My testimony

Christian Cross

"...I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the
angels of God over one sinner who repents."

Luke 15:10

"One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!"

John 9:25

"For this son of mine was dead and is alive again;
he was lost and is found."

Luke 15:24

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The music playing is titled
Amazing Grace

When I was in college, my college professors taught me that I had evolved from some type of primeval soup where life was accidentally created as a result of a mysterious explosion in the universe billions of years ago. I figured they must know what they're talking about because they are college professors. Now, I suppose that some people I know would have no trouble believing that I had evolved from some type of primeval soup, but that is another story.

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but
to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written:
'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the
intelligent I will frustrate.' Where is the wise man?
Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher
of this age? Has not God made foolish
the wisdom of the world?"

1 Corinthians 1:18 - 20

"Do not deceive yourselves, if any one of you thinks he is wise
by the standards of this age, he should become a 'fool' so
that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world
is foolishness in God's sight. As it is written: 'He
catches the wise in their craftiness';
and again, 'The Lord knows that
the thoughts of the wise
are futile'."

1 Corinthians 3:18 - 20

"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow
and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human
tradition and the basic principles of this
world rather than on Christ."

Colossians 2:8

I occasionally attended church when I was just a boy, so I knew a little about God, heaven and hell. I figured that God would probably let me into heaven because I did more good things than bad. Furthermore, he was a good God and I considered myself an ok person. Not only did I go to church but I would even bring with me a coin to place in the offering plate!

Are you a good person?

"For all have sinned and fall short
of the glory of God."

Romans 3:23

"All of us have become like one who is unclean,
and our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel
up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away."

Isaiah 64:6

"For the wages of sin is death..."

Romans 6:23

"He does not leave the guilty unpunished..."

Exodus 34:7

"I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could
be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"

Galatians 2:21

"You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by
them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that
testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life."

John 5:39 - 40

"It is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this
not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works,
so that no one can boast."

Ephesians 2:8 - 9

However, it was when I attended college that I seriously began questioning what life was all about. Could it be possible that I evolved from nothing? And if there is a God, why does he allow so much suffering in the world? And why did he create me? I would often gaze at the stars at night and consider these things. I reasoned that if God did not exist, then it made no difference how I lived my life. Actually, it would make no difference whether I lived or died. After all, there would be no eternal consequences. Why work hard and try to be a good person? Why not just eat, drink and be merry? In my frustration I cried out to God, "If you exist, reveal yourself to me!".

Not long after this a new employee started working with me at my after school job.

"This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants
all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."

1 Timothy 2:3 - 4

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you."

Matthew 7:7

"Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone
who comes to him must believe that he exists and that
he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

Hebrews 11:6

"Come near to God and he will come near to you."

James 4:8

"For God will bring every deed into judgment,
including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil."

Ecclesiastes 12:14

"And I'll say to myself, 'You have plenty of good things laid up
for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.'
But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night
your life will be demanded from you.'"

Luke 12:19 - 20

Now this woman, being a Christian, proceeded to tell me that God loved me so much that he sent Jesus, his only son, to the earth to pay the penalty for my sins by dying on a cross about two thousand years ago. She told me that I could have a personal relationship with God by asking God to forgive me for sinning against Him and by inviting Jesus into my life as Lord and Savior. She also said that I could not earn or work my way into heaven but that salvation is a gift from God.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,
that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

John 3:16

"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and
the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'"

John 14:6

"Salvation is not found in no one else, for there
is no other name under heaven given to
men by which we must be saved."

Acts 4:12

"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life,
but whoever rejects the Son will not see life,
for God's wrath remains on him."

John 3:36

At first, I thought she was some kind of nut but then she began showing me that what she was saying came right from the Bible. Now, I did not even own a Bible at the time but I was so interested in what she was saying that I went out and bought one. I was deeply affected by what I read in the Bible. I kept saying to this woman "This is the Bible? I don't remember reading these things in the Bible. I never heard these things in church before." I began to realize that God was speaking to me through His Word. Although I considered myself a failure in many ways the Bible says that God cares about me and that I am valuable to Him. Imagine that...I would say to myself.

