My name is Rebecca. I’m blessed to be called of God to fulfill His purpose on the earth. I would say my Christian journey began when my parents received the Lord Jesus as Lord and personal saviour in 1988 (I was only 2 years old) after being Muslims. They make it a duty to bring us up in the Lord according to biblical principles. My siblings and I became adapted to a daily devotion with our parents in worship and Bible studies. In 1992, my parents became committed members of Foursquare Gospel Church where they both received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and water baptism. At age 6, I decided to respond to an altar call to receive Jesus as my personal Lord and Saviour. My faith in the Lord increased based on what my parents taught from the Bible and the wonderful testimonies I heard in church. My mom became an intercessor and deliverance minister and I would see her get involved in intense deliverance sessions, setting the afflicted and demonized free through the name of Jesus. I would say, seeing my parents get so involved in the work of the Lord through missions, pioneering churches, intercessory ministry, my faith in the Lord grew.
In 2003, I left home for a diploma program in Computer Science at Edo State Institute of Technology and Management. As a fresher, the first thing I could think of was finding a good Christian fellowship. I did find one and I began to experience God in a whole new level. I could see youths with a burning passion like I never saw in the city. I joined the choir and also became a leader. I received the baptism of the Holy spirit and gift of prophecy. I began to learn to discern and to receive inspirations from the Lord. I also became open to a heavy warfare. The Lord also began to speak about his intentions to use me for ministry. I also saw the Lord help me achieve excellence in my studies.
For the past ten years, my life has been about tests, trails, sufferings, deserts and wilderness experiences. I am glad the Lord has taken me through the process of humbling me and giving me an understanding of spiritual warfare and life generally. My sufferings led me to be closer to the Lord and to hear His voice more. Although, i have been tempted to give up, yet I have faith that giving up is not an option.
I do hope to see God’s plans fulfilled in my life. I’m glad to be a student here.
My name is Pastor Ray, and I live in the U.S., in Missouri. I am so blessed to be a part of CLI, even though I do have a seminary Masters in Bible and Theology. I’ll explain why.
I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior back in 2003 and told my wife and family that I would follow Him wherever He led me and do whatever He called me to do. Still will today, of course, but I didn’t know what that would look like back then at all.
In 2006, we moved closer to Kansas City, and I began to teach at Wright Business School in Business Computing, Keyboarding, and Software Applications. I also began to live out my faith and saw it come up against some enemy-filled folks out there. By His grace, I not only survived, but actually, that’s what drew me to seminary training, and in 2008 I graduated!
However, and this is one reason I will cherish CLI for sure, I didn’t realize that seminary quite often doesn’t prepare you for REAL ministry. And it certainly doesn’t often have mentoring or discipleship as its focus in your preparation for ministering to others. Actually, in my personal experiences, my seminary didn’t give me much of anything other than great study habits and a lot of head knowledge (not that it was at all useless, by the way) and some sense of my own personal accomplishment. Somehow during the whole process, God got left out, and my own “work” got done.
Oh sure, I called it the Lord’s work, but, in reality, it was just more schooling, only this time it was “for and about the Lord”. It turns out that a few years after I graduated and began teaching Bible in a Christian school, that the Lord showed me that although that knowledge was a great thing, and I still cherish it, that ministry was so much more than just “knowing about Him”. You have to “know Him” (experience Him) for yourself and then begin to learn to invest that into others.
As I’ve read testimonials over and over again at CLI and even spoken at great length in person with one of your graduates and a ministry partner with me now, I can’t wait to “experience” the presence of the Lord in your courses!
I hope everyone who reads this will become significantly encouraged that, just because it’s free, doesn’t mean it’s second-rate. And, because it’s free, we have an obligation as believers to support each other and the future leaders who come to CLI! Also, free doesn’t mean to blow it off, folks, trust me. I’m proof that you can blow your time in seminary anywhere and just “get a degree”, but TRUE mentorship-level, discipleship-level training that’s free…..WOW, what a treasure! Thank you, CLI!
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Hi, my name is Calandra Thompson, and I live in the United States of America. We have freedom in the United States to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ. I grew up in a Christian home from birth. My grandmother raised me, taught me about God, and took me to worship services regularly. I was exposed to the Lord in my youth, but I came to know the Lord intimately in 2014.
I am currently a leader of the Singles Ministry at my church and co-leader of the Outreach Ministry. My ministry dream is to do Street Ministry full time and go beyond the walls of the church to spread the gospel to all that will hear. I identify with the word Evangelist more because it’s someone that is willing to go out beyond the walls of the church to save souls and bring people to Christ.
The key experience that prompted me to pursue ministry was when God changed me from who I was before. I was in the world and doing everything that was contrary to God’s word. I didn’t think that God would accept me back because I felt like I had messed up too bad. I came to understand that our God is loving, merciful, forgiving, and gracious. He didn’t let me fall, but he picked me up out of the mess that I had created and changed me into the woman of God he would have me to be. Every experience that I went through prepared me for everything that is happening in my life right now!
Last year in 2014, I lost everything – my apartment, my car, myself. I was drowning in guilt, sin, and forgiveness. As I started to lose things in my life, I felt like I was in a wilderness by myself. At that moment, I cried out and prayed to God to save me. I asked him why he was taking all this stuff away from me, and he replied, “You obtained all this stuff while you were in the world.” WOW! God knew all about my decisions, yet he still called me by name and wanted me back in his family. God restored my faith, family and finances.
I am very grateful that God is using me the way that he wants to use me. I let everybody else use me when I was in the world, but now my God has his way. I remember singing a song when my granny died, “If you can use anything Lord, you can use me.” I didn’t know what I was saying, but God knew.
There are no unique challenges where I live. I’m grateful for the location that God has placed me in because there are no constraints. My local church is supporting me by allowing me to use the gifts that God has placed inside of me for his glory. As stated earlier, I’m a ministry leader. I have been teaching at a church since last year, and the Single’s Ministry has Bible study off campus every Wednesday. God has allowed me to be able to connect with others outside of the church. I have great friends that support me in my ministry calling. Their responses to the “Calling Assessment Exercise” blessed me tremendously beyond words of gratitude. My family’s role in my ministry call has been that we all see Jesus face to face. I understand that what we see in front of us is temporary and that we should look forward to the new heaven and earth.
A scholarship at CLI is important to my ministry dream because I didn’t even think this would ever be possible. I was enrolled at a community college last year, but, due to a past due balance from a previous school, I wasn’t able to continue my studies. I remember sitting in the parking lot of the school wanting to cry, but I couldn’t. I knew the Lord had something better for me. God placed on my heart this summer that I needed seminary training, and I tried to fight the calling. I started to do research and was not sure where to begin. The Holy Spirit spoke, and I remembered my co-worker was enrolled in a seminary school for almost a year. I asked her if she could give me the information for the school and she told me about CLI.
I was overwhelmed at first, but God kept reminding me that I needed this for my spiritual growth. I overcame my fear, and I have been studying ever since. I’ve not lost my hunger for God! The scholarship will be a blessing to me and so many others that God places in my path. I will spread the Gospel even if no one asks me. That’s what God has called me to do, and I will be obedient. I will continue to say, “Yes, to his will and his way!” Please just continue to pray that God gives me his strength and that I’m filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.