I've been a born again Christian now for almost 6 years. I was saved August 14 2002 in a little white church in a tiny town in the middle of nowhere. I was a drug user, drunk, and a criminal. I lived alone in a trailer down by the river, party's every night and no restraints. I met a girl named Jamie who I started dating. She talked me into going to church to impress her dad. I started going every now and then, I didn't want to but I really liked her, and a lost boy will do just about anything for a girl. Then she got me to go every Sunday with her... This really cut into my Saturday party time but I did it begrudgingly. Then one Wednesday afternoon Jamie asked me to go to hear a guest preacher who was applying to fill the pulpit. I was mad, I really didn't want to go this was too much. Every Sunday wasn't enough. I really had to think if she was worth all this. I ended up going but I had made up my mind that I wasn't going to go back to any more services, this was it for me, either she took me for who I was or she didn't take me at all. That night the preacher preached a fiery message. He did great, but best of all it was what he did afterwards. This man was there for a chance to be the pastor of the Church, he could have decided that after he was done preaching he would go butter up the members so they vote for him, or he could have sat around and talked but instead he walked straight up to me and asked, "has anyone every told you what Jesus Christ did for you". I had no idea what he was asking, I said " I dunno". He told me of Jesus' love, that he looked down through time and saw me, saw my sin (which was a lot of sin he didn't have to sell me on that) and made the choice to take the penalty for my sin, to pay the price for my wicked life. I couldn't imagine a love like that. I thought love was physical, or if between guys then I thought it meant that I'd be willing to kill for one of them, never thought of dieing for one of them, or taking a fall and doing jail time for one. Sacrificial love... I was broken. He told me how to ask Christ to save me, I prayed, but I believe it was that night, kneeling beside my couch crying out to God to forgive me and thanking him for his sacrifice. After I got saved things started to change in my life. I didn't have a desire to do the things that I used to enjoy, and I got a hunger for things I knew nothing about. I started reading my bible and praying, no one was there to show me how so I kinda just started in Mathew and when I prayed, I talked to God like he was right there next to me (Restore the joy of my salvation). After my salvation, I married a beautiful young lady, Jamie, and we started raising our family to follow after Christ. I haven't had much discipleship up until the past year, when a group of Godly men came beside me and took the challenge of sharing what God has taught them over the years. My desire is to grow closer to Christ, and be a Light for my wife and children.
I love to hear testimonies of people's salvation. Feel free to share.
I love to hear testimonies of people's salvation. Feel free to share.
1 comment:
I was just browsing Jamie's blog and stumbled upon yours. Wow, I never heard your testimony before. It is very moving. I was raised in a christian home, going to church every sunday. My parents prayed with me every night before bedtime, and it was normal for me to have conversations with my DADDY. So there was not really a moment or date that I could say was the point where I got saved. Maybe my first communion, that was a big deal for me. I felt like in that moment I really received Jesus in my heart and allowed him to enter my life. In school I was trying to live like a saint, never even tried smoking, never drunk, no drugs, no dating (till 17)I was in a catholic boarding school for 3 years. Unfortunatelly thats also when I realized that I can never live up to his expectations, i felt like my problems are so insignificant in comparison to his glory, i saw how people use religion for social benefits etc. So that intimate relationship started slowly fading away. ( roman catholic church emposed)
Still, for me it was never a queation weather jesus christ was god's son or weather marry was a virgin. It was the practical part that got in the way. What do I do with it now? When we came to the states I was so surprised about all the different kinds of churches. "Pick the one that is most convienient type of thing". Anyway, I took more pride in considering myself spiritual than religious. Somehow deep inside me there is a living god that was always there no matter how the outside circumstances changed. I felt such a burden lifted when the united methodist church pastor said that Jesus died for our sinns and there is nothing we can do to "work" them away, it already has been done for us, if we accept him as our savior. I am not where I used to be as a child in my relationship with god, and I miss that. I am putting some effort into it, but as a child it came effortless, it was a knowing and understanding. I have only experienced it as an adult in a spirit filled church I went to visit a couple of times. But DJ won't change nothing for his hometown church in Bardstown. I want to take time to learn how to read the bible better, don't really know where to start, just kind of doing tids and pieces here and there. In Poland it seemed like only the priest read the bible. lol. Anyway, good luck with your humility! After I met you a couple of times you made a kind of unaproachable impression on me. So here is my advise, not from the bible but just from inspiration:
If you shine the Light in someones face you can blind them and they will not want to see it again, but if you gently disclose it so their eyes can get used to it, it will illuminate the darkness. It is nice to see your thoughts unfold here ;o) Sorry this got so long. I am off to bed. Have a great day!
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