Jesus said
"The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath"
Mark 2 v 27
Testimony of new Managing Director Mark Roberts
Being the son of John Roberts, it will not surprise you that church, the Bible and prayer played a very important part in our family life. But that did not mean family life was easy or that being brought up in a Christian home made me fully understand my personal need of a Saviour.
If is often said by my friends and family that I have a terrible memory, but I will try and share with you my journey from a difficult childhood to being the husband of a wonderful wife and a father of three amazing children, and from a rebellious son to a Bible-believing follower of Jesus.
If school was meant to be the best years of your life, then I wanted to get off this rollercoaster called life sooner rather than later. School was not good. It was bad enough having to learn things; be good in class and make sure that my friends had no idea about my dad’s job and the faith which he and my mum had. Added to that, missing so many days when Dad travelled around the country made things less than easy. Church was so boring, having to sit through sermons that, at the time, did not have any meaning to me, and through Sunday school that made me turn off as soon as I sat down. This made me think that church was only for old people or sad people.
But how God changes people! I was about fifteen years old and once again Sunday morning arrived. Dad was out preaching somewhere as normal and I joined Mum and my sister, Helen, for the one-mile-walk to church. I used to dread this walk to church; would my school friends see me? Would they ask where I was going? But now after many Sunday mornings of fighting and arguing, Mum at least had given up trying to make me dress smart for church. We sat down in our usual place and I was ready for an hour or so of daydreaming. Sunday school was over for me; I was a big person now and had to sit through the whole service and sermon.
What happened during that sermon and the rest of that day I cannot explain except for the grace and mercy of God. I can remember the passage and much of the sermon—‘The true vine keeper’.
For the first time in my life, things started to fit into place. I knew that God was the gardener and that I was the branches on the vine but until then this had no meaning or impact on me.
Suddenly, I remember feeling a heavy sense of the need for pruning. I was now aware that I was not on my way to heaven but that my life was displeasing to God and upsetting to my parents.
That afternoon and evening I struggled with my feelings and questioned things. Was this right or was I going soft? Did I really want to hand my life over to God understanding that in doing so I was acknowledging that I was a sinner and needed a Saviour?
Talking to your parents was not something that a fifteen-year-old would admit to, but for the first time in my life I talked to my mum about it. She explained again the parable, and all I can remember was an amazing sense of relief, just as in ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’ John Bunyan had when that burden rolled away. I remember thinking, ‘God loves me, he really does love me!’
I lay awake that night and heard Mum talking to Dad about things, and Dad speechless for once! His troublesome son who caused so many sleepless nights and worry was up in his bedroom reading the Bible, which now had meaning to him.
As with most people when they first become a Christian, the passion for the Bible and prayer was very strong but to my shame did not last and even now sometimes it can be tough going.
A year later I went to Israel on a tour. This was an amazing time—seeing so many biblical sights, experiencing the wonder of Galilee and terror of Calvary, but also sensing the peace of the garden tomb. To me, those images spoke a thousand words. Also the power of fellowship with God’s people made a massive impact upon me. I was baptised in the Jordan river and went home again two weeks later having had a wonderful holiday, but more importantly a time when the Bible—both the Old and New Testaments—started to come alive.
From this point on, I have never doubted God’s love for me or questioned whether I was saved. Oh yes, there have been some hard times and I have made many mistakes, and continue to do so, but God has been wonderfully good to me, teaching me, guiding me and continuing to prune away the dead bad wood in my life.
The year 1995 was a huge turning point in my live. I moved into my first house. Until then, I had only needed to care for myself. A messy bedroom, dirty house and an overgrown garden had not mattered but now getting married and making a house into a home was a shock. Still, once again, God was so good in providing me with a wife, Sharon, who tolerated things and slowly a woman’s touch could be seen around the house. Things on the mantelpiece, mirrors and pictures on the bare walls, dust removed from the carpets and clean mugs and plates in the cupboard. I thank God for her, not as much as I should, but I do thank God for her.
Sharon was a nanny, so the idea in my head of it being just the two of us and no children was a little off the mark. Three years later, Jacob was born. Now if anything before was a shock, then this was an eruption. Suddenly this wonderful gift from God was ours to take care of, ours to teach the wonderful gospel to. But oh, the lack of sleep and those very early mornings, even on a Saturday.
Still it couldn’t have been that bad as nearly three years later, James came along and eighteen months after that, our little girl Karis. So now we had three children and I started to understand how hard being a parent is. With illness, hospitals and other worrying times, I understood very quickly that although you sometimes feel tired, you care for and love your children so unconditionally that only a parent can understand.
We moved from Surrey to Herefordshire six years ago when it was agreed to relocate the Day One warehouse and offices. Van-load after van-load made its way along the M4 and M5. Leaving our large church and Christian family, where I had learnt so much, and for Sharon the church that she had known all her life, was not an easy day. But we always felt that God was in control and were looking forward to the new adventure that was ahead of us and how God was going to use us in this area.
We now attend a small church in a village called Wellington, a few miles between Hereford and Leominster. I am an elder there and we both head up the youth work. This is a real challenge and keeps us busy, but it is great to feel that we are putting time and effort into teaching children the Word of God, just as those did to us a number of years ago. How we pray that the message will make an impact on their hearts and that they would follow Christ while they are still young.
Well, they say that as you get older time goes by faster. Well, here we are in 2010. As I look around and see both Christians and non-Christians, the clear biblical gospel message is needed as much now as it ever has been. The need for the Bible to be explained in speech and in print to encourage and build Christians up in their faith is vital in order for us to stand firm for the faith and principles that we hold so dear. Times have changed, and no doubt they will continue to change. The challenge of reaching people with the gospel and with the truth will become harder and harder.
I started to work for Day One (or The Lord’s Day Observance Society as it was then called) twenty years ago after studying electrical engineering and building construction at college, and working for the Trinitarian Bible Society for a short time.
Working for my dad and trying to keep up with his energy and passion for the work was not an easy task. I had much to learn and even though at the time I inwardly thought I knew better and argued under my breath, experience won the day and I can say that I would not be the person I am today if it were not for the patience and prayer of both my parents.
I hope and pray, as I take over this work, that I and the rest of the staff will be used of God to proclaim the glorious gospel and to teach Christians to hold fast to the truths that are contained in it. One thing I can promise is that, although the way we proclaim our message may change, the message itself will not change; the way we tell the message may adapt, but the message itself and the Person behind the message is the same yesterday, today and for ever.
Please do pray for us as we take up the tasks that he has called us to do.
Mark Roberts