Bible.

Who will not fear You, O Lord,and glorify Your name?For You alone are holy.All nations will come and worship You . . .

“ “Meet themat Christ Church BradfordLey Fleaks Road Idle, BD10 8RQon any Sunday at 10:30am

THE BRADFORD

sEvEnissuE 1

Meet their God

Serious OffendersReLeaSeDin your neighbourhood

InSIDe:they reveal their identities and tell their own stories

Please visit our website: www.christchurchbradford.org.uk

Design, artwork and photography by DEGRAFIK visit www.degrafik.co.uk or call us on 07977 859 417.

Bible.

Thanks be to God! that though you used to be slaves to sinyou have been set free from sin

“ “

Dear Reader,

This is what happened to us!We have been set free!Just as the Bible says!Read our stories!

Yours sincerely,

ThE BRADFORDSEVEN

andrew

Within a couple of weeks of going to church i was a born-again Christian: changed, forgiven and utterly amazed at what God had done and how He’d come into my life.

““

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My name is andrew and I became a Christian at the age of 24. I am now 50 years old. I am married to Wendy and we have three boys who are aged 16, 14 and 12.

As a boy and a young man I never went to church. My family weren’t Christians. I enjoyed school and worked hard at college. I filled my life with the things that interested me like motorcycling, pleasure and art. I sought satisfaction and purpose in my work and family. I lived my life as though God didn’t really exist. The big questions in life we’re often not asked. God and religion were not part of my thinking.

When I was 21 my father suddenly died tragically, aged only 51, in an acci-dent at work and the question “why our family?” kept coming back to us. I looked for meaning, but didn’t find any. I asked the questions, but didn’t ask God. Many people were very kind, but the truth about Christ wasn’t to be revealed to me at this point.

however, 2 and a half years later God, in his mercy, showed himself to me. A very good friend started to talk about the Bible to me and to discuss books in the Old Testament. he introduced me to some Jehovah’s Witnesses who tried to persuade me that the Watch Tower and Kingdom hall possessed God’s truth on earth. Simultaneously another friend, who was a Christian, introduced me to a Bible-believing church. I knew, from the moment the preacher started to talk, that he was speaking directly to me. I wasn’t looking for God (or at least I didn’t realize I was! ) he found me. I was convicted of my sin and knew I needed to turn to Jesus Christ.

Within a couple of weeks of going to church I was a born-again Christian: changed, forgiven and utterly amazed at what God had done and how he’d come into my life. My friend, as far as I know, didn’t become a believer. I haven’t seen him for years, but through him God brought me to the truth; to life itself! - to the person of Jesus Christ! My mum became a Christian a few months after me. My brothers and sisters said, “it’s just a phase,” but now they know that it’s a genuine change.

We now live and work in Bradford. We are thankful to God that he alone gives real purpose and meaning to life. The truth in the Bible helps me day by day to live for him as a husband, father, son and friend - relying on him for wisdom, strength, purpose, and to serve others, telling them what God can do in each of our lives if we allow him. I am so thankful that God has taught us to pray - and that is something we must do.

Please visit our church at Leyton Drive, Idle. Come and talk to someone today about God.“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, so that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” - Bible, John chapter 3 verse 16.

No high pulpit. It was, to me, more like a big front room than a church. Now I’ve realised that the building itself isn’t so important, but that the Christians themselves are the actual church of Jesus Christ. Everyone was very friendly. I went the next Sunday evening, and the next. I never stopped going. But I wasn’t a Christian.

A new pastor came. he was always preaching about sin. I was sure he was making up his sermons especially for me. But, to my mind, I wasn’t a sinner.

One Sunday morning (it was June now) I woke up with a strong feeling that I would go to church that morning. I’d never been to church in the morning before. I went by myself. When I arrived, the service had already begun. Mr Edmondson did a talk for the children. he talked about a little boy, who couldn’t fit through a gateway because he had so many sins. he had to unload the sins and then he got through the narrow gateway. As Mr Edmondson was speaking, I suddenly knew that I was a sinner. I couldn’t get through the narrow gate on to God’s road to heaven, unless I unloaded my sins. This meant I had to turn my back on my sins, and turn towards God, asking him to forgive me. Before that morning service was over, I had found God! Or rather, God had found me. I went home knowing that I was a sinner and that God had forgiven all my sins, and had made me a real Christian.

Mr edmondson’s story was based on something Jesus said:

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Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

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“Doreen

One sunday morning (it was June now) i woke up with a strong feeling that i would go to church that morning. i’d never been to church in the morning before.

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“My name is Doreen Wiseman. I’m 73 years old. I’m living on borrowed time. For most of my life I wasn’t a Christian. I believed in God. When a shopkeeper gave me too much change, I gave it back. I couldn’t keep it. But I wasn’t a Christian. Whenever we moved house, I would look for a church to go to. I would always find one, but I never actually went. I was too busy. And, anyway, I could never dare to step inside a church - apart from for weddings. I loved weddings.

