David1701
Well-known member
A Tale of Two Testimonies
The sun shone from a cloudless, blue sky over the sheep's main meeting-hall in Pigville. A rectangular, wooden structure, with a sloping, panelled roof and large, square, grilled windows at regular intervals housed the meetings, held every Wednesday and Sunday.
There was a steady stream of woollen worshippers talking excitedly, their tidy hooves clattering on the stone path, as they made their way up the gently rising, grassy bank, and headed for the entrance.
Today was a special day, a holy day, a day of awe and wonder – God had apparently delivered two souls from death and they wanted to make a public profession of their deliverance and desire to follow the Great Shepherd.
As the last sheep found a vacant seat, Paul, an elderly, greyish, bespectacled ram, persuaded his old legs to raise him to all fours.
“Brothers and sisters,”, he began, in a low, gravelly voice, “it is with great pleasure that I introduce two new sheep to the Pigville meeting!”
He gradually eased his head round and stretched a griselled leg towards a fresh, young ewe, seated to his right, and slightly behind him.
“This is Sally, whose heart was opened, by the Great Shepherd, only a few days ago. This young lass, who had sunk deeply into the mud pits of depravity, has been turned from darkness to light, and now she would like to give glory to her Lord, for his saving grace.”, Paul announced.
Sally rose thoughtfully and gazed over the assembled flock, through moistening eyes. Seven hundred pairs of eyes looked back intently, and a hushed, expectant air fell upon them all.
“I'm not really a public speaker,”, Sally said softly, “but I want to say how much I love the Great Shepherd for dying for me and giving me life.”
She paused, to steady her emotions, and sipped a little water, from the bowl on the lecturn, then continued, “I was in despair, guilty and hopeless, trying to find help from somewhere, because I couldn't break free from my sins and sorrows. I started to read from the Shepherd's Holy Book. His Law pressed upon me and I felt the weight of my sin, as if I were a weightlifter and someone was adding more and more weight to the bar, so that it would crush me at any moment.”
She paused again, and a moment with the bowl rescued her composure.
“I read of the Lord Jesus Christ, his perfect life, his love, his miracles, his dark betrayal by a “friend”, the flogging, the mockery and, finally, the humiliation and agony of the cross; but still my burden pushed me lower and lower, until I went down on my knees.”, said Sally.
A gentle peace blew softly through the flock, as if to prepare for the finale.
Sally continued, “A moment came, as I read of my Saviour, on the cross, asking his Father to forgive his persecutors, because they knew not what they were doing. In that moment (oh, what a moment!) my Lord replaced my disbelieving, corrupt, dead heart, with a new and living heart that beats for him forever! I knew, beyond all doubt, that he had died for me and saved me, by shedding his precious blood, on that agonising cross. Rivers of tears ran down my face and I couldn't stop saying “sorry” for my sins; but, through it all, there was this amazing love, this warmth and forgiveness, this acceptance that only the Great Shepherd can give. Oh, how I thanked and praised him! Brokenhearted I was, over my sin, and I wanted never to displease my Lord again; but, such sweet sorrow and the overwhelming joy of salvation; a new and living relationship with the Lord Jesus. Hallelujah!”.
At this point, Sally was so overcome with emotion that she could no longer stand and, after a warm, avuncular look, Paul, the elderly ram, motioned for a deacon to help her to her seat.
Turning to his left, Paul stretched out his other foreleg and said, “Now we come to Damian. I don't know him personally, but he tells me that he has decided to follow the Great Shepherd, so let's hear his testimony as well.”.
Damian rose briskly and strode to the front.
“Fellow followers of our Great Shepherd,”, he boomed, “I too have been troubled by my flaws, failings and troubled upbringing. I read the New Testament and, having examined the evidence, I have concluded that it is true.”.
Here he paused for effect, to allow some “Amens”, and sipped from a fresh bowl of water.
“I sought the help of an evangelist, from the far side of Pigville, Percy by name, and he said the Shepherd had died for everyone and therefore he died for me. He said that I needed to accept that I was a sinner, believe that the Great Shepherd had died for me and commit myself to him, in order to be saved.”, declared Damian, with a look of suitable gravity.
“I considered my options and decided that there was no contest: salvation and heaven were infinitely better than suffering and hell; so I made my decision, and repeated a “sinner's prayer” after Percy. Percy said that, if I had been sincere in my decision, then God was bound to honour his word and save me.”, Damian exclaimed.
“I want to urge anyone here now, who has not made a decision for the Great Shepherd, to do it right now! It will be the best decision you have ever made! Don't delay, you could be dead tomorrow and only your decision for the Shepherd can save you! Do what I did and make your choice for him, it will change your life forever!”, Damian exhorted.
Some cheers and “Amens” went up from the flock; but there were also knitted brows and uncertainty, amongst the more mature.
With his testimony complete, Damian marched back to his seat and surveyed the audience, with a satisfied smile. That was his first public witness for the Shepherd and he thought that it had gone very well. At that moment, he felt something slightly uncomfortable under him, on the seat, and adjusted his full-length, body-hugging sheepskin coat.
---I wrote this, some years ago now, as an illustration of biblical realities and how they might appear in a practical setting. See if you recognise anything similar to what you have seen or heard.
