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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