What this thread is about, is about how God worked in my life and I came to accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior. God-willing, I'm happy to try to answer any questions about my salvation, or about God or God's Word (the Bible). I'll start off my name is Greg Wilson, born in Toronto, and lived in Etobicoke since I was about 1 year old. My family went to Islington United until I was about somewhere between 8-11 years old, I don't know remember that long ago. I'm 21 at the moment, I apologize that my birthday as per profile details is not correct, real birthday is Dec 31. At this church I knew little of God, and I remember complaining to my parents that I didn't want to go to church, because other kids had Sundays off. Anyway, I learned little of God during my time there. As a kid I believed what I was told that God existed and created us, but that probably was about what I knew. As I went through middle school (Grades 6-8), I can't remember talking to anyone who said they devoted their life to God in gratitude of what God had done for them. In Highschool, I was taught that evolution was a fact, and became an atheist/agnostic. I didn't believe in God, and eventually met the first person who believed the bible and all that was in it. My Chemistry teacher, Dr. Kahama, who went to some airport church in Toronto, she invited me down, but I didn't go. I would ask her questions, like saying chemically it seems not possible for a human to live 900+ years, and so forth. I asked her if she believed in Noah's arc, Adam living to a very long age, etc, she said yes. I went on to University of Toronto for Electrical Engineering, lived in residence, and would go out on weekends, drink to get drunk, lust after girls, steal software and movies off the residence network, spend hours on video games. I regret those actions that I have done, and I thank God that they were placed on Lord Jesus on the cross. I'd miss classes, and get far behind, and struggled, I managed to pass first year, although I didn't have a strong understanding of the subjects due to my missing of classes. Second year started the same, I'd do the same things, however I was finding it hard to understand the concepts taught in class and would miss class to try and catch up, and by missing class I would get farther behind in other classes. I ended up failing First Term, I think my average was in the 40s, because I did terrible on the exams, which were generally worth 50-60% of the final grade. I was pretty sad, because I did well in highschool, and usually doing well in school pleased my parents. My parents said that I had to earn 8000$ to pay for University myself next year. I didn't start job searching until February I think, and went to a temporary job agency. (Labour Ready) and I would do odd jobs like tearing down the insides of a building, or setting up an expo, or working on a construction site, it would be for 8$/hour, and the hours and location would change oftentimes. Then I went to a different temporary job agency (Employers Overload), and they paid 9$/hour, and I went to a steel factory, and a few other places, then I came to Dawn Foods, which was a fruit processing factory, which made maraschino cherries, Pineapple fruit mix, other fruit mixes, etc. They boiled these massive vats of coloured water, and put a lot of sugar to dissolve into it to make their syrup, so the plant would become really hot and humid and during the summer, I think it was like 30+ outside and then hotter inside because all the boiling syrup and humidity. Anyway, on my first day, I met my supervisor/forklift driver, and within 5 minutes he had asked me (something along the lines), "Do you want to know about God?" His name was Rohan, and was from Jamaica. Anyway, the first lunch break, I think my first question was about where does it say God created the world? So he showed me the book of Genesis, chapter 1. God stirred this thirst withing my heart to ask questions about Him, and His word. Everyday, although I would come home sticky with syrup, and hot and tired (the actual job I would be shoveling pineapple out of large metal containers onto a conveyor belt, and then turn on the mixer, and then either 1. weigh the proper amount into boxes, 2. Tape and stamp the boxes. or 3. Putting the boxes on a skid, and then the skid would be taped when it was a certain number of rows high), I would be eager to come in everyday just to ask questions. Within two weeks my dad bought me a bible (although I don't think he has accepted Jesus as his savior), the bible was purchased on July 2nd, 2005. I was stubborn in the fact, that Rohan wanted me to know about Jesus Christ and what He did for me and start with one of the Gospels, but I insisted that I read the Bible, like I had read any other book, from the front to back. So that is what I did, I started in Genesis, and continued on into the Old Testament, I'd ask questions in each book, and he would try his best to answer my questions either at work or he would write down answers at home. Well, September came rolling around, and I was enrolled to go back to University of Toronto, for Electrical Engineering, 2nd year 1st term again. I met a guy who was a Christian named Matthias on one of the first couple days of classes. Since I was reading the Bible (although I had not accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior yet), and knew that I would continue to have questions, so I decided to join the Engineering Prayer Group at University of Toronto. They