EX-Skeptic

Satan had me practicing Islam with my step dad, Christianity with my mother, and the Jehovah’s Witness doctrine with my grandma at the same time. Tired of being tangled up by three religions, I asked God whether or not there was a One True Living God, and he revealed to me that there was. Since the God of the Muslims didn’t have an “only begotton son” who would die for my sins, it sure wasn’t Allah or Noble Drew Ali of the Moorish Science Temple of America. Good. Because I was annoyed that my step dad didn’t like me eating bacon and sausages for breakfast. So I dropped Islam.

Then I came to a fork in the road where I saw that Jehovah Witness and Christians upheld different views about Jesus, The Godhead, Heaven, Hell and holidays. Once the Jehovah Witness told me that Jesus wasn’t God, there was no Trinity, hell doesn’t exist, heaven is only for select individuals, God stopped speaking to us humans after the Prophet Malachi, and donating blood and celebrating my birthday was a sin, I detected error because I could have sworn I heard God speak to me and he told me that they were a cult. So I traded the Kingdom Hall for the Kingdom of God, dropped my WatchTower, my “New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures”, and made a home run to third base: Christianity.

Now Satan, the pitcher, was angry I had made it so far. “So you found the right religion,” he said. “Now find the right denomination.” So he began to throw fast balls at me. I end up visiting five different denominations. The Church of God In Christ, The Seventh Day Adventist, The Baptist, The Assemblies of God and The Apostolic Pentecostals. Each of which teaches different doctrines. UGH. I’m getting really skeptical at this point. The Seventh Day hinted that going to church on Sunday was “not keeping the Sabbath.” But God told me that Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath, so I can rest in him any day.

The Baptist church, or at least the one I went to, told me I had to be baptized in order to be a member of the church. But God told me that if I confess with my mouth and believe in my heart, that Jesus is Lord, then I’m automatically a member of the church– The Body of Christ, that is. Not the man made building.

Then the Apostolic church, at least the one I attended, told me that if I did not speak in tongues AND get baptized in “JESUS NAME”, then I would burn in hell. They also told me that until I cut of my braids, I would be a “disgrace” to God. Whether I was a disgrace to God or not, cutting off my braids truly saved me 3 hours a month of tender-headed pain. And praise God that I eventually did get baptized in water and blessed with the gift of the Holy Ghost, but I came to realize that baptism in H2O can’t save me. If I don’t have faith in the Blood of Jesus, then any other “baptism” is a WORK, and all in vain. Baptism should only be an outward show of my inward decision to follow Christ (just like wearing a ring is an outward show of a couples inward and spiritual decision to be together). Then I came to the conclusion that I can speak all the “honda-sha-ta-ba-ha” I want to, and still go to hell if my heart never gets transformed. 1 Corinthians 13:1 says “If I speak in tongues but have not Love, then it prospers me nothing.” Thank you Jesus that your children are known by their fruit and not by their gifts!

Finally, a friend on Myspace messaged me and prophecied to me that God was going to move me to a non-denominational church. One that believed in having a Pentecostal experience, followed the sound teachings and doctrine of the Apostles, believed in confession, repentance, holiness, and evangelism, but left out all that extra new age stuff. I’ve been here since January 2010 and I have yet to be skeptical about anything my pastor teaches. Of course, because he doesn’t speak his own opinion, but preaches the Word of God.

Thank God I called on him and he took the religious scales off my eyes and showed me the way, the truth, and the life! Now I’m an EX-Skeptic and like Tedashii, I’m A Believer!!

P.S. There is absolutely nothing wrong with any other denomination (that preaches the TRUTH of Jesus Christ). Attend which ever church God has set for YOU. Different churches have different ministries, but at the end of the day, we are all many members of One Body, In Christ, In Love! And ultimately, the Lord knows those who are his. 🙂