As time went on, this women suggested that I read the third chapter of the book of John in the Bible. This chapter talks about how a person becomes a child of God!

"Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the
Thessalonians, for they received the message with great
eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day
to see if what Paul said was true."

Acts 17:11

Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of
God unless he is born again." "How can a man be born when he is
old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time
into his mother's womb to be born!" Jesus answered, "I tell
you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless
he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to
flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You
should not be surprised at my saying,
'You must be born again.'"

John 3:3 - 7

"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power
of God for the salvation of everyone who believes..."

Romans 1:16

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God
is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 6:23

"God made him who had no sin to be sin for us,
so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

2 Corinthians 5:21

"...Christ died for our sins..."

1 Corinthians 15:3

"He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree,
so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness;
by his wounds you have been healed."

1 Peter 2:24

"This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us
and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."

1 John 4:10

"...without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness."

Hebrews 9:22

"We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned
to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all."

Isaiah 53:6

I began to ask her many questions. We even began discussing the Bible with each other on the telephone. God's Word says that God is love and the source of all love. He is also a friend that sticks closer than a brother. If we reject Jesus we have no hope and are doomed to everlasting destruction because the wages of our sin is eternal death. But God is patient with us and he doesn't want anyone to perish but everyone to have everlasting life. Jesus died and paid the penalty of our sins so that we would not have to. We send ourselves to hell when we reject Jesus. And another thing, it is not enough to believe in the exsistence of God because the Bible clearly warns us; "You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder." (James 2:19). You must surrender your life to Him and make Him the Lord of your life. It was time for me to make a decision.

On April 25, 1979, this Christian woman needed a ride home after work so I offered to take her home. That night, right in my car, this woman led me in a prayer where I invited Jesus to come into my life to be my Lord and Savior. The prayer went something like this:

Lord Jesus, I am a sinner, I believe you died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins and rose again from the dead to give me eternal life, and a home in heaven. Come into my heart Lord Jesus, forgive my sins. Be my Lord and Savior.

It is not enough just to say the words you must believe them from deep within your heart. You must believe that you are a sinner, heading for hell, and that He is the only one that can save you.

If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your
heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For
it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and
it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.
As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him
will never be put to shame." For there is no
difference between Jew and Gentile-the
same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses
all who call on him, for "Everyone who
calls on the name of the Lord
will be saved."

Romans 10:9 - 13

"I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life."

John 6:47

"Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved..."

Acts 16:31

"Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face
judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins
of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear
sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him."

Hebrews 9:27 - 28

"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name,
he gave the right to become children of God--children born
not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a
husband's will, but born of God."

John 1:12 - 13

"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
the old has gone, the new has come!"

2 Corinthians 5:17

Even though I did not understand much, I had a peace and joy that I have never experienced before. Not only that, but my interests and desires were changing. I no longer wanted to do the things I once did. However, soon after I invited Jesus into my life, this woman's two-year-old son was involved in a terrible automobile fire. He was so badly burned that he nearly died. I was devastated and confused over why God allowed this to happen. And because of this accident, this women needed to immediately quit her job. This meant I no longer had another Christian to talk with. I was also discouraged because my family and friends felt that I was a fool for becoming a Christian. I am sorry to say that it was not long before I drifted away from my relationship with Christ and returned to doing things that made me "fit in" with the rest of the world. In addition, as a new Christian, I did not have much knowledge of the Bible nor did I have a church to attend. All these things led to my "giving up" on God. However, one thing that was for sure, God never gave up on me.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and
lean not on your own understanding..."

Proverbs 3:5

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord,
"plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11

"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.
If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.
As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen
you out of the world. That is why the world hates you."