The sun shone from a cloudless, blue sky over the sheep's main meeting-hall in Pigville. A rectangular, wooden structure, with a sloping, panelled roof and large, square, grilled windows at regular intervals housed the meetings, held every Wednesday and Sunday.
There was a steady stream of woollen worshippers talking excitedly, their tidy hooves clattering on the stone path, as they made their way up the gently rising, grassy bank, and headed for the entrance.
Today was a special day, a holy day, a day of awe and wonder – God had apparently delivered two souls from death and they wanted to make a public profession of their deliverance and desire to follow the Great Shepherd.
As the last sheep found a vacant seat, Paul, an elderly, greyish, bespectacled ram, persuaded his old legs to raise him to all fours.
“Brothers and sisters,”, he began, in a low, gravelly voice, “it is with great pleasure that I introduce two new sheep to the Pigville meeting!”
He gradually eased his head round and stretched a griselled leg towards a fresh, young ewe, seated to his right, and slightly behind him.
“This is Sally, whose heart was opened, by the Great Shepherd, only a few days ago. This young lass, who had sunk deeply into the mud pits of depravity, has been turned from darkness to light, and now she would like to give glory to her Lord, for his saving grace.”, Paul announced.
Sally rose thoughtfully and gazed over the assembled flock, through moistening eyes. Seven hundred pairs of eyes looked back intently, and a hushed, expectant air fell upon them all.
“I'm not really a public speaker,”, Sally said softly, “but I want to say how much I love the Great Shepherd for dying for me and giving me life.”
She paused, to steady her emotions, and sipped a little water, from the bowl on the lecturn, then continued, “I was in despair, guilty and hopeless, trying to find help from somewhere, because I couldn't break free from my sins and sorrows. I started to read from the Shepherd's Holy Book. His Law pressed upon me and I felt the weight of my sin, as if I were a weightlifter and someone was adding more and more weight to the bar, so that it would crush me at any moment.”
She paused again, and a moment with the bowl rescued her composure.
“I read of the Lord Jesus Christ, his perfect life, his love, his miracles, his dark betrayal by a “friend”, the flogging, the mockery and, finally, the humiliation and agony of the cross; but still my burden pushed me lower and lower, until I went down on my knees.”, said Sally.
A gentle peace blew softly through the flock, as if to prepare for the finale.
Sally continued, “A moment came, as I read of my Saviour, on the cross, asking his Father to forgive his persecutors, because they knew not what they were doing. In that moment (oh, what a moment!) my Lord replaced my disbelieving, corrupt, dead heart, with a new and living heart that beats for him forever! I knew, beyond all doubt, that he had died for me and saved me, by shedding his precious blood, on that agonising cross. Rivers of tears ran down my face and I couldn't stop saying “sorry” for my sins; but, through it all, there was this amazing love, this warmth and forgiveness, this acceptance that only the Great Shepherd can give. Oh, how I thanked and praised him! Brokenhearted I was, over my sin, and I wanted never to displease my Lord again; but, such sweet sorrow and the overwhelming joy of salvation; a new and living relationship with the Lord Jesus. Hallelujah!”.
At this point, Sally was so overcome with emotion that she could no longer stand and, after a warm, avuncular look, Paul, the elderly ram, motioned for a deacon to help her to her seat.
Turning to his left, Paul stretched out his other foreleg and said, “Now we come to Damian. I don't know him personally, but he tells me that he has decided to follow the Great Shepherd, so let's hear his testimony as well.”.
Damian rose briskly and strode to the front.
“Fellow followers of our Great Shepherd,”, he boomed, “I too have been troubled by my flaws, failings and troubled upbringing. I read the New Testament and, having examined the evidence, I have concluded that it is true.”.
Here he paused for effect, to allow some “Amens”, and sipped from a fresh bowl of water.
“I sought the help of an evangelist, from the far side of Pigville, Percy by name, and he said the Shepherd had died for everyone and therefore he died for me. He said that I needed to accept that I was a sinner, believe that the Great Shepherd had died for me and commit myself to him, in order to be saved.”, declared Damian, with a look of suitable gravity.
“I considered my options and decided that there was no contest: salvation and heaven were infinitely better than suffering and hell; so I made my decision, and repeated a “sinner's prayer” after Percy. Percy said that, if I had been sincere in my decision, then God was bound to honour his word and save me.”, Damian exclaimed.
“I want to urge anyone here now, who has not made a decision for the Great Shepherd, to do it right now! It will be the best decision you have ever made! Don't delay, you could be dead tomorrow and only your decision for the Shepherd can save you! Do what I did and make your choice for him, it will change your life forever!”, Damian exhorted.
Some cheers and “Amens” went up from the flock; but there were also knitted brows and uncertainty, amongst the more mature.
With his testimony complete, Damian marched back to his seat and surveyed the audience, with a satisfied smile. That was his first public witness for the Shepherd and he thought that it had gone very well. At that moment, he felt something slightly uncomfortable under him, on the seat, and adjusted his full-length, body-hugging sheepskin coat.
---I wrote this, some years ago now, as an illustration of biblical realities and how they might appear in a practical setting. See if you recognise anything similar to what you have seen or heard.
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