My Christian Faith 1

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I have been searching for the right scripture to define what the purpose of these pages will be, and at this morning's church service, the Lord gave them to me in His message, presented by our pastor. They are from the book of Matthew in the New Testament, and come from Jesus' message to the multitudes from the mountain.

"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Matthew 4:14-16 (KJV)

Is that not beautiful?

Why did I choose these three verses to represent my reason for preparing these pages? The message in these verses is that I (and all Christians) are to make our Christianity known. The fact that the Lord lives within each of us makes us a light, and He tells us in his word that we are not to hide that under a bushel, but to give that light "unto all who are in the house." We are to let our light shine before all men.

That is exactly what I hope to be able to do on these pages; to show to all who would see, so that they may know, and to glorify my Father in heaven. There are several facts I could tell you about myself that might make this more meaningful.

I am 63 years old, and have only been a Christian for three+ years. This is a late date in life to become a Christian, unless you have lived a life full of "doing whatever you want" and then make the decision to become a Christian before you die. This is definitely not the case in my situation. I was thinking of my life, not my mortality, when I was led to the Lord.

I have been led by the Lord to the place where I am now (and not just in the physical sense) so that I may serve Him; and He continues to lead me in all my choices and decisions. Does that sound scary to you? Well, it did to me at one time, but when I realized that God, whether I chose to recognize the fact or not, has control over everything that happens to me (or doesn't), even whether my life ends this day or another, it kind of puts itself into perspective for me.

I thought I would put down answers to some of the questions that I hesitated to ask of anyone before I was a Christian, and did not even know what that meant... what it consisted of.

I will not tell you anything here that does not come from the Holy Bible, the word of God that He has given to us.

How do I know that the Bible comes from God?

In His Word, He gave prophets, first, and then His son Jesus Christ, His word to reveal to men. He told others to write them down and preserve for all mankind. It is perfect. You will find that the books of the bible span more than 1,500 years, yet prophecies written in one part of the world at one time (and there was certainly no mass printing in those days) were fulfilled in another part of the world more than 1,000 years later, just as God said they would be. You will find that there is much more than could ever be coincidence. It is not "just" a book written by "just" men... it is the true word of God.

What is a Christian?

Well, simply said, a Christian believes in God (and that he created all the earth and everything in and upon it), and who believes that Jesus Christ was his son. A Christian believes that Jesus Christ was sent by God to live among us, and then to die, as atonement for all OUR sins. A Christian recognizes the fact that he is a sinner and will admit that. A Christian has asked for, and been granted salvation by Jesus Christ, and has been given the promise of eternal life in return. A Christian believes the the bible is the true word of God, and is the book of knowledge to show him what he is to live by.

That is what a Christian believes, but just believing it does not make him a Christian. I believed those things all my life and thought I was a Christian. I thought I did not need organized religion or churches. I have recently looked it up in my bible, and here is what Jesus said about that:

"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again." John 3:3-7

He is saying that a Christian must have salvation to have eternal life in Heaven.

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up. That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." John 3:14-17

Jesus was given to us by his Father so that we might have a way to redeem ourselves of the sin that Adam and Eve condemned all men to, the sin that we are born with. Jesus willingly gave himself to become as a man, so that he might live among us, and die a horrible death, so that we might see, and believe, to give us the faith to come to Him and confess our sins, repent, and thus we could be saved, to have eternal life in Heaven.

"I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." John 14:6

He is again telling us that we must be a saved Christian to come to God...

What is salvation, how do you "find salvation, and how do you become a Christian?"

This is a much more difficult question, because salvation is such a personal thing. Just looking at it on the surface, I thought... why, what a simple thing! I am amazed that everyone in the world does not have salvation.

Salvation is the act by which you repent of your sins, acknowledge Jesus Christ as the son of God, ask forgiveness for your sins, and ask to become one of His. By this I mean you will be one of Jesus Christ's, and one of God's, children. A Christian, or "one of Christ's."

Everyone comes to salvation differently. I know I prayed and prayed and prayed some more about it, but it was not until I was at the depths of despair, that I truly meant it, and was accepted by the Lord. You've heard the saying, "You can't fool Mother Nature?" Well, who you really cannot fool is God.

He is with you always, waiting. He is ready to come to you immediately, but YOU must take the step that allows it. And how will you know? Believe me, you will know. Even that happens differently, but is so sure, and so unexpected, that you will be sure when it happens.

Read my testimony, and read others, if you would like more information, but you really have enough information here.

I have never been to church, or have not been for many years. How do I begin?

I still remember my fear at going to a church four years ago when I first began going again. I had not been to church since a child, and I had to go alone... I was more than a little apprehensive about what it might be like. I was also so emotional at the time I was concerned lest I cry, and what the people would think of me for doing that. I did not want to have to make a lot of explanations and talk a lot; what would I do if the people there insisted? Apprehension and fears went racing through my mind. However, I did not let myself think of it; I simply got ready and went.

As I entered the church, my heart pounding, there were a lot of people in the small room. It was a small church. I sat down in the back where I could watch people, and discovered that they were very friendly to each other, but beyond two people introducing themselves, and who left right afterward, I was not bothered. The pastor stopped and introduced himself, and thanked me for coming, and left. I could see that the members knew each other well, and were friends; there were young families and old, large groups and singles, dressed in all manner of clothing, but they shared this, no matter what their station, their financial worth, their knowledge, their age, or race. They were a family, a group, a church.

The first moment I heard the voices of the congregation lifted in praise of the Lord, my eyes filled with tears, and they did not stop until the service was over. I knew that I was home. I had been yearning for this, and I wanted and needed it. No one remarked upon my tears; others cried during service, and I still cry often during our church services. Few Christians are not moved to cry at some time or other, and it would be more remarkable if they were not.

That small church is not the church where I was baptized and became a member. That church was a small Baptist church near my son's home on the Oregon coast; it was Trinity Baptist Church of Bandon, Oregon.

I went back there last winter when we were nearby visiting. I wanted to let them know that they had some small part of my becoming a Christian, for I have since discovered that they would appreciate hearing it.

To my dismay the pastor, the congregation, the service... all were different from my visits there a few years ago, and I was saddened that I had not made the effort to reach them at some point, sooner, to let them know.

They were not all Christians at that church, or in any church. I have learned that since I became a Christian. Church is not just for Christians... and even those of us who are Christians still sin; we are all still sinners, for we are man.

None of us is perfect, but as Christians we strive to be more so, and in church is where we find the words of encouragement from the words of our Lord, and the faith and love we find there in the fellowship of our church family, serve to always help us in our efforts.

"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God..." Romans 3:23

Here the writer is speaking of all men, not just those who are not Christians; all men.

"And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Matthew 16:18

This was our Lord, Jesus Christ, speaking to Peter.

"Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature." Mark 16:15

And this was our Lord Jesus Christ, speaking to His disciples after His resurrection, and just before leaving to go to his Father in Heaven, to sit on his right hand.

Note: All of the scripture I have quoted is from the King James version of the bible, which I believe to be the most authentic translation. Why? Well, although we do not talk like this any longer, it is the way HE talked, and the way all those who lived in the ages in which the bible was written, talked. Translation to today's speech loses all these beautiful lyrics, all the "special" ambience they present; and most importantly, vital meanings are changed. Don't believe me? Well, just pick up both versions and compare for yourself. To hear the Lord's word as it was meant, you must use the King James version.

In Christ,

Marcie Foley

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