EDA NOYAN
Before becoming a Christian, I occasionally wondered about God, but I didn’t really seek Him. I didn’ t realize I was spiritually lifeless.
I would like to take you to my past. Once upon a time I had a family life which I thought to be a happy one. My mom, my father were people full of love. I was the type of person doing everything according to my family’s expectations, especially my dad’s. My world consisted of my mom, my dad and my lessons. Until that blow came over my family life. First my grandma, then my mom passed away. Especially I can never forget the morning my mom passed away. Again war winds were in the world. As soon as I entered the living room, my eyes and dad’s eyes met. And then I understood. Then came those words. “Your mom has died”.
That morning changed many things in my life. It was the start of the darkness in my life. On that day we understood quite well who is our fair weather friend and who is our loyal-true friend in bad days. The people to whom you could refer to as ‘the friend’ were very few in the world. They all shed like the autumn leaves. My dad and I were left alone. We tried to act as if we were strong. We tried not to express our feelings to each other and to the people around us. I tried to get away from this situation with
My own efforts, but I got stuck deeper. I was in the swamp of my sins. My father was the idol of my life. I was really very unhappy. I was like a living dead person. Until I met my ‘Lord’ and my ‘Saviour’, until I lived the unique plan he had prepared for me.
My first visit to a church was when my Dad’s friends invited us to a a baptism ceremony. Between the ages 11-14, during our Europe trips I had visited many churches, which had fascinated me. At the age of 16, I had attended the first service of my life. I will never forget the sermon subject. It was about the special family we have in our Lord Jesus Christ. Also, in Istanbul, after work I was going to St.Antoin and praying. There I really felt a wonderful peace and joy. At the age of 24, when I was working in London, I attended a church regularly. I talked to the pastor and attended the Bible Study Group. We talked about the faith in Jesus Christ, reading passages from the Bible and were discussing. And then I returned to Turkey. When I returned to Turkey, they gave me a Bible as a present. This present touched me in my heart. They had written their wishes and a wonderful verse from the Lord. Ephesians 3:14-21. This verse, would eventually give me a different direction to my life.
Meanwhile, the course of my life had changed. I had married . I was often reading my Bible and feeling the love and the peace of the Lord. But in my life, deep within my heart there was something missing. When I settled in Antalya, I searched for a church deep within my spirit. But I never had the courage to discover where it was. One day during one of our Sunday walks, we came here, to the church and we were late for the service. We went inside and sat in Pauls’ Place. I met James and talked to him. He invited me to the Sheraton where the choir would sing on Christmas day. All my life my dream was to be able to hear a Christmas choir sing. My dream had become real. I was as happy as a child. And then, the Lord’s excellent plan continued to unravel... I started to work here at the St.Paul Cultural Center. I began to serve the Lord. And one day... I was at the service of Antalya Evangelical Church. I felt the Lord’s touch full of love deep within my heart. Tears were streaming down as they had never before. It was the wound in my heart that was bleeding. And I had understood the price our Lord Jesus had paid for us. God had sacrificed his only son. Our Lord had paid the price of our sins with his blood. He had loved us even before we had loved him. He was saying ”Take up your cross and follow me.” Then at that moment, I had accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour. The day I had turned to the Lord the veil had been been taken away. I was spiritually dead until then. I was in darkness. But then I reconciled with God by the unique plan of my Lord and my Saviour Jesus Christ. I had passed from death to life, to light and to endless life. And my Lord Jesus became for me the only real way and life. He became my spiritual food and drink.
After becoming a believer, many things have changed in my life. Everywhere the Lord was always speaking with me through the sermons, psalms, verses, hymns, people. Previously, I could not dare to look at my past, my personality. And one day the Lord used my dear friends Ramazan and Şirin and he encouraged me. I had just started the baptism lessons. Everything started with the first step I had made. I shared with my dear friends the deepest secrets of my past. I was not afraid, I was brave enough to tell everything one by one.
