Pastor Dave Heisterkamp shares his personal testimony of how God used students from Faith Baptist Bible College to lead him to Christ at age 21. He examines the radical changes that occurred in the apostle Paul's life after his conversion and draws parallels to his own transformation from a broken party guy to a passionate follower of Christ.
Scripture Text
2 Corinthians 5:13-21
Main Points or Ideas
- New Passion for Christ - Paul went from hating and persecuting Christians to being controlled and compelled by Christ's love. The love of Christ acts like a dam that constrains us from certain things while propelling us forward with incredible force toward God.
- A New Promise of Change - Verse 17 declares that if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation - the old has passed away and the new has come. Change is not a maybe for believers; it's a certainty. Have-to's become want-to's.
- A New Perspective About People - Paul's view of people completely changed after his conversion. Instead of separating himself from others as a Pharisee, he began to see everyone through the lens of the cross with compassion, recognizing that he was once lost too.
- A New Purpose in Life - Believers are given the ministry and message of reconciliation. We are ambassadors for Christ, and our banner is not separation but reconciliation - bringing enemies close as friends, making the broken whole, and drawing the distant near.
Conclusion
God melted Dave's heart and molded his life through the faithful witness of a Faith student named Deb, who demonstrated Christ-like convictions by refusing to compromise her standards. Her boundaries and convictions, rather than building fences, created a compelling testimony that led a broken young man to surrender his life to Christ.
