and hunger has been fed through teaching and preaching the Good 
News of God’s Word. For one never knows when or how a life can be 
changed by another. 

This morning we are blessed to have a message from a beautiful woman
of God with a beautiful talented singing voice, Loreene. 

Loreene, if you will please share with us.

“I’ve been asked here this morning to give my testimony. I’ve never spoken 
in front of a group of people before. So I’m pretty nervous as you can 
probably tell. I sort of panicked when I was asked to do this but after 
considering it for a couple of days, I made a choice to just do it.” 

“We’re all faced with circumstances. We all have to make choices, and with 
these choices, there will also be consequences. I thought I might be able to 
help someone if I share my story, if they’re in the same or a similar situation, 
their recovery time won’t have to take as long as mine did.”

“Everyone has a past, and for some of us, it’s not a very pleasant one. 
Some of us may have come from broken homes. Some of us may have 
been in extremely abusive situations of some kind, or may be many. And, 
I think the longer we go through it, the greater the effects will be in our 
lives and on down the road. As children we don’t get to make a lot of 
choices and for the most part, whatever goes on, we have to experience 
it and go through it. Some of us were never raised in a church environment, 
so finding our way through a church house door makes all the difference 
between living, existing, or possibly even dying.” 

Psalm 139:19 says,

Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers 
him out of them all.

“If I had never found a church, I would’ve never known this. But I was one 
of the lucky ones. For those who have suffered traumatic childhood 
experiences, we can chose to overcome for IT IS POSSIBLE! The Bible 
says, Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens 
me.” So it is possible to overcome and if I had never found a church or 
read God’s Word, I wouldn’t have known this either. The Bible is full of 
God’s Promises. See, when we’re old enough we can run far away from 
the physical abuses, but the problem is, the memories tend to follow us 
wherever we go. The devil uses them to taunt us, to keep us insecure, and 
to keep us in constant fear so that we won’t take a chance on finding a 
normal life.”

“But I know for a fact that Jesus can and will make all the difference if we 
choose to trust in Him. Lean on Him, talk to Him, cry out for His help and
He’ll be there to protect you from all the reminders of your past.” Hebrews 
13:5, Jesus said, “Call on me, and I will never leave nor forsake you.!”

“The past is just that, the past. When you come to believe in the Lord and 
on the Lord then His purpose will be your mindset. Colossians 3:2 says:
‘Set your affection on things above, not on things of the earth.’ And if you 
do this, you’ll find you’ll have everything you need to beat the devil at his 
own game.”

“You must read and study God’s word. Go to church and fellowship with 
other true Christians. Pray and develop a close personal relationship with 
Jesus. When you decide to turn your heart and life over to the Lord, then 
read His word, learn what He expects of you, and do His will. Works alone 
will not get you into heaven, but once you focus and allow God to work 
through you, you won’t have any time to dwell on the past. You’ll be too 
busy trying to find out and fulfill Gods plan for your life.”

“Bad things happen to all people, babies and children are not exempt. We 
all have lessons to learn while still here on earth. It took me a long time to 
get it. But I’m 40 (SOMETHING) years old now, and I finally understand 
that all the things that happened back then, they don’t matter anymore.” 

“Today I have one thing on my mind and I’m looking (UP) for all my
answers. I want to make heaven my final eternal home one day. But the 
only way I can do this is to stop dwelling on the past and focus on what 
God wants me to do here and now. And, if that means sharing my 
experiences or helping someone else realize that I know and I completely 
understand what they’ve been through because I’ve been there, then so 
be it. Next I could tell how I managed to get through it and there really was 
only one way. Jesus Christ, My Father, My Savior, My friend.”

“ When all this mess was going on, Jesus to me was just a name only. Was 
he real or a fable? Being raised in a non-Christian home at 10-11-12 years 
old, how was I supposed to know? But on Thursday night, April 29th, 1999, 
at a revival, I got saved and it was then that all my views began to change.” 

“Matthew 10:28, in the Bible says not to fear what can kill the flesh, instead, 
what can destroy the soul. I wouldn’t have understood this if I had not read 
His word, but a light came on and I FINALLY GOT IT! For whatever reason 
God allowed me to experience and go through these things as a child. He 
didn’t keep me from them, but He did keep me, ‘through them’. Satan will 
always be there to remind you of your past, every chance he can. But, 
Jesus said, ‘Lay it all down and follow me, we have more important things 
to tend to!’” 

“Matthew 16:24, ‘Take up thy cross and follow me.’ I heard His call, I 
listened, and I obeyed, cause as nervous as I was to get up here and do 
this, here I am. The moment I choose to follow God’s instruction, I stopped 
being the victim!! Today I am wife, a parent, a teacher, a friend, and more 
important, I’m a child of God. My focus is on making it to heaven someday 
and taking as many with me as I possibly can.” 

“ This is what the Lord wants and this is what I want for myself, my loved 
ones, and all of you.”

“We all need to lay the past to rest and focus on our eternity because in the 
end, that’s going to be all that really matters. Problems are always gonna’ 
be here, but with Jesus in our lives we learn to handle them a whole lot 
easier. Thank you for letting me share my testimony.”

Thank you Loreene for stepping out in faith to share your testimony.

Bad things happen to good people and we have a choice to go from victim 
to victor and help others along the way who are where we have been.

1 John 5:1-6

Every one who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of 
God, and every one who loves the parent loves the child. By 
this we know that we love the children of God, when we love 
God and keep his commandments. And his commandments 
are not burdensome. For whoever is born of God overcomes 
the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, 
our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world but he who 
believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?

May we be in prayer, 

Father, we thank you this morning for your unconditional love and believing 
in us when we may see no use for our existence. Thank you Father 
for Loreene’s testimony of circumstances, choices and 
consequences that has led her life to proclaim 
Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. May 
all hear the message of today and 
make the choice to know Jesus 
Christ as their Lord and 
Savior and pass this 
blessed heritage on. 
Pass it on so that 
others may know 
Jesus Christ as 
their Lord and 
Savior and 
eternity in 
heaven. 
Amen.



We're In 'HIS' hands


Image courtesy Christians Unite



05/21/2006



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