Many of us have been attending church all of our lives. We heard messages from pastors; we’ve attended Sunday schools, and even went to church camps (some of us). But for some of us, God has just been merely a word that has been spoken in these various places. If I must say so myself! I grew up in a Christian home and went to church all of my life. But for me, it was just to get by and satisfy my parents. In those early years I had no personal desire to attend church, so God was just a word in a Book I didn't really care much about.

Things didn’t get any easier once I had joined the marine corp. Now I was on my own, my parents were no longer around to tell me what to do. I felt great; I was now able do to anything I wanted. Having this sense of freedom from parental bondage, I began to drink, to chase girls, and swearing became part of my daily vocabulary. Nobody around me had the slightest idea that I was a “believer”. My conduct did not fit the part whatsoever. Then I realized that there is a difference between knowing about Jesus and knowing Jesus. At that time I couldn’t truly say that I knew Jesus. I was struggling, I didn’t want to let go of my worldly desires.

But everything changed some years later as God began to grab a hold of my heart. In 2009, I was deployed to Afghanistan as part of 1st battalion 5th Marines to conduct combat operations. I was placed in an environment that was totally uncomfortable and unfamiliar to me. It was also, in a way, scary to me for various reasons, especially the fear of dying in combat.

At that time I knew I was backsliding in my walk with Christ, I was far from Him and I knew it, so I began to question the security of my salvation. Matthew 7:21-23 says,“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day (the day of judgment) many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me you workers of lawlessness.”

 

This passage hit me like a ton of bricks, because I wasn’t doing the will of the father! I was doing my own will, living a life that was totally contrary to that of a true believer. I was spiritually dead. At that point the last thing I wanted to do was be one of these guys that Jesus is talking about here. So I had to get straight with God.

One day in July 2009, I decided to fully surrender my life to Christ. My fear of death began to decrease, because I knew that if I were to die out there, I would go to heaven to see my Father. God had become more than just a word in my life. He is a living God, and He abides in all who believe in His son Jesus. By His divine grace, I was sure that I was saved, sealed by the blood of the Lamb. With that affirmation and strong conviction in my heart, I proceeded with the mission that we had to accomplish in Afghanistan. But today I have a different mission. Matthew 28:19 says, “go Therefore and make disciples of all nations,” this became my new mission, to go out and share the same Good News that saved both you and I.

I learned that going to church all of your life does not make you a Christian. What makes us Christians is when we turn from your old selfish ways, accept Christ as Lord and savior and live a life according to His will and purposes revealed to us in His word and not our own will.