MY PERSONAL TESTIMONY OF SALVATION
Greetings friend, I am giving you this Bible tract to let you know that there is a God in heaven and you can personally know him. Many have heard of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is probably more written of the Lord Jesus Christ than anyone else.
Jhn 21:25
And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.
My journey as a Christian started when I was about a year old. I was baptized into the Russian Orthodox church. Many churches baptize infants and believe it takes care of Original Sin. In my case it didn't help. I grew up to be a terrible sinner. I attended this church till I was about 14. There were many rituals in the Russian church. The priests were dressed in colorful robes, some wearing crowns. The church was filled with Icons, pictues of the Lord, saints, Mary, that we would often kiss. The priests wore large crosses. They had Crucifixes in their hand. When I approached the priest I would put one hand on top of my other hand, palms up. The priest would lay his hand in mine and then I'd kiss his hand. Then he held out the Crucifix and I would kiss it also. We would make the sign of the cross often.
In elementary school I spent a coulpe of years in Catholic school. I still remember the Nun in 3rd grade telling the class that President Kennedy was assassinated. The Catholic church had more statues of saints whereas the Russian chuch only Icons. There was no Pope in the Russian church. The orthodox church did not have Mass as the Catholics, but it was pretty much the same. I remember praying to Mother Mary to save souls from Purgatory, the Rosary and other prayers directed to the saints.
Things started to change when I turned 16. I ran with a bad crowd, started drinking and doing drugs. My parents threw me out of the house. It was winter with below freezing tempertures in Chicago. For a couple of years I lved where I could, working where I could. At 18 I had enough and went into the Air Force.
In the summer of 1975 I was honoarably discharged from the military. I went back to Chicago. One night I was sitting in a park drinking. A man approached me, pointed his finger at me and told me I was asinner. In the last few years people would tell me about Jesus, salvation and eternal life. I listened politely ( most of the time ), but did not really care. My life was about Me : Me Me Me. I did what I wanted and could not care less what others thought.
This time it was different. It was like a knife went into my heart when he called me a sinner. He told me that because I broke God's laws I could not enter heaven. The good news was that God came to us. For the first time in my life I heard a clear presentation of the gospel. He explained to me how God became a man, died for my sins on the cross and rose the 3rd day. I went home that night convicted of my sin and the need of a Savior. The next day the same man invited me to his house. He handed me a Bible and asked me to read a scripture in :
[Eph 2:8-9 KJV] 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
I read the sriptures and thought for a moment. Then the understanding suddenly cameto me. I still remember it as if it were yesterday. The LORD saves, forgives sin, not because we are good enough or have done something good enough out of our own strength, but for the sake of His Son the Lord Jesus Christ, who loved me and gave himself for me. This was a revelation from God to me personally. The Light came on, and I was Born Again. All are born of natural parents. To be Born Again is to be born spiritually by the Holy Spirit.
[Jhn 1:10-14 KJV] 10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. 11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
The Gospel of the Grace of God, saving, forgiving sinners, Justifying them by Grace through Faith alone, for no other reason than His great love for us. This was strangely silent in the Russian Orthodox and the Catholic churches I attended. It was only untill I grapsed the meaning of the cross by hearing the preaching of the cross that I knew for sure my sins were never to be held against me again. I have peace with God and know for sure that when my journey is finished in this world, I have a home not made with hands eternal in the heavens. You may ask how can you know such a thing? Very simple: the Lord saved me. If I had to do something to be saved it would never be enough. I would get what I deserved: eternity in hell.
[Eph 2:1-10 KJV] 1 And you hath he quickened (made alive), who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly [places] in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in [his] kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
You can contact me at: chaplainpeter1@protonmail.com