As a litle girl, my mother took me to church three times every Sunday. But when I left school, at 15, I stopped - never to go again for forty years.

Life was wonderfully busy. When I was 17, I met Joe. he came round to Annie’s house to wind the clock. Almost straight away, he wanted to marry me. My mother said we had to wait while I was 19. Which we did. The Lord gave us five children. They were happy, busy, busy years.

For 59 years, when I was too busy for God, God was very good to me. One day (when I was 5) my dad asked me to pass his cigarettes. As I reached up to the mantle piece, the fire caught my night dress. I was burnt, terribly. I can still remember the damp linen dressings sizzling on my burns. But the Lord spared me and healed me. Of course, I didn’t know the Lord then. But, looking back now, I can see that, all through my life, the Lord was bringing lots of things into place like a jigsaw puzzle - even when I didn’t know him or love him or want him.

In the 1990s, with all the children having grown up and left home, Joe and I moved to Thorpe Edge. A lady called at our home and talked about the Lord Jesus Christ. She gave me a Bible that was written in modern English, which I could read. One day she asked if I’d like to go to a church. I said that I would like to. And I did.

The church was called Leyton Drive Chapel. I took my sister for company. We went one Sunday evening in March 1995. I was amazed. No stained glass windows.

Bible.

I grew up in a church-going family, with loving parents and sister. In her early teens my sister took up serious Bible reading for herself and became a committed Christian, not just a church-goer. I followed my ‘big sister’ a few years later, but can’t remember events in detail, as it was about 60 years ago now! I know that I was much helped by an organisation called Scripture Union, which encouraged young people to read the Bible daily, and provided explanatory notes to help you understand.

Fast forward now - past a few years in Africa preparing to do Bible translation, which disappointingly had to be left to others owing to my husband’s ill health; past 15 years of teaching Latin in Bradford - on to retirement, which I am enjoying very much!

One aspect of a less-busy life is the opportunity to keep in touch with people I have known in the past. One of these is a Christian friend with mental health problems whom I visited in Lynfield Mount for many months. Together we built up a list of titles or descriptions of Jesus Christ, found in the Bible, beginning with the letter A and proceeding in the direction of Z - but we couldn’t find any titles beginning with X,Y or Z (or Q or U either)! Otherwise we found one or more for each letter, and talked about them together. My friend specially appreciated the title, ‘Advocate’ (Jesus speaking to the Father in our defence) as people in her situation are given an ‘advocate’ to speak for them in an official capacity. She also liked the term ‘Shepherd’, which led us to go through Psalm 23 - ‘The Lord is my Shepherd’.

This practice of thinking about titles or descriptions of Christ has been an ongoing blessing to me personally. The ones I appreciate particularly (as well as Advocate and Shepherd) are Destroyer of Death; Friend of sinners; and Immanuel (which means ‘God with us’). Now in my seventies, I am beginning to understand how absolutely central Jesus Christ is in the life of a Christian. I now start each day with thinking about a few of his titles before I get up. It’s my way of putting him at the centre, which at least starts me off on the right foot. Still pressing on, anyway!

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Bible.

What comes out of a manis what makes him unclean.For from within, out of men’s hearts come evil thoughts,sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit,lewdness, envy, slander,arrogance and folly.All these evils come from insideand make a man unclean.

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eileen

now in my seventies, i am beginning to understand how absolutely central Jesus Christ is in the life of a Christian.

““

My Dad lived in a huge house with 25 rooms, filled with religious furniture (and religious gowns) that he had bought from churches. One night, all alone in that strange house, I watched a scary film - it was called Event horizon - about a ship travelling to hell. When the film was over, I suddenly thought, if I die tonight I’m going to hell. I called out to God, “Please don’t let me go to hell. I’ll do anything.” And so the next day I went to church.

After that I went to church - sometimes. My sister took me to a big church in Bradford. It was my first time to a church, which wasn’t Roman Catholic. It was quite an experience. I was amazed. It was sparkly and dancy like a show. The preaching made you feel really good about yourself. I went there, on and off; for one year; but when my friends stopped going - I stopped too. By now night clubs and drinking were taking over my life. I drank at the night club and I drank at home. My friends would come round and drink in my room.

In the night club I met the man who is now my husband, Metin. Metin didn’t go to church, but his mum and dad went to a home-church (which met in someone’s home). I told him that I went to the big dancing church (which I hardly ever did by now). One Sunday I took him to the dancing church, and then he took me to his parents’ home-church.

The thing about Metin’s parents’ church was the Bible. They explained the Bible. I’d never heard the Bible explained before. I’d never tried to understand it before. But now it made perfect sense. I knew it was true. This was it. Only this could fill that Gap.

