United
Pentecostal Church Mannheim Testimonies |
Brother Brehanu from Ethiopia (The costs and
the reward of being a follower)
Have you already heard the name Brehanu? If you lived in Ethiopia, you most
probably have. His name means light. When he was a young boy, Brehanu sang revolutionary
songs in the youth organisation during the communist regime. He soon became
the best singer in the country. The military gave him the job of being a singer,
and on the side he also sang love songs. Brehanu became more and more famous
and richer. One day, his wife invited our brother Tadele into the house to talk
about the Bible. During the conversation, Brehanu entered into the room and
began to listen to what was being said. After a while, his wife started to lose
interest, however, Brehanu wanted to hear more about the Oneness of God —
up until now, he had only heard about the doctrine of the Trinity.
After that, he wanted to find out more on the subject, and he ended up visiting
a worship service in Addis Abeba. Brehanu continued with his singing career,
however, a change had taken place in his life - he stopped drinking and he was
no longer interested in many worldly activities and things. His wife was not
very happy about the matter. One day, she told her husband that he would have
to make a choice: "Either you stop going to church or I'll leave you if
you don't." However, it was too late for anyone or anything to separate
him from God. Brehanu had already made up his mind to follow Jesus Christ. He
did not want to lose the peace and the joy which he was now experiencing.
One day, he visited Pastor Ajele and asked him; "What shall I do considering
the fact that I'm a famous singer?" Pastor Ajele answered: "Be baptized
in the name of Jesus, and God will show you what to do in your life." He
was baptized. After the baptism, he disappeared and nobody knew where he was.
The military searched for him on the grounds of being a deserter.
He worked secretly on a day to day wage basis so that he could buy something
to eat. After a year, the government changed; the new government were no 1onger
interested in him. His wife divorced him. Brehanu gave her the house, the car,
and everything that he possessed. Now he sings to Jesus Christ in the church,
in a choir comprising of 500 people. He no longer sings for the world. He exchanged
his earthly riches for riches which will last forever. Brehanu has found the
light - Jesus Christ. Have you also found the light? rw