Richard Christian

Dear Friends, I am so excited and happy when I get to share my experience in being saved. I have already shared it with some of my church friends and I would gladly share it with you. I don't know where to start, so I'll tell you what happened that pulled me towards Christ or else this will go into pages.

My name is Richard R. Christian. I was born and brought up in a Christian home, but did not respond to Christ's offer of salvation as a child. I was too busy wanting to please myself - my life was displeasing to the Lord. I was a typical quite rebellious teenager, and though I didn't get into anything too gross, I lived to please myself. I had read the Bible occasionally, going to church regularly and had been lead to believe I was a Christian. I was convinced that because I knew the facts about Jesus Christ, I would get into heaven one day. My sister, who is a born again and she used to tell me about verses from the Bible and that made me feel very nice, so I started to go to the Church but after the mass I never felt satisfied. I used to feel a void and I wanted to know more about Christ. I didn't know what a born again was and thought it was like being a Protestant or Penticost.

After few days, I just happenend to listen to a message by servant of God and I liked listening to it. I just loved the service and I felt that my thirsty heart had received the water it was longing for, so I started to attend the meetings and one day retreats. I was feeling that something had changed in my heart. I had lived very selfishly and it had not made me happy. Knowing I was a sinner before God, I prayed and asked Him to forgive me. It was then that I asked Jesus Christ to come into my life, to be my Lord and Savior. While asking myself questions, I was keeping on reading the bible, because I was scared, and I learned to know God, who created heaven and earth and who gave us his son Jesus-Christ for the remission of our sins. What I know of God is not much compare to what he gave us. He is not a man to be pleased in lying. I should mention here that I don't know why after so many years I started to take notice of such spiritual things.

Now I realized that God was calling me to him and I received Jesus into my heart. Problems kept pouring in. I was without a job and I had to fulfil my responsibilities towards my family, but now I had started to lean on God and trust in him and that gave me immense strength. I started to attend the 3/4 days seminars at our church and would listen to people tell their testimonies and would tell them about my situation. Then I started to go to different places whenever I could to hear the word of God, for I used to experience a joy in me.

The next day I was praying to God to give me an opportunity for a job and to help my parents & family, and after some days there was a phone call for me asking me to come for an interview. I was so overjoyed and thanked God for it. I appreared for interview and finally I got the job. There are few of my friends here who are praying for me and I praise the Lord for giving me such good friends in Christ.

What more can I say than God is with me and He is guiding me through all this, but most importantly he had prepared me for all the sufferings, thats what I think and how can I ever leave him now for he has been so merciful to me who was a rotten sinner.

Frankly friends, I haven't been this happy and content before in my life. I had all the material things but no peace in my life. but now I have JESUS and thats what is keeping me going. I remember what he said to me in Jer 33:3 \" Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know\" and his plan for me in Jer 29:11 \" For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future\". So I am leaning on him totally and believe that He is faithful to those who trust in Him totally.

I wish I had been saved 20 yrs ago and given my life to him then, but maybe I wouldn't have been so strong as I am now.

I love Jesus. I love God. Of course, I had to grow in Christ, and I am still growing, with my dear friend by my side, willing to help at any moment, always.. That is the best thing in the world.. Being saved, and so blessed by God. I would not trade Jesus Christ for all the gold, silver, diamonds or money in the world.

Through all my life Jesus Christ has been the best friend, the best helper, and the best everything. Some of the things the Holy Spirit has taught me has been breath taking and some of the teachings the Church is not ready to accept. Most of the Christian people and ministers, I have met still do hot know Jesus Christ and who he is, they only know lots of things about him. I am not saying this to condemn anyone but to spark spiritual growth.

However, my true goal in life now is to be a good and faithful servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. My career is only a means to an end, and that end is to glorify the Lord with my life and with the music that I play. Pursuing that goal gives me great joy and contentment; the fulfillment which eluded me so many years ago has at last been found and the emptiness I once felt has gone forever.

Richard Christian
India.