Testimony of a Missionary (1 Timothy 1)

Opening with a reading from 1 Timothy 1, Victor Maxwell related his testimony to the young people of Listooder. Victor was brought up on the Donegal Road, Belfast in a 'good' home, but not a 'saved' home. He was taken to the local church on Sunday, and attended Sunday School as a youngster. He spoke with great fondness of his Sunday School teacher. Not a public speaker, he faithfully taught the gospel to the class of 5 boys, 4 of which went out to serve the Lord in some full-time ministry. However, despite the faithful teaching, Victor remained unsaved into his teens. At the age of 16, he worked at the local Post Office as a Telegram Boy, travelling through Belfast by motorbike. It was here that he was invited to a church Gospel meeting held by Rev. Ian Paisley. As he listened to the Word of God presented, the Sunday School teaching flooded back to him. Yet still he rejected Christ. He returned to the church on several occassions, continuing to resist the Saviour for fear of his work colleagues and his ability to 'keep the faith'. At one such meeting, he met a girl from school who, wondering why he was at the meeting, asked 'Are you a Christian?'. When told that he was not, she asked 'Would you like to be one?'. That night Victor put his faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. The next day, many of his friends laughed, many mocked, but in the coming weeks and months he had the joy of leading many of them to the Saviour. The Lord had great plans for Victor, as He does for each one of us. While delivering mail around the doors, at the age of 18, he came across a man named Ernie Allen, founder of the Revival Movement Association, seeking to provide Gospel literature free to those in need of Christ. He began to get involved in presenting the Gospel throughout Northern Ireland. Following a near-death experience in the water off the coast of Portrush, Victor re-dedicated his life to the Lord, committing to serve Him wherever God led him. Beginning to be influenced by tales of missionaries to Ecuador and other lands, he wondered could this be God directing him to full-time missionary work. This was confirmed to him in the words of John 6:20 - 'It is I; be not afraid'. After Bible College, both Victor and his wife, having been married for only a short time, made the long trip to Brazil and began serving the Lord as missionaries with Acre Gospel Mission. This was, of course, a challenge. It was a challenge to learn the language and to adjust to the culture. It was a challenge to meet the medical needs of a town where the nearest doctor was days away. It was a challenge to face the fierce opposition of the Roman Catholic priests in the area. A huge challenge to raise two children in the vicinity of the Amazonian rainforest. But the greatest challenge was to reach men and women with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Yet in Victor's ministry over the last 50 years, from the tribes of Brazil to the churches of Northern Ireland, countless men, women, boys and girls have been reached with the glorious message of salvation. Many souls have been swept into the Kingdom of God through the humble witness of Victor and Audrey Maxwell, and through Acre Gospel Mission. He ended with a challenge to serve the Lord. Whether we stay at home, or travel far, we need to remember that we have been saved from sin that we might serve the God of heaven with our lives. In the words of Romans 12:1-2, 'present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God'.