the fishermen ministry-Africa

Testimony of James Kemokai

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new." 2 Corinthians 5:17
My testimony is based on the above Bible verse to glorify, honor and praise my heavenly Father Almighty, my creator and marker. Amen. You may wonder why and would like to know just how this change happened in my life. I will try to be very brief; straight to the point to glorify God as the Holy Spirit helps me. Read on for start:

I was born a sinner through my biological Muslim parent who still keeps a Muslim Religion and faith to present. Though my father died during the war in Liberia in 1996 refusing to receive the salvation of Jesus Christ, my mother is still practicing and following after this belief and practice, as I am praying for her salvation everyday.

Being lost in religion and sin and as a pagan growing up having no consciousness at all what is sin and where it was leading me to, the year 1995 became a turning point in my life when the mercy and grace of God led a woman (a school girl at that time called Barbara) who came in contact with me when I was frustrated of life and my current situation at that time when every thing seemed meaningless to me and life was not worth living because of the many troubles, struggling and suffering situations that where really slowly killing me from the inside out. At this point, I even walked away from my job, never caring to return their again, neither to send in a letter of resignation what so ever. I was left with my last option of doing worst things to end my life out of the world.

This same day I decided on ending my life was the day Barbara showed up and this first contact with her opened the door of my continuousness to Jesus Christ's death on the cross for my sin and saving me from going to hell. Later, she invited me to go to Sunday service with her to hear the Word of God for myself.

Answering of cause to an invitation to go to church on Sunday was easy, but going to church became the most difficult thing to do for me at that time. You can imagine my religious background, extended family members becoming very hard and standing very strong against this woman (Barbara) who wanted to take their son (James) from the faith and belief kept by their fathers passing onto generations to present. But this woman was very committed, persistence and she was very consistent, allowing the Holy Spirit to use her to bring me to the Lord at all cost even unto this very day.
You really don't want to know what happen that Saturday night in my life on my bed before Sunday. It was a battle going on in my life as I was between life and death. Imagine it is like you don't belong to someone and by force that person wants to take and snatch you away before your owner. This was the kind of battle I was into that night in my dream with the forces of evil, who were doing everything possible to take away my life that night.

Praise God! Their plan failed that night for; my master Jesus, who holds the key of life and death in his hands, rescued me. The next day I was in service with the woman who God sent to come and take me to meet HIM in that Sunday service. Amen.

That very Sunday of September 1995, I received JESUS CHRIST as my LORD and personal SAVIOR; later I got baptized into water and by fire with the evidence of speaking in tongues to this day.

About this very woman who God used to bring me in the faith called Barbara, she became a partner to me in the faith, going and attending regularly Sunday and weekly service activities, as well as doing evangelism together within the communities. We lived separately at that time. Barbara later became my wife in July 28, 1996 and the Lord has blessed us with two (2) children. A boy name (Courage) and a girl name (Faith). Amen
About how I came into contact with the Fishermen Ministry:

I will like to fast forward at this time of my service after being so very zealous for the Lord in works and service and not having a personal relationship with him at all who called me to himself first and to seize from all my works and services to please him.

You want to hear it? Read on.

Yes, from 1995 to 2002, I was zealous for the Lord and was doing my best to serve and please him. To me this was by observing to be in church service regularly, attending revival, seminar, doing missionary work and all the religious aspect of being seen as a Christian. I thank God for the Salvation of Jesus Christ, which is not given by work or by personal sacrifices less anyone, should boast.

James Kemokai of The Fishermen Ministry, Liberia.

After seeing what some Churches do in works, practices, and services as I realized myself doing likewise, I thought to wonder in myself, if I was really serving God, or doing the duties of man in an attempt to please God.This realization brought a question to mind to ask is who a Christian and who is a believer. Away from the practices of churches and life of most of the Christians, cautioned me to find God for myself. To know HIM who has called me to Himself; and to make Him known to others who want to have a intimate relationship with Him, not by works or service.

This quest became a journey of faith until I found myself in Ghana (Accra) at the Liberia Refugee camp called Buduburam in 2003. It was also in the beginning of 2003 that I came across The Fishermen Ministry website. When I saw this website, what I heard Jesus saying to was “follow me and I will make you fishers of men” right then and there I decided to read and browse through until I came to the ministers web pages. There I saw Steven H. Atherton's name and email address so I wrote him.
That day became the beginning of a step of faith and walk for me as a Christian changing my perceptions and negativity to becoming a Believer and follower of Jesus Christ not to be seen as men pleaser or doing eye services to me but God in faith always.

I tell you the truth, at first I found things very hard to even difficult when I started with the Fishermen Ministry, through the servant of God, brother Steve. Praise God that he did not compromise in my sorrow, pains and suffering condition that I wanted to get out of so badly at the beginning. Most Africans will know what I mean here.
This man (if you will permit me to say a word or two about him) called Steve, was after my soul to be renewed in the faith and to have and live by Faith, with total dependency on the Lord Jesus Christ and on His word. I don't know how to describe this. But it is like teaching me what God expects of and from me, not to be men pleasers but a pleaser of God.

I tell you this for free, when Steve told me to cease from all my work and labor to enter the REST of Jesus Christ, it was like dropping a bomb on me to end my life for good. Can you imagine my physical condition of barely making it with lots of pains and sufferings to leaving everything and to live by faith? For me it was a challenge to finally face death one-on-one.

Believer, the good side of this story is that I was willing to know God and to make Him known even unto death. It was God who enabled me to come this far by faith and to remain trusting and depending on him alone. Not men, or to become a man pleaser, not having faith in God, ending my life of service and duties on my own in hell eternity.
There is a big and huge difference in my life today. I have learned from doing religious duties or sacrifice unto God and eye services of pleasing men to have faith and total dependency, believing on the Word of God and being thankful as well as offering thanksgiving and Praises unto Him in faith which is the reasonable service that pleases God for every thing that Christ Jesus did for me in my life and this world.

Saints of God through the Fishermen Ministry we LIVE by faith and not WORKS, we are learning how to TRUST GOD in all things not SOME. We trust to serve GOD in SPIRIT and TRUTH, and how to closely be in FELLOWSHIP with HIS WORD, the HOLY BIBLE as the HOLY SPIRIT helps us understand the perfect will of God.

I thank God for redeeming me and to once again having that fellowship with Him in that place which Adam lost in the beginning but is now restore to me by Jesus Christ. God is everything to me right now and forever. I can do nothing without him and my life is empty and incomplete without him. May God bless you as you read this testimony in His, own way. May you see His light and be rescue from your dark side of your history to HIS-STORY in Jesus Name.
God bless and Remain blessed by God always.