I was not brought up in a particularly religious home. My parents were good people, worked hard, and took good care of my sister and me. We rarely went to church but, as a child, I remember believing in God. When I was a senior in high school, I became very ill and almost died. I was in intensive care for about a month and my parents were told I probably wouldn’t survive, but amazingly I did. Unfortunately, this experience didn’t bring me closer to God. Instead, I wanted to experience all the things I might have missed, resulting in my making poor lifestyle choices.

I later married, and my husband and I were going nowhere spiritually. Then one day he came home from a sales call and shared how a client had told him that he needed Jesus as his Savior. Quite honestly, I thought this was good for him- he needed this- but of course I didn’t. Yet as I saw my husband’s life changed, I began to understand that Jesus was real and by accepting Him as my Savior, my life could change too.

We found a wonderful church, Eastgate, where the pastors love the members in mentoring and teaching them. Our lives totally changed, becoming one of trusting God in all things, and our marriage was renewed and strengthened. We experienced a new closeness and joy like we’d never known.

The Lord took my husband home over 20 years ago. I cared for him till he died and had the privilege of doing the same for my parents, both of whom came to know Jesus. If I didn’t have the Lord in my life, I would not have been able to do all this. He gave me the strength and grace when I felt I couldn’t go on anymore.

Now as a widow, the Lord Jesus continues to strengthen me and help me through all the struggles and challenges of life. I shudder to think where I’d be without Him.

Jan M.  

I am the one with the gray hair now.  I have seen a lot of changes in this world, but not necessarily for the good of mankind.  In my younger days, you could buy a house or a car and all you would need is a hand shake; it’s not like that today.  People wanted to work back then.  The desire to work had been handed down from their parents. They were eager to provide for their families instead of taking a handout. 

Well, we have good news.  The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8), so whatever is changing on earth is not changing anything in heaven.  By faith, years ago, I put my trust in Jesus and the fact that the Bible is the truth.  I trust the Bible to be true because I have witnessed the faithfulness of Jesus Christ in many ways.  There have been ups and downs in my life, but Jesus was always there in my time of need.

In my younger days before I knew Jesus, I tried to work through this life all on my own.  It did not go well. My job, marriage, and finances were all in need.  The Word of God was given to us all as a guide.  To ignore it would be like throwing away the instructions to the space shuttle.  It wouldn’t make a lot of sense.

The good news is that no matter what you are going through, if you will reach out to Jesus and ask for help, He will help you. Put your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ today.  I haven’t known anyone to be sorry that they truly trusted Jesus. 

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” John 14:6

Glen H. 

I believe in MIRACLES, and because of a MIRACLE I am a new man.  My wife experienced the same MIRACLE on the same day.

We were both devoted to our Catholic church from birth. We attended Mass most every day. My wife had a great devotion to Mary.  As a family, we recited the rosary daily. I was very close with my parish priest.   I attended many retreats.

My wife and I attended a charismatic prayer meeting and we both received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

We had never read the Bible; we were told “only the church was able to instruct what to believe”.

Our second miracle happened when we received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. This gave us an insatiable thirst for the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit became our instructor.

In our Catholic Jerusalem Bible we found the source of our miracles.  II Corinthians 5:17 reads: “And for anyone who is in Christ there is a new creation, the old creation has gone and now the new one is here.  It is all God’s work. It was God who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the work of handing on this reconciliation” (to others like you).

Now we live a new life full of love and joy and the assurance of our salvation. You too can receive this miracle and be assured you will never suffer the incarceration of purgatory when your life is over. 

Peter D.

I was raised in a large established church where following church criteria was my assurance of salvation. I always considered myself to be a “good person” who stayed away from “obvious” sins and situations that would threaten my good standing with the church and God.

When we were first married, my husband came to know Jesus as his Lord and Savior through work relationships. That’s when, by his newfound joy and peace, I started to question my own faith. My initial “mistake” of thinking myself good, soon came to an end when I discovered in the word of God (the Bible) that we are ALL born sinners and NONE are without the stain of sin. I was just as guilty of sin as any addict, liar, sexual sinner, thief, etc. I needed Christ as my Redeemer…my salvation was in Him, not any church or work of my own. I was going to hell in my own good works.

There is no lesser sin- sin is sin and needs to be washed and cleansed in the blood of Jesus. The cross of Calvary is no fairytale. Jesus did die there and it’s because He did that, we have eternal life.

We have raised a large family in the principles and precepts of the Word of God and we have seen His faithfulness in every situation and trial, in every relationship, in every area of our lives. His promises are true.

Adele C. 

I was brought up in the Catholic Church where I had my first Communion and Confirmation. I attended Mass and went to Confession at times, until the eighth grade. During high school, I lost interest and did not attend church.  After I married my wife, we went to a Catholic church near our home.

After having our first child, a few men from Bath Iron Works where I worked would talk to me about salvation and being born again. I believed in Jesus, but didn’t understand how to be saved. After a time of searching and struggle with depression, I accepted Jesus as my Savior, became born again and started sharing my faith.

I began to attend prayer meetings with some friends from work and my wife always came with me. I did not play as much sports as I had before becoming born again. I stopped drinking and smoking in order to please the Lord. My wife and I started to attend a small local church for about a year, then were led to go to Eastgate Christian Fellowship, where we’ve been for 32 years.

Since I accepted Jesus as my Savior, He is the source of my learning the truth about life: why we are here, what happens when we pass on, the gift of eternal life, seeking His love and power to help others be saved. Alleluia!

Bob  V.

It was Christmas morning. My boyfriend and I were going to meet my parents and sister at my aunt’s house for Christmas. My boyfriend didn’t have a vehicle at the time because he was visiting from Georgia, where he’d just finished Army basic training. My dad let him borrow his little Ford Ranger. Fresh snow was on the ground and it was still snowing. My boyfriend and I jumped in my dad’s truck and off we went to celebrate Christmas with the family.                                             

As we pulled out, we noticed the roads weren’t plowed yet. We fish-tailed out of my neighborhood, that’s how slippery the roads were. We never thought to put the truck in four-wheel drive.

We hadn’t even traveled a mile yet and all of a sudden, we were sliding across the road. My boyfriend lost control of the truck, did a 180°, flipped the truck on its side and ended up on the opposite side of the road. Hitting some trees had prevented the truck from rolling over. If we had gone off the same side we were driving, we would have landed in water. A tree bent the truck’s bed in two, just missing the cab of the truck. The passenger window shattered next to my face. Cinder blocks were in the bed of the truck that could have crashed through the back windows. We walked away with a couple scratches to our hands and whiplash, that was it! Truck totaled. We were not expecting that. Of all days, Christmas day!

We know God was watching over my boyfriend (now my husband) and me. We pray for His protection daily. Are you afraid of what can happen when going out? Getting hurt physically, mentally, emotionally? Getting sick? Relapsing? Give your life to Him— “For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways.” Psalm 91:11

Maybe you’re not a born-again Christian, but you remember a time in your life— you escaped from a car accident, your sickness was healed, you were saved from abuse, etc. You know, God was watching over you and you didn’t even realize it. He saved you from a certain situation that has kept you here today. His reason is because He loves you. He loves YOU. He just wants you to love Him too.

Crystal K.

I was brought up a Catholic from childhood through my teenage years. I left the church after my parents no longer forced me to go.   I was married in the Catholic Church, and right before my marriage I started battling severe anxiety. I would struggle with this anxiety for many years to come, trying everything from psychic readings and hypnosis to counseling, behavioral therapy and several more things to help rid me of anxiety. Then I finally hit bottom and started to seek God. Instantly, the anxiety started improving, yet ultimately caused my divorce.

In 2007, I read a prayer and was water baptized at a Baptist church where I attended. After 6 years or so, I began questioning the lukewarm teaching there and started searching for another church. Through a friend, I went to Eastgate Christian Fellowship where the pastors counseled me twice a week for 6 months. There I experienced real salvation, deliverance, baptism in the Holy Spirit with the gifts of the Spirit, and the meaning of a true Christian life.

I then repented of my whole life, changing my life to seek a life of holiness. I learned what love is and found people who loved me because we all love Jesus. I truly know what it is to be a Spirit-filled Christian. I am forever grateful for His love for me! I was purchased with His blood and I will seek holiness in my life because of who He is and what He did.

