I was just reading the words of Charles Spurgeon as he described his conversion....and I thought back to my own....when I was ten years old in 1972. I was at a summer church camp where I was there because I had memorized prodigious amounts of Scripture at my church where the prize for learning all of that was a free week at Camp Spofford in New Hampshire.
It was the last night of my week at camp. We were gathered in the chilly pre-autumn mountain air with smell of pine trees pungent and delicious all around a blazing bonfire. There the guest speaker (I don't even remember who it was) but I recall his words: "Being born in a garage does not make you a car and being born in a Christian family does not make you a Christian." Suddenly I realized my plight. I'd been clinging to my mom and dad's coattails and assuming that I was "covered" when I realized that the darkness in my soul was my sin and I needed some way to be rid of it. I listened intently as the preacher spoke, telling us what the missing element was for those of us in my plight. I needed Jesus to save me. He was the only one who could--who was qualified to-- because of his perfect life and the death he died in my place. And the fact that he rose again and defeated Death itself...just like I one day would be raised by the power of God and would either face the punishment for my sins....or would be covered by the blood of Jesus and washed clean of those sins. And I right then had the power to decide which it would be.
I slipped my hand up as the Preacher offered to pray a prayer with those of us who wanted to be saved from those deadly sins.
Afterwards I was euphoric. There was a girl there who had sort of attached herself to me because I was the only one who didn't make fun of her. I told her of the enlightenment and of my salvation which transpired at the bonfire. She got all excited and broadcast the idea that I had "seen Jesus in the fire." I was furious at the idea that I had hallucinated the face of Christ in the flames and scolded her for her misrepresentation of my conversion.
The next day our car pulled into the lot at camp to pick me up and take me home....and I ran toward the car yelling "Mom! Dad! I accepted Jesus into my heart." I didn't get the excited response I had hoped for and even now 46 years later I don't know why that was. If it was me being told of daughter's salvation I would be ecstatic.
Here is a quote from the words of Spurgeon which prompted these recollections:
Amen and Amen.
It was the last night of my week at camp. We were gathered in the chilly pre-autumn mountain air with smell of pine trees pungent and delicious all around a blazing bonfire. There the guest speaker (I don't even remember who it was) but I recall his words: "Being born in a garage does not make you a car and being born in a Christian family does not make you a Christian." Suddenly I realized my plight. I'd been clinging to my mom and dad's coattails and assuming that I was "covered" when I realized that the darkness in my soul was my sin and I needed some way to be rid of it. I listened intently as the preacher spoke, telling us what the missing element was for those of us in my plight. I needed Jesus to save me. He was the only one who could--who was qualified to-- because of his perfect life and the death he died in my place. And the fact that he rose again and defeated Death itself...just like I one day would be raised by the power of God and would either face the punishment for my sins....or would be covered by the blood of Jesus and washed clean of those sins. And I right then had the power to decide which it would be.
I slipped my hand up as the Preacher offered to pray a prayer with those of us who wanted to be saved from those deadly sins.
Afterwards I was euphoric. There was a girl there who had sort of attached herself to me because I was the only one who didn't make fun of her. I told her of the enlightenment and of my salvation which transpired at the bonfire. She got all excited and broadcast the idea that I had "seen Jesus in the fire." I was furious at the idea that I had hallucinated the face of Christ in the flames and scolded her for her misrepresentation of my conversion.
The next day our car pulled into the lot at camp to pick me up and take me home....and I ran toward the car yelling "Mom! Dad! I accepted Jesus into my heart." I didn't get the excited response I had hoped for and even now 46 years later I don't know why that was. If it was me being told of daughter's salvation I would be ecstatic.
Here is a quote from the words of Spurgeon which prompted these recollections:
"Then, in a moment, I saw that God was at the bottom of it all, and that He was the Author of my faith, and so the whole doctrine of grace opened up to me, and from that doctrine I have not departed to this day, and I desire to make this my constant confession, “I ascribe my change wholly to God.”While God was the author of my salvation also, I cannot utter those grand words "I have not departed to this day" because, as many of you know, I DID depart and I went to hell and came back again. I reaped the consequences of my failure to remain true to the One who saved me. Fortunately my salvation was a "final sale" No returns. No refunds. God owns my soul and there is no darkness that can wrest it from his hands.
Amen and Amen.
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