I was finally discovering the real Eda. I had stepped into this journey in order to be the person Lord wanted me to be. From the moment I had started to walk with my Lord Jesus, I saw that my real happiness was due to the unshakeable love of the Lord. I knew that the Lord would be with me always, at all times. I would always share all of my emotions with Him, because I understood that he would never reject me.
Ramazan, Şirin and I prayed to the Lord so that he would show us both the value we have in Jesus Christ and our weaknesses, our sins. I also asked the Lord to change me day by day. I gave thanks to the Lord for choosing me, for bringing me from death to life, for the special family I have in Jesus Christ. When I prayed for my brothers and sisters, I discovered how the prayers touched their lives, saw the miracles and the blessings of the Lord. I realized that I was starting to change. A new Eda with a new heart, living for the Lord , wishing to be His light everywhere had been born.
As I have started to live with my Lord, He has changed my life a lot. And by using many people He has explained himself to me. I am grateful to the Lord for these people because they helped me reach the ‘Eda’ deep within. Now, I have put on the ‘new self’ to be Christlike.
And the spiritual toddler sometimes falls, sometimes crawls, sometimes runs day by day, even hour by hour. My heavenly Father rather than my earthly father means everything to me, my reason for living, my only God. I was looking for the meaning of life in different things. But after knowing my Saviour and Lord, my life has a new meaning. Because...I have reached endless happiness, endless life. He is my only real friend who stands by me always. He is my refuge and fortress. When I lift my eyes to the mountains, I know that help will come from Him. When I stumble, He lifts me, He gives me strength. He embraces me with his love. He tells me’ Do not be afraid my child I am always with you.’ I am not afraid of diffuculties anymore. By using each diffuculty, he wants to change, strengthen us. Because I know that if each one of us is alive, Lord has unique plans for us. I am always walking with Him. With the only truth. In order to be worthy of Him, to be like Him.
My Lord, I am grateful to you a billion times for giving the breath of life, for forgiving my sins with the blood of Jesus Christ, for the great family you have given, for saying my grace is enough, for the miracles you have done and you will be doing.
Surely goodness and love will follow me
All the days of my life. I will dwell in the house of the Lord.
I will praise your name forever. I will exalt your name forever.
May Glory be to your name. In Jesus’ name.
Amen.
I would like to take you to my past. Once upon a time I had a family life which I thought to be a happy one. My mom, my father were people full of love. I was the type of person doing everything according to my family’s expectations, especially my dad’s. My world consisted of my mom, my dad and my lessons. Until that blow came over my family life. First my grandma, then my mom passed away. Especially I can never forget the morning my mom passed away. Again war winds were in the world. As soon as I entered the living room, my eyes and dad’s eyes met. And then I understood. Then came those words. “Your mom has died”.
That morning changed many things in my life. It was the start of the darkness in my life. On that day we understood quite well who is our fair weather friend and who is our loyal-true friend in bad days. The people to whom you could refer to as ‘the friend’ were very few in the world. They all shed like the autumn leaves. My dad and I were left alone. We tried to act as if we were strong. We tried not to express our feelings to each other and to the people around us. I tried to get away from this situation with
My own efforts, but I got stuck deeper. I was in the swamp of my sins. My father was the idol of my life. I was really very unhappy. I was like a living dead person. Until I met my ‘Lord’ and my ‘Saviour’, until I lived the unique plan he had prepared for me.
My first visit to a church was when my Dad’s friends invited us to a a baptism ceremony. Between the ages 11-14, during our Europe trips I had visited many churches, which had fascinated me. At the age of 16, I had attended the first service of my life. I will never forget the sermon subject. It was about the special family we have in our Lord Jesus Christ. Also, in Istanbul, after work I was going to St.Antoin and praying. There I really felt a wonderful peace and joy. At the age of 24, when I was working in London, I attended a church regularly. I talked to the pastor and attended the Bible Study Group. We talked about the faith in Jesus Christ, reading passages from the Bible and were discussing. And then I returned to Turkey. When I returned to Turkey, they gave me a Bible as a present. This present touched me in my heart. They had written their wishes and a wonderful verse from the Lord. Ephesians 3:14-21. This verse, would eventually give me a different direction to my life.