Bob M.

I was born and raised in the country of Iraq, destined to be like my father, who is a teacher of the Islam religion. I would never have thought that I would be in the U.S. with a beautiful wife, the cutest daughter, and a wonderful job. That is all thanks to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! I have been blessed beyond measure and I will never be able to say thank you enough to Him. There are many outcomes that could have happened to me, but only one happened. I was in an abusive situation growing up that seemed to never end. It went on until I was about 16 years old, then life changed 180 degrees in a matter of days. I was placed into the foster care system and the first family that took my brothers and me in were Christians. At the time, that didn’t mean much to me.

As the days went by, I started to notice that there was something different about this couple. They were happy every day and thankful for what they had. The mother would get up early in the morning to have a cup of coffee and read her Bible. I asked to join her and she was delighted to read to me and explain the meaning as she read. That was the beginning of my journey of becoming a Christian.

You see, after that first family, I was placed in four other foster homes. They were all Christian, God-fearing families. In my final year in high school and before I went to Army basic training, I met the girl who would become my wife. And guess what? She was a Christian and was raised in a Christian home.

In October of 2014, I got down on my knees and prayed the sinner’s prayer and asked Jesus Christ to be my Lord and Savior. From that day on, my life has been full of blessings that my wife and I never would have thought would happen. Day by day, our Lord is taking care of us beyond imagination. He has and still is giving us everything that we need.

So what are YOU waiting for? Get down on your knees, admit your sins and ask Jesus into your heart. Give your life to Him! This is the most important decision of your life and the only one that really matters.

 Ali K.

 I was born into a Christian family with wonderful parents, I heard about the bible and all about God, and Jesus dying for me.  At a young age I asked Jesus to forgive my sins and take me to heaven. In my teenage years I stayed involved in our church but I began to realize 2 things. 

First, I sinned easily and often. I avoided big sins.  Not that I didn’t want to, but somehow I did not by the grace of God.  I felt pretty good about the fact that I didn’t do many of those things.  I was full of pride and self-righteousness.  Jesus dealt very strongly with this kind of person.  It is a terrible sin thinking you are better than the next guy.  Outwardly I was a pretty good person, inwardly I was full of sin and I knew it. 

Second, whatever other Christians had, I did not have. I knew other Christians who were not religious but different than everybody else.  I wanted to be like them.  I thought I had to go through some traumatic experience to change.  When I was 19, I prayed

“Lord, I admit that I have sinned against you, I ask your forgiveness. I give my life to you- do whatever you want with me.

It was not a dramatic experience but God took me up on that prayer and my life has never been the same since.  I serve Him as He shows me what to do, and when this life is over, I look forward to His wonderful presence and serving Him forever.

Glenn A.

I was raised in a Catholic home but always had many questions that couldn’t be answered. The Gospel was first shared with me when I was in 7th grade, but I did not receive it at that time. I continued to search by looking into psychology, philosophy, etc., yet found no answers there either. A former high school friend shared the Gospel with me again in 1978 and challenged me.

In 1978, I went to an event called “Jesus ‘78” in the mountains of Pennsylvania. I heard speakers like Keith Green, David Wilkerson and others, and it was there that I gave my heart to the Lord. I read tracts on the error of Catholicism and presented them to a priest, who didn’t like what the tracts said. However, I was convinced that I needed to leave the Catholic Church.

There really isn’t much in my New Life that resembles the Old Life and I guess that is a good thing. My life is a continuing work that He will complete! Jesus is my everything; the giver of every breath that I take. He deserves all praise, honor and glory!

Diane E.

I was raised in a Christian home and my childhood was awesome.  I had a loving family and I thought I could take God seriously later on in life and do whatever I wanted for now. So I played nice:  I went to church and behaved myself but in private I was rebellious and immoral. As a teenager, I started dabbling in alcohol and smoking and didn’t guard my eyes and ears when it came to movies and music.

By 21, I was getting drunk all the time and was addicted to cigarettes. My relationships were damaging and I was trying to “find love” where all there was,  was emptiness and hurt. When I was 25, I was completely out of control, yet no one knew. I was drunk every night and went to work drunk every day. I’d buy more alcohol on the way home from work and wait till everyone was asleep to drink it and hide the bottle. That was my miserable life and I was powerless to change.

