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Love changes everything... well it certainly did for Natlia.
Read her story to see how God's love brought her out of
communism.
Have you thought lately about how much
God loves you? So much that he allowed Christ's brutal death, so
that your sins
might be forgiven. WOW!
Julie
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'The God who we thought
did not exist'
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"I am very simple in my understanding of
Christianity," says Natalia, 31, with a warm smile. "I
believe in the unconditional love of God for everyone." But
Natalia was not always a Christian. She grew up in Russia during the
last throes of the Communist era and was a proud member of the
Communist pioneer club at her school. 
Confirmed
atheist
"We were
taught about Marx and Lenin and I read their work and admired
them," she recalls. "I was a confirmed atheist. But then, as
a young teenager, I went to a Sunday School for atheists, run by the
Good Samaritan mission. I went because I wanted to meet
foreigners...the translator did not really do a good job but there was
something about it all that touched the audience.
Something
Shocking
"Then
something truly shocking happened: the Norwegians started praying for
healing and God actually healed some people there and then - the God
who we thought did not exist. This shook me to the very roots of my
being because I had been convinced that there was no God. But these
Norwegians told us about Christ and his love for us and I found that I
had no arguments against this."
Tough
case
"My friend
had a New Testament which I borrowed, and started reading Hebrews. I
found it very hard to understand and started attending the Good
Samaritan Sunday School to try and find out more. At these meetings
everyone streamed up to the front to repent of their sins but I was a
tough case. There was a real war inside me, head versus heart. I tried
to ignore it but it would not go away. I began to speak to God.
Eventually, at the age of 15, I became a Christian. I announced it to
my friends at school, and they thought I was mad. A relative gave me my
first Bible - he had been given it when he was travelling to England by
ship."
Despite many
difficulties along the way, Natalia is totally committed to serving God
and to sharing the message of his unconditional love for all people.
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Read Romans
5:1-8 Click here for Biblegateway reading.
We use the word 'love' really easily don't
we.
Think how often you say you 'love' things, places,
celebrities or types of food.
There are so many different types of 'love', it can actually
be a little confusing. Well, there's love for your family, love
for your friends, your pets, your stuff, your music, your
boy/girlfriend... etc
But lots of these things aren't really
love. Real love, unconditional love,
that comes from God.
Real love gives everything up for others, real love
overlooks people's faults, real love shows undeserved kindness.
This kind of love comes from a heart filled with the Holy
Spirit.
So the next time you say 'I love it' or 'I love that film'
... or whatever... stop and think about what it really means to love.
And remember that '...God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us,
even though we were sinful.' Rom 5:8
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