Meanwhile, the course of my life had changed. I had married . I was often reading my Bible and feeling the love and the peace of the Lord. But in my life, deep within my heart there was something missing. When I settled in Antalya, I searched for a church deep within my spirit. But I never had the courage to discover where it was. One day during one of our Sunday walks, we came here, to the church and we were late for the service. We went inside and sat in Pauls’ Place. I met James and talked to him. He invited me to the Sheraton where the choir would sing on Christmas day. All my life my dream was to be able to hear a Christmas choir sing. My dream had become real. I was as happy as a child. And then, the Lord’s excellent plan continued to unravel... I started to work here at the St.Paul Cultural Center. I began to serve the Lord. And one day... I was at the service of Antalya Evangelical Church. I felt the Lord’s touch full of love deep within my heart. Tears were streaming down as they had never before. It was the wound in my heart that was bleeding. And I had understood the price our Lord Jesus had paid for us. God had sacrificed his only son. Our Lord had paid the price of our sins with his blood. He had loved us even before we had loved him. He was saying ”Take up your cross and follow me.” Then at that moment, I had accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour. The day I had turned to the Lord the veil had been been taken away. I was spiritually dead until then. I was in darkness. But then I reconciled with God by the unique plan of my Lord and my Saviour Jesus Christ. I had passed from death to life, to light and to endless life. And my Lord Jesus became for me the only real way and life. He became my spiritual food and drink.
After becoming a believer, many things have changed in my life. Everywhere the Lord was always speaking with me through the sermons, psalms, verses, hymns, people. Previously, I could not dare to look at my past, my personality. And one day the Lord used my dear friends Ramazan and Şirin and he encouraged me. I had just started the baptism lessons. Everything started with the first step I had made. I shared with my dear friends the deepest secrets of my past. I was not afraid, I was brave enough to tell everything one by one.
I was finally discovering the real Eda. I had stepped into this journey in order to be the person Lord wanted me to be. From the moment I had started to walk with my Lord Jesus, I saw that my real happiness was due to the unshakeable love of the Lord. I knew that the Lord would be with me always, at all times. I would always share all of my emotions with Him, because I understood that he would never reject me.
Ramazan, Şirin and I prayed to the Lord so that he would show us both the value we have in Jesus Christ and our weaknesses, our sins. I also asked the Lord to change me day by day. I gave thanks to the Lord for choosing me, for bringing me from death to life, for the special family I have in Jesus Christ. When I prayed for my brothers and sisters, I discovered how the prayers touched their lives, saw the miracles and the blessings of the Lord. I realized that I was starting to change. A new Eda with a new heart, living for the Lord , wishing to be His light everywhere had been born.
As I have started to live with my Lord, He has changed my life a lot. And by using many people He has explained himself to me. I am grateful to the Lord for these people because they helped me reach the ‘Eda’ deep within. Now, I have put on the ‘new self’ to be Christlike.
And the spiritual toddler sometimes falls, sometimes crawls, sometimes runs day by day, even hour by hour. My heavenly Father rather than my earthly father means everything to me, my reason for living, my only God. I was looking for the meaning of life in different things. But after knowing my Saviour and Lord, my life has a new meaning. Because...I have reached endless happiness, endless life. He is my only real friend who stands by me always. He is my refuge and fortress. When I lift my eyes to the mountains, I know that help will come from Him. When I stumble, He lifts me, He gives me strength. He embraces me with his love. He tells me’ Do not be afraid my child I am always with you.’ I am not afraid of diffuculties anymore. By using each diffuculty, he wants to change, strengthen us. Because I know that if each one of us is alive, Lord has unique plans for us. I am always walking with Him. With the only truth. In order to be worthy of Him, to be like Him.
My Lord, I am grateful to you a billion times for giving the breath of life, for forgiving my sins with the blood of Jesus Christ, for the great family you have given, for saying my grace is enough, for the miracles you have done and you will be doing.
Surely goodness and love will follow me
All the days of my life. I will dwell in the house of the Lord.
I will praise your name forever. I will exalt your name forever.
May Glory be to your name. In Jesus’ name.
Amen.