I guess I can try to tell you my story. I grew up going to church all
my life, and I always felt empty and unsatisfied. By my teenage years
I knew I was living around hypocrites and sinners, most of the people
around me were living in sin and really a bad influence, people you
wouldn't expect to be at church, womanizers and adulterers, and I knew
it was evil and I tried to live a good life. I would consider myself a
faithful catholic at the time, youth group being a big part of my
teenage years, and confirmation classes until I went to college. Where
I found a catholic church and I went to that for like a year. But
sophomore year around October, two missionaries showed up at my dorm
room door after I had filled out a survey in which I indicated
interest in knowing God. And we talked for a bit and went through the
4 laws, aka knowing God personally booklet, and I felt like I agreed
with everything in it, and was asked if I wanted to pray the sinners
prayer, and I did but it was with my lips, it wasn't my heart. They
were all excited and the people I met later the next night were also,
but I didn't understand the big deal.
I soon became in love with Tuesday and later Thursday nights (2nd
semester sophomore year), Tuesday- the weekly meeting for Campus
Crusade and Thursday- the bible study/life group I was in. I would say
I loved the singing, the most, I always had loved singing at church
and at the Cru meeting it was pretty awesome, modern worship songs,
talking about the God I was trying to get to know, and the people were
the nicest/coolest people I ever met. I think I would consider myself
a "member" but not at all saved at the time, I was struggling in sin
(pornography and lust), slowly coming out of that by my convictions
and habits changing and slowly reorganizing my life. I was also making
a deal with God each time I prayed. And pretty soon my spiritual life
came to about a stand still for 2 ½ years.
One big thing that occurred (now that I am graduated and working) about two months
ago, was my listening to the Revival Hymn from a suggestion from a
friend, and later 10 Shekels and a Shirt. I was really convicted by
these two sermons about humanism and pragmatism. I knew I was out of
luck, that something was completely wrong with my spiritual life I had
been using God all my life. For about a few weeks I started to reason
with myself that all I needed to do was serve God because he was
worthy, whether or not I go to Heaven or Hell. My heart wasn't
changed. But last night, I listened to Hell's Best Kept Secret by Ray
Comfort. And I got saved-there is no other term or way for me to
describe the knowledge and truth written on my heart and soul at that
moment: the Law being edified in my heart and mind and Jesus' work and
God's goodness. My hands raised up, and I started to praise God as
soon as the sermon was finished, and at that moment I realized very
quickly that everything was different that salvation had come, that
newness occurred, I have never been so filled with joy and peace and
relief and comfort in God's Law and Jesus and God and His
righteousness, and tears, I've never cried so much from Joy. Tell me something about God or Jesus, and His
goodness
I'll cry with joy and love from my heart. I am in love with God and His
goodness and how awesome He is and His Law. And I know Jesus is a gift
from God. Today I am saved. My soul has found its missing piece: the
God of the bible and of the Ten Commandments and the God of Moses
whose son came down from Heaven, out of love.
_________________
Andre
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