A Pastor Comes to Christ after 15 years.
Jericho Dumapias' Testimony
A Pastor in the Ministry 15 Years, Saved!
Below is the testimony of a pastor who recently became saved after serving 15 years in the ministry. This establishes once again how serious the 48% missing salvation problem is, and why the Lord told me to never go into any church and assume the pastor is saved! This testimony reveals how important it is to understand the Mechanics of Salvation section of the movies and writings on this site.
The Testimony of Pastor JERICHO DUMAPIAS - Philippines
(March, 2007)
First e-mail testimony:
Dear Roy,
I was saved last night by understanding what GOD told you about the traditional salvation (message) which we have. As I shared this truth (with) some of our leaders, church members, and pastors they were shaken, their old belief was shaken. That also happened to me, for we believed before that the way we received the LORD JESUS was right, that repeat after me worked. BUT NOW I UNDERSTAND. I said last night as I read the booklets (that) I was born again. For over 15 years (I have been) serving God, not knowing my ways (led) to Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ----Edited to Remove Profanity ----. WITH ALL OF MY HEART (I AM) SAYing, “Thank you, LORD, for using you (RS) as the instrument of my salvation.” Now there is no doubt that I am saved.
We asked if we could use his testimony.
Dear Roy,
... YES, use my testimony, share it (with) others, make books of it. It is (a) real happening, a real event, a testimony of truth. The truth that set me free, my family, friends, church members and many others. That is what is burning in my heart, to tell them the truth, that almost all of the church goers (are) not yet saved, and (that they can) come to the real way of salvation.
You know Roy, until now, many have ever desired to sit down and want to listen to you. They want you to come and to conduct seminars about this new revelation of the truth that (has) shaken our place today. Once again, thank you very much. ....
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Chris Towler's Testimony
I have been meaning to write a letter to the Take His Heart ministry for a while now. I would like to share some of my experiences with you in hope that you will be encouraged.
My testimony:
I was lead in a salvation prayer by my mother around the age of 5. I went to church regularly throughout my childhood and also went to a Christian high school. If anybody would ask me, I would say I was a Christian. I had some doubts about my salvation in my teen-age years and prayed to God the “salvation prayer” several times on my own, watching a TV ministry, and even in church.
Now, at the age of 28, I thought I was saved, but deep down I still had a suspicion that something was missing from my relationship to God. One day when reading some emails, I was reminded of social anxiety disorder. I tried to overcome social anxiety by reading a self-help book years ago. I realized that social anxiety was still a problem in my life and that I couldn't overcome it alone. I then asked my wife to help me find a therapist. A friend at work described what I was going through as the beginning of the 12 step program of Alcoholics Anonymous. My seeking a therapist was the same as admitting I had a problem and seeking a higher power for help, the first 2 steps.
After the first couple sessions of therapy, I realized that the therapist was not a higher power and would not be able to overcome social anxiety for me. The ability to change had to come from within myself. Further discussion with my therapist led to the realization that the ability was already in me. She said I was very insightful amongst other things. Looking back, it seems that at that point I had an option to either take credit for the ability as coming from myself, or give credit to the Holy Spirit.
At my next session I decided it would be best for me to be as honest with my therapist as possible. I told her that the insight or ability in me to see my condition and change was there because I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who died for my sins and has risen from the dead. And because I believe this, the Holy Spirit dwells inside me and and gives me the motivation and ability to see what is wrong with myself and the ability to change. I don't remember much from the rest of that session, but I do remember feeling as if I was on an emotional high afterward. At the time I did not realize that my confession caused me to be born again at that moment. I figured I must have made some kind of breakthrough discovery in that session (I learned that I have Asperger's syndrome a form of high functioning autism).
A little more than a month went by before the Lord revealed the truth about my salvation to me. During that time I was becoming aware of many changes in myself. It was as if I was no longer bound by certain rules that had previously lived by (like not eating onions for example). I could look people in the eye now and they looked somehow more human. I could see the truth more clearly now in places I didn't know it existed. I realized that lies are based on incomplete truth and that is why they are so easy to believe (a good reason not to be mad at people for being ignorant), I ended up throwing out all of my religious beliefs and starting over as if I knew nothing.
Around this time, I was trying to figure out what I wanted to work on in therapy and took a deeper look into my anxiety (fears). One fear that was unpleasant to consider was the fear of Satan and evil spirits. I googled the term “fear of Satan” and in the search results was an interesting article about Satan and evil spirits on the web site,
http://takehisheart.com . I read the article and when I got to the part about Roy's deliverance from the spirit of fear, I became very afraid. This fear stuck with me for a couple of days. I knew there was something to it and had to figure it out. I returned to the Take His Heart site and read many more articles. My mind was “blown”. There are many things about the web site itself that are signs to me that it contains truth in a more complete form.
On Easter Sunday (4-12-09) I was watching the Demonstration of God's Covenant movie (on the takehisheart web site). While I was watching the section about salvation I had to repeatedly pause the movie. I kept having thoughts of what I had experienced over the past month, and was taking note of the changes I could see in myself. Then, as if it just fell out of the sky, the truth hit me. I remembered that I had made a confession of my faith in Jesus to my therapist and at the exact moment of that confession, I had been born again. I began simultaneously laughing and crying,in an emotional experience I had never felt before. I laughed as I was realizing what the Lord had been doing in my life without my knowing. The amazing way the events of my life and my understanding came together at His direction. I cried as I thought about the fact that I was not aware that I wasn't born again before that moment. What if I had died before that confession?
From my testimony, I can see that the Lord has used my entire life to demonstrate to me the importance of the mechanics of salvation. I also want you to know that the Lord allowed this ministry to play a part in my receiving this knowledge from Him. As I have been excitedly sharing this information, I have met many discouragements. It seems that the majority of people do not gladly receive this knowledge about salvation. I would have to assume that your group has met similar resistance. I guess that is why I feel it is important for me to convey to you that I have gladly received this information. I know it is the Lords purpose, and I am very excited about what the Lord is doing. I now share in this burden of knowing this truth and desire to have this truth revealed to the entire body of believers.
Many times I was wanting to write to this ministry to try to meet my own needs (usually a lack of understanding). Every time, the Lord has meet those needs for me directly. The Lord has been dealing with me about love. He has been giving me a new way of looking at things that gives me the freedom I never had to truly desire mercy for others. The Lord has also indicated to me that I should write to the Take His Heart ministry, not to try to benefit myself, but to share encouraging words. I don't know specifically what's going on with your group right now, but I do see the Lord's desire to show His affection to you.
Tim Towler
A Pastor Comes To Christ After 15 Years