That endless search for forgiveness and heaven was over. I had to stop trying to get to heaven, myself, and rely on Jesus Christ. Relying on Jesus Christ - that was the great point in the Bible. Jesus Christ had died for sinners. he had paid the price to satisfy a blisteringly perfect and sin-punishing God. Jesus Christ had died for sinners. There was nothing more to be done. - except rely on him.

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My home was full of statues. We did Rosary beads together each night. Each bead was reminding you to say a prayer.

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“Gemma

My name is Gemma. I’m 25 years old. I’m married to Metin. We have four young children (really young - I’m almost too tired to tell my story coherently).

As a little girl, my mum was the biggest influence on my life. She wasn’t just Roman Catholic! She was more Roman Catholic than the Pope! I was always at Mass. Every Saturday - I was at Mass. Every day of a school holiday - I was at Mass. After Mass, we stayed on for long prayer sessions, and then stayed on longer still while my mum cleaned the church. My dad’s tastes were slightly different. he took me to Latin masses which could go on for three hours!

My home was full of statues. We did Rosary beads together each night. Each bead was reminding you to say a prayer. Every family holiday was to a religious place. One holiday, when I was 7, I walked up a mountain, bare foot, as penance for my sins.

From 6 years old, I went to Confession. I stepped into the box on my own and told my sins to the man behind the screen. “Forgive me Father for I have sinned” I said. I told him I had lied, and been naughty to my mum. At the end I always added, “and please forgive all the sins I can’t remember.” I hadn’t forgotten them all, but this covered the serious stuff I didn’t want to talk about.

The priest would say that he forgave my sin in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Ghost. But the forgiveness was a very uncertain affair. I still had to (he said) say my hail Marys. The hail Mary was a prayer to recite under your breath - which I always, dutifully, did. This would make forgiveness more likely, but nothing like a done deal.

Catholicism was my whole life. It was all deadly serious to me, until I went up to St Joseph’s Comprehensive School. Now I became less interested in church and my mum stopped making me go. I went horse riding on a Saturday instead of to Mass. By the time I was 14, I never went to church. I wanted to be a normal teenager - which is what I became. But, deep inside underneath all the fun, I knew there was something missing. I call it the Gap.

I tried to fill the gap. I looked into Wicca. I was fascinated but, in the end, I couldn’t believe in it.

Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.

“ “

Bible.

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Bible.

Do not be surprisedthat i say to youyou must be born again

“ “ Human beings have no right to judge other people, only God can do so.

“ “

Afterwards, my friend wanted to give me a Chinese Bible, but I insisted on asking for an English Bible. My friend said: “You wouldn’t be able to understand an English version of the Bible with your limited English.” I still clearly remembered my reply at that time, I said to her: “You say that God is powerful. Ask your God to open my eyes and ears, so I can understand the Bible.” In the end, my friend gave me an English Bible. A few months after going to All Souls’ church, I started to be interested in reading the Bible, but it was very difficult for me to understand.

One evening, I believed that God spoke to me, since I could understand God’s word when I read the Bible with my limited English. Two points really struck me, first, God said, “human beings have no right to judge other people, only God can do so.” I thought “that’s right”, because when we judge our neighbors, we always see the negative sides of them, and we are never happy with that. If I always see the positive aspects of other people, I’ll be happier. Secondly, God said, “We should love and help each other.” At that moment, I thought these two points were absolutely right and believed that it is impossible for any human beings to say such pithy words, only God can say so. At this very moment, I as an atheist began to believe in the existence of God. Gradually, my attitudes and behaviour have changed. I didn’t notice that, until I first went back to China in 2000. My mother and sisters said to me: “Jian, except that your look hasn’t changed, all other things have completely changed, now you like to help people and are not chasing money any more, but you look very happy. It seems someone changed your brain and heart.” I replied to them: “Yes, that is God, only he can change a mature person like me.’’

My Christian life has not been easy or smooth; instead, I have been through a lot of hardships and storms. I find, however, that my faith has significantly grown after having gone through these hardships. My difficult life has made me close to God and trust in him. God is my shepherd and rock. I know he holds me by my right hand whatever circumstances I go through. Praise the Lord!

Jian

Before I came to the UK, I was in charge of an advertising company in China. At that time, money and high status were the most important things in my life. I didn’t have any religion and only believed in my own ability. however, I wasn’t happy. In September 1997, when I first came to the UK, I couldn’t speak one English sentence. You can imagine how difficult and how stressful it was.

however, in summer 1998, a friend of mine invited me to go to All Souls’ church in London. My immediate reaction was ‘no’, because I thought church was western culture, nothing to do with me. But she said: “going to church may help your English and if you don’t like it, you can stop going.” I thought, “that’s all right”, so I went to church with her, and got a good first impression that the church people were very friendly.

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Bible.

