Below is the testimony I gave a few weeks ago as part of the membership process at my church.
..~<@>~..
One day a couple decided to get their daughter a puppy. They took her to the pound, pointed to an adorable mutt lying in a cage and asked her if she liked that puppy. The girl answered positively and her eyes shined with delight as she gazed upon her soon-to-be pet, now standing and wagging its tail, staring back at her with equal excitement. With that, the parents took the girl back home, leaving the puppy behind. They dug out an old doghouse from the back of the garage and scrubbed it of the dust that accumulated over the years. They bought new food and water dishes and chewtoys for the puppy. Sometimes they would buy treats for the puppy as well. When asked if she had a pet, the girl would tell people about her puppy at home. She loved to spend time shaking a chewtoy or grabbing the leash for a walk. There was just one problem; through all this, the puppy was still at the pound. The dogfood spilled over the wet ground around as it was filled more and more but with no dog to eat it or drink the water. The girl must've been quite a sight, waving a squeaky rubber newspaper in the air, and dragging an empty leash around the neighborhood. When people came to visit, they wondered where the famous puppy was, but didn't inquire about it. If the family said it was there, it must be around somewhere out of site, perhaps sleeping peacefully in a bright corner of the yard. They would know if they had a puppy, and who was anyone to question that? Of course, this poses a major problem. The little girl liked owning a dog, but -in reality not owning one- never experienced the pleasure that comes from from actually owning a dog. And as time went on, she has a false sense of security, relying on her non-existent guard dog to protect her as she took the leash on a walk or left the house empty. Her family and friends truly believed she had a dog, so the girl never for one minute doubted her ownership of that puppy at the pound.
This was me for most of my life, if you can compare faith to an animal. At four I said the prayer and at five I was dunked in the Pacific by a Calvary Chapel South Bay pastor. I thought I was set. One time at AWANA, which I was a part of from 2nd grade through junior high, we had to give our testimonies. My mom told me that I had what was called a boring testimony: I was a good Christian all of my life. I never understood what so many people had against God and Christianity, or why there was so much controversy surrounding religion. I didn't get why they wouldn't just say the prayer. It only took a minute! They could carry on with their strange customs if they just accept Jesus into their heart, and it would all be good. My family stopped going to church when I was 12, just when I was old enough to go to the secondary school class. We continued with AWANA, but I stopped going when I got to high school, because no churches in the area offered a varsity program. I didn't want to join a youth group because I was basically just in AWANA for the verse memorization and games (ie, competition). Fellowshiping and spiritual growth was not my goal. Eventually, I started going to church again at 19. I had been feeling guilty that I didn't go. I couldn't state a reason to do so, but I just felt like I should.
I didn't get the gospel. I didn't even know what it meant. Even though the church I attended when I said the sinner's prayer seems to believe that you can be saved without hearing the gospel, that's not the case. I understood the term as a music genre and what the first four books of the new testament are called, but that was about it. You can forget about atonement. I thought that Jesus offered himself up as a hostage exchange for a group of Jews that had been captured by the Romans. I figured they considered that an even trade because, well, he's JESUS. I believed in free will and thought God created the world because He was bored and needed company. I had never heard words such as Fall, Atonement, Sanctification, etc. I thought Grace was just a characteristic or nice girl's name. I was familiar with Christian songs (contemporary and traditional), but didn't pay much mind to them or saw beyond a superficial meaning or nice beat. Church meant pasting cotton balls to sheep shapes. I didn't get why religion was so controversial or why people didn't want to rather be safe than sorry and take a couple minutes to accept Jesus in their heart so they can go to Heaven and watch the angels play harps all day long too.
I can't give a specific date when I became saved. I can pinpoint it sometime while I was reading Desiring God by John Piper, which did take me a while because there's a lot in there and I didn't always find time to sit down and read. I just know that who I was before and after reading it was entirely two different people. I don't attribute it to the book, of course. It was purely the work of the Holy Spirit. As far as the means used, attending Monday night apologetics tore down my worldview and wrong conceptions about religion and life, while Desiring God built it up to the right focus (that's not to say Faith Defenders wasn't edifying). I, like many people, had wrestled with the meaning of life. I didn't believe true happiness existed, that we were only sometimes blissful for a while. The only thing I knew my whole life was that God must've had to put us here for a reason, and we'd have to deal with it. I found out that life is so much more than just dealing. We have meaning and purpose, the basic core of which is to glorify God. I was a new person, and found myself "happy" even when I had every reason to be sad. There was now a firm foundation where there was just sand or pixie dust or something before. I saw a deeper beauty to everything. Most importantly, I had a strong confidence and hope that Jesus paid for my sins, and I was determined to show my respect and appreciation, what little I could give.
Maybe it's a little silly to compare one's faith to an animal, but it's even sillier to think that a little prayer could save someone. Thankfully, by God's grace and providence, I was saved from a meaningless life of guilt and humanism, and brought to a new life of continuous joy and gratitude towards our gracious Creator, ever-loving Savior, and vitalizing Comforter. I am glad to have found a church that follows the Bible and look forward to being a part of Faith Community Church, to edify and be edified.
