Johnnys Testimony

Johnny’s Testimony

Before I became a Christian:

What was my life like before I made Jesus Lord?

• I did drugs.
• I was heavily into pornography.
• I lied to cover up my drug and pornography use.
• I stole from my parents.
• I felt I had blown it with God.
• I felt I knew better, but chose not to do the right things.

What did my life revolve around? What did I get my security or happiness from?

• I got my happiness from sports and dating, mainly. I would enjoy hanging out with friends, and using drugs with my friends.
• I would have enjoyment from viewing pornography.

How did those areas begin to let me down?

• My relationships with women would be based on how smart they were, how attractive they were, and how comfortable I felt around them.
• The drugs I used provided little enjoyment, but I would use anyway. I would feel stressed when I used, because I knew it was wrong.
• Pornography provided temporary enjoyment, but after I used, I felt dirty. I would use pornography for enjoyment on a constant basis, trying to get the satisfaction that I had once gotten from it, but to no avail.

How I became a Christian:

When was the first time I heard the gospel?

• I grew up in the mainline Church of Christ, but the sermons never really went to my heart. I was there just to punch my card that I went to service that week, and as soon as the school bell rang, my family was out the door. No fellowship at all. I met Jenny, and we started dating, we got engaged, and started looking for a church to marry us. We came to a service, she hated it, but I liked it. So we came back, based on my decision. That was in 1998.

What were my initial reactions?

• My initial reactions were that these people were weird, but friendly. This guy set next to us on the back row, and even though he was old enough to be my dad, he wanted to hang out with us. I thought that was cool, so I gave him my phone number. My thought was that we get married in this church, and I will eventually convince Jenny to go to my church later.

When did my attitude about Christ and/or the gospel begin to change? Why?

• We decided to get premarital counseling, and met up with Damen and Terrin Pabst. They said that we should get our relationship with God on right first before we work on our relationship together. However, with that said, when it came to opening up, I didn’t want to open up about everything. I knew I had to confess my sexual sins then, but just couldn’t do it. My heart was too hard. It would be years before that would take place. It started with my wife finding out that I had purchased pornography at a video store. Even then, I wouldn’t be open about everything. How good a time to open up was that? Still, it would be a few more months, and then I sat down with a brother, we talked for most of the night, and then a few months later, I was baptized.

Who were the people that God used in my life and how did they impact me to make Jesus Lord?

• The first person, in a long string, was Damen Pabst. He got the eventual ball rolling. I studied with him, Todd Asaad, Ben Doke, Hayward Johnson, and Steve Ozanne. All of these guys played an important roll. Damen introduced me to the bible, Ben and Todd had more faith in me than what I had in myself. Hayward and Steve were just awesome. When I studied that bible with them, they had me do deep research on the sexual sin in the bible, which I really needed. And it didn’t hurt that I was completely open this time. Everyone who studied with me over that time was completely open about their lives, and for so long I had wanted to do that, but my pride had kept me from it.

What were the final struggles that went through my mind just before I became a Christian?

• Would I ever be able to stay open and go after a life of leaving my sin behind me?

What scripture helped me to make the decision to go ahead and make Jesus Lord of my life?

• James 5:16
• 1 Corinthians 10:13

After I became a Christian:

Specific changes I have seen in my life since becoming a Christian.

• I am open, not only with my sin, but with my temptations, as well.
• I pray a lot.
• I have consistent quite times, now, and feel more in tune with my relationship with God.
• I call brothers on a regular basis.

Why am I motivated differently? How does my relationship with Christ affect my decisions regarding activities, relationships, my future, etc.?

• I am motivated more to have people in my life. When I do things, I think how it would affect this person or that person, and how that decision on whole is good or bad. I used to be very spontaneous, but now I try to think out my decisions, and reactions to things. I am not quick to give out advice anymore, or spout off my thoughts.
• When I go out to do something, and it is appropriate to have someone else come along, say like a Ranger game, I try to see if anyone is interested to go as well. But on special occasions, I try to keep those between me and my wife (good for the marriage like that).
• As far as future, I used to be driven by greed. Highest bidder only, regardless of the job. I would be miserable at the job, but happy with the pay. Now, I get advice and input from my wife, and I am going after a career in which I would be happy in doing, but the pay isn’t going to all that great. I believe that since I enjoy teaching and helping kids, that payoff is going to be so much more from the kids, that a check of any amount will be satisfactory.

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Olive W. Garvey Fellowship, 5/1/05

The Addiction to Sin Regarding Old and New Testament Laws

“The great aim of the struggle for liberty has been equality before the law.”—F.A. Hayek, Nobel Laureate in Economics

The struggle for liberty in regards to the equality before the law can be a bit confusing when you think of the spiritual laws of the Old and New Testaments in the Bible. If there is sin in your life, are you a slave to it? How do you gain liberty from it? How does that apply to the Bible? How should you react? Where should you turn to in your time of need? This paper is a journey through scriptures that describe sin and grace, as well as go through the process of repentance pertaining to the Old and New Testament Laws, which will lead to equality with Christ.

