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How did you guys come to believe.

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  • How did you guys come to believe.

    I am curious. It also just seems kinda natural considering I gave my story.
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  • #2
    I wrote this a number of years ago. Still seems appropriate today.

    I grew up in a home that gave me the opportunity and privilege of attending and being part of an evangelical Protestant church. I attended church regularly, learned all the Bible stories at a young age, even taught Sunday School to little kids from the time I was about 12 years old. I knew what the Bible says. I knew who Jesus is. I knew how to be saved. But I guess I thought that my life was fine. I wasn’t a bad person. I didn’t smoke or drink or even go to movies, or wear makeup. I thought I was a believer.

    But, after getting married and moving away from my hometown and having the kids, I felt a deep fear inside me -- that if I were to die right now, where would I be? Heaven or hell. There was nothing inside me that gave me any peace or assurance of where I would spend eternity. I had continued to attend and be involved in church, and continued to teach Sunday School, and I made some really good friends in the church, young moms like me. One of them, a very dear friend to this day, encouraged me (well, prodded and poked me until I agreed), to attend the weekly ladies’ Bible study that she was going to.

    I didn’t think I needed to study the Bible any more than I already had over the years. I knew the Scriptures pretty well, and by that time had been teaching Sunday School for about 13 years. Besides, I had a 4 year old and a 6 month old at home, and didn’t have time. But, she persevered, even offered to pick the kids and me up every week. I finally gave in.

    It became very clear to me during those in-depth studies of God’s Word that I had never really asked God to forgive my sins, never really invited Jesus into my life. I had thought I was fine because I had grown up in a Christian home, and had never really done anything “bad”. My inner fear of death and where I would spend eternity, I believe, was God’s Spirit urging me to accept Jesus Christ as my Saviour and turn my life over to Him. I did so, through an act of my will, asking for and accepting the free gift of salvation and forgiveness of my sins, and immediately the fear and anxiety were gone, and I was certain that I had received eternal life in that moment, instead of eternal separation from God.

    The change in my life was not a drastic, visible, life-altering transformation. You might not have noticed an outward change. But the change inside of me was so great that I can’t even describe it. And I knew that anything good that I had done, even with the best of intentions, and all the bad things I had or hadn’t done, didn’t make any difference to God. I was completely incapable of improving myself, let alone saving myself. But God, in His love for me, sent His only Son from heaven to earth to die in my place. All I had to do, all I could do, was accept Him as my Saviour.

    Since then, with His help, I have tried to live a life pleasing to Him, tried to learn more every day from his Word what His will for my life is. I often fail. I am not perfect, and will not be until I reach heaven and God’s Presence. But from that day to this, I have never doubted His love for me, never doubted my salvation, never felt that fear of death that I had felt all the time before. I am His, and He is mine, and I will be with Him when I die.


    Securely anchored to the Rock amid every storm of trial, testing or tribulation.

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    • #3
      Whoa.
      That is intense.
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      • #4
        People seem to talk a lot of bible study. I hope I can find something like that one day.
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        • #5
          God has taught me so much through the years since then. Still learning. Still growing. Trusting Him more with each crisis, with each trial. He holds me securely in His hand, and I am anchored in His grace and abundantly grateful his His mercy.


          Securely anchored to the Rock amid every storm of trial, testing or tribulation.

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          • #6
            I think we in the same boat.
            I may not have as much life experience, or understand church services, or anything like that but I understand ya know
            Learning. Striving to be a ambassador and functioning member of the body. Struggling.
            I shppose though to use a metaphor I am a man in a halkway starung at people in various rooms. I dont know enough to step into one yet. Besides I still have to navigate the hallway.
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            • #7
              I grew up in church. After I graduated high school and joined the Navy, I pretty much quit going to church. I went to church once in a while with a buddy I met on TDY, and read my bible ever and anon, but it wasn't until my enlistment was almost up that I realized I need to get back to following God. It didn't help that my home church pastor was no longer, um, very helpful (turns out he had become a pastor because his girlfriend expected to marry one), but once I got to college and started attending a weekly fellowship I started growing in faith again. After I graduated college, bible.org's The Theology Program really helped me examine my faith anew. Despite my constant failings, God's been good.
              Enter the Church and wash away your sins. For here there is a hospital and not a court of law. Do not be ashamed to enter the Church; be ashamed when you sin, but not when you repent. – St. John Chrysostom

              Veritas vos Liberabit<>< Learn Greek <>< Look here for an Orthodox Church in America<><Ancient Faith Radio
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              I recommend you do not try too hard and ...research as little as possible. Such weighty things give me a headache. - Shunyadragon, Baha'i apologist

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              • #8
                I grew up in church. After a period of doubt in college, I realized that I didn't have a true understanding of Christianity and the commitment it required and decided to take discipleship more seriously. While the specifics of what I believe within Christianity have changed over time, I feel pretty comfortable at this point that Christianity is true and no longer deal with all the doubt I used to.
                "I am not angered that the Moral Majority boys campaign against abortion. I am angry when the same men who say, "Save OUR children" bellow "Build more and bigger bombers." That's right! Blast the children in other nations into eternity, or limbless misery as they lay crippled from "OUR" bombers! This does not jell." - Leonard Ravenhill

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                • #9
                  It's interessting.
                  I didnt grow up as a christian yet I can relate to you guys and what you are saying.
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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by TheWall View Post
                    It's interessting.
                    I didnt grow up as a christian yet I can relate to you guys and what you are saying.
                    That's the Holy Spirit, little brother. We are united in Him through the Spirit.