One night when I was drunk, I could feel how empty and lost I was so wrote in my journal. Weeks later, I looked in my journal and was surprised to read pages of desperate words, “Help me, please help me. I’m so lost. Help me.”

God came into my life, but not how you’d expect. He just showed me my sinful, black heart like a disease festering inside and I couldn’t get away from myself. I needed to face my sin or I knew my end. I was at a crossroad and only one way made sense- Jesus. He gently guided me to Himself, showing me my sin and completely delivering me from alcohol and smoking. He has transformed me into a new creation and given me a wonderful husband and stepdaughter. Jesus means hope and joy and His word is true!

Sarah M. 

Have you ever, at some time in your life, wished for a "do-over"?

Have you ever said or done something you later regretted and wished you could un-do? Maybe your words or actions resulted in hurting someone you loved, or caused another or even yourself pain or hardship.

Maybe you feel like you've made a mess of your life and there is no going back to fix it.

It's sometimes hard to accept or acknowledge that our actions can produce unpleasant and unwanted consequences, but they can. And as a result, we can hurt inside, we can be angry, and we can resent others. We can blame others, but nothing changes the situation we find ourselves in because the truth is, we are the ones that need changing.

But there is good news!  First, you're not alone.  Many of us have been right where you are and felt exactly the same way you do. And secondly, there is an answer!

I don't know if you've ever heard the term "born again".  Some people have heard it used in a joking manner, but being born again is nothing to joke about. The truth is, God's Son, Jesus Christ, suffered and died on a cross so that we might know the true meaning of being born again. In John chapter 3, Jesus said several times that “you must be born again.”

So what does it mean?  When we acknowledge who Jesus is and seek to know Him by asking Him into our lives, we experience a true, new beginning.  While the past doesn't change, we do.  When we confess the things we've done- the anger, blame and resentment we've held onto, He forgives us, washes us clean and fills us with a desire to live for Him.  He may even give us the opportunity to repair any of the harm we may have caused others and to heal past relationships.

How do I know this is true?  Because Jesus did it for me!  I came to Him broken, hurting, and having done some things I truly regretted. But when I turned to Him, He forgave me, He healed me, and He gave me a new beginning.  Now I cannot imagine living my life without Jesus as the source of my strength, my peace, my comfort, my joy, and my hope. 

He is all of that and more and while people can disappoint us, Jesus never will.

I encourage you to turn to Jesus and seek Him with your whole heart.  He is waiting for you with open arms!                                                                

Jan M.

Since being saved, life has me looking at how precious the love of Jesus is. He loves us, cares for us, and delivers us out of the hands of the enemy. I have realized that the Lord has always been in my life, waiting for me to turn to Him and ask for His help. I’m living with God’s light in me to bring light to others, in my words and actions.

Sharing and learning the Bible helps not only me, but others also.  John 1:4 says, “In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.” Jesus is the Light, and may I always share with others the Light of the Lord Jesus Christ!

J.B.

I was born and raised a Catholic and went to Catholic school from 1st to 8th grade. I made my first Communion and Confirmation, went to Confession often and prayed the Rosary. I went to Mass every week and observed all the Holy Days.

I married a nice Catholic man and after a few years we had our first child. I was very happy, but my husband was in a rock band and it started taking a toll on our marriage. My marriage began to fall apart a few years later, and yet God had mercy on us. Someone in the band became Born Again and shared the good news of Jesus Christ with us.  My husband and I both received the Lord and He saved our marriage.

Later on, my husband left the band and we both became very involved in the Catholic Church. But the more we read our Bibles, the more we found Catholicism in error. Finally, 5 years after receiving Christ, the Holy Spirit led us out of that church and I asked God to lead us to a church that teaches the truth from the Bible. He led us to Eastgate in 1985. God blessed us with a beautiful family, caring pastors, and a loving church family: brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Over 20 years ago, my husband went home to be with the Lord. That was a very difficult time, but Jesus spoke to my heart and said He would never leave me or forsake me. He hasn’t left me and I know He never will. He is faithful and true. The Lord has blessed me with another wonderful husband and I am very thankful.

Debbie H.