How I Did Not Put Someone At Jail

1. Jesus said you had to repent or you would not be saved. "But unless you repent, you will all likewise perish" (Luke 13:3). "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:15).

Getting to know my faith more has really changed my life, Before I started going back to church my life was falling apart but while I was learning about the Holy Spirit, God, Jesus Christ made me lead to the right direction. My Faith means a lot to me now that I am able to understand every detail about the

Beginning just before my senior year I went through a series of trials that continued through most of my senior year. I wanted to do something for myself, and was encouraged to attend the National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC). I decide to go, and so in January I set off for Indianapolis. Once at the conference, I listened to music, met other catholic high schoolers, and participated in workshops. I learned a lot about my faith, and about different forms of worship. This was something that I had not previously been exposed to, as while I was a member of one of the largest parishes in Central Ohio, it is a very traditional parish that had not exposed me to much more than the basic teachings of the church, and also had not demonstrated

I was a Follower of Christ and I didn’t even know it. I was the last of three boys to two faithful Christian parents. My parents attended St Paul’s Episcopal Church in Akron, OH. I was baptized and confirmed by the same Bishop. Some of my earliest memories are of me standing in the pews with my parents and stacking the prayer books as if it were my own pulpit and I would pretend to be the priest giving the Sunday sermon. I didn’t know what he was talking about but I always thought that I would be like him one day. I was an acolyte and attended the youth programs regularly with my friends. I completed my studies to earn my God and Country award with the Boy Scouts.

In recent days I had the opportunity to go back to North Carolina for a few short days. There, with a heavy heart from a loss in the family, I had nothing else to look towards. I’ve always heard of individuals finding peace, faith, blessings, and love of Christ from attending church. I’ve never been a person who put their faith into a higher power. As I was growing up my parents never wanted to force me into any religion without me knowing everything about it and choosing which route to take on my own. As the years treaded on, I never bothered myself to learn about the many different religions and what each stands for. So I used this opportunity as mine to attend church for the very first time. I attended the Roman Catholic services held

The lessons I’ve received from transitioning through the church as a child, youth, and adult member have taught me a number of lessons; patience, reverence, and empathy are all traits I’ve strengthened, and they have undoubtably helped me through my high school career. Taught how to ask thoughtful questions, I’m unashamed of my curiosity. Our faith is not always one of direct answers— even our most devoted

Being raised in a Christian home, I attended church quasi-regularly up until the age of six. Church participation after the age of six became inconsistent, due to conflict in the church that required the

For the first time I discovered the Bible… I had often preached. I had seen a great deal of the Church. And talked and preached about it, but I had not yet become a Christian… I know that at that time I turned the doctrine of Jesus Christ into something of personal advantage for myself… Also I had never prayed, or prayed very little. Then the Bible, in particular the Sermon on the Mount freed me from that. Since then everything has changed. (Metaxas 2010, 123).

sovereignty. This was the point where I had to confess my sins of ingratitude and ignorance of

When I had my conversion experience in 2011 I felt instantly called back to the church. I wanted nothing more than to be a fixture in the pews of just about any congregation in my hometown. Over time I experienced several faith traditions and began to learn what other denominations believed, how they practiced and why. Then I read a book about church history and, for the first time, realized why the church holds many of our practices and traditions. In reading that book full of the wonders that is the church history I found my heart really settled in on longing for the “original” church. I also came to recognize that the original church was actually the first Catholic Church and although I had no desire to attend a Catholic Mass, I did identify

Chapter 14- Shortly after I realized I was being called into ministry, I spent a chunk of time in a Pentecostal/Charismatic church.

The 21st century has had a strong influence on how people understand particular ideas and religion has come to be confusing for some people in the contemporary society. Salvation is one of the most important concepts in the Christian world, but society's condition in the present makes it difficult for individuals to have a complex understanding of this idea. Salvation is basically meant to save the soul from committing sins and from experiencing consequences characteristic to sinners. The fact that Christianity is divided into several branches further bring confusion to the issue, as each branch has a different understanding of the idea of sin and concerning sins that people need to be saved from.

We need to repent our sins. Like its says in John 8:11, "And Jesus said,

The remedy when we sin as a believer is to simply confess our sin (1 John 1:9). “Confess” literally means to “agree with” God about that sin. If we still defend the sinful thought or act in any way, we have not confessed. True confession produces a desire to change. But even if we sin the same way again, the solution is again confession. Confessing sin is a major truth of the Christian’s life. Confession brings the cleansing Christ provided (1 John 1:7). All sin is

Once we recognize God’s true love for us and see the need of looking to Christ to change our hearts rather than trying to do it on our own, we see our need of repentance, which involves a change of direction, turning our back on previous intentions and actions, and seeking new direction in life. Instead of making excuses, blaming circumstances or others, repentance means taking full responsibility. King David, after committing murder and adultery appealed to Christ: "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me" (Psalms 51:10). He accepted his guilt and asked for a new direction – from Christ.