Hello, my name is Paul Nadon and I am a sinner. However by the grace of God through the blood of Jesus Christ, I am saved. I have peace and joy in my heart because I know that Jesus died for me personally and I have eternal life. If I were to die tonight, I'd be with Him forever. Praise God!
In knowing Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior, accepting Him into my heart and committing to follow Him in all I do, I am assured that I will spend eternity in heaven with Him. Most certainly my human body will pass away, but my spirit will live forever as I have been born again through the blood of Jesus.
Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.'
John 3:6-7
You too can have the assurance of eternal salvation by accepting Jesus Christ into your heart.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
Please allow me to clarify further by sharing my testimony with you.
I was born December 30, 1956 in Chicago IL. I was baptized and raised Catholic. I attended a Catholic grade school for eight years, graduated and went on to a Catholic seminary for my first two years of high school. This was my first lengthy time away from home and after a brief adjustment period, I settled in and seminary life became fun and exciting. My grades were very good and I especially enjoyed algebra, geometry, science, music and of course religion. I made many new friends and became very active in sports, primarily track and cross-country. My first year of seminary life was great and I could not wait to return my second year following summer break.
In my second year, I began spending a lot of time reading the Bible. I found rather quickly however, that what I read in Scripture did not quite coincide with what I was learning about the Catholic faith. I began to question the Priests and Lay Brothers. Although I had many questions, four specific and fundamental areas of Catholic doctrine were in question.
Please Note! It is not my intent to put down the Catholic faith or offend Catholics in any way. I was born, baptized and raised Catholic, my entire family is Catholic and I have many close and very dear friends who are Catholic. I am a Born Again Christian of no particular denomination. I love all people regardless of their faith, creed or denomination. This testimony is merely a brief personal account of my life and how I came to know and accept our Lord Jesus Christ.
Holy Communion:
I was taught that you receive God into your life through the sacrament of Holy Communion. However, I could not find that specifically, anywhere in Scripture? The Bible says...
And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." Luke 22:19
…and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me. "In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me". 1 Corinthians 11:24-25
Praying to the virgin Mary and the Saints:
We prayed regularly to the virgin Mary and the dead saints to mediate on our behalf. I was taught this from a very early age. Yet I could not find this anywhere in Scripture either? The Bible says…
"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me" Exodus 20:2-5
For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. 1 Timothy 2:5
Purgatory:
A place where people (souls) go after death for temporary punishment of sins committed and therefore aren't quite good enough to make it into heaven. So you just hang around and wait in this purgatory "limbo" while masses are said, friends and family pray for your salvation and penance is done in all forms of work. In time, you are purged from sin, released from purgatory and permitted to go to heaven. Interestingly, neither the word or the concept of purgatory is found anywhere in Scripture. The Bible says….
Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6
I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this? John 11:25-26
Confession:
You would confess privately to a Priest for absolution of sins, who would then instruct you to pray a set amount of "Hail Mary's", "Our Father's", or pray the Rosary as penance for your sins and thereafter you were forgiven. Needless to say, I could not find that concept anywhere in Scripture either? The Bible says...
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Romans 10:10
After having numerous debates and arguments with various Priests and Lay Brothers throughout that school year, I left the seminary for good and transferred to a public high school. When I left the seminary I subsequently fell away from the Catholic faith. And, since being taught over many years that the Catholic faith was the only "true religion" and all other faiths were false, I broke away believing that I was on my own.
The next 22 years went on to be a life without God. A life full of drugs, alcohol, stealing, lies, fighting, violence, bars, night clubs, taverns, pubs, strip clubs, sex, pornography, pornographic magazines and video's, two marriages, two divorces.... the list goes on and on! Living in a world without God in my life, was a life filled with 22 years of sin! I was surely lost!
Although living a life of sin for so many years, God never gave up on me. He was there with me, every step of the way. Only I didn't know it. I never opened my eyes to see Him. I never opened my ears to hear Him calling. I had a hardened heart and chose to live my life, my way. Then, after digging myself deeper and deeper, I remember crying one night and asking God "Why?" and finally asked Him to help me.
Shortly thereafter while at work in Chicago, I was offered a job transfer to California. Being sick and tired of my life at that point in time, I quickly accepted. I remember thinking..."a change might be good". Three days later, everything I owned was packed, loaded into a truck and with my car in tow, I set out for California. I had no idea what to expect, but only believed the change would be good.
I arrived at my destination in Pittsburg, California on November 10th 1993. I quickly found an apartment and got settled in. About a week later I reported to work at my new job. During my first day on the job I met a wonderful new friend, Howard. We later went out for lunch and after some conversation I learned that Howard was a Born Again Christian. We briefly exchanged life stories and returned to work. Over the course of the next few weeks Howard and I met and talked often about our lives. We frequently discussed Christianity and what it all meant. I was still very skeptical and had many questions. A couple weeks before Christmas, Howard invited me to attend church with him and his family. I accepted the invitation.
The following Sunday, I met Howard and his family at Golden Hills Community Church. I had never seen or been to a church anything like Golden Hills. I had never heard God speak to me before as He did that day through the Pastor. After that day I continued attending Sunday services on my own for the next several weeks.
On Sunday, February 6th, 1994 God said to me..."It is time!" and Jesus stretched out His spike scarred hand and said..."My son, come follow Me!" So I took His hand, accepted Him into my heart and 37 years of sin were instantly washed away. Praise God! Thank You Jesus!
Today, I am a Christian. I have committed myself to serve Him for the rest of my natural life and all eternity. I am a sinner! But I am saved through the blood of Jesus Christ. You too can have the assurance of eternal salvation by accepting Jesus into your heart.
The invitation to accept Jesus' offer of forgiveness is the most important consideration you will ever make.
Your eternal destiny hangs on that choice!
Jesus' death on the cross, His burial, and resurrection is our guarantee of complete forgiveness if we will turn to Him and accept His gracious offer.
Pray something like this from the sincerity of your heart.
Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I believe you died on the cross for my sins, was buried, and rose from the grave. I believe you are alive today, and invite you to live in me. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and life to you. I pledge to follow you wherever you lead. I receive you as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank you for the gift of eternal life through your blood on the cross. Thank you Lord Jesus for saving me. Amen!
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
If you have done these things and prayed this prayer or something similar from your heart, you are now Born Again. Praise God! Now, it is very important that you share your commitment with fellow Christians. Talk with a pastor and discuss how you can grow in your new spiritual life. The best advice I can give you right now is to stay in the Word, pray often and seek Christian fellowship. I personally invite you to contact me anytime. May God Bless you always.
Your Brother in Christ,
Paul <><