How Johnny found life: (True Story)
When I was 18 years old I left home to attend college at Southwest Texas State, in San Marcos, Texas. I started going with a girl there who was a Baptist. She always wanted to hang out at the Baptist Student Union (BSU) on campus, so I met a lot of her friends there. And they became my friends. These kids talked a little bit different language than I was used to. They talked about "knowing the Lord", "getting Saved", "witnessing", "being born again." I sorta knew what they meant, but I also knew that I was ever bit as good as any of them, and I had been raised in a God-fearing home, too.
Since my girl friend always wanted to go to church at the Baptist church, and I didn't have any objections, we began to regularly attend. Eventually, she and I broke up, but all my friends were still at the "BSU" so I hung out there a lot and still went to church with them.
One time when I attended church I was sitting by myself. I remember that the preacher was talking about sin. And he said (something like this) "The Bible says that all people are sinners."
I remember thinking, "Well, I don't know about everyone else, but I know I am a sinner." I hadn't killed anybody. I hadn't stolen (much). I never raped anybody. But deep down, in the secret places of myself where I didn't let anyone else in- I knew I was stained with sin. And if I knew then of course God knew it too.
I don't remember the preacher's exact words, but He said something like, "And if you are a sinner, you need to be saved from your sin. And you can't do it yourself - you need a new life. You need real life. You need to be born again into God's family. You need Christ!"
And then he gave an "altar call", meaning he asked anyone listening who wanted his or her sins washed away by Christ Jesus the Savior, to come forward.
I had already thought about that going forward business. And I wasn't about to go up there! A long time before I had decided never to get "saved" because I was sure that if I got "saved" that "the Lord", (as they called Jesus) would send me to darkest Africa to be a missionary where I would be killed. I not only didn't WANT to go, I was AFRAID to go. I knew I would be killed by those heathen people over there. So I didn't go down to the front.
For several weeks I thought about it and I knew I really needed Christ, but I didn't want to "get saved" because of the consequences. There was more to it than me going to Africa too. I didn't want all those people in that church (it was pretty large too) to watch me walk up to the front. I wouldn't do it, and that was that!
Then one of the Sundays that the preacher was speaking (almost the same message as above), when he said, "You are a sinner, and need THE Saviour", I realized it was the preachers, words, but it was God who was talking directly to me. He was using the preacher's mouth, but it was God. It was very personal and sort of disconcerting. That Sunday, when the preacher gave the "alter call", I did get up and go to the front of the church. And that Sunday I found real life. I still remember that there was something akin to a heavy weight being lifted off me. Later I realized that this weight was the weight of my sins.
Well. That's my story of how I found life - and I'm sticking to it!
Sometimes, you just have to tell someone.
And, yes, I hope I can sell a lot of boxes, and training supplies, videos, etc, and make some money. But really, in the end, all that will matter is: "Are you saved? or Are you lost?" And I am so glad that I am saved. And I realize now that going to the front of the church is not what saved me. What saved me is that I believed that Jesus was willing and able to take away my sins. Then I just took Him at his word.
And my prayer was this, "OK, Lord. I'll go to Africa".
That was all I said in my heart. Then I went to the front of the church. But by the time I got there, I was already saved.
The Bible says that all men and women are sinners -"All have sinned and come short of the glory of God".
The Bible says, "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
The Bible says, "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
The Bible says, "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved - for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved".
So the Bible never says "Get up and go to the front of the church", but that's still how I got saved.
I figure that there are only three kinds of people when it comes to spiritial things. There are those who are not interested in spritial things, and who have already made a very real and loud confession that they want no part of God. Some of them say it very politely and even quietly ("I'm an agnostic .... I just don't think anyone can know...I'm not interested...etc)
This first group is not now reading these words. They have quickly gone to other internet pages. They may be quiet and sound polite, but inside they are shaking their fists at God, saying "We will not have that man (Jesus) reign over us".
Then there are the Christians. They are rejoicing with me in the LIFE that we have both found.
The third kind of person is the one who just honestly hasn't decided about God and Christ. Maybe, they are like Johnny - not wanting to go to Africa. It sounds silly now - (God has never even asked me to go!) but that objection could have cost me my life! If you are one of those honest folks who really want to know about Christ, I have one suggestion:
Don't put it off. Find out about Christ. Sincerely ask him to make Himself known to you. Ask him to send someone your way who will explain the way of life. Someone who will show you what real life really is.
The Bible says "In Him (Christ) was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not"
We never know how much time we have left down here. And wouldn't it be a shame to have gone through the world and into the grave without ever having experienced real life?