Christ died for our sins...he was buried, he was raised on the third day...

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i know that i have that forgiveness now - completelyunconditional and free. The transformation - well, it’s still awork in progress!

“

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That year, my father happened to be doing the preaching,

and he spoke from a favourite chapter of the Bible which talks

about the security and happiness that Christians have in God.

however, all I knew was that these things were not true for me

— I knew I was guilty before God, and heading for eternity

without him. I can only explain this reaction by recognising that

God was speaking to me.

The whole week I was praying desperately that God would save

me and forgive me. On the Friday I prayed with my father, and

he reminded me that God had promised to answer prayers for

forgiveness like mine. From that day, the dread of the God’s

anger and hell was replaced with an amazing sense of peace, and I

knew that God had changed me and made me a Christian. I knew

that if I died that day (not a particularly likely event, despite the

rock climbing that was lined up!) I was safe and secure and

would be with God forever.

Sometimes when I describe these events to people, they are

somewhat surprised at how strongly I felt that I was a sinner

— that God was angry with me. At 11 years of age, what had I

managed to do that was so awful? Was I dealing drugs or robbing

banks? I was doing nothing like that, but God had shown me that

the things in my heart, like pride and selfishness, made me just

as much in need of his forgiveness and transformation as the

worst criminal.

I know that I have that forgiveness now — completely

unconditional and free. The transformation — well, it’s still a

work in progress! But God has begun that work in me, and

he will complete it.Luke

I come from a Christian family, and I’m the second of fivechildren. From childhood my parents taught me about God and Jesus, and as far as I remember I always believed that the Bible was true.

To many people, that might sound like saying that I’ve alwaysbeen a Christian. But from an early age, I knew I wasn’t aChristian. I knew that only God could transform you into someone who truly believed in him, and that mere head knowledge was not at all the same as really knowing Jesus Christ in my life.

At various points this troubled me, but nothing really changeduntil I was eleven, on a Christian summer camp. I had been going on this summer camp all my life because my parents were the leaders.

I told no one because I wanted to see what would happen in school. I had tried, so many times, to change. It had never lasted one morning. What would happen this time? This time it was easy. Obeying Jesus Christ was such a thrill and so easy.

Obeying Jesus Christ hasn’t always been easy. I have let him down, badly. But, when he turned me around that Easter Sunday, he did two amazing things - he forgave all the sins I had ever done (or would do), and he gave me a new power not to sin against him again.

So, when I fail him now (which I do, as my family will tell you), I have no excuses - because God has given me everything I need, never to sin again.

He told me how he had become a Christian. He pleaded with me to trust Jesus Christ to forgive me and make me a Christian.

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“Tim

I became a Christian on Easter Sunday 1976 when I was 14 years of age. Before that date, I believed in God and that he was very important. Every Sunday I went to the English Baptist chapel in my home town (Aberystwyth). I sang the hymns, and was very gripped as Mr Thomas preached from the Bible. But my life, away from church, was moving further and further away from God. Every Monday morning, on my way to Penglais Comprehensive School, I turned into someone else.

The trendy headmaster had banned the cane long before it became illegal. You were only expelled for smashing the toilets (which some fifth formers did) or something. We were free to torment our teachers to our hearts’ content, which we did. Mrs Thomas shouted, “the impertinence of it!” but we shouted it back and carried on. Mrs Lloyd went back to the staffroom in tears, but we didn’t feel sorry for her. Mr hughes sent us to the headmaster, but we laughed. I’m not proud of all this. I’m just describing the strange life I lived until I became a Christian: Every Sunday, as I heard the Bible read and preached, I would become deeply ashamed of my life and would resolve to become a Christian; but then, on Monday morning, within 5 minutes of being back in school, I was at it again - tormenting my teachers. I was incapable of changing my life.

Over Easter (1976), I was on holiday with a load of Christians, in a little town called Tresaeth. David, from Glasgow, was there. he was a very enthusiastic Christian. he talked to me about God, incessantly. he told me his favourite sentences from the Bible. he told me how he had become a Christian. he pleaded with me to trust Jesus Christ to forgive me and make me a Christian.

The strange thing was that, as he was speaking, silently in my mind I trusted Christ. ‘Trust’ was like an arrow, shooting from my mind to the Lord Jesus. Back in the dormitory, on my own, I called out to God, “O God, make me a Christian” - but he’d already done it. I knew it in my bones.

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by Frances Jane Van alstyne

To God be the glory, great things He has done,so loved He the world that He gave us His son,who gave up His life, an atonement for sinand opened the lifegate that all may go in.

O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,to every believer the promise of God:the vilest offender who truly believesthat moment from Jesus a pardon receives.

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!let the earth hear His voice!Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!let the people rejoice!O come to the Father, through Jesus the sonand give Him the glory the great things He has done.

a song we love to sing at Christ Church