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Tom and Lilly Hilton

Last Updated on Tuesday, 06 December 2011 18:54

Written by Sue Anthony

On Sunday 20th November Tom and Lilly Hilton, from Millfield church in Sunderland, drove through the thick fog to join us for our morning service. They both shared how they felt very much at home with us and we certainly enjoyed their warm friendship and ministry.

We began the meeting with a lively time of worship, before several people shared testimonies expressing the Lord’s goodness towards them and how specific prayers had been answered over the past week or so.

Lilly spoke of how she had become a Christian as a young girl of 12 years old. A neighbour had opened up her home to the local children in the street and regularly shared with them stories from the Bible and the good news of Jesus. This soon became the highlight of Lilly’s week and she couldn’t wait to get home from school so she could learn more about the Lord. Not surprisingly, it was not long before she accepted the Lord as her personal saviour. ‘I was so excited!’ she expressed in her lovely northern accent, ‘and I have never lost that excitement!’

Lilly and Tom also sang to us all before Tom preached from the first few verses of Isaiah 43. His main points were that as Christians

• we are copy proof (v1) We are unique as individuals. We have been created – a divine act. We have been formed – a divine process. We have been redeemed -.with divine grace. We have been called by name and we have been given His name. 
• We are waterproof and fireproof (v2) 
• We are theft proof (v3 & 4) 
• We are shatterproof or scatter proof. (v3) 
• We are drought proof. (v20) God provides us with all we need. 
• We are stain proof (v25) He blots out our transgressions. 

Tom reminded us that all these gifts have been given to us that we might retain them. He doesn’t take them back. We must keep stirring those gifts up within us and not allow them to leak.

(Written by Gill Bradish)