SEARCHING
ALL THE WRONG DOCTRINES
(The
Stephen Merritt Story)
By: Stephen Merritt
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man
cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6)
'Going to church doesn't make a man a Christian, any more than going to
a garage makes him an automobile.'' Billy Sunday
Greetings
to you all.' It is my fervent hope that
you might find this testimony of interest and that it might encourage you to
seek out Jesus Christ as your personal savior.'
I chose the quotes above to illustrate two important facts ' namely that
salvation is only through Christ Jesus and that merely attending church or
simply agreeing with the basic truths of the Gospel does not make one a
Christian.'
A
Christian has accepted Jesus as his personal Savior.' Okay I know that, but what does this really mean?' This question has occupied my mind and
driven me from one doctrine to another in search of an answer.' I would like to share my testimony of this
journey with you in the hopes that you might find an answer for yourself.
I
was raised as an Episcopalian in a family that while recognizing the value of
the church in our lives did not speak about it much.' As a child I was drawn to religion and church, but as time
progressed I fell away.' When my parents
were divorced, my mother (with whom I lived) quit attending church ' and so did
I.' This was early in my teens and
gradually I decided that church was okay for some but it wasn't essential.' When I was older, I would get religion, I
thought to myself.
Without
a relationship with God I was left to my own devices ' and brother did I put
myself through a lot of hell!' I was not
very outgoing and had few friends.' I
became something of a chameleon ' I would change my opinions, likes and
dislikes to match whomever was my best friend at the time.' I was afraid that if I believed anything
differently, they wouldn't be my friend any longer.
During
high school I got involved with drugs and began a lifelong battle with
depression.' College made things
worse.' The friends I had were actively
hostile to religion (although they would admit their main problem was with
organized religion).' My problems
worsened: heavy drug use, too much partying, a string of carnal, broken
relationships and even a growing struggle with pornography.
I
also wandered in occult and new age thought and came to the conclusion that
while a spiritual life was beneficial I didn't have time for it right now and
that when I did what was important was to find that truth or tradition that
resonated with me.' In other words, if
it felt right, then it was the truth
for me.
After
college, I began my long struggle with Christianity.' A good friend found Jesus through the Boston Church of Christ
(aka the International Church of Christ) and began witnessing to me in the only
manner that would get through to me ' his life was transformed and he had such
joy!
While I wanted what he had I didn't want to give up so much.' Instead of repenting, I began to search for
the form of Christianity that suited me best.'
Another Christian friend did some heavy witnessing to me as well, but
nothing took much.' I even attended a
service at the local International Church of Christ but was so put off by it
that I never returned.
My
struggle with depression and sexual sin deepened until my life was miserable.' I was alone, utterly and completely.
Then
the Lord brought the woman into my life who would become my wife and start me
truly on the road to salvation.' When we
met, Cynthia was at the end of a bitter and of a terrible marriage.' He was an atheist, a heavy drug user,
psychologically and physically abusive man.'
She wasn't even allowed to go to church.' To make things worse, he was also an adulterer.' Cynthia had warned him years before that
when their children were grown she would leave him if he hadn't changed his
ways.
He
never did and they were divorced.' I'll
never forget that time.' It was ugly and
he wanted to hurt Cynthia as much as possible while he still could.' The marriage was so obviously broken that
even her own children urged her to leave their father.' I wish I could say that we waited until she
was divorced but we did not.' Cynthia
had long since severed any emotional ties to him and we became first fast friends
and then fell in love.
What
amazed me then and still does is how firm is her faith in God and her personal
relationship with Jesus.' She never
pushed me but simply made it clear that she wanted me to become a Christian
someday.' What finally got me was
watching 'the Last Temptation of Christ.'' This film IS blasphemous ' I readily grant that now.' At the time though what got through to me
was that Jesus was a REAL person.' 'I
wish I'd known Him,' I can remember telling Cynthia.' She told me I could, and the next day we were in church together.
Cynthia
was raised amongst Mennonites and is a very committed, fundamental
Christian.'' We found a local Mennonite
church that was our church home for the next year or so.
That
church saved our marriage.' My addiction
to pornography and the like nearly broke it.'
Depression and rage all but consumed me.' The pastors (a husband/wife team) gave us what they called Agape
Counseling ' essentially you confess your sins to the Lord in prayer.
Great!' Now I'm free, I thought' maybe.' But they made it clear this would be an
ongoing struggle with sin.' Not a
cheerful thought.
Then
they began urging Cynthia and I to pray for the gift of tongues ' to receive
the baptism of the Holy Spirit.' I was
put off and confused, and my wife was outraged to hear so-called Mennonites
teaching this.
We
left that church and haven't regularly attended until recently.' I drifted from church to church, religion to
religion.' Each time, I KNEW I'd found
the truth, only to drift away when I changed my mind about what I
believed.' I went from Buddhism, to
Hinduism, to Judaism and back again.
At
one point I even became involved in an online Wiccan group.' I also had an online affair with one of the
members.' What came of this is another
near break to our marriage.' Cynthia
stayed with me, she said, because she knew Jesus wanted her to be there for
me.'