would bring up Jesus Christ and how important he was, and I would tell them I was focusing on the Old Testament right now, and once I got to the New Testament I would talk about Jesus. I didn't know what to think of Jesus at that time, and said I wasn't sure if he was the Son of God. Anyway, I would hear their personal prayers, make prayers of my own (usually just thankful for life, and theirs would involve being grateful for Lord Jesus dying on the cross and taking the punishment of their sins upon Himself). They would worship through song, and be grateful, and try to keep God at the center of their lives, to live for Him. I flunked out of 2nd year, 1st term a second time, I stunk on exams, and was missing classes, and staying up late, lusting after women, stealing software + movies, etc. I think my average was like 59%, needed 60% to pass. My parents had planned a trip to Dominican Republic, at the resort Porta Plata (I think that is what it was), and this is December 2005. I think halfway through the vacation I finished the Old Testament. I was reading the New Testament, and returned home and continued reading it, and as I read it, I didn't even understand what a Christian was, but I managed to read that fellowship was important for Christians, that they gather to strengthen each other in faith in God, worship, learn of community needs, personal needs, etc and pray for them. Although I was not a Christian, I thought I was a good person trying to follow God and that I would kind of praise God and through my actions I'd earn my way to heaven, which doesn't work. (God is a righteous judge, and will reward good, and punish sins, well the punishment for sin is eternal hell, and that if someone accepts the gift of salvation his/her sins were placed upon Lord Jesus at the cross. "That whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:15) Anyway, I looked at some churches, and I went to an United, an Anglican, a Presbyterian, a Baptist, and I forget if I went to a Methodist. I was surprized by the United, because they didn't told me not to go to a church that believed the Bible was the literal word of God, which I thought didn't make sense, why be a Christian if you didn't believe it was true? I wanted to go to a church where the people believed it was the word of God, the Presbyterian I wasn't sure about what they taught, but the message seemed to stick to the Bible, the Baptist church they believed the Bible was the word of God, so I went there. I went there for a few months, but I think I said I was a Christian (when I wasn't), and then realized that it was deceptive, so I kind of grew away from the church, and before I left I told them the truth that I wasn't a Christian. As I realized that I wasn't a Christian, while I was still there, I started studying other religions and read about them, to see if there was anything that was similar to what was in the bible. I regret spending my time doing so, because I had the truth in front of me. I think the religion studies took about from some time during the summer of 2006 to probably early June 2007. About 3-4 weeks ago I was helping my parents at their cottage, they were getting a bunch of trees cut down for a new garage that was being built. So we had a tree cutter come by, after he had cut down all the trees he was supposed to, he told my parents that he was a Christian and offered a piece of a paper with a picture-like design with the verse from the Gospel of John chapter 3, verse 16. So my parents were said to him (not exact words), "Give it to our son, he's religious." So he came over to me, and I asked him things like, so do you believe Jesus is the Son of God? The Bible is the Word of God? That Jesus died for mankind's sins? he said "yes" to those 3 questions. So he had to go to a conference, and before he left, I went over and started asking more questions like "Do you think Christians should kill people when demanded by the government if they are conscripted to war?" He said "no", and he invited me to go to the service on Sunday at noon (in Midland, Ontario, Canada), and I said "sure". Well I ended up going for a few weeks, and I was bored at times because, they would spend quite a bit of time in prayer in thanks, and for others, however I thought if they did have a relationship with God, I'd expect them to spend time talking with him, and asking for help, and praying for others. The believers were friendly and they all held Jesus as their Lord and savior for their sins. They seemed to adhere closely to the Word of God, they believed homosexual sex, and any sex outside marriage was a sin, they believe in all the miracles within the Bible, they believe the Bible is the Word of God that was written by the Holy Spirit through men of faith. They believe that women are to wear head coverings (hats) while gathered together in service, and that within church, only men are to teach. The tree-cutter guy, Evan, although he was busy, he would meet up with me and help me with my questions, but he would also emphasize how important accepting Jesus as Lord and savior was, quoting verses like "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16. or "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him." John 3:36 Anyway, so Wednesday came along, and the questions I was asking Evan, they were kind of like excuses that I was using to not become a follower of Christ. Because I knew how a Christian was supposed to live, knowing that Jesus said that we are to "‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’[d] 