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Thread: My personal conversion from Protestant to Eastern Orthodox Catholic

  1. #31
    Quote Originally Posted by lilymc View Post
    I don't want to get into a religion debate, but I kind of had the opposite experience as Terry. My mom raised my sisters and I Catholic, but that caused me to be an unbeliever. All I saw was religion, people going through the motions on Sundays but then acting like everyone else the rest of the week. Even as a child I intuitively knew that there was something missing, or off. No one even told me about salvation or my need to be born again. I didn't see any transformed lives or anything that would inspire me to seek God. So I rejected it all, unfortunately throwing out the baby with the bathwater.

    I'm very thankful that God pursued me and (years later) opened my eyes, which was the biggest turning point of my life. And 4 years after I became a Christian my younger sister also became a born-again Christian. We both go to nondenominational churches, but more importantly it's about following Jesus... it's a daily thing, that involves full surrender, not just going to church on Sundays.

    PS: I miss Kevin.
    Both you and Kevin bring up Roman Catholicism in a thread on Eastern Orthodoxy. That's like bringing up Mormonism when discussing Calvinism.
    ...



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  3. #32
    Quote Originally Posted by RJB View Post
    Both you and Kevin bring up Roman Catholicism in a thread on Eastern Orthodoxy. That's like bringing up Mormonism when discussing Calvinism.
    I just meant that I converted away from a non-protestant church, and she did the opposite. I didn't mean to imply that they were the same… Although there are many similarities.
    “I have no doubt that it is a part of the destiny of the human race, in its gradual improvement, to leave off eating animals, as surely as the savage tribes have left off eating each other.”

    ― Henry David Thoreau



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  5. #33
    Quote Originally Posted by lilymc View Post
    I just meant that I converted away from a non-protestant church, and she did the opposite. I didn't mean to imply that they were the same… Although there are many similarities.
    As there are similarities between Baptists, Roman Catholics, Non-denominationals...
    ...

  6. #34
    Quote Originally Posted by Terry1 View Post
    During the course and history of my journey in faith has led me to believe more often than not--that I was wrong more often than not. This is not a pleasant experience, but if you pray for truth above all and the mind of Christ--you will welcome rebuke and correction as I have done.

    First please allow me to say that this is *my personal journey in faith and calling*--this may not be yours as we are all called to different ministries and purposes within the body of Christ and the Lord leads His children where they are needed most or where He wants them to be for His own reasons. So please do not assume that what God has done in my life is what He wants you to do in your life as well. At least try to keep an open mind while reading this and let the Spirit speak to whomever He will with regard to those convictions and truths that set us all free from the lies and deceptions of false doctrines. We are all members of the body of Christ given different functions as arms, legs, feet, mouths and hands are to a physical body as well. God scatters His treasures, truths and people for a good reason.

    I am 59 years old now, but my journey in faith and belief in Christ began when the Lord found me broken, in pain and hurting at the age of 26 years old when I cried out these words to Him--"God if you're there and you can hear me--please help me". My, how time flies as I look back upon those days that seem like yesterday.

    Before that day when I cried out to the Lord, I could not read and understand the word of God. It was as if I was trying to translate a foreign language without understanding it. This too made me realize why God will not reveal the mysteries to those who have not sought Him out with a whole sincere heart and mind. But I always carried that Bible with me for some strange reason thinking and knowing in my mind that there was something there that was good because the person that gave me that Bible was a man of God who I came to trust knowing he cared about me when so many others didn't. It not just a part of God, but also a part of him I carried with me always. I do not know what happened to him to this day, but I remember him and hope to meet him again in heaven some day.

    I opened that Bible that very day because after I cried out to God that very day, and as God as my true witness here--I felt physical arms wrapping themselves around me as I was curled up in pain, but there was only me alone--so I thought. Now I realize it was my guardian angel or the Lord Jesus Himself, but someone was comforting me and I could physically feel the love like I'd never felt love before and didn't know what it was until that day.

    Over the course of the years I was led to many-many churches and saw people who loved the Lord in every single one of them. I can name the churches I was led to and attended services in all of them. Roman Catholic, Seventh Day Advent, Methodist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Baptist, Christian Science, Assembly of God, Evangelical Covenant (universalist church) and some non-denominational churches as well. There's almost too many to mention as you can see. And while some of you might be saying to yourselves while reading this "oh no--she didn't go there"-- I can tell you that yes I did go there! lol

    I was actually baptized in some of these churches as well. I listened to all of their sermons and liturgies. I saw people who cried for their love of the Lord in them too. I began to question God asking Him--"why Lord--why are there so many people believing such diverse doctrines and all in your name and which are right--which doctrine is yours and true?"

