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I was lost, blind, deaf and dumb before coming to Christ.

I relied on my sinful nature to lead me through life. I cheated in college. I gambled in the stock market. I played power games with my wife. I was a failed leader in my family to my wife and children.

It took me 46 years to hit bottom. In my forties I napped often so as to fast forward my life. I was depressed without knowing. If I had a taste for alcohol I would have been an alcoholic by now. But God had mercy on me.

He led me to church. He revealed to me His love and what he had done for me and for all of humanity. He created the world. He created Adam and Eve my ancestors. But they sinned and had to be separated from Him. So God sent His only son Jesus down to die and rise again to wash away our sins Through Jesus Christ there is a bridge for us to get back to God. No matter how pure we make ourself we are not pure enough to be with God. But with Jesus Christ we can come as we are. God revealed to me his unconditional love and my heart felt it finally.

Hallelujah! I took that leap of faith and accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. The Holy Spirit filled my heart. My eyes are open! I can read and understand His Word! He tells me clearly to love my neighbor to love my in-laws yes my in-laws. God does wonders for relationships. He tells me to give to the pan handlers at freeway exits. I said but what if they use it for drugs, what if they are just faking it. He said just give dummy. It's not just for them. It is more a test of your obedience.

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Matt's Baptism at Almaden Neighborhood Church

 
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Before I came to Christ I was angered more easily, had a pessimistic view on life, cared more about how others thought of me, and didn’t feel happy. I felt pressure to do my best and because of that, I didn’t do my best. I was critical of other people’s actions because I was insecure myself. My coming to Christ was a result of many church activities and events. I remember during one church service, Pastor Jordan showed us a clip of Gollum, from the Lord of the Rings, arguing with himself. I learned everyone struggles with themselves and the enemy is always at work. 


While helping with Vacation Bible School I learned to love everyone, this reminded me of when I attended Vacation Bible School at another alliance church when I was six, I may not remember the scripture verses that I learned and the songs that I sang but that positive experience stayed with me. Before my Dad came to Christ, he raised my sibling and I to be atheists. But when he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior, it was like he opened a door for me with a sign that stated, this is the better life. 


 
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How I was before I came to Christ
To sum it up in one word, I was proud. In middle school, I was at the top of my class, so my fellow classmates and teachers praised me as one of their brightest, which felt good at the time, but it built my ego, until I began to shun those had lower academic success than I did, and this irrational pride brought about my downfall when I was in high school, because I really wanted to take this class, AP Biology, in sophomore year, even though the administrators and the teacher herself told me I should wait until junior year. But I took their admonishments as more like a challenge, because I said I was super smart, so I could do well in this class and prove them all wrong. But, in the end, I didn’t do as well as I’d hoped, and I got a B+. Most people laugh when they hear that I was sad about a B+, but they don’t understand that I based my self-worth off what I got as a grade, and to know that I went below my own standards made me feel as if I had failed.

How I came to Christ
So, I came to Christ after my dad was baptized. After he was baptized, I felt completely alone, because when I was little, I used to tell my dad about everything that happened at school, and I had come to rely on him for advice. So after he was baptized, whenever I came to ask him for help, he would always tell me to lift my worries up to God—which to me, felt more like an excuse not to help me. But I had seen how his worldview had changed for the better, after he was baptized. He was more optimistic about life. So, I believed that something that could make him so joyful couldn’t be bad. So, one night, I opened up the possibility of accepting Christ, myself. And immediately, I was filled with immense joy. So, I was like, “Ok, I’ll accept you God, as my Lord and Savior.”


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    Agape Globe is a place to read and share real testimonies of how God is real and He is transforming individuals all around the world.

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