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’[e] 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matt 22:37-40) And "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." (Matt 5:48) On Wednesday before dinner, I was actually looking for the verse about being perfect as your father in heaven is perfect. To use it as a question to tell Evan I shouldn't become a Christian, because I won't be perfect. Well I was skimming/searching/reading the Gospel of Matthew, which is actually where it was, but I must have skipped over it, eventually I thought it may be in the Gospel of John, so I started looking there, and I came across John 5:41-47: <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">41 “I do not receive honor from men. 42 But I know you, that you do not have the love of God in you. 43 I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive. 44 How can you believe, who receive honor from one another, and do not seek the honor that comes from the only God? 45 Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; there is one who accuses you—Moses, in whom you trust. 46 For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. 47 But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?”</div>When thinking about how Moses wrote about Christ, which he did, but I thought about the Old Testament prophecies that I was more familiar with like Isaiah 53 (A lot there), Micah 5:2 (Where the messiah would be born), Psalm 22, to be of the ancestor of David, how there was a passover lamb that was to be spotless that would be sacrificed to atone for sins. (Similar to how Jesus was the Lamb of God, sinless, sacrificed on passover that men who believe in him may have eternal life, and not be judged for their sins, but their sins were placed on Jesus at the cross). I thought about those, and how they were prophecies of Lord Jesus, I then thought about the verse about being perfect, I took a piece of paper and drew a horizontal line, I wrote Greg's actions above, and I put checks (signifying good deeds), and Xs (signifying sins), along this line. I circled the horizontal row of Xs. I realised that God knew all my sins, all my past and future sins, that although I will sin while being a Christian, that ALL my sins, past and future, if I accepted Jesus as savior were placed on him during his crucifixion. I knew that to have eternal life through Lord Jesus, all one had to do was accept Lord Jesus as savior, I knew that I couldn't earn my way to heaven by doing a lot of good deeds. So I knew that I no reason to stop me from doing it, and all the reasons to do so. So I prayed to God along the lines of, " Dear Father who art in Heaven, I understand that I have sinned, and that Jesus' died on the cross that I could go to heaven, I know that I need Jesus' gift, which I do not deserve, and I accept Him as my savior. I thank you for this gift, in Jesus' name, Amen. I later learned that the Holy spirit indwells all believers , and that Christians are no longer dead in sin and under the bondage/slavery of sin, but to live for the Spirit, and the Holy Spirit will guide and help a Christian to avoid sin, to convict, and live for God. ie. Romans 5:5 <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.</div> I thank God the Father for him letting me meet Evan and working through Evan, and for his Word, and his Son, my savior, Lord Jesus. God-willing, I'll try to answer any questions or ask someone who has studied God's word many years more than me. I'm happy to respond through PM, or via email, superscoots2@hotmail.com, Greg Wilson
<div class="quote_poster">Pakman Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Congratulations, this should mean a whole lot in your life.</div>Thanks, you are right that it means a lot in my life. I am very thankful for God's gift, that while I was a sinner, not deserving of this wonderful gift, He sent His sinless Son to the cross and took my sins upon Lord Jesus that I could go to heaven.
I personally couldnt invest my entire life into somthing that I feeldoesnt exist, but each to their own I guess, good on you.
im glad that you have found something to guide you. The only advice i would like to offer you, and you may reject it if you wish, but just dont take the bible word for word, it has been translated poorly over thousands of years and purposely changed to suit different cultures. the bible we use today is the king james edition, that version was purposely altered to better fit their culture. many facts in the bible are untrue, but its overall message is what you should focus on reflecting in your own life, that is to love everyone despite race or creed, despite social and economical status. to accept people for who they are and respect their beliefs. that is the message of the bible. the bible should not be used to condone any acts such as murder (american government) or rape (some, not all, islamic and hindu people read too much into their religous texts and interpret them in ways that condone such an act, aswell as some christian people). take the facts lightly and remember the message that the bible gives as an overall interpretation, not picking certain parts of the bible to interpret into your life (i.e. evangelicists and fundementalists) and ignoring others. remember that other beleifs exist and have as much if not more ground to them as yours, and that nobody can really be sure of the truth, but can only try to reflect the message of peace and love which texts like the bible give.
