In the Beginning

I grew up mostly in the Church of Christ denomination. I did visit my aunt’s Baptist church from time to time, but primarily the Church of Christ had the most Christian influence in my early years all the way to high school. My stepfather was the primary influence in our family for going to this church. We would go most Sundays and frequently on Wednesdays. I would attend VBS there during the summer. We would go with the church to trips to Rich’s Farms and Idlewild. Etc.

As I began reading the Bible on my own in middle school, I began to question particular Church of Christ beliefs. I questioned things such as: Why do they think they are the only true denomination? Why do they not allow instruments during worship? Why do they believe baptism is necessary for salvation? I never really got any answers that seemed acceptable to me. It really pushed me to become more of an agnostic in my later middle school/early high school years. I believed God was real, but I did not really understand how the things I was taught lined up with the Bible passages I was reading. I did not understand how they came up with these beliefs and it fractured my belief the Bible was inerrant.

Once I got my first job at 15, I was too busy for church anymore and attending fell off my radar. I worked most Sundays, I had a girlfriend, I had school, I was trying to figure out what I should do in college, practicing for the ACTs… I was just too busy for church or to think about it anymore.

College Years & Lupus

Fast-forwarding to the end of my freshman year at Fairmont State University, I moved in with my girlfriend for the summer. This was just temporary as I was going to be moving into a house with two other guys near the beginning of my sophomore year. She had been having some health issues, and around the same time I moved in, she was diagnosed with lupus. She was angry with God because of this. It made her bitter and drove a relational wedge between us as both of us were navigating this new information individually and together. She even said she would understand if I wanted to break up with her since she would have this debilitating disease for life. I was hurt by this because that was not the type of person I was. She had been dating for three years at this point, and I was planning on spending my life with her.

Walmart’s Influence

As this relational wedge continued to drive us apart in our relationship, I began to hang out more with some friends I had made working at Walmart. I played video games with them, hung out at their house, ate dinner with them. I knew they were Christians and eventually we began to talk about some of my hang-ups with the Christian religion. They did not dismiss them but worked with me to help me understand the answers. They invited me to their church (CMA), and eventually, I took them up on this offer.

Accepting Christ

I think I attended for about three to four months before I accepted Christ as Lord of my life and forgiver of my sins. I remember one Sunday, at the end of a sermon, we all had our heads bowed down for praying. The pastor was saying something like if you are tired of trying to do life on your own, if you are tired of trying to get clean on your own, if you are done running, and ready to accept Christ would you please raise your hand. That was me. I was done with all of it. My last hang-up of trying to get clean and get rid of my sins before I could accept Christ was gone. However, I didn’t raise my hand. In my heart, I wanted to, but I was too embarrassed to raise my hand in front of everyone. A few days later, I was working a shift with one of my Walmart Christian friends and asked him what I needed to do to accept Christ. I told him about the sermon and said I thought I was ready to become a Christian. After work that night, I met with him and the pastor at the church. The pastor walked me through Romans Road. The pastor told me accepting Christ would not make life easy and if he could talk me out of it, I probably was not ready. I said I was ready, and I was convinced Christ was real, I was a sinner, Christ died for my sins, he offered eternal life for all who repented and believed. They then prayed over me.

After Accepting Christ

Life was not easy after accepting Christ like I was warned, but there was new joy and hope in life now. I have walked with Jesus since then and he has richly blessed me more than I could count. Some of the things he did in my life quickly after accepting him were:

• My taste in bad, secular music changed
• I stopped watching some bad shows I knew were no longer right for me
• I stopped cursing mostly
• I got baptized
• He helped me to put to death my addiction to pornography
• He used me to get my girlfriend back in church and rededicate her life back to Christ
• My worldview changed on a lot of things
• Christian friends attested that I seemed like a new creation/a new person

He continues to work on me, refining me to be more like Him more every day. I cannot imagine living my life without Him and without his saving work in my life.

Will You Accept Christ?

Let’s walk through Romans Road together. It begins with:

1. the truth that everyone needs salvation because all people have sinned. No one gets a free ride because every person is guilty before God. We all fall short of the mark. Romans 3:9-12
2. The consequence of sin is death. The punishment we all deserve is both physical and spiritual death, thus we need God’s salvation to escape the deadly, eternal consequences of our sin. Romans 6:23
3. Jesus Christ died for our sins. His death paid the full price for our salvation. Through the death and resurrection of God’s own Son, the debt we owed was satisfied. Romans 5:8
4. We (all sinners) receive salvation and eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. Anyone who places their trust in Jesus receives the promise of eternal life. Romans 10:9-10; Romans 10:13
5. Salvation through Jesus Christ brings us into a relationship of peace with God. When we accept God’s gift, we have the reward of knowing we’ll never be condemned for our sins. Romans 5:1; Romans 8:1; Romans 8:38-39

Responding to Romans Road

If you believe these truths, you can respond by receiving God’s wonderful gift of salvation today. Here’s how to take your personal journey:

1. Admit you are a sinner.
2. Understand that as a sinner, you deserve death.
3. Believe Jesus Christ died on the cross to save you from sin and death.
4. Repent by turning from your old life of sin to a new life in Christ.
5. Receive, through faith in Jesus Christ, God’s free gift of salvation.

I would encourage you to find a Bible believing church in your community and become a member of their body.