When I was growing up as a young boy, my parents attended a heretical church that I do not know if it still exists. As children we followed them to that church until I reached a stage where I could sense that I was in a wrong congregation.

Despite not being a believer, I was conscious of that - I am sure God’s common grace was working in my life. I enjoyed attending church services, but the most important thing that kept me in the church was singing in the choir.

My turning point came when I began attending services at a Southern Baptist Church in Petauke. The Pastor, Mackson Nkhata, on one Sunday preached from the book of 1 John 5: 11-12. I was very worried because I did not know how Christ could give me eternal life. I followed the Pastor to his home to clarify how this would have happened to me. He read a number of other scriptures, but I only remember Romans 3:23, which states that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”. Then he asked me to repeat after him the sinner’s prayer which I did thoughtlessly. Immediately after, I was declared a believer! However, what amazed me, latter after some months, was that I did not experience any change. I tried to pretend that I was a different person, but I could see that I was the same person. I was shy to share this with friends or anyone else, I kept it to myself and I was put in a baptism class. Whenever a day was scheduled for baptism, I would make plans to be out of the area so that they do not baptize me. All this happened in April in 1990.

In 1991, the time came when I truly experienced the grace of God. It was after listening to a preaching from the book of Roman 3:10-11. I felt my unrighteousness exposed and realized that I was lost - like the sheep without a shepherd. When I went home, for the first time, I knelt down before God confessing my sins to Jesus Christ for forgiveness. And I also felt relieved and at peace with God and with myself. This time my heart was truly changed. I believed and trusted that the blood of Jesus washed all my sins away and the Lord accepted me as his child. Since then I am sure that I am a child of the Living God in heaven and he loves me.

Years later, I answered God’s call to ministry and I am now serving as missionary Pastor to Sinda Reformed Baptist Church in Eastern Province. Amen.

German Chande Banda