DAVE'S IMPACT ON MY LIFE

THIS IS MY STORY: I WAS RAISED A ROMAN CATHOLIC. BUT BY THE TIME I REACHED HIGH SCHOOL, I HAD ALREADY DECIDED THAT ROMAN CATHOLICISM MADE ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE TO ME AND SO, I REJECTED THE CONCEPT OF GOD AND BECAME AN ATHEIST. LATER, WHEN I WAS 19 YEARS OLD, I HEARD THE GOSPEL FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE AND IMMEDIATELY AFTER HEARING THE GOSPEL, I RECEIVED JESUS AS MY LORD AND SAVIOR. BUT AT THAT POINT, I WAS STILL LIVING LIKE "AN ATHEIST" I DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE BIBLE I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW ANOTHER CHRISTIAN. ALL I KNEW AT THIS POINT WAS THAT I WAS DEFINITELY A "SINNER" AND THAT JESUS DIED FOR MY SINS. I THEN DECIDED THAT I NEEDED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT GOD AND SO, I WENT BACK TO THE ONLY PLACE I KNEW WHICH WAS THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. I LISTENED CAREFULLY TO WHAT THE PRIEST HAD TO SAY IN THE MASS AND EVEN WENT TO ADULT "BIBLE" STUDIES. BUT THE PRIESTS WERE SAYING THINGS LIKE "GOD COULD HAVE USED EVOLUTION TO CREATE MAN" THEY WERE ALSO ENOURAGING PEOPLE TO PRACTICE EASTERN MEDITATION AND TAKE SILVA MIND CONTROL CLASSES TO HELP THEM GET CLOSER TO GOD. I DIDN'T GET ANYTHING OUT OF ALL THIS AND SO, FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE I BEGAN TO READ THE BIBLE FOR MYSELF AND ONE DAY I TOLD MY WIFE THAT WE NEEDED TO LEAVE THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. WHAT WE WERE LOOKING FOR JUST WASN'T THERE AND SO, WE LEFT TO VISIT VARIOUS "PROTESTANT" CHURCHES. UNFORTUNATELY FOR US ALL OF THE CHURCHES WE VISITED WERE EITHER DEAD OR CHARISMATIC. THERE WAS VERY LITTLE BIBLE TEACHING WHICH SUPRISED ME BECAUSE, UNLIKE THE CATHOLIC CHURCH THEY HAD BIBLES IN THEIR CHURCHES BUT THEY DIDN'T OPEN THEM. INSTEAD, THE DEAD CHURCH'S RELIED ON THEIR CHURCH TRADITIONS WHILE THE CHARISMATIC CHURCHES RELIED ON HYPING THE PEOPLE UP, THIS WAS BACK IN 1981. MY WIFE AND I WERE BOTH NEW CHRISTIANS AND WERE HUNGRY TO KNOW ABOUT GOD BUT SOMETHING JUST DIDN'T SEEM RIGHT ABOUT MANY OF THE TEACHINGS THAT I WAS HEARING IN CHURCH AND ON THE RADIO DURING THAT TIME. I HAD BOUGHT MANY BOOKS BY THE "FAITH TEACHERS" THE "KINGDOM NOW" TEACHERS AND THE "CHRISTIAN PSYCHOLOGIST" BUT INSIDE, I HAD A PROBLEM WITH MANY OF THESE TEACHINGS. I PRIVATELY ASKED VARIOUS PASTORS TO TELL ME IF THESE "TEACHINGS" WERE OKAY AND THEY SAID THINGS LIKE JUST "WELL, SPIT OUT THE BONES AND EAT THE MEAT" AND "DONT THROW THE BABY OUT WITH THE BATH WATER" WHICH LEFT MY WIFE AND I EVEN MORE CONFUSED. I TRIED GOING TO CHRISTIAN BOOKSTORES FOR HELP BUT AT THE TIME, THERE WAS NO INFORMATION TO BE FOUND CRITIQUING THESE VARIOUS TEACHINGS. WHILE ATTENDING A "VINEYARD CHURCH" I WAS TOLD THAT I WAS THE ONE WITH THE PROBLEM AND SO, I PRAYED "GOD IF THESE THINGS ARE REALLY TRUE, THEN PLEASE LET ME BELIEVE THEM" AND THANK GOD, A SHORT TIME LATER ONE OF THE PEOPLE WHO KNEW MY FRUSTRATION MOVED TO CALIFORNIA AND SENT ME DAVE'S BOOK "THE SEDUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY" AND THAT BOOK, CHANGED MY LIFE. AT LAST MY SUSPICIONS WERE CONFIRMED. IT WAS THROUGH DAVE'S WRITINGS THAT I LEARNED TO BE A BEREAN AND SEARCH FOR THE TRUTH AND OVER THE YEARS I HAVE ALWAYS LOOKED FOWARD TO DAVE'S NEWEST BOOK. I LOVE HIS LOGICAL APPROACH IN EXPLAINING THE SCRIPTURES. I ESPECIALLY LOVED THE WAY HE TAUGHT FROM A PROPHETICAL VIEWPOINT ON THE NATION OF ISRAEL. IT WAS ALSO THROUGH DAVE, THAT I WAS INTRODUCED TO THE WRITINGS OF ANDREW MURRAY, WILLIAM LAW, AND A.W. TOZER. I WAS BLESSED TO HAVE MET DAVE SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE YEARS AND WAS ESPECIALLY TOUCHED BY THE WAY THAT HE WOULD ALWAYS PUT HIMSELF OUT TO PATIENTLY ANSWER PEOPLE'S QUESTIONS WHENEVER SOMEONE WOULD APPROACH HIM AT A CONFERENCE. HE TRULY DEMONSTRATED TO ME A CHRIST LIKE SPIRIT. WELL, IT'S NOW 32 YEARS AFTER I FIRST READ "THE SEDUCTION OF CHRISTIANITY" AND TODAY, I AM A CALVARY CHAPEL PASTOR IN NEW JERSEY WHO HAS BEEN BLESSED TO BE ABLE TO PASS ON WHAT DAVE HAS TAUGHT ME ABOUT "BEING A BEREAN" IN CHRIST LOVE, WALTER