We
stayed together.' It has been hard at
times but I promised God that I would follow His lead from that point on no
matter how painful.' Sadly, what
happened instead is I drifted from denomination to denomination in search of
God's church.' Nothing seemed right and
yet everything sounded right!' How could
this be?' Everyone cannot be right can
they?' I tried to read the Bible but I
seemed to find support for every position in there ' it was essentially
nonsense to me.
A couple
of years ago I was sure that Islam was the truth. I even went so far as to say
the shahada (makes you a Muslim) but then never followed-through.' Once again I'd been betrayed by following my
heart, my feelings to find the truth.' I
prayed to God for forgiveness and guidance and knew the answer was in Jesus ' a
personal relationship with Him.
The
last few years have seen me visiting (and each time joining, never to return)
countless churches: Pentecostal, Apostolic, Roman Catholic, Nazarene, Primitive
Baptist and lastly Russian orthodox.
What
stopped me?' One day it simply occurred
to me that it couldn't be this complicated.'
After all: God is not the author
of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. (1Co 14:33)
I
decided to give the independent fundamental Baptist church another try and
began reading online.' First I came to
understand and then to accept the King James Only arguments.' Then I stumbled across a superb website that
I heartily recommend you visit as soon as possible: http://www.johnnythebaptist.org/'
This
man's testimony inspired me!' Another
clue that I was on the right track is that the passionate love my wife and I
felt when we were still a young couple has been rekindled by our decision to
find a church home ' together.' We kiss
again ' we snuggle again ' we touch each other more often.' Little things, maybe, but they have meant
more to me than words can express.'
God
put this wonderful woman into my life to be my partner, friend, wife and
lover.' She means more to me than any
other person on earth.' Most importantly
she introduced me to Jesus, whom I love above all.
My
wife and I found our church home Easter Sunday at Nolensville Road Baptist
Church (Pastor Denny Patterson).' The
pastor preached, among other things, on how salvation cannot be just mental ...
that you cannot just agree with the Gospel but have to enter into a personal
relationship with Christ.
That
triggered something in me and later I realized what it was ... that my whole
life I've been trying to have God and Salvation on MY terms. That I'd been
unwilling to surrender my life completely.
At the invitation I went forward and a gentleman took me aside and showed me the Roman Road to Salvation.' I accepted Christ as my Savior in a very personal way and have felt a blessed peace ever since.' Gone are the doubts.' Gone is the tendency to have a complete doctrinal reversal the next morning.
I
love our new church family and they welcomed us with open arms.' While I was away studying, my wife visited
(she IS definitely saved) and the women showered her with love and
welcomes.' When I rejoined Cynthia, she
was positively beaming.' It was so good
to see her so happy and as we drove to Waffle House to celebrate we both
commented we felt as if we'd known these good folks for years.
As
I write this, I am at peace.' My sins
are forgiven and I am made anew.
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2Co 5:17)
Paul
is telling you to forget the past.'
Dwelling on the past will only poison your mind and open you to attacks
of the devil.' And besides, you continue
to dwell in the past, then eventually you will return there again and again.
So
what does it mean to have a personal relationship with Jesus?' It means to surrender wholly and completely
to Him and His Word.' It means to trust
on Him for everything and in all facets of your life.' Does this mean you will not sin?'
Of course not.
For all have sinned, and
come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)
And:
If we confess our sins, he
is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. (1 John 1:8-9)
Jesus
died for you and for me.'
He
is the perfect sacrifice.' Neither by the blood of goats and calves,
but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained
eternal redemption for us. (Hebrews 9:12)
His shed blood will wash away your sins.'
For this is my
blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
(Matthew 26:28)
Remember God knows the sins you have committed as well as those you have not yet committed.' Salvation is a free gift ' no strings attached.' All you have to do is ask.'
Ask
friend ' please.' Repent your sins '
confess and ask Jesus to be your personal savior.' Ask TODAY!
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
Thank you and God bless you for taking the time to read my testimony. If what I have shared with you has touched you in some way and you would like to contact me, I can be reached by email at this address: scmerritt@mindspring.com.
--Stephen Merritt
PLEASE HELP SHARE THE BEST NEWS GOD HAS FOR EVERY PERSON!
"And this gospel of the
kingdom [Jesus
died for sinners] shall be preached in all the world for a witness
unto all nations; and then shall the end come."
(Quote from Jesus Himself: Matthew 24:14).
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JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT! JESUS DID IT!
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Dear Reader - are you at peace with God? If not, you can be. Do you know what awaits you when you die? You can have the assurance from God that heaven will be your home, if you would like to be certain. Either Jesus Christ died for your sins, or He didn't (He did!). Are you prepared to stand before God on the Judgment Day and tell Him that you didn't need the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the Cross to have your sins forgiven and get in right-standing with God? We plead with you ... please don't make such a tragic mistake.
To get to know God; to be at peace with God; to have your sins forgiven; to make certain heaven will be your home for eternity; to make certain that you are in right-standing with God right now ... please click here to help understand the importance of being reconciled to God. What you do about being reconciled to God will determine where you will spend eternity, precious one. Your decision to be reconciled to God is the most important decision you'll ever make in this life.
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