This subject pertains to everyone as it says in Romans 3:23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We all fall short. The only thing that matters is how we respond to the realization that we have sinned and fall short. The scripture in Galatians 5:19-21 lists the various sins we can commit: The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. For many people sin has become habitual, whether it is with pornography, alcohol, over-eating, chemical drugs, and the list goes on. When sin becomes a habit, or an addiction, you are utterly powerless to it. It is crucial that an addiction to sin be recognized for what it is. Overcoming that sin is a lifelong battle.

It is clear that some sin hurts yourself or others, but the full impact of sin of any may not be obvious. Isaiah 59:2 says that “your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.” When we sin, we need to see it for what it is, and that is separation from God. Unlike human law that ascribes more severe of punishments to crimes considered more heinous, the spiritual law sees all sin as equal and, therefore, gives one sentence to any and all sin. As stated in Romans 6:23, “the wages of sin is death.”

When sin did enter our life, according to the Old Testament, sacrifices would have to take place, along with other very specific, detailed rituals that would have to be performed. This could be very difficult for the poor, who may not be able to afford the necessary sacrificial animal. Salvation under the old law was very hard to come by, and if you were addicted to the sin, there was no real chance for salvation. In The Guilty Soul’s Guide to Grace, it says, Go to the law to see the righteousness of God. Go to the law to see how far short you fall. Go to the law to be humbled before God. Let the law show you your weaknesses and your needs. Go there, but don’t stay there. The law is a guide to see the righteousness of God, but grace is the means of receiving righteousness from God. Let the law lead you to the One who followed it perfectly and met its requirements on your behalf. (Laing, 2005) God saw the problem that people are not able to maintain salvation through the Old Testament law. If we are to be free from sin and be united with God, another method would have to be created.

In the New Testament, Jesus fulfills the requirements of the Old Testament law for us. This is stated in Galatians 3:13: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’” Under the New Testament law, grace is provided through Jesus. Each person is given an equal chance at salvation, no matter your income or situation. Simply stated in 1 John 2:1-6, it says: My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. There is one who speaks in our defense. The real challenge is how we need to walk as Jesus did. That can be a bit overwhelming seeing as he was perfect, but it would have to be more about effort and wanting to do the right thing, than going along with life in a lackadaisical attitude. It is put so well in the book Mind Change: the Overcomer’s Handbook, which states, My message here is simple: If we are to be long-term overcomers, we must face and deal with our sin in a godly way. Neither worldly sorrow nor a self-righteous defense fits that bill. What is needed is a wholehearted acceptance of our responsibility for sin and an equally wholehearted acceptance of God’s grace and forgiveness.” (Jones, 1997) Our reaction to our sin should be to change AND an acceptance of God’s grace and forgiveness.

These sins listed in Galatians 5 are rampant throughout the world, and when we live like this, we have no chance equality with one another in Christ; we have no chance for redemption. The only window we have is to repent and regain equality with one another in Christ. We also need to be willing to take radical steps. Matthew 18:7-9 gives us an example of just how radical our minds should be in regards to this: Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come, but woe to the man through whom they come! If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell. Obviously, we shouldn’t go chopping off limbs and other body parts, but we do need to think of all the possible steps to avoid sin. If your habitual sin is alcohol or drug abuse, then recovery groups like Alcoholics Anonymous, therapists, and Chemical Recovery groups should be something to consider. If your habitual sin is pornography, then there are groups for addicts of that nature as well. The main goal is to stop the addiction to the sin, and gain equality in Christ. God wants to see the effort of stopping the sin. God wants repentance.

Many people tend to have a flawed concept of repentance. Repentance simply means to change. We are commanded in Acts 2 to “repent and be baptized.” Because humans are fallible, that is the first of many times we would need to repent. Every time we fall short and sin, we need to repent. The first step of repentance is confession. James 5:16 gives us direction in saying, “therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.”

The next step is having Godly sorrow and not worldly sorrow. Worldly sorrow is being sorry you were caught in your sin. Worldly sorrow is having an indignation about your sin, upset that you hurt God and others. In 2 Corinthians 7:10-11 describes in detail how this concept works: Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what concern, what readiness to see justice done. At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. If we truly repent, then our actions would show it. People would be able to look at our actions and be able to say that we have changed and are trying to live a more Godly life. We are not saved by works, but works are still important. This is explained in James 2:14-18, What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. Deeds in regards to faith, is living out our faith. It is also living out our repentance.

If we keep on sinning, we have to look at the scripture in Hebrews 10:26-29, and really think about how that affects our salvation, If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the Law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? This, of course, hinges on the fact that we know the truth. If we do not know the truth, then we can not be under judgment of the law, and in essence, are not saved by grace.

Our struggle for freedom from sin can be a lifelong battle or we can accept the victory already available through Christ. The Old Testament law offers no relief, no compassion, and no encouragement. However, the New Testament reveals grace and mercy in Jesus’ sacrifice. Through this we gain equality with each other and Christ in our salvation and inheritance of the kingdom of heaven.

References:

• The Holy Bible - New International Version (1990). Indiana: B. B. Kirkbride Bible Co., Inc.
  Laing, Sam (2005). The Guilty Soul’s Guide to Grace. Massachusetts: Discipleship Publications International.
• Jones, Thomas A. (1997). Mind Change: the Overcomer’s Handbook (Second Edition). Massachusetts: Discipleship Publications International.

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