A GREAT TESTIMONY:

Jesus Has Risen from the Dead!

Dear friend,

Happy Resurrection Day!  For Christians everywhere, this is the most joyous day of the year.

Below is KEITH'S TESTIMONY in his own words. He wrote it for the Last Days Newsletter a long time ago.  Most of you have probably never had a chance to read it before.  As you read, remember that God has given YOU a TESTIMONY too!

This time of year is perfect for each of us to remember our own stories of Resurrected Life.  When we gave our lives to Jesus, He gave us a new heart and eternal life, and a TESTIMONY to share with others. 

When Keith and I first became Christians, we told EVERYONE we knew, even strangers on the street, about Jesus -- and how they could find the peace they were looking for!  

"And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son." 1 John 5:11 NKJV

I encourage you to share YOUR story with those you meet and those you love.  No matter how many years you've been a Christian, it all comes down to this... Once I was blind, and now I can see! 

There is power in YOUR TESTIMONY ... and I believe the Lord wants to use YOU to reach many now, and all year long!

I AM COMING TO YOU!

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Behold, All Things Become New!

by Keith Green

It was in the spring of 1973 that I first prayed to Jesus… after searching in every

possible direction. I had sought happiness through drugs, free love (sex), money and fame from music.  But after being totally disillusioned by this search, I embarked on another… my search for “enlightenment.”

This took me through the whole gamut of Eastern-mystical thought, including all the commercial Western brands such as astrology, metaphysics, “white” witchcraft, astral projection, and self-hypnosis; a complete “who’s who” (or “what’s what”) of the alternatives to Jesus.

I made a list in my mind of all the great teachers and philosophers who had ever made an impact on the world. On this list, I included even some little known gurus such as Yogananda, Si Baba, Meher Baba, etc. – men who many of my friends assured me had the answer for my life.  One by one, I read books on their teachings, listened to lectures on their philosophies, and conversed with their followers.  But as I went from one master to another, the search moved more quickly, for they all started to sound alike.

Their philosophies were almost carbon copies of each other ie, “All you have to do is follow ME and you will melt into the cosmic awareness that you are one with God… in fact …you are God.”  And then they would always add something about Christ… “Yes, Jesus proved that we are all God by expressing the Christ-consciousness”…or something like that. They all made a point of referring to Jesus as proof that their particular way was a lot like His.

This began to baffle me, for I had put Jesus right down at the bottom of my list. I thought… “Mom, apple pie… and Jesus Christ.”  Right? I mean, how could He be the way… with so much hypocrisy among Christians?  Besides, I hated all those “Praise-the-Lords,” and “Hallelujahs.”  I figured I’d never be a Christian… No, it was the every last thing I wanted to be.

But the Lord has ways of getting you to the bottom of your list. 

I figured if all these supposedly wise men gave Jesus spiritual credit, then maybe I’d better look into Him directly and see what He had to say. They all taught that He was one of the ways to God, so I was surprised to read in the bible that He said, “I am the way, the truth, the life, no one comes to the Father but through me” (John 14:6).  He claimed that He was the only way!

Well, after much consideration I had to decide that the only safe thing to do was to follow Jesus… after all, almost every major religion and guru I had encountered gave Him at least some approval. It soon became clear that I had no choice -- they all pointed to Him -- and He only pointed to Himself!

Salvation

Around the same time I first prayed to Jesus, I met a girl named Melody.  She too had been burned by the world and had turned to drugs and the occult to try and find an answer to life. We kind of found each other on the same search and then slow but sure, we found the Lord together.

There was so much to put into perspective.  We fell deeply in love and got married on Christmas morning 1973.  We both started writing music for CBS the next year.  There were many people trying to help me make it in the music business… but I knew it wasn’t for me.  A part of me really wanted it, but my heart knew better – it just couldn’t make me happy.

So for whole two years after my first simple “please show me if you’re real Jesus” prayer, I struggled with how much the world had to offer versus that gnawing hunger and thirst in my empty soul longing for true peace and fulfillment.

Well it all came together in the spring of 1975—my hungry heart and the Lord Jesus Christ!  Oh the total release of joy of that new Christian life! Our friends (not to mention our families) thought we were crazy. We just couldn’t keep it to ourselves. Almost right away, Melody and I started inviting people into our home for fellowship, and then the babies came… the new converts!