                    Securely anchored to the Rock amid every storm of trial, testing or tribulation.

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                    • #11
                      I grew up in church. When I was a little girl I accepted Christ as my Savior I think it was Halloween 1987. My brother went up and so did I. I was having dreams about Jesus knocking at the door to my house, and looking down on me from heaven at the time. I was about 3.5 at the time. When I turned 4 my Church was having a massive baptism this was in 1988, and I told my parents in the car, that I was a Christian and I wanted to be baptized to. I was along with my brother. We were 4 and 6. As I got older my faith became challenged more and more by the things of this world and by Sunday School. I spent a lot of time in my younger years learning in Girls in Action about Missionaries and Spreading the Gospel throughout the world. I really liked Wednesday night chorus and ding patch the pirate and Psalty the singing Songbook programs. It wasn't until maybe 5th, 6th and 7th grade where I found some challenges to the things I'd been taught. It wasn't so much religious teachings as it was interpretations of religious teachings. I went to a school that taught out of the A beka and Bob Jones Curriculum which was strictly creation science. However I had a distinct interest in Astronomy, Meteorology and Biology. Looking up information there was a lot of cognitive dissonance between what I was being taught and what professional science books were teaching. I still considered myself a Christian but it was getting harder and harder to remain a strict baptist and read informational science. Then in 8th grade I went to a Charter school where I learned the truth about the forefathers. I was utterly shocked. I held steadfast to my faith in Christ but I was still shocked. In 10th grade I simply left my baptist youth group for a different one, and then a year later I found a different one where academics mattered less and it was more your faith in Christ. The when I was 19 I went through a lot of doubt. I attended multiple churches, Lutheran, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Catholic, Home Churches, Baptist, UMC, But none seemed to fit, I even played with witchcraft. At some point I decided my faith in God was more important than anything else, and I started to do research. I read my Bible, I read books, I wrote in a Journal every day, I ordered every free book about Jesus I could get my hands on. I requested free kindle books, I bought a Catechism read the early Church Fathers. I don't know what happened but I started to internalize Christ Jesus on a deep level and felt called to the Catholic Church. I converted and was a faithful member for many years. Unfortunately my ex-husband decided to use it as leverage to attempt to keep me from leaving him and remarrying, so Ive been a non practicing Catholic for a couple years now. We attend an American Baptist Church but that looks like it might be coming to an end since we live so far away and there is a UMC right behind us.
                      A happy family is but an earlier heaven.
                      George Bernard Shaw

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                      • #12
                        I was raised Catholic, but I was agnostic by my early teens and remained that way until I was 37. In that time I did some great things but also some bad. At around 35 years old I came to and end of myself - I said God if you are real please make yourself known to me - just don't make me a Christian. Nothing really happened until two years later and I began working with this obnoxious Christian who was always quoting Scripture. He gave me a couple of books that I read just to shut him up (we are good friends now though). To make a long story short, it is August 19th 1990. I'm hiking alone (as I always do) struggling with this Jesus thing, kind of praying and God showed up. I knew I was in the presence of a Mind, a Holy Being. It was so intense that I could barely stand, my legs went weak, I certainly could not speak - I thought I was going to die. It is had to explain, it was both wonderful and terrifying. I finally was able to blurt out - PLEASE STOP! It did, immediately. I knew in that moment that the God of the Bible was the one true God and that Christianity was the one true religion - even though I really did not want it to be.
                        Atheism is the cult of death, the death of hope. The universe is doomed, you are doomed, the only thing that remains is to await your execution...

                        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jbnueb2OI4o&t=3s

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                        • #13
                          It was in 1962. Some people from Faith Baptist Church of Canoga Park had knocked at the door. My mom had answered the door and was offered a ride for my sister and I to go to their church and receive a ride to that church.

                          I do not remember anything from that morning Sunday school. But before the Sunday service two adults came to me and asked me if I were to die if I would go to heaven? I didn't know. Then I was asked if I would like to know? And I would. So they showed me that I was a sinner before God (from Romans 3:10; Romans 3:23; Romans 5:12; Romans 6:23).

                          Then how one can be saved (Romans 6:23; Romans 5:8; Romans 10:9).

                          And then I was asked if I would like to be saved? (Romans 10:13). Yes of course.

                          Then I was given the invitation from Christ (using Revelation 3:20) to receive Him. I did.

                          This all took place before that Sunday morning service began.

                          Near the end of the service an invitation was given. And I went forward to acknowledge that I had received Christ that day.
                          Last edited by 37818; 08-27-2016, 11:59 AM.
                          . . . the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; . . . -- Romans 1:16 KJV

                          . . . that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: . . . -- 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 KJV

                          Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: . . . -- 1 John 5:1 KJV

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                          • #14
                            It seems we all have yet another thing in common.
                            The searching.
                            We all wanted answers.
                            For me it was was God just? Why did I have to go through so much bad stuff.
                            We all wanted answers.
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