This Easter was one of the most important days of my life. After my marriage and birth of my son this would have to be next in line. I died. I not only died, but i am now finally alive.
I have been attending church since i was in 6th grade. I have lived a life characterized by morality and would pride myself on my "good deeds" and lack of "bad deeds." It really was the last 3ish- 4ish years (basically when i started attending our church here) that i have really felt a stirring with in me. Christ has made me aware of how big my sin was and how much bigger the Cross is. I never really understood 2 Corinthians 5:17 when it said, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" I was young and didn't really have a "drug addict to Christian" story and felt "good" but maybe didn't understand the "new" part. After hearing a sermon preached by pastor mark last year, i questioned weather or not i should be baptised again (i was baptised when i was 12). I let pride win and honestly thought, "how would that look? what would that say about my 1st baptism? What about my 'i was saved at the early age of 11' story?" So, i didn't get baptised. Mark preached this sermon on baptism that i strongly recommend everyone listen to. I knew with in 5 minutes of the sermon i needed to be baptised. My convictions were that i have lived a life defined by morality and i was my god in charge and the one running the show. Baptism is a death to one's self and a life therefore characterized by Christ and Christ alone. imagine your pastor handing a Bible to your neighbors and asking them to read the Gospels- all they could read about Jesus in 2 weeks. When your pastor returns he asks your neighbors to write down all the characteristics of Jesus they could. Then he asks if they could provide evidence to without a shadow of a doubt convict you for being a Christian in a court of law... would they be able to? I want people to look at me and see Jesus. I died today and now truly live!
I have been attending church since i was in 6th grade. I have lived a life characterized by morality and would pride myself on my "good deeds" and lack of "bad deeds." It really was the last 3ish- 4ish years (basically when i started attending our church here) that i have really felt a stirring with in me. Christ has made me aware of how big my sin was and how much bigger the Cross is. I never really understood 2 Corinthians 5:17 when it said, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" I was young and didn't really have a "drug addict to Christian" story and felt "good" but maybe didn't understand the "new" part. After hearing a sermon preached by pastor mark last year, i questioned weather or not i should be baptised again (i was baptised when i was 12). I let pride win and honestly thought, "how would that look? what would that say about my 1st baptism? What about my 'i was saved at the early age of 11' story?" So, i didn't get baptised. Mark preached this sermon on baptism that i strongly recommend everyone listen to. I knew with in 5 minutes of the sermon i needed to be baptised. My convictions were that i have lived a life defined by morality and i was my god in charge and the one running the show. Baptism is a death to one's self and a life therefore characterized by Christ and Christ alone. imagine your pastor handing a Bible to your neighbors and asking them to read the Gospels- all they could read about Jesus in 2 weeks. When your pastor returns he asks your neighbors to write down all the characteristics of Jesus they could. Then he asks if they could provide evidence to without a shadow of a doubt convict you for being a Christian in a court of law... would they be able to? I want people to look at me and see Jesus. I died today and now truly live!
My husband sharing it with me was the icing on the cake. What a beautiful day for our family!
1 comment:
Congratulations Jenny! I am so proud of you and proud that I am your friend! I am proud that you listened to God stirring your heart and you were obedient!!!
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