John 15:18 - 19

"For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans
choose to do--living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies,
carousing and detestable idolatry. They think it strange that
you do not plunge with them into the same flood of
dissipation, and they heap abuse on you. But
they will have to give an account to him
who is ready to judge the living
and the dead."

1 Peter 4:3 - 5

"Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering,
as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that
you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be
overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted
because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for
the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you."

1 Peter 4:12 - 14

"Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill
the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy
both soul and body in hell."

Matthew 10:28

"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people
insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against
you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your
reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the
prophets who were before you."

Matthew 5:10 - 12

"In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in
Christ Jesus will be persecuted."

2 Timothy 3:12

"And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow
me cannot be my disciple."

Luke 14:27

"...My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge."

Hosea 4:6

"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the
habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and
all the more as you see the Day approaching."

Hebrews 10:25

Turning my back on God made me miserable. I tried to fill the void in my heart by keeping busy with the things of this world but this just seemed to make me more and more miserable. I kept telling myself that I would somehow "get right" with the Lord soon. After all, I was only in my early twenties. I still had plenty of time left. However, as time went on I became more and more distant from God. I needed help.

"Do not boast about tomorrow,
for you do not know what a day may bring forth."

Proverbs 27:1

"I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation."

2 Corinthians 6:2

"He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish,
but everyone to come to repentance."

2 Peter 3:9

"If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it
and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at
the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have
known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then
to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to
them. Of them the proverbs are true: "A dog returns to its vomit,"
and, "A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud."

2 Peter 2:20 - 22

About twenty years had passed when I met a guy that I hadn't seen in many years. After we got togther a few times he learned that I was once a Christian, so he invited me to attend his church with him and his wife some Sunday. At first, I was hesitant, I just didn't feel like playing church, you know, going through the motions. But I must admit that I did have a strong desire to go to this church. Therefore, on the first Sunday in January of 2001, I went by myself to a Sunday night church service. I remember sitting in the balcony that night so I would not be noticed. The pastor taught from the Bible and there was a sincerity and a no nonsense way in which he preached. I liked that. After that night I attended church services whenever one was held. I also started reading my Bible again with a renewed passion. I discovered that this church was not at all like the church I attended as a kid. The people that attended South Attleboro Assembly of God seemed to have an inner peace and joy that was appealing to me. But most importantly, it was a place where I experienced God's presence. His presence and power was also made manifest among the people in this church as I have never seen or experienced before.

Then one night in April of 2001, I got serious with God and repented of my sins and asked Jesus back into my life as Lord and Savior. That night God's Holy Spirit came upon me in an awesome and powerful way. My life has never been the same since that night. I can tell you much more but you might not believe me. Let me just say that I know I will be with God in heaven not because I'm a good person but because I put my trust in Jesus and what He has done for me.

Don't take my word on any of this. Check it out for yourself. I suggest that you start by reading the third chapter of the book of John in your Bible. After all, the Bible is the Word of God. Also, check out the link below and various other links throughout this web site. What do you have to lose?

Who is Jesus?

"But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for
yourselves this day whom you will serve... But as for me and
my household, we will serve the Lord."

Joshua 24:15

"If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life,
he was thrown into the lake of fire."

Revelation 20:15

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is
the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.
But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life,
and only a few find it."

Matthew 7:13 - 14

"Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let
down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full,
the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and
collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This
is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and
separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the
fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Matthew 13:47 - 50

"Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts."

Psalm 95:7 - 8

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will
give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest
for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Matthew 11:28 - 30

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock.
If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,
I will come in and eat with him, and he with me."

Revelation 3:20

Oh and one more thing, on May 13, 2001, I was baptized in water during a Sunday night church service. Just before it was my turn to be baptized, I mentioned the woman's name that first introduced me to the Lord over twenty years earlier. After the service, someone came up to me and told me that she knew her and that she now lives only 5 minutes from the church. To make a long story a little less long, we had a joyful reunion and now we get to "hang out" together and talk about the Bible, much like we did over 20 years ago.

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