Pastor James Thomas’s Testimony

Discovering the Tangible Love of God

At All Nations Community Church, we celebrate how God can break through our toughest barriers to reveal His true nature to us.

In this deeply moving testimony, James opens up about his profound struggle to understand the love of God. Growing up, his earthly father was abusive and unloving, which severely skewed his perception of what a father's love should be. Because of this, hearing pastors say "Jesus loves you" was often difficult and grating for him to process. As a self-described "roughy toughy" man who had been through wars, he could not relate to sentimental or emotional expressions of love towards God. Instead, James anchored his relationship with God in things he could cognitively grasp: God's faithfulness, truth, justice, and grace.

However, a recent holiday to New York completely transformed his perspective. Treating the trip as a pilgrimage, James returned to the city and the church where he was originally saved. Unannounced, he visited a church yard sale and locked eyes with a friend he had not seen in 26 years.

The reaction was beautiful and overwhelming. His friend ran over, embraced him, and welcomed him like a long-lost brother. Throughout his time in America, the church community poured out unexpected and profound love, receiving both him and his wife with incredible honor. During a Tuesday night Bible study, a friend named Deborah helped him realize a powerful truth: the immense love he was feeling from these people was actually God showing His love to him.

This tangible, physical experience of God’s incarnate love acting through the body of Christ completely melted James's heart.

Pastor James’s testimony carries a vital and challenging message for the church today. To those who struggle to feel God's love due to past trauma, it is a reminder that God can reach us in tangible ways through the people He places around us.

To the church, it is an urgent call to action: expressing genuine, incarnate love to others is the greatest evangelistic tool we possess.

Watch the Testimony

May this testimony inspire you to receive God's love and to be the tangible expression of His love to those around you.