One day, I was miraculously listening to Pastor Clyde’s sermon about hypocrites in the Church. Although I was just ten years old, I felt totally convicted and guilty about the hidden sins I have committed. I thought that simply going to Church and showing kindness or trying to be a good person would make me a Christian. But, doing only good works will never attain salvation.
- Ephesians 2:8-9
"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."
Everyone has broken the law and is required to stand before God in judgement day. Telling the judge/God to excuse your sentence just because you do more good things than your crime is ridiculous. God will judge us for our crimes, not for the good things we do. It is only through Christ Jesus that we can gain salvation; He paid the price at Calvary so we can stand before God guiltless. But everyone has a choice whether to accept Jesus’ gift of salvation or not.
- Romans 6:23
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
That day I finally understood why Jesus Christ died on the cross; it was because He loves us. Although I was often in Church, I never had a relationship with Christ. I only knew dead religion and went to church to check off the attendance list. That is why during the altar call, on my seat, I confessed my sins, completely surrendered, and accepted Jesus Christ in my heart. One year later, I was water baptized and has been sharing God’s love and my testimony to people around me. Of course, there will still be trials and difficulties. That is why we must continue to seek Him daily and give our worries to God.
Growing up as a Christian, I have seen my non-Christian friends go through extreme depression and have suicidal thoughts. Many have broken families and would tell me that they would cry themselves to sleep every night. I would tell them about Jesus Christ, but some would ignore it and try to fill their sadness with temporary joy. In other cases, there are others who have powerfully accepted Jesus Christ. People who have been addicted to drugs, with broken lives, or incurable sickness all healed through Jesus’ name. It is an amazing sight to see a broken life transformed into a new life filled with God’s peace and joy.