There May Not Be Time Later
As Christians, it is important to occasionally write out, or at least very intentionally recount, our testimonies. As we are sanctified through God's grace and the Holy Spirit working in our lives, our testimonies should necessarily be growing along with us. The backstory of how God saved us, while important and glorifying to Him, becomes more abbreviated over time, because we must fill it with more of what He has graciously done in our lives since saving us. God's work in us does not stop at conversion.
Out of curiosity while preparing this post, I went back and looked at a version of my testimony from 2018. Two things stood out. First, what an amazingly gracious and merciful God we have, to save a sinner like me from the debauched and degenerative lifestyle in which I lived. Second, the detail from that former life must decrease so the focus can shift to what He has been doing more recently. That said, the mindset of an unregenerate me has become an increasingly significant part of my testimony the more I engage in gospel conversations with unbelievers, particularly the youth.
As many of you know, God saved me out of a lifestyle of alcohol, drugs, fighting, and other forms of debauchery that dominated my teens, twenties, and early thirties. It is not hyperbole to say that it is by God's grace alone, and His plan for my life, that I survived that season. He was patient with me for no other reason than He chose to be. I certainly did not deserve it. What strikes me now is that in His patience, God afforded me the opportunity to hear the gospel over and over again, constantly maintaining a seed in my mind that He would one day grow.
What is sobering to consider is that even as I heard the gospel at a young age, I always assumed there would be time to deal with it later. Eternal things could wait while I chased parties and worldly desires. Looking back, that is a terrifying gamble. We are not promised our next breath, and we are not promised another opportunity to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. Considering how I lived, I am left in awe of His mercy toward me.
This is the point I want to emphatically make: do not be like me. There may not be time later. This is something God has impressed upon my heart, and it shapes how I interact with students at school. So many of them carry the same mindset I had when I was young. Let my testimony be a warning, not an encouraging norm. God's plan for each life is different, and another opportunity to respond to the gospel is not guaranteed.
As we roll into May of 2026, it will be twelve years since God called me and regenerated a hard, degenerative heart. His saving grace did not stop at regeneration but has continued in my sanctification. Twelve years is not long in the span of a human life, yet God has worked wonderfully, and often painfully, to grow me, help me put off nagging sins, and prepare me to serve and glorify Him in ways I never could have imagined. What a blessing and humbling privilege it is to serve as an elder over His flock at Cornerstone and to be involved in ministry at Agape.
One final clarification: do not read that last paragraph as if I have arrived. I have not. I am a work in progress, struggling with sins like pride and reliance on my own strength. I am desperately in need of God's grace and mercy every single day, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As Pastor Chad has reminded us, I will barely make it into the kingdom no different than every other believer who has come before me and everyone who will come after.
Chris
Out of curiosity while preparing this post, I went back and looked at a version of my testimony from 2018. Two things stood out. First, what an amazingly gracious and merciful God we have, to save a sinner like me from the debauched and degenerative lifestyle in which I lived. Second, the detail from that former life must decrease so the focus can shift to what He has been doing more recently. That said, the mindset of an unregenerate me has become an increasingly significant part of my testimony the more I engage in gospel conversations with unbelievers, particularly the youth.
As many of you know, God saved me out of a lifestyle of alcohol, drugs, fighting, and other forms of debauchery that dominated my teens, twenties, and early thirties. It is not hyperbole to say that it is by God's grace alone, and His plan for my life, that I survived that season. He was patient with me for no other reason than He chose to be. I certainly did not deserve it. What strikes me now is that in His patience, God afforded me the opportunity to hear the gospel over and over again, constantly maintaining a seed in my mind that He would one day grow.
What is sobering to consider is that even as I heard the gospel at a young age, I always assumed there would be time to deal with it later. Eternal things could wait while I chased parties and worldly desires. Looking back, that is a terrifying gamble. We are not promised our next breath, and we are not promised another opportunity to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. Considering how I lived, I am left in awe of His mercy toward me.
This is the point I want to emphatically make: do not be like me. There may not be time later. This is something God has impressed upon my heart, and it shapes how I interact with students at school. So many of them carry the same mindset I had when I was young. Let my testimony be a warning, not an encouraging norm. God's plan for each life is different, and another opportunity to respond to the gospel is not guaranteed.
As we roll into May of 2026, it will be twelve years since God called me and regenerated a hard, degenerative heart. His saving grace did not stop at regeneration but has continued in my sanctification. Twelve years is not long in the span of a human life, yet God has worked wonderfully, and often painfully, to grow me, help me put off nagging sins, and prepare me to serve and glorify Him in ways I never could have imagined. What a blessing and humbling privilege it is to serve as an elder over His flock at Cornerstone and to be involved in ministry at Agape.
One final clarification: do not read that last paragraph as if I have arrived. I have not. I am a work in progress, struggling with sins like pride and reliance on my own strength. I am desperately in need of God's grace and mercy every single day, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As Pastor Chad has reminded us, I will barely make it into the kingdom no different than every other believer who has come before me and everyone who will come after.
Chris
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