Your Testimony

[Aries2020]

Greetings

How did you meet Jesus?

.Atheist 

.Born into Christian family.

.Other.

What do you know now, that you wish you had of known then? 

In 1985 my brother returned from a trip to NZ.

He told me he had become a Christian when he was over there, and that really shocked me.

Then he challenged me if I died today, if I knew 100 percent if I would go to heaven.

I didn’t know 100 percent, but then he asked me if I wanted to receive Jesus as my Lord and Savior.

I repeated the salvation prayer and had a radical born again experience.

I unknowingly joined a Pentecostal sect that preached acts 2.38 was the only way to receive salvation.

It was a legalistic cult but it taught me so many different skills.

I left after about 6 months due to doctrine inconsistencies, and went to a standard born again fellowship

I fellowshipped there for about 3-1/2 years, and then I had an incident, where I stopped fellowshipping.

I joined the security industry and have worked in bars and clubs for 32 years.

Due to the corona virus, Australia was in lock down so being at home, I recommitted my self and it’s been about 6-7 months.

I have a long way to go, and I’m just taking each day as it comes.

I wish I had someone to disciple and guide me when I first became a Christian, as that would have helped me to make better choices.

But by Gods grace, he still directed and guided me along his path.

Edited April 3, 2021 by Aries2020

[Starise]

21 minutes ago, Aries2020 said:

How did you meet Jesus?

Saved very young in church. I didn't meet Jesus, Jesus met me. I accepted His plan of salvation and repented of my sins.

22 minutes ago, Aries2020 said:

What do you know now, that you wish you had of known then? 

Unsaved and even young Christians tend to think the world is a fun place. While there are fun times, the world is an evil sinful place. Optimism tends to diminish so far as this old earth is concerned. We look for a new heaven and a new earth with Christ.

[Aries2020]

6 minutes ago, Starise said:

Saved very young in church. I didn't meet Jesus, Jesus met me. I accepted His plan of salvation and repented of my sins.

Unsaved and even young Christians tend to think the world is a fun place. While there are fun times, the world is an evil sinful place. Optimism tends to diminish so far as this old earth is concerned. We look for a new heaven and a new earth with Christ.

amen fellowship conversion, good point Jesus met you and you received his salvation plan.

yes being so young and and a new born is exciting, unfortunately without some form of discipleship and guidance it can be challenging along the straight and narrow path.  

[Starise]

1 minute ago, Aries2020 said:

amen fellowship conversion, good point Jesus met you and you received his salvation plan.

yes being so young and and a new born is exciting, unfortunately without some form of discipleship and guidance it can be challenging along the straight and narrow path.  

Yes discipleship is very important. My mother was probably my best mentor at this time since I still lived at home. I wasn't a very good Christian at times and even to this day there are things I continue to work on. I have been a believer for a very long time. I think age changes our perspective on many things.

I mentioned this here before, but I came before God and asked Him to do whatever was necessary to change me to be what He wanted me to be. I was sick and tired of the sin in my life. I would think LONG AND HARD before you pray that prayer. It has been quite a ride. God is achieving His goals in me. It has been very hard at times going through some of the things I had to go through. It's like if you want to become a green beret you go through the training. No shortcuts. That part of it can be most trying.

If you belong to Yahweh, He will still work on you regardless. Jesus said in this world we will have trouble. He wasn't kidding there. Not one bit. What God does to us is referred to as a refining process, the way a metal smith refines a metal by removing the dross. 

As Paul said, He must increase, I must decrease.

[Aries2020]

8 hours ago, Starise said:

Yes discipleship is very important. My mother was probably my best mentor at this time since I still lived at home. I wasn't a very good Christian at times and even to this day there are things I continue to work on. I have been a believer for a very long time. I think age changes our perspective on many things.

I mentioned this here before, but I came before God and asked Him to do whatever was necessary to change me to be what He wanted me to be. I was sick and tired of the sin in my life. I would think LONG AND HARD before you pray that prayer. It has been quite a ride. God is achieving His goals in me. It has been very hard at times going through some of the things I had to go through. It's like if you want to become a green beret you go through the training. No shortcuts. That part of it can be most trying.

If you belong to Yahweh, He will still work on you regardless. Jesus said in this world we will have trouble. He wasn't kidding there. Not one bit. What God does to us is referred to as a refining process, the way a metal smith refines a metal by removing the dross. 

As Paul said, He must increase, I must decrease.

amen you hit the nail on the head, discipleship and support is what new borns need to help them develop there personal relationships and discover who we are in Christ Jesus.

It is a journey of trail and error, but as we continue to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness it gets easier as you surrender.   

Edited April 3, 2021 by Aries2020

[Marathoner]

You're already acquainted with my testimony, but this is a great topic so I'm happy to participate.  

5 hours ago, Aries2020 said:

How did you meet Jesus?

I was born under a roof where the Lord was never mentioned. I was forbidden to attend church with friends nor harbor any evangelistic materials; I was five years old when my mother discovered a tract in my possession. It was taken from me and disposed of. I was able to read the tract before it was seized (I learned how to read after my 3rd birthday) and I remember wondering, "Who is Jesus Christ?" I was mystified. 

Due to my upbringing I steered clear of Christians, avoiding evangelists and turning down offers to visit churches. I believed God existed and while I didn't doubt Jesus Christ, I didn't know what to think of Him. Surely God wasn't the least bit interested in me and so I accepted that it was impossible to know the Lord, for He was beyond my capability to perceive and comprehend.

