Ryan King shares a heart-warming testimony from a new Christian’s baptism service of a man who he had previously helped to arrest!
A few years ago, Dunkin’ Donuts in Wood Green awarded me a free doughnut and coffee every week for a year after stopping a robbery. My weekly routine would involve work, a doughnut, and engaging staff and customers in conversation about matters of life and faith.
One day, while sitting on a bench, I saw a man I recognised as the shoplifter who I had stopped a year earlier.
When the security alarm went off in the shop that he and his accomplice had entered, they ran out and I gave chase. I raced after and pounced on one of them, throwing him up against the wall and pinning his arms behind him. Within minutes, … the police had arrived and were running the man’s tats for identification. The suspect, an Irish traveller named Johnny, was incensed with me for taking his theft, of what turned out to be something quite small, so seriously.
What do you know about God?
‘God bless you’, he kept saying, meaning somewhat the opposite.
‘Just stop saying that, mate. You don’t know God and you are in no way able to confer his blessing’ I said, somewhat annoyed.
‘What do you know about God?’ he replied. ‘You don’t know the first thing about God.’ I took out my business card identifying me as a pastor, gave it to him and said with a laugh: ‘It may or may not mean much, but make of that what you will.’
After that incident, over the years since, Johnny and I would bump into each other on the street. Johnny would confront me about how angry he was with me. Most of these confrontations ended in me walking away as he yelled after me: ‘You’re not a man of God! You’re not a pastor!’
Changed man
I prayed for Johnny regularly. It was then a massive answer to prayer when he approached me in McDonald’s to apologise and to say he was trying to make some changes. I forgave him, offered some counsel and prayed with him. Then, in early December, I entered the chapel of Grace Baptist Church, Wood Green, and approached a young man to introduce myself. He looked up – it was Johnny. Words do not quite describe my joy at just seeing him in church, but even more so when he said he had given his life to Christ and wanted to be baptised.
In the weeks and months that followed, it became apparent that Johnny was quite serious. He realigned his schedule and accommodation to revolve around the church and rarely missed anything. His hunger for God’s Word and enthusiasm for evangelism have already been refreshing.
In his own words
This is his testimony in his own words. ‘I am Johnny Doherty. I am from an Irish travelling community. I was brought up a Catholic. On occasion, I would go to Mass, pray to saints and pray to Mary. I used to bless my face and wear rosary beads thinking I was holy by doing things like that. I used to be a man of the world, desired the things of the world, material things. If that meant sinning to get those things, I would do it without a care. I was led astray by my own desires to be cruel to brothers and sisters for my own self gain.
‘I had no relationship with God. I had no remorse for the things I had done. I had no pity on anyone. I was very selfish, proud, arrogant, and would think I’m better than people and look down at brothers and sisters. I was a liar, cheat, blasphemer, adulterer, I hated people, I’ve broke all the commandments that God said not to.
If I die…
‘But one night I thought about my life – if I was to die, where would I go? And I knew the answer straight away, that I deserve to go to hell, but I knew about Jesus Christ dying for my sins and that through him I can have eternal life in heaven. I repented for my sins and asked God to transform me and give me a new start. He gives me hope and deliverance, a new heart and mind, and I thank God for Jesus Christ taking my sin and [the] punishment that I deserved by laying his life down for me to take away my sins. I am very grateful and praise his name for forgiving me.
‘This is all through prayer. I encourage anyone who has problems or struggles in their life to turn to Jesus Christ in prayer and he will give you a new start. Since 1 December, God has changed me abundantly already. He’s a God who answers prayers!’
