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(Last edited 27th of May 2023)

My Testimony, Life Story

I grew up in Sweden in a Christian (Pentecostal) family. I confessed Jesus as a child, but as I got older, I started to walk away from God. I had a very naive picture of the world and didn't really understand how evil it was. It took a two-year relationship with a bad ending to wake me up and make me realize I was now a part of it.

At that point, I started to seek God again. This time it was me seeking Him, not because of my parents faith but on my own. You might say I got a bit radical. I prayed a lot and read the Bible. Soon I had my first experience of the Holy Spirit. It was an amazing "light" (spiritual, God's presence) experience of God cleansing both body and soul. Extremely peaceful and intense at the same time. I felt that I was born into a new life when this happened; I was a new creation. I got baptized in water a few weeks later. This was about 28 years ago.

About a year later, I met my wife. Just when I've accepted to live a life alone. Very often we get what we really need once we accept to live without it. My wife, Johanna, is truly my soulmate, and we now have 13 children together. The youngest is 11 months, and the oldest will be 26 years old later this year.

During life, we always believed in obeying God, even when we didn't understand completely. Sometimes we just need to accept that God is right and follow. He will explain later, when the pieces fall into place.

We have not belonged to any human organization (church) for about 20 years. We believe The Church, The Bride, are the followers of Christ. We need to Be The Church every day, not just on Sundays. We belong to Jesus, nobody else. I personally think that we need to go back to a simpler and more down-to-earth Christian life as described in the Book of Acts as we get closer to the Second Coming. If not, it will be hard for us to follow Christ the way it was meant.

I've seen and read about other ministries starting out with a pure heart, doing the right thing, and slowly being absorbed by the world, adapting to worldly methods, with the founder stuck and corrupted in it all. Our life is our ministry, and we would like to keep it that way. Whatever we do and wherever we are, we're trying to live for Him fully. It's always about Him, no other name. We're not building a new Church, we are the Church, together with all of those who follow Jesus. We're nobodies, but by His grace, we're allowed to participate, and that is amazing!

For about 20 years, I've been running my own businesses. It took me almost 23 years until I fully surrendered it all to Him. I mean everything—belongings, control of our lives, etc. The most difficult thing for me was to trust Him for our daily needs. I've provided for my family for many years, and it was hard to let go. God was very firm with me on this issue. Nothing I previously did well succeeded anymore. My failures in business were supernatural (God's hand was in it) until I finally accepted that I should use all my skills and everything I had for Him.

I now develop Christian Android apps and combine it with a small company here in Sweden that sells fishing equipment online. Hopefully I will be able to develop the most popular apps for iPhone and iPad soon. You can contribute to make that a reality. Your contributions gives me more time for the Lord's work.

I often receive questions about "my doctrine". I don't have one. I don't believe in simplifying or complicating the message Jesus gave us and what we can read in the Bible. So if you ask for doctrine, the Bible is my doctrine, and it has to be read and understood with help from the Holy Spirit. I do believe we have to LIVE in the Word. Not only read it or talk about it.

After spending 3 years in Vanuatu and 4 years in Tonga, we were going to Paraguay when God unexpectedly sent us back to Sweden for this season in our lives. We have prayed for missionaries to come to Sweden, but we didn't expect that He would use us! By living outside of Sweden for more many years, He has given us eyes to see things differently.

If you would like to contribute to our work, click this link for the various ways you can send your contribution!

In Christ,

John Tibell

Contact details

John Tibell
Trastvägen 17
284 36 Perstorp
Sweden

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