A Journey of Faith

One Man’s Testimony of Saving Grace

by Ian Thomason

It is perfectly reasonable for those who visit this site to ask the question, "…why did they do it? Why create a resource that openly challenges the way the RCI, the RF and the CAI approaches and understands the Bible and Christian teaching?" This short summary of my own journey of faith seeks to address this question, from my perspective, noting of course, that Drew has done the same from his.

Background

In common with a good many people I wasn’t raised in a Christian home, or in a particularly Christian environment. Whilst I do have memories of stages during my childhood where I was, for a time, conscious of ‘God’, I didn’t really go out of my way to learn about him, nor did I attempt to meet with him personally.

In 1983, whilst at High School, I read a copy of a book entitled, The Cross and the Switchblade. It was a biographical tale of David Wilkerson’s ministry to the street gangs of New York City during the late 1950s and the early 1960s. It charted the foundation of the (now) worldwide ‘Teen Challenge’ Ministry. Although the book mentioned several charismatic phenomena, what really impacted me about the account was the way in which Jesus Christ actively intervened in the lives and struggles of real people. That Jesus was not simply ‘out there’ and distant made quite an impression on me at the time, however, this eventually passed and my life moved on.

The Revival Centres of Australia

It wasn’t until early February of 1986 that my life took an unexpected turn, and I was confronted with the need to make a spiritual decision. I had finished school, and was experimenting with the concept of raising spending money for the first time, by hawking computers door-to-door. One Friday night I was door knocking in the southern suburbs of Brisbane, when I happened upon the unit of a couple from the Brisbane Revival Centre. They welcomed me into their home, and patiently sat through my rather lengthy sales pitch. It was only after I had finished all that I had to say that a Bible was produced, and I was confronted with the issues of faith and belief.

That night I heard about a God who answered prayer, about miracles and about spiritual power. I was challenged to prove the reality of God’s existence for myself, and was assured that if I did so, that he would certainly respond. Being thus suitably confronted, I felt that I was ready to investigate the whole ‘Christianity’ issue further, and so I accepted an invitation to visit the couple’s church the following Sunday.

On returning home that night, I reviewed my life to date, and so devoted myself to ardently calling upon God. I had an experience that night which convinced me that Jesus Christ was real, and that he even loved me – in spite of all my failings. In case you’re wondering, no I didn’t speak in tongues, but God proved himself real to me, and he assured me that he cared for me deeply. I was born again.

Sunday found me seated in the RCI hall at Camp Hill, listening to a number of people testify of their spiritual experiences. When the offer for baptism was made, I promptly accepted, and was duly immersed. Sitting in the tank I soon experienced the gift of tongues, and was warmly welcomed into the church. However, on returning home that afternoon, my father was less than impressed with my newfound decision to follow Christ. He and I parted ways, and sadly, were not reconciled before his premature death a short ten years later.

I immersed myself fully in all the activities and social aspects of my new fellowship. I attended all the meetings, and I spent considerable time street witnessing, and otherwise in the company of the saints. Little by little my involvement with the RCI consumed me, and previous friendships, interests and pastimes were discarded. I wasn’t overly concerned, however, as I had new friends who loved me, I had plenty of activities to be involved in, and I had something new to live for.

Moving to Toowoomba

By mid 1997, I had become involved with a young lady from the Toowoomba assembly. Naturally, I wished to transfer with my work to that city, to be closer to her, and so I approached the Brisbane pastor to advise him of my plans. I was soon informed that I didn’t have his approval to move, and that Louise would have to relocate to Brisbane. Unfortunately, due to her age and her employment circumstances, this simply wasn’t possible. Although approval for me to move was eventually granted, and I did so, I was more than a little concerned to discover that I was not truly in the position to chart my own destiny without the concurrence of the Oversight.

Of course, I had spent much time visiting Toowoomba prior to relocating there, however, I was surprised to discover that the Toowoomba fellowship was quite different in ‘feel’ to the one in Brisbane. I found it to be far less restrictive and controlling, and so I relished in my newfound freedom.

