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    “My first true encounter with the One who is now my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, was in 1967. Up to that time I couldn’t care less about spiritual things. I was Christened as an infant, had church membership, kept a few traditions and rituals, but the only thing Jesus Christ meant to me was a curse word that I used over and over in vain. The mere mention of His Name other than a swear word would turn me completely off. At that time if anyone had told me I was not a Christian (what the Bible calls a Christian and not man) I probably would have belted them one. I understand now that I had religion but no salvation. I had NO DESIRE to know God in a personal way and was what the Bible calls physically alive but spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1).

   It all started in a National Guard truck when a friend of mine named Don Smith, who was a former alcoholic and became a Born Again Christian, started talking to me about man’s desperate need for Christ. All I wanted to do was talk about the Red Sox and cars, and all he would talk about was Jesus Christ. I remember telling him that he was a bit too much and shouldn’t be so narrow-minded. I thought he had gone off the deep end and I didn’t pay too much attention to him. However, Don was very persistent and showed me from the Word of God, the Bible, that no matter how religious you are, if you are not Born Again (John 3:3 & 16) you will NEVER SEE GOD. He showed me that every single human being is born once with corruptible seed (I Peter 1:23), and that’s why we are ALL under the penalty of death. A person has to be born twice (born from above – of God) if they are to enter God’s presence. He explained that to be Born Again we must first realize that we are ALL under God’s condemnation (Romans 3:23) and our ONLY HOPE is to receive Jesus Christ as our own Lord and Savior. He ALONE paid the supreme penalty on the Cross of Calvary to atone for our sins; not the Church, not Mary, not dead saints, not tradition, not rituals or any other form of man-made religion. Over the centuries man has developed many ways to God, but God still has ONLY ONE WAY. Jesus said in John 14:6…’’I am the way, the truth and the life – NO MAN comes to God except through me.’ And in Acts 4:12 it says that; ‘there is salvation in no other name (Christ) given to mankind where a person can be saved.’ It also says in the Bible that, ‘there is a way that seems right to man but the end leads to death” (Proverbs 14:12).

   For about 3 years I ignored Don until 1970 when my mother died of cancer and I couldn’t handle it very well. I went to see Don again and he was married by then. Again, he told me that if I wouldn’t give my life to Jesus Christ I would be separated from God forever. That really scared me and it finally sank in that all my so-called religious duties would never save my soul and that I desperately needed to receive Christ. I now realize that it is a terrifying thing that people are leaving this world every day through death and going off into eternity depending on church membership, rituals and man-made traditions and without ever personally receiving Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. It is a plain fact that the average church member doesn’t have the slightest idea what it means to be saved from their sins by trusting in Christ and in Him alone for salvation.

   On September 2, 1970, with the help of Don Smith and another Christian, I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior at a Christian bookstore in Reading, Massachusetts. I was then told that next to receiving Christ, the most important thing is to get into a church where people know and love Jesus Christ, where they bring their Bibles to church and the Word of God is faithfully taught there. The Bible can be hard to understand even when you have been Born Again and have the Spirit of Christ in you, and that’s why I now know how important it is to get under a good teacher who faithfully explains every verse. The Lord led me to a good church where the Gospel was being preached. I have been a member since then, and I am so grateful to HIM.

   In 1985, after years of prayer, the Lord led me to Cathy who is now my wife. Cathy was devoutly religious, but not a Christian. She would say her rosary to Mary on a regular basis, but I showed her, from the Bible, that this is unscriptural and heresy against God who sent His only Son to be the only Mediator (I Timothy 2:5 & John 3:16). I showed Cathy that many churches are nothing but religious social clubs and do not teach the Word of God. They do not teach it because they do not have the Holy Spirit themselves (which comes only through the born-again experience).

   Within a few months Cathy gave her life to Christ. She is now on fire for the Lord and so grateful that she has come to salvation – from total spiritual darkness to the true light, Jesus Christ.

   The Lord blessed us with only one girl (now 16) whom we love. We pray for her every day so that she will come to know Christ. Every person has his or her own will and this cannot be forced on her, so she must make that decision herself. However, she is a fortunate girl to grow up with parents and a church that teaches the Gospel of Christ.

   My dear friend, if my testimony offends you, please remember that I was also offended years ago and was on the edge of being eternally lost from God, but through His mercy and grace He saved me. You may have no religion or you may have religion coming out of your ears. Religion cannot save your soul, nor can your goodness and good deeds. I plead with you to give your life to Christ NOW. You were made in the image of God and have a never-dying, eternal soul that’s going to exist forever, somewhere. If you reject Jesus Christ you are rejecting God’s only plan of eternal salvation given to mankind. Whether you like it or not, you have an appointment to keep with your greatest enemy, death, because the Bible says, ‘it is appointed unto man once to die and then to judgment.’

   I close with this scripture: ‘Our life is but a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away’ (James 4:14). May God give you the desire to make life’s most important crucial decision.”

   The Biblical Plan of Salvation can be found in at the "ALL ABOARD" link.  For more information or prayerful assistance, write to George at FSM;  or contact the Railroad Evangelistic Association.

   Eternal life is God’s free gift to you. It was purchased through the shed blood of Jesus Christ who died, was buried, but rose again to GIVE you everlasting life. We ask you, please accept this gift!