We would witness at the beach, at the park, in restaurants, even to wrong numbers on the phone. Then came those who had nowhere to stay, no money, no friends…  Well, we had a house and we had some money, and we wanted with all our hearts to be everyone’s friend, so we invited them to just move in.

Those were crazy days! People sleepin’ on the couch, in all the rooms, even on the garage floor!  Some Christians even thought we’d gone too far. Well maybe we did, but God blessed both our boldness and our innocence… many got saved and many found hope. Sure we got ripped-off, even robbed… but each soul was worth it!

Keith & Melody holding Josiah, sitting in front on ground.

That was the beginning of the Last Days Community, though we didn’t know it would ever have a name or that we’d eventually put out a newsletter and print thousands of tracts. But within three years our little one-house, 15-people ministry grew to a seven-house ministry with over 70 people in it.

Later, we saw that we had greatly over-extended ourselves; and by the time we moved to our ranch in Lindale, Texas, the Lord had pared our numbers down to an efficient staff of 25.

It hasn’t all been a bunch of roses since 1975. On the contrary, the last two years especially have been an incredible struggle. But I wouldn’t trade it for any education I could get on earth!

Sure the Lord wants us to keep our first love, but He also wants us to grow up, and that involves a lot of hard lessons, some sharp growing pains, and not a few trips out to the woodshed with the Lord, “For whom the Lord loves, He disciplines”  (Heb. 12:6).  How good it is to know Jesus, and to be growing up into the fullness of His glory!!

LDM MEXICO MERCY

MINISTRY UPDATE

Wayne Kiger-Rice operates our Mexico Mercy Ministry, sharing the love of Jesus with the poor and needy.  

Read the following TESTIMONY to see how one changed life has changed many lives.

 Vicente and Wayne

Wayne drives to Tijuana, Mexico almost every day with a truck full of donated food and supplies.  He  prays there's no problem with the  Border Officials getting his cargo across to help the needy.

From Wayne:

Vicente was a crystal-meth user in his early 30's living with his wife and four children in Tijuana. 

Vicente had encountered the Lord before but was not yet free from his addictions and selfish lifestyle.

He came to our free food and ministry outreach a few years ago. He was quoting scripture but he was also high on drugs too.

My co-worker Greg confronted Vicente's conflict of interests and Vicente was open and teachable.  In fact he realized that the prayers of his wife and family were starting to change him.

The Lord radically delivered him from his addiction and replaced it with a strong conviction to reach others in his community struggling with the same drug addictions.

Vicente has grown in the Lord and answered a call to serve Him full time with acts of kindness for the poor, the sick, and the addicted. 

In the mornings he feeds children of very poor families in his Colonia before they go to school.  Some of the parents are drug addicted like he once was. Vicente ministers to them with his own TESTIMONY. 

We bring Vicente extra food that he delivers to many facilities that care for the sick who can't afford to be medically treated, and those who are elderly and mentally ill. 

And last but not least, he delivers food to many who also used to be drug addicts that are strong Christians now and discipling others getting off drugs, some whom Vicente has brought to the programs himself.

Vicente is a humble strong man of God who we gratefully get to partner with in our Mexico Mercy Ministry.  Touching Vicente has changed the lives of many others!

DO YOU LIVE

NEAR SAN DIEGO?

We need VOLUNTEER HELP in San Diego to load food and supplies for Wayne to drive over the border. Helping even ONE HOUR a week would make a big difference!!

Just drop us a note here, with your contact information and we'll get in touch with you.

You can also support our

Mexico Ministry with a donation.

20% OFF ALL BOOKS!

Many titles and authors.

LIMITED TIME SPECIAL: 

20% off until May 5th!

Use Voucher BK20 at checkout.

Must-reads for Christians and those who don't know Him yet!

The TRUE story of Keith and Melody’s romance, spiritual and musical journey, neighborhood ministry, and call to reach the world. Also the tragic death of Keith and their two children, and the goodness of God after the tragedy. Written by Melody with candor, humor, and warmth. (Updated in 2008)

This book has the most entries from Keith's Personal Journals found anywhere. Follow in his own words from age 15 until his death at 28. Also contains daily devotionals from Keith's many Bible teachings. Powerful and insightful.

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BK20 at checkout

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