Your intentions were admirable and I respect most of your post but I concur with Akira's post. The Bible is full of parables and is supposed to convey an overall message (and there have been some translation problems, etc.); so I believe being a good person is what God wants from one most. Sure it would be nice if one believed in Jesus as well (I do), but I can't see how a great person (who isn't Christian) would be ignored by God after death.
Akira hit the nail on the head. I went to Catholic high school for the last two years and had to take both Old Testament and New Testament classes where we discussed the Bible, learned the history of the church, and things like that. With that said, even my religion teacher would tell us DO NOT TAKE THE BIBLE LITERALLY WORD FOR WORD. A lot of the stories you read in the Bible are parables or symbols. For example: Did Jonah actually get swallowed by a large fish and then spit out? Not likely. This is probably just a parable to tell people they need to trust God and that he knows what is best for them (since in the story Jonah tries to run from God and the task he is being sent to do). The same message can be seen in the Noah story, obey God's orders and you will be fine. Were Adam and Eve the only two people on Earth at one point? I don't think so. If this were true, Cain or Able would have had to sleep with their mother to reproduce. Our teacher suggested that Adam and Eve represent a larger amount of people. Instead of God just creating two people, he made tons of men and then made tons of women. As a group, they sinned and as a group became mortal. Now I'm glad you found Jesus but just be careful because I don't think everything in the Bible is meant to be taken literally.
But thanks Chutney, and MrJ. and thanks Akira, heuvonkiller, NTC, and Swish for the supportive parts of your comments. I'm still a babe in Christ, and have much to learn, and my faith will grow as I read/hear the bible. <div class="quote_poster">Quoting Romans 10:17:</div><div class="quote_post">So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.</div> God is great! He has given me salvation to heaven that I did not deserve and could not earn.
Congratulations my man. Eventhough I'm not a religious person myself (anymore) I have no problems (I actually think it's good) with people who follow a particular relgious belief. I received the holy spirit before when I was younger (an experience like no other to those who really open their hearts) so I do believe in the God of the Bible and Quran (of Moses, Noah, etc.), my only question (which I'm still trying to figure out) is whether or not Jesus Christ is indeed God....nice testimony though.
<div class="quote_poster">THE DREAM Wrote</div><div class="quote_post">Congratulations my man. Eventhough I'm not a religious person myself (anymore) I have no problems (I actually think it's good) with people who follow a particular relgious belief. I received the holy spirit before when I was younger (an experience like no other to those who really open their hearts) so I do believe in the God of the Bible and Quran (of Moses, Noah, etc.), my only question (which I'm still trying to figure out) is whether or not Jesus Christ is indeed God....nice testimony though.</div> Thanks Dream, I don't know if the question was directed to me, but if it was then God-willing I could post or pm some verses about Jesus' divinity from the Bible.
Long post but I was interested in your story. I've never been religious but I have grandparents who are Catholic. I've got to say that I don't believe that God exists but I'm open to religions and hope to associate myself with one one day. Good for you that you've found a religion that can support you through the hardest times of your life.
I'm happy that Christ has made a change in your life, and I hope you can continue to grow and not get satisfied with just going to heaven yourself, but want to take as many as you can with you. I don't want to get into a theological debate, but I don't agree with not taking the bible literally, I feel you should, but get sound advice on the meaning of things where one is not sure about. When people start saying one thing is not to be taken literally, then one can start to pick and choose what to take literally. When that happens, people end up creating their own idea of what it means to be a Christian, and that's a big problem in the church today with many people who aren't following Christ and want to justify sin by denying the literality of the bible. Anyways, you seem to be at a high point right now, I just hope you can learn to get to that middle ground so when troubles might come, you don't go down to a low point, but learn to balance it out and know that after the pain comes joy.