    In some of these churches I experienced miracles and wonders and saw the Spirit of the Lord there as well. Just one experience is where the Holy Spirit was asking me to say something that I refused to say until I felt someone push me in my back and almost fell out of my seat. I looked behind me and there was a very quiet little old lady sitting there holding her bible, so I knew it wasn't her--it was an angel pushing me to say what needed to be said to another woman who was thinking of leaving of her husband that very night. I didn't know who that message was for, but that I was being spiritually told to stand up and say it. For fear of making a fool of myself--I almost didn't stand up--but me being who I am, did stand up and say it. Then all of the sudden a woman who came with a group of singers--they all stood up and stared at me and started praising the Lord with tears. I had no idea what was happening until they told me that they had prayed for an answer that very night before the camp meeting began because she was going to leave her husband because of his drinking problem. The Lord through me told her to stay with her husband and that He'd heard their prayers and was answering them.

    Now this is how the Spirit of the Lord works through us. This is our fruit of the spirit. Why I was led to so many churches I can only look back now and see the answer. Because I had prayed a prayer to God asking Him to show me His truth and not to let me be blown about by every wind of doctrine. Well--God had to reveal those to me before I could understand that--yes His sheep do know His voice and that we are in many places and churches for His reasons. God didn't want me to remain in any one of those places, but kept moving me to another and then another and with the same message everywhere I went, despite many in those places who were being taught other things by men and women unseasoned in the Spirit of the Lord. Many times I have stood up being prompted by the Spirit of the Lord just the same as I did in that little Baptist church all those years ago.

    I began to see that there is a problem in many of the Protestant churches and Catholic churches as well. We won't single out the Protestants here either. Although Gods children reside amongst the congregations in many of the churches--God knowing the hearts of those who truly belong to Him--that the Lords Gospel saving message of Christ has been perverted in many of them robbing His children of the fullness in that very saving Gospel message of Christ. I saw this as a very serious problem in almost every single Protestant church that I attended.

    Although I was very anti-Catholic at one point in my journey--not understanding in full knowledge and discerning all that I needed to Spiritually--I came to see a pattern emerging through my discussions on faith, salvation, grace, predestination and eternal security. That what the Spirit of the Lord had revealed to me as the saving Gospel message of Christ--(church traditions aside from that)--that I was in agreement with the Catholics more often than not! Now, I had to really scratch my enchilada head and wonder why what I always thought was wrong--turned out to be that the Catholics actually had the Gospel saving message of Christ right! Oh NO! Lord--what's happening here? LOL How could I have not seen this before?

    But then I had another hurdle to overcome. I didn't understand or have the Biblical knowledge of some of the Catholic traditions and practices that I most definitely did not agree with coming out of the Protestant churches. Yes--to some degree--I had allowed myself to become the very thing I was trying to avoid--that was being indoctrinated in the Protestant churches and into something I never thought was possible. The Lord revealed to me the difference through prayer and study of His word. What was of Him and what wasn't. If you seek in prayer--you will be shown.

    Now--here comes the part where we should always keep an open mind in Christ and never toss the baby out with the bathwater. We are called to study the word in prayer while seeking His truth in the Spirit of the Lord. If we do this--you will be rewarded with truth and have that blessed assurance to go along with it.

    Aside from whatever traditions and practices any church has adopted through the millennia or centuries--there is a right way to believe. There is a core Gospel message that has been preserved, despite any traditions that seem to take away from that, but they don't. The traditions and practices are aside from the Gospel saving message of Christ--it's that message that makes all of the difference in the life of a believer. Let me also say this--our Christian traditions are not those that Paul talks about that make void the word of God--it's the Jewish traditions of the OT that do. St. Paul tells us to hold fast to our Christian traditions and this is something many Christians confuse because they're not on the meat of the word and have not come to full understanding spiritually as I once was myself. But in all humility--I will also say this--I am still growing and learning in faith every single day and this is something that takes many of us years to build upon. Spiritual character is not built over night at the point of confession--this is where we are born in Christ as babes and begin to grow.

    I have grown in Christ and in His word thanks to the obedient brothers and sisters I have been blessed to have been witnessed to by them and at the same time, I also know that God is using me to do the same with them regarding certain spiritual matters as well. This is how it works to bring believers together in the fullness of the Gospel saving message of Christ. This is what matters--this is the message that saves the lost, witnesses to the hurting and those who need to know that there is hope and salvation in the Gospel of Christ. This is central--the church should always revolve around this message and Christ should always be the central part of the church.

    For these reasons which I have mentioned--I have been led to the Eastern Orthodox faith. Because at this point and time in my journey in faith I am seeing for the very first time the Gospel message that has been preserved in this ancient church. So much so that it has drawn me in for Gods own reasons I am sure. This may not be your path. This may not even resonate as true to you, but it may to someone else. Your relationship with Christ is your personal business and you are responsible for choosing what God is leading you to and to spiritually hear and see what it is that He wants you to do and be as this is the calling in our lives and it's a personal thing--an individual thing between you and our Lord.

    May the Lord use this testimony as He sees fit. I was led to write this and take this time to share this with you.

    Peace in Christ

    Hi, great post. I am a protestant and just wanted to know what the orthodox church teaches on salvation/justification. thanks.

  7. #35
    Quote Originally Posted by 1stvermont View Post
    Hi, great post. I am a protestant and just wanted to know what the orthodox church teaches on salvation/justification. thanks.
    What do believe about justification?

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