I was thrilled to receive the following email in my inbox on Tuesday afternoon.

Hi Pastor Samson,

My name is __________ (Name Withheld).

We met briefly years ago, and I just wanted to reach out and give my thanks. I hope it’s an encouragement to you.

Almost 6 years ago, you preached a sermon at Apologia Church on Sunday, August 2, 2015. 

I was visiting the church then, and the Lord used your preaching to convert me.

A little background on me. I grew up in Phoenix and was raised as a devout member of the RLDS (presently known as the Community of Christ). The church is the 2nd-largest Restoration branch after the LDS, and for quite some time was a formidable “rival” to the LDS. The history is that after Joseph Smith was killed, there was significant tension on who would lead the Restoration. Eventually, Brigham Young takes a sizable group out to Utah, and becomes the LDS. There were other off-shoots, but the 2nd largest group, after the followers of Brigham, were those that stayed behind and waited for Joseph Smith’s son to grow old enough to be prophet and lead the Restoration. That group became the RLDS, and is what I was raised in. It used to be quite large and even now is still worldwide, but it has since dwindled in numbers and become progressive and liberal. Yet, there’s still quite a spectrum within the church, and I was raised in one of the more traditional wings of the church– we grew up using the Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, viewing Joseph Smith as a prophet, etc. 

Late in high school, the Lord began drawing me unto him. I began questioning much of the beliefs I was raised with, but at the time saw no need to leave behind my church. I even ended up still going to the church University in Iowa. But during my freshman year of college, the Lord really began wrestling with me. Much of that year was spent in pursuit of what I hoped was salvation, but I still felt I just couldn’t grasp it. That summer after my freshman year of college, I came back home to Phoenix to work for the summer. and much of that summer was spent wrestling as well.

One night, the Lord brought me to intense conviction of my sin. You see, I had been exposed to and heard the Gospel by this point. I had heard that belief in the Lord Jesus would save my soul and make me right with God. I had heard, and in a sense I knew, that my works did not play a role. But I had been so engrained from childhood in this idea that I had to work to earn God’s favor, that I had to work to access and maintain the grace God was offering, that I never realized how significantly it had a hold on me. I had heard the Gospel, but I still didn’t grasp it. One day I would feel like I got it, like maybe I was saved, but then the next day I would feel God’s displeasure and would realize that I wasn’t saved–this salvation I was chasing, I knew about it, but it still felt so far away.

So one night, the Lord broke me and brought me to feel the weight and guilt of my sin. I realized how severe my condition was, how great my sins were, and that my stench reached up to heaven, as it were. I deeply felt God’s displeasure with me and my sin. And I realized, or felt, that there was nothing I could do about it. I would never be able to earn enough favor to outweigh my sins. I could never work my way to righteousness, and in that moment, I felt hopeless. As far as I knew and had understood, I had heard the Gospel, but I still felt this attachment and necessity of my works, so in the light of my great sins and the perfect judgement of God, I had nothing. I spent that night in tears. That night was Saturday, August 1, 2015. 

By that time, in my searching I had encountered plenty of broad-evangelical, Protestant, and even Reformed and Calvinistic thought. I knew of the Apologia church because of their work with Mormons, and for whatever reason, I decided to attend church there that next day. 

August 2, 2015 I attended Apologia’s afternoon service and you happened to be the guest-preacher. Your sermon was entitled “Justification by Faith Alone.” By God’s grace, and in His redeeming providence, it was exactly what I needed to hear, and just mere hours after I had been brought under real conviction of my sin, the Lord providentially provided the balm to my soul in your preaching. It all clicked. It was as if blinders were lifted off my eyes, and for the first time, I saw. For the first time, I heard. The Lord had given me ears to hear. I realized there was no way I could pay for my sins. But Christ has paid it, and He has done it once and for all. There is no sense of me working hard to earn what Christ has done, or working to keep it. It is finished. Christ’s righteousness, the pardon for my sins, is found in Christ, is found simply by faith in Him. It was during that sermon I truly, for the first time, placed all of my hope and trust in Christ; in what He had done and who He is. I rested upon Him, not myself, and during that sermon I was converted. 

So I wanted to reach out and thank you, and hopefully provide some encouragement. Of course, it is not man’s words in preaching that saves souls. But the Lord uses faithful preaching to convert men and women as He is pleased to, and the Lord used your faithful preaching to save my soul. 

I’ve thought of reaching out for years now, but never did, for whatever reason. Hopefully this email finds you well and encourages you in your ministry and service to the Lord. I’m not sure how much fruit the Lord has blessed you to see before your eyes from your ministry. I know His ways are mysterious, and that many faithful ministers don’t see much of the harvest for what work they sow. But you can indeed count me amongst those whom the Lord has added to His Kingdom through your service.

I currently live in (city name withheld) Ohio. I got married last year to a girl I went to college with, that was also raised RLDS/Community of Christ, and the Lord was pleased to save her too. It’s been a blessing to be married to someone from the same background that the Lord has also rescued. She’s from this area, so we moved here after we got married. But my family all still live in the Valley, so I get back there when I can. 

So thank you again for your service to the Lord and your faithful heralding of God’s Word. The Lord used you to save my soul, almost 6 years ago. I pray many others would be brought to know the Lord through your work, and that you would be blessed to see the fruit of such labors. May the Lord grant you joy in the work as you continue to help the Shepherd call His sheep.