From darkness into light with a crucial interchange

My name is Ivana Bryndova. I believed in Christ 19 years ago at a big evangelistic meeting in the city of Most. At this occasion I held Bible for the first time in my life.

I come from an unbelieving family. I had a great desire to know God, his word and his power. But I was afraid of the people! „Is it not a sect? I have to be careful – no visits, no friendship.” I was continually keeping them far enough from me. But while I was getting to know them better, my worries were melting. I was attending all meetings and was baptized after 6 months. We were receiving good teachings, we knew Bible well and I was persuaded that I knew God.

But one thing began to trouble me – it was hypocrisy in me and in the people from the church. This word was closely fitting to us: „Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” Matthew 23:26, 28.

Than we met a couple, that told us about the Holy Spirit and his baptism, his gifts and his power to change you from the inside. Acts 19:2-3: He asked them, „Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, „No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” I immediately knew I needed this. I knew it was not enough for me to know the Bible, know God, go to church and do good works. I wanted the Holy Spirit baptism, his gifts, that living water that would change my character and the old nature that always fails. Immediately after my Holy Spirit baptism in the Baptist Church in Český Těšín, I received spiritual gifts and the Holy Spirit began to teach me by himself. After seven years of regular Bible study I read every sentence as if I saw it for the first time. I had great joy and understanding of God´s word. I personally experienced the word from John 8:32: „You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Then we began to look for a living church that has God´s power. A place where the preaching is not based upon wise and persuasive words but is confirmed by demonstration of the Spirit and power, as it is written in 1 Corinthians 2:4. We searched in Most, Litvínov and Jirkov. We started in Brethren´s Church in Most. After a short time sister named Boženka lent us a cassette tape with recorded preaching: Festus Nsoha: „Loose him and let him go.” We had never heard about this person before even though at that time different gossips and lies were already going around the churches. God saved us from that so that we could make our own conclusion. And it was clear after a few sentences. My spirit rejoiced and revived as if a dry sponge sucks water, as dry dessert receives dew of Hermon. Our rejoicing spirits desired to shout Hallelujah.

I fully understand people who condemn this. I was the same. Joyful music, liberty in the spirit, body movements, clapping hands, laughter or Hallelujah shouts? Before that I would not tolerate such a thing but condemned it. Uncompromisingly! But what a release and joy to hear a clear, straight, undiluted and genuine truth that does not tend to please anybody! 1 Corinthians 2:14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. I used to discern everything by my educated religious and adequately proud head. „God, I thank you that you did not leave me there!” God addressed me, my husband and our daughter in the same way and at the same time. Pastor could not bewitch us or manipulate us and he did not have chance to wash off our brains. Only the Holy Spirit and his power can do such a thing during 10 minutes in the lives of three people of three different generations!

We have been in this church for 12 years already. We have liberty to leave, we have friends in other churches including “traditional” ones, we are allowed to visit other meetings and conferences, we can read every Bible translation, magazines and books, we watch Christian satellite broadcasting etc. Nothing is commanded or forbidden us. God gave us free will to decide and we respect that. I don´t want to write about all testimonies about God´s power that I experienced. I want to write a wish for everybody to have a pastor whom he or she can be proud of. A pastor of whom it is written:

Philippians 3:7-16

But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you. Only let us live up to what we have already attained.

I know beyond doubt that when I drive Mercedes for 12 years after 7 years of driving a Trabant car, nobody can persuade me that the Trabant car is the only quality car in the world! But what if I have never tried another car but the Tabant??? My motive for writing this testimony is not a defense of my church, my pastor or myself, but the word from the scriptures:

Luke 11:52: „You have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”

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