Everything changed after my 26th birthday, just when I was on the cusp of material success in this world. I worked a dream job making more money than I thought possible with an 8th grade education. One day out of the blue, the Spirit of the Lord drew near and said, 

You are the work of My hand, set aside for My purpose before you were born. The time has come for you to seek Me; do not be afraid, for I will make the way straight before you. Come to Me.

Life as I had known it was over. I knew what to do: I handed my employer a resignation letter the very day he offered to pay me $120,000 a year, parted with my possessions, and set out to find Jesus Christ. This was the beginning of a very long road. 

5 hours ago, Aries2020 said:

What do you know now, that you wish you had of known then?

Honestly? Nothing, my friend. Everything proceeded according to the purpose of God for had I known what lie ahead, I would've found a high place to jump off and meet my end. The knowledge would've been too much to bear. 

This was the will of the Lord who called me forth and gave me Life, that I didn't know. Praise the Lord for His goodness and mercy! I love Him more than words can express. 
 

Edited April 3, 2021 by Marathoner
typo

[Aries2020]

5 hours ago, DDisconnect said:

Born into a Christian home, but only attended church a short while as church drama made my parents feel unwelcome and unwilling to reconsider other churches. Spent a number of years as an atheist before realizing that a creative force made more sense, but Christianity wasn't my first go-to. Started off with new age/wicca only for life to get chaotic from it. Then Buddhism appealed what with getting rid of desire. I had a system where if I went over a certain number of offenses on any given day, I would then punish myself by inducing vomit. I called it Daily Disallowance, where the "DD" in my name comes from - the "disconnect" is what I wished to do with everything. Perhaps makes my name seem inappropriate now, but I keep it as a reminder. 

Anyhow, it hadn't worked, DD only served to stress me out more because I was constantly worried about messing up, which would cause me to mess up, you know? So I was desperate, needing to consider something else to see if it worked, and I still had a Bible laying around from that short time spent in church as a child.

And it's just been up and up from there, lol

You can't force change, nor be so legalistic and rigid. Such was DD, a list of offenses, of do and do not - and punishments likewise. In a way, I don't regret it, as it did help lead me to where I am. However, I wish the Bible had been what I had first turned to, and that I hadn't spent so long wrestling myself

amen thank you sharing your testimony, its so amazing to hear the different choices we make and the different life experiences we go through and Jesus is right there with us every step of the way just waiting for us to turn to him for love and support.

It’s the goodness of God that always reminds us we are welcome home his arms are open and he watches for us every minute.

[Aries2020]

4 hours ago, Marathoner said:

You're already acquainted with my testimony, but this is a great topic so I'm happy to participate.  

I was born under a roof where the Lord was never mentioned. I was forbidden to attend church with friends nor harbor any evangelistic materials; I was five years old when my mother discovered a tract in my possession. It was taken from me and disposed of. I was able to read the tract before it was seized (I learned how to read after my 3rd birthday) and I remember wondering, "Who is Jesus Christ?" I was mystified. 

Due to my upbringing I steered clear of Christians, avoiding evangelists and turning down offers to visit churches. I believed God existed and while I didn't doubt Jesus Christ, I didn't know what to think of Him. Surely God wasn't the least bit interested in me and so I accepted that it was impossible to know the Lord, for He was beyond my capability to perceive and comprehend.

Everything changed after my 26th birthday, just when I was on the cusp of material success in this world. I worked a dream job making more money than I thought possible with an 8th grade education. One day out of the blue, the Spirit of the Lord drew near and said, 

You are the work of My hand, set aside for My purpose before you were born. The time has come for you to seek Me; do not be afraid, for I will make the way straight before you. Come to Me.

Life as I had known it was over. I knew what to do: I handed my employer a resignation letter the very day he offered to pay me $120,000 a year, parted with my possessions, and set out to find Jesus Christ. This was the beginning of a very long road. 

Honestly? Nothing, my friend. Everything proceeded according to the purpose of God for had I known what lie ahead, I would've found a high place to jump off and meet my end. The knowledge would've been too much to bear. 

This was the will of the Lord who called me forth and gave me Life, that I didn't know. Praise the Lord for His goodness and mercy! I love Him more than words can express. 
 

amen wow what a testimony you must reflect back and think of your life before Christ, and your life after Christ and to just resign and leave that financial security takes so much courage faith and obedience that is truly amazing.

You understand that Gods will plan and purpose for everyone's life is in his hands, and you are fulfilling the plan that God has prepared for your life amen.  

[AnOrangeCat]

Born into a Christian family here as well, though the bulk of it was done through my grandparents. As a kid I saw a lot of Christian television and accepted Jesus after watching the Gospel Bill show for a while. Didn't fully understand what I was doing at the time but I've come to understand more. I'm glad I did and got to grow up with those positive influences in my life.

[A Christian 1985]

A Message for the Human Race, at Blogger

 What this axiom does say is that if a spiritual universe exists that does not have laws or principles in common with our physical universe, then we cannot be aware of it and thus it would be of no concern to us.  However, if a spiritual universe exists such that we are aware of some of its manifestations, then it will have laws or principles in common with our physical universe.  Thus, for any postulated assertion of a spiritual reality, there should be corresponding evidence of that reality reflected in our physical universe.  Conversely, it should be possible to formulate a framework of characteristics of the physical universe that will indicate the nature of the corresponding spiritual reality. Practically speaking, this axiom means that it is possible to construct a logical theory encompassing virtually every field of science that will explain the purpose behind everything known to man.