The Way I Became a Real Christian

The Way I Became a Real Christian

Rini in Jember, East Java

I was raised in a devout Christian home that taught our church’s doctrines. The majority of my neighborhood was not Christian. They smoked and drank. I hung out with them often, but I didn’t follow their actions. I felt like this barrier limited me.

This experience made me even more fanatic about my church’s doctrine. I considered it the most righteous and holy. I went to church all the time because I felt guilty. I felt like I had to go to church. As a result I was quiet and depressed. I was afraid of death because I didn’t have assurance of eternal salvation.

How Can I Be Sure of Heaven When I Die?

One day during a work break I went home. My friend’s brother asked my mother, “Do you believe in Jesus? Do you know you will go to heaven when you die?”

Hearing that I was confused, and I became restless. I wondered to myself if others who were Christians and went to church were also unsure if they would go to heaven or not. I continued to think about this as we talked with my brother and my friend’s brother. After he explained the Gospel from John 3:16, “whoever believes in Him (Jesus)…will have eternal life,” I understood that I had not accepted Jesus as my Savior.

I Accept Jesus as my Savior

At the co-op I had the job of collector (billing section) and I was often at odds with customers who did not pay their debts. This scared me, and I was afraid that a customer would go crazy and kill me.

I wasn’t sure of my eternal salvation. One day I was at home, and was thinking about that. While riding my motorbike, I cried and asked God to forgive me for the hardness of my heart. My soul felt broken, and right then I invited Jesus into my heart to be my personal Savior.

No miraculous signs happened then. But I experienced peace beyond reason in my heart. Before my life was full of anxiety and fear, but now I was certain that I was saved and Jesus lived in me.