..~<@>~..
One day a couple decided to get their daughter a puppy. They took her to the pound, pointed to an adorable mutt lying in a cage and asked her if she liked that puppy. The girl answered positively and her eyes shined with delight as she gazed upon her soon-to-be pet, now standing and wagging its tail, staring back at her with equal excitement. With that, the parents took the girl back home, leaving the puppy behind. They dug out an old doghouse from the back of the garage and scrubbed it of the dust that accumulated over the years. They bought new food and water dishes and chewtoys for the puppy. Sometimes they would buy treats for the puppy as well. When asked if she had a pet, the girl would tell people about her puppy at home. She loved to spend time shaking a chewtoy or grabbing the leash for a walk. There was just one problem; through all this, the puppy was still at the pound. The dogfood spilled over the wet ground around as it was filled more and more but with no dog to eat it or drink the water. The girl must've been quite a sight, waving a squeaky rubber newspaper in the air, and dragging an empty leash around the neighborhood. When people came to visit, they wondered where the famous puppy was, but didn't inquire about it. If the family said it was there, it must be around somewhere out of site, perhaps sleeping peacefully in a bright corner of the yard. They would know if they had a puppy, and who was anyone to question that? Of course, this poses a major problem. The little girl liked owning a dog, but -in reality not owning one- never experienced the pleasure that comes from from actually owning a dog. And as time went on, she has a false sense of security, relying on her non-existent guard dog to protect her as she took the leash on a walk or left the house empty. Her family and friends truly believed she had a dog, so the girl never for one minute doubted her ownership of that puppy at the pound.
This was me for most of my life, if you can compare faith to an animal. At four I said the prayer and at five I was dunked in the Pacific by a Calvary Chapel South Bay pastor. I thought I was set. One time at AWANA, which I was a part of from 2nd grade through junior high, we had to give our testimonies. My mom told me that I had what was called a boring testimony: I was a good Christian all of my life. I never understood what so many people had against God and Christianity, or why there was so much controversy surrounding religion. I didn't get why they wouldn't just say the prayer. It only took a minute! They could carry on with their strange customs if they just accept Jesus into their heart, and it would all be good. My family stopped going to church when I was 12, just when I was old enough to go to the secondary school class. We continued with AWANA, but I stopped going when I got to high school, because no churches in the area offered a varsity program. I didn't want to join a youth group because I was basically just in AWANA for the verse memorization and games (ie, competition). Fellowshiping and spiritual growth was not my goal. Eventually, I started going to church again at 19. I had been feeling guilty that I didn't go. I couldn't state a reason to do so, but I just felt like I should.
I didn't get the gospel. I didn't even know what it meant. Even though the church I attended when I said the sinner's prayer seems to believe that you can be saved without hearing the gospel, that's not the case. I understood the term as a music genre and what the first four books of the new testament are called, but that was about it. You can forget about atonement. I thought that Jesus offered himself up as a hostage exchange for a group of Jews that had been captured by the Romans. I figured they considered that an even trade because, well, he's JESUS. I believed in free will and thought God created the world because He was bored and needed company. I had never heard words such as Fall, Atonement, Sanctification, etc. I thought Grace was just a characteristic or nice girl's name. I was familiar with Christian songs (contemporary and traditional), but didn't pay much mind to them or saw beyond a superficial meaning or nice beat. Church meant pasting cotton balls to sheep shapes. I didn't get why religion was so controversial or why people didn't want to rather be safe than sorry and take a couple minutes to accept Jesus in their heart so they can go to Heaven and watch the angels play harps all day long too.
I can't give a specific date when I became saved. I can pinpoint it sometime while I was reading Desiring God by John Piper, which did take me a while because there's a lot in there and I didn't always find time to sit down and read. I just know that who I was before and after reading it was entirely two different people. I don't attribute it to the book, of course. It was purely the work of the Holy Spirit. As far as the means used, attending Monday night apologetics tore down my worldview and wrong conceptions about religion and life, while Desiring God built it up to the right focus (that's not to say Faith Defenders wasn't edifying). I, like many people, had wrestled with the meaning of life. I didn't believe true happiness existed, that we were only sometimes blissful for a while. The only thing I knew my whole life was that God must've had to put us here for a reason, and we'd have to deal with it. I found out that life is so much more than just dealing. We have meaning and purpose, the basic core of which is to glorify God. I was a new person, and found myself "happy" even when I had every reason to be sad. There was now a firm foundation where there was just sand or pixie dust or something before. I saw a deeper beauty to everything. Most importantly, I had a strong confidence and hope that Jesus paid for my sins, and I was determined to show my respect and appreciation, what little I could give.
Maybe it's a little silly to compare one's faith to an animal, but it's even sillier to think that a little prayer could save someone. Thankfully, by God's grace and providence, I was saved from a meaningless life of guilt and humanism, and brought to a new life of continuous joy and gratitude towards our gracious Creator, ever-loving Savior, and vitalizing Comforter. I am glad to have found a church that follows the Bible and look forward to being a part of Faith Community Church, to edify and be edified.
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