God Wasn't Finished With Me | A Pastor's Story

Behind a life devoted to making disciples is a story of people who first took the time to make one. In this episode, Michael shares the powerful testimony of believing he was a Christian, discovering the gift of salvation, running from his calling to ministry, and experiencing God's faithfulness through seasons of struggle, surrender, and spiritual growth. We explore discipleship, the beauty of spiritual mentorship, and how God uses ordinary people to accomplish His extraordinary purposes. Whether you're new to following Jesus, struggling in your walk with Him, or seeking to disciple others, I pray Michael's story encourages you to recognize God's goodness and faithfulness in every season. 🤍 The Gospel 🤍 So what’re you living for? What’s your purpose? Money? Success? Happiness? What if there was something more - a joy and peace beyond understanding? – The Backstory – So here’s how it all started: In the beginning, God created everything that exists, and created everything perfectly. But people fell into sin - we (selfishly) insist on doing things our own way and distort the original design, turning from Him to ourselves. The consequence of sin is separation from God, both in this life and for all of eternity. Sin leads to a place of brokenness , and that brokenness deeply impacts our lives, our hearts, the people we love, the world around us. But because of His love, God didn’t leave us in our brokenness. – The Good News – God gave us His only Son, Jesus , Who humbled Himself and came down to earth as fully God and fully man. He lived perfectly according to God’s design. Jesus came to rescue us - to do for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves. He took our sin and shame to the cross, paying the penalty of our sin through His death. Jesus was buried, and then raised from the dead, defeating death, and providing the only way for us to be rescued and restored to God. Jesus would live perfectly when we could not, would die sufficiently where we deserved to die ourselves, and would rise from the dead, vindicating us of all our sin and proving that His love is unconquerable . He would send His Son, God in the flesh, to absorb His wrath against sin on the cross. His resurrection would show His power over sin, over the grave, so that Anyone Anywhere No matter who you are or what you’ve done If you turn from your sin, and put your trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord of your life, you will be reconciled to God forever . That doesn’t mean you’ll be perfect - your reconciliation to Him is based on Christ’s perfection, not on anything you’ll ever do - but it does mean you’ll be living for God and trusting His ways instead of living for yourself. The Gospel is an invitation to all people, an invitation for you, to know and enjoy Him forever through His grace in Jesus Christ. – Now What? – If you have questions, or if you’ve put your trust in Jesus today, we’d encourage you to follow up with a Christian friend you trust. We’d also encourage you to attend a church in your area that believes and teaches the Bible, because it’s not His perfect design for us to figure everything out alone. As followers of Christ, He gives us His Spirit and other Christians to help us follow Christ and live for a greater purpose. There is a joy and a peace and a purpose to be found, if only we choose to receive it. 🔥 The Drawn by Grace Mission 🔥 Drawn by Grace exists to declare the power of God by sharing the stories of His people. ⭐️ The Drawn by Grace Vision ⭐️ Through sharing the works of God, we pray His people would: Be captivated by Christ and His faithfulness Deepen faith and awe of God Remember His goodness 00:00 – Introduction 01:53 – I Thought I Was a Christian… Until I Met Jesus 12:53 – For the Person Thinking, "I Think I'm a Christian" 15:47 – When My Old Life No Longer Fit 17:54 – One of My Biggest Regrets 23:41 – A Calling Doesn't Mean They're Ready 24:37 – The Pastor Who Loved Me Enough to Confront Me 28:13 – How God Opened the Door to Ministry 38:51 – The Heart of Discipleship: Colossians 1:24–29 #ChristianTestimony #GodsFaithfulness #Discipleship #ChristianPodcast #JesusChangesLives