My girlfriend, then my fiancée, now my wife and I were married towards the close of the following year. A series of events caused us to question the love, trust and honesty of several people within the assembly, however, matters truly came to a head after we were involved in a car crash on the way to church one Sunday evening. It became very clear to us that form rather than function seemed to be the emphasis in the assembly, and so we excused ourselves from the fellowship.

My wife and I were not prepared for what soon followed. The rumours started circulating almost immediately, coupled with supposedly trusted and loyal friends going to some lengths to avoid all contact with us – even to the point of crossing a street or turning around and walking away should we meet inadvertently. My wife and I found ourselves marginalized and completely isolated. Given the all-consuming nature of the fellowship, we soon realised that we had no friends.

As that the only Christian experience that either of us had ever known was that of the RCI, we were unable to accept what we perceived as ‘compromise’ within the Pentecostal churches we later visited. It never dawned on either of us to meet with a minister to discuss our concerns, or to visit a normal, denominational church. So we attempted to do the best we could alone. We discovered that neither of us was particularly mature spiritually, the net result being that our lives became somewhat grim.

It was during the most difficult years in the ‘spiritual wilderness’, that Jesus made his presence known. Circumstances would mysteriously shift, often to our benefit, and little by little we came to see his hand over our lives. It was during this time that I began to analyse what I had believed about my faith – and why I had believed certain issues to be true. This was to later blossom into formal and systematic theological study, however, at that time it was simply a case of methodical research borne from a pressing need to ‘know’.

New beginnings

In 1993 I moved my family to Canberra, in order to further my career. It was then and there that we made the decision to re-enter into ‘formal’ Christian fellowship and community. Through the support and nurture of our church we grew spiritually, and became noticeably more tolerant and accepting of the beliefs of others. My rather narrow RCI world-view began to grow much broader, as I had discovered that God was far bigger than I was small.

Since our sojourn in the nation’s capital, my career has required my family to relocate the length and breadth of our country on several occasions. As a family we have always prayed that God would place us into churches where we could both serve and be served, and the Father has consistently answered this prayer. The result has been that we have grown in Pentecostal as well as in non-Pentecostal fellowships. I have found that spiritual maturity occurs far more quickly when one is not bound by rigid denominational, or philosophical, conformity.

The here and now

I should like to emphasise that I am not anti-‘Revivalist’ in my focus. Whilst I will not vacillate or quibble on issues of belief, I do have a heart for those in the Revivalist fellowships, and a fervent desire to see the groups embrace orthodox Christian teachings even more closely than they have to date. My prayer is that the RCI and the RF will continue to move in the directions that they have been, and that this site might assist individuals, and perhaps even assemblies, in that journey.

What now?

God called me to be involved in the teaching of Christian truth a number of years ago. Consequently, I have attempted to be obedient, and so have laboured diligently to develop the skills and knowledge that is required to adequately serve him and his people in such a capacity. By engaging in theological study at degree level I have learned a significant truth: formal and academic theological training does not necessarily shape one’s beliefs. Such involvement simply equips one with the skills that are required to properly discover what those beliefs ought to be.

My teaching ministry, several years on, now is to be found in three distinct contexts. First, and certainly the most important, is my service within the context of a local community of believers – a church. More recently, however, I have become involved in the training, advising and guiding of students studying theology at college level. In this way I hope to achieve a lasting impact in those men and women who will actively teach others into the future. Finally, God would apparently have me maintain a ministry to those in my former fellowship, via this medium.

It is true that there are several websites, all of which aim to present information to seeking RCI, RF and CAI members. However, each one does so in accordance with a differing philosophy, albeit most would share similar aims and goals. Drew and I pray that ‘Please Consider’ will meet a very pressing need in providing another perspective on certain issues to those that are officially endorsed by the varied Revivalist groups. Our aim remains to provide informed and reasoned views as objectively as we are able. Our philosophy is to make available researched information, coupled with informed opinion, and that as without judgement as we are able. I pray that, in some small measure, this goal is achieved.

God bless.

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