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Personal
Testimonies
Basically, I was born into a Christian family and I started to go to church since I was in kindergarten (or probably before). I realized that I had received Salvation when I was about 4 or 5 years old. (The bad thing is, I don’t remember.) I knew Jesus already because my parents were Christians. I was really fortunate to have my parents as Christians because they had both been born into non-Christian families. I guess God had a plan for them to have my brother and me as Christians. I know that when you’re born into a Christian family, it doesn’t make you a Christian. Life before I was a true Christian was that I had many bumps and turns that never seemed to stop. (Right now I am using a road as an example.) There would always be something at each turn I would have to figure out as I passed. Taking Jesus into my heart felt like I was driving on a smooth road, where it felt like the construction crew smoothed the pavement with asphalt. Before I took Jesus in, I had some reasons to believe. My reasons for believing in Jesus are: I know he is the Son of God, and that he died for my sins. I acknowledge the fact that John 3:16 says that if I do not have eternal life, I will perish for my sins. also believe that the Bible is true in everything it says, and that if I believe, I will go to Heaven one day and spend our eternal days with Him. (And then maybe I’ll get a peek at how God looks like! 1 John 3:2 says, “Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.”) I also know that being saved, God wants us to help others receive Salvation. Sometimes it can be hard to share the gospel with someone who is stubborn and wants proof. But I guess there’s a time for everybody. God will change people’s lives in different time periods. I guess I was lucky and my time came earlier. I also had this problem once or twice in my life and that is going to church everyday, getting the message the teacher or pastor tells us, but I don’t do these things. Sometimes I get it and I say, “Whatever. This is like all the other teachings.” I know this is wrong and I am starting to listen more carefully to the message and think about it. I also know that right now I want to show
other people that I have taken in Jesus Christ. Sometimes, I wonder why
people won’t believe in God. They say, “Believing is seeing.” Also some
teenagers get killed in drunk driving and they don’t get a chance to get to
know God. I think that is sad. But God is fair to us, giving us a privilege
to take in Jesus. In says in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For 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.” God has given us grace, be
saved and you will be with God forever in eternal life. Without his grace,
we would have been in hell already. So I realize that I want to take Jesus
in my heart forever. I accepted Jesus Christ into my heart in kindergarten but I didn’t really understand what that meant. I went to Sunday school regularly but it wasn’t really a part of my life. Church was just a place I went to on Sundays. When I entered middle school I met lots of new and different people. People of different religions and different personalities, and I concentrated a lot on how to fit in. In 7th grade I started to go to fellowship on Friday nights and I saw people who had this great and strong faith in God. I started to make friends with people from church that also went to my school and I started to do devotions and my friends and I would often discuss with each other what we were learning in bible study and what was going on with our spiritual life. Soon I got sidetracked by other friends and school and I stopped reading the bible regularly. The one thing I did more though was praying, I always felt stressed before tests so I would always pray right before I took a test. I would feel this peacefulness come over me and I wouldn’t worry about school so much anymore. Last year I really saw how much faith my small group leaders had and how they acted different from other people that I knew, so I decided that I wanted to strengthen my faith and I started to pay more attention during service and asking questions during bible study. I could feel myself having more of a personal relationship with the Lord. This past year especially after summer retreat I’ve gotten more involved in the activities at church. Getting to know more of the girls, sharing and talking to them, and really contributing to bible studies. Sharing more about what’s going on with my life and I’ve noticed when looking back at 8th grade till now my faith has strengthened and it’s become part of my life. I’ve really started to rely on God and not worry about little things because I know that the Lord takes care of everything in the end. Being Christian doesn’t just mean going to church on Sunday it’s something that’s part of me seven days a week. Because I grew up in the church I wouldn’t say that I’ve gone through drastic changes but I can tell that there’s a difference in my life from my past. I used to feel empty inside and lonely even though I was constantly surrounded by people, I always felt alone. Now I know that I’m never really alone because I have God’s Spirit in me, and that He loves me so much. One of my favorite praise songs has always been Heaven Awaits. It goes: Lord how could it be? Who could believe that You love someone like me? But You have conquered the tomb. And prepared a room for me eternally … The heavens above cannot hold You. How much less this temple I’ve built within my soul. Yet more and more I see. You love me for not what I do, but who I know. The reason I love this song so much is because the lyrics convey exactly how I feel. It amazes me that God could love me even though I might not be the most loveable person and I know that no matter what God will always love me. I know now that I would be nowhere without God and I want to show others how he has transformed my life.
I Wasn't A Real Christian I grew up going to church every Sunday. I had the privilege of learning the word of God. However, I didn't enjoy going to church. In fact, I thought it was the most boring thing in the world. As a kid, the only part of the Bible I cared about was the part about heaven and hell. The only motivation I had for becoming Christian was to avoid hell, and to reach heaven. I imagined heaven as a place where I could play video games all day without having to go to school. As you can imagine, I wasn't a real Christian. However, the one important thing I got out of church was the fact that I was a sinner. I learned that I was destined to eternal suffering because of my sin. I learned a fear of God. My fear of God was the thing that drove me to become a real believer. Last year, I began trying to force myself to believe, in order that I may have eternal life. I tried to use logic to prove that Christianity was right. To a large extent, I succeeded. I was able to come up with many reasons why the Bible probably is true using historical facts. However, my logic was not enough, so I started reading the gospels. Matthew 7:7-8 says, "Ask and it will given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." I asked for faith; I was seeking salvation, and God provided all the answers. He brought me to my school's Christian club, as well as our church's high school youth group. It was at these places that I experienced what it meant to be a Christian. At these places, I met people who seemed to radiate with happiness, contentment, and love. By just being around them, I felt the overwhelming love of God. Through them, I experienced only a tiny part of God's infinite love. It was his amazing love that finally established my faith. Through my faith in Jesus, I have gained
contentment and peace of mind beyond anything the world can give. I find
that I no longer worry about my future, and I am no longer too concerned
about what the world judges me to be. I know that I am worth the death and
resurrection of Jesus, ruler of the universe. Most of all, I am thankful,
because I am loved. |
