I was first introduced to the message of
the gospel in 1980, at a revival service
at the First Baptist Church in Point of
Rocks, Maryland.   For the first time, I
heard that, according to God, I was a
sinner and on my way to Hell.   Romans,
Chapter 3, Verse 23, told me that, "For
all have sinned, and come short of the
glory of God."   I also heard that the Ten
Commandments were God's standard
of righteousness.   Even though I knew
that I was certainly guilty of breaking
several of them, I did not know that
God says in James, Chapter 2, Verse 10
"For whosoever shall keep the whole
law, and yet offend in one point, he is
guilty of all."   Furthermore, I heard that
the penalty for breaking God's law was
eternity in Hell.

   The Bible says we will either spend
eternity in Heaven or in Hell.   There are
no other options.   So, when I was told
that Jesus Christ had died on the cross
to pay the penalty for my sin and
purchase a place for me in Heaven, I
said, "That is for me."   While I was
willing to say I believed in Jesus Christ,
I was not willing to follow Him or obey
His word.   I thought that all I had to do
was to say that I believed in Jesus and I
would go to Heaven.   I didn't know that
people who truly get saved change the
way they live.   Later, I found out how
wrong I was.   Believing at the time that
I had done what was required to get

into Heaven, I was baptized into the
church.   Unknowingly, I was still on my
way to Hell.   The Bible says we must
repent of our sin and trust Christ as our
personal Saviour to go to Heaven.
While I said I was trusting Jesus as my
Saviour, I knew in my heart that I had
no intention of letting Him change my
life.   I had refused to repent.   To repent
means to turn from living life your own
way, from living in sin.   It means you
begin living your life for God.   I had
done no more than give mental
agreement to historical facts.   The Bible
tells us in Second Corinthians, Chapter
5, Verse 17, "Therefore if any man be
in Christ, he is a new creature: old
things are passed away; behold, all
things are become new."   This was not
true in my life.   I went on drinking
alcohol, taking illegal drugs, swearing,
and viewing pornography.   Old things
had not passed away; nothing had
become new.

   I was married in 1982 to a Christian
girl named Debra.   We had two
daughters and we were living the so-
called "American dream".   We had a
nice home, two cars, all of the things
most people hope and dream for, but
still, my life seemed to be without
purpose.

   In 1991, my wife began taking our
children to church.   She knew that our
oldest was coming to the age where

she, too, would have to make a decision
to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as her
personal Saviour.   In a few years, her
sister would need to do the same.

   During this time, Satan did all he
could to retain the ownership of my
soul.   I was more opposed to God during
this time than at any other point in my
life.   The Bible teaches us that we are
either children of the Devil, on our way
to Hell, or we are children of God by
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, on our
way to Heaven.   There is no neutral
ground.   This is a difficult truth for most
people to accept.   One time during
Jesus' ministry, He was speaking to
some lost men and He told them in
John Chapter 8, Verse 44, "Ye are of
your father the devil, and the lusts of
your father ye will do."   (Note:
salvation, saved, and born again are
Biblical terms referring to the
forgiveness of sins by God and the
rescue of a person from the power
and penalty of that sin.   This is God's
requirement for everlasting life.   Lost
is a Bible term used to describe those
who have not turned to Christ as
their personal Saviour.)

   Occasionally, the children would ask
me to go to church with them.   But I had
no interest in the things of God.   I was
too busy enjoying myself.   There were
parties on Saturday night.   On Sunday,
there were football games to watch or

golf to play.   I had no time for God.
Then, one Sunday, I went to hear my
daughter, Gina, sing a special song at
church.   The preaching that morning
really stirred up my conscience about
my sinful life.   I came under great
conviction about my sin.   (Conviction
comes when the Spirit of God works
in a person's life through the
preaching of the word of God.)   I
began to hate the life I was living.   That
morning, I cried out to God to do
something.   I told Him I was tired of
living a life of sin.   I was tired of
drinking every day, tired of what the
drugs were doing to me.   I cried out for
help - never anticipating what God
would do next.

   About two weeks later, I got a phone
call from a detective with the county
government office where I worked.   He
told me the police were aware of my
drug usage.   They knew I was involved
with buying and selling drugs.   They
said it had to be dealt with or I would
lose my job.   I then recognized that God
had answered my prayer in a mighty
way.   I went home and called the
preacher of the church that my family
attended and told him what had
happened.   It was only then that I
humbled myself before God and
repented.   I turned from my sin and
trusted Jesus Christ as my personal
Saviour.   Not only did He save my soul
from Hell, but He also changed my life.

He removed the desires to drink, take
drugs, and otherwise rule my own life.

   What a joy I have now in my life,
living for the Lord Jesus Christ.   I now
understand who God is, and have a
relationship with Him as my Heavenly
Father.   Eternal salvation is far more
than just believing in God.   We must
recognize that we cannot be good
enough to earn Heaven on our own.
God tells us in the Bible, in Titus
Chapter 3, Verse 5 that it is God who
must give to us eternal life.   "Not by
works of righteousness which we have
done, but according to His mercy He
saved us..."   Repentance and faith in
Christ-- that is God's only means of
salvation.   Won't you consider trusting
Him today?

Jeff Allison is a my. to the
Czech Republic, sent by the authority
of Victory Baptist Church.   If you
would like to know more about the
Saviour who changed Jeff's life, you
may contact him by email at
JBAllison@victorybaptistmd.org.   You
may also call the church at 301.662.
5153 or visit the church website at
www.victorybaptistmd.org.   You are
welcome to attend services at Victory
Baptist Church, 6513 Himes Ave,
Frederick, MD 21703.