My Departure from the Control of being a Culture Christian

 

 

 

My Departure from the Control

 of being a Culture Christian

 

My story began at 13 years of age walking an aisle in a small Baptist Church, sitting by all my friends, when a guy asked me a question:  Bobby do you want to be a Christian?  How that was a good question, but it came with a problem, I thought the whole Church heard him.  So in my embarrassment, I walked down and said I what to be a Christian.  And that day I was welcomed into the Baptist faith, and not one iota changed in my life.

 

Going forward to age 23, married a beautiful young very smart, and more mature lady, who also had her identity as a Baptist.  At age 24, I got a job with the 3M Company in sales, in what was known as the Business Products Division.  It was the first time I knew someone had a plan for my life.  The reason was I did not meet the requirement to work at 3M, it required a college degree, and I had only two years of college.  After 10 interviews they hired me, but only after I told the man you give me the job today or I’m out of here.  He said that was what he had been waiting for me to ask.

 

Life was ok, we were spending most weekends at Jan’s folk's farm, and Church had taken a back seat in our lives.  One day getting a haircut from a guy I had great respect for in that he was the kind of man I wanted to be, he owned his shop, was a real dude, and had the stuff I desired.  But he had got married and it was apparent something had changed in his life.  He was still a dude, but no longer told the joke he was known for.  That day he said Bobby, I know you are a Christian but your dad tells me you do not go to church.  Would you like to attend a Bible study on Wednesday with me?  I went to that Bible study for only one reason, I wanted to know why my barber was going.  We were in a buffet line and the men had bibles, and I prayed a prayer, Please get me in a room where no one will see me with these guys.  Had no desire to come back, but each Wednesday I was back, and it became apparent they knew the Jesus, I was only informed about.  Six months of trying to make a deal with God, also checking out these men at work to see if they were like me a Culture Christian, one foot in the world, and trying to earn God's grace.

 

I was in Victory Texas working, and that night at a bar, just checking to see the actions, came back to my hotel room put the key in the door, and heard a voice in my head, that said this is the last night my Spirit with call you.  How I’m not sure about you but it scared me for I knew that was the voice of God.  I went to my bedside and got the hotel Bible put there by the Gideons.  The Bible opened to Romans 10: and my eyes went to verses 9-10,  ^“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

I acted on those verses, I confessed my many sins, and I told Jesus I had not one thing He needed but He had everything I needed, and ask Him to come in as my Lord and Master.  And He did, Something happen in God’s timeline, that was beyond my understanding at age 27, I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  (Galatians 2:20)

I was set free from the control of being a Culture Christian, and God’s written Word became the authority in my life.  Am I now perfect, not by a long shot, I'm still a mess, but God who is all-knowing sees my heart and forgives me when I confess, that I have sinned and not obeyed His voice.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice