Testimony of Joyce Mlinek
As I look back on the past thirty-eight years of my life, I can't
help but be amazed at the gentle hand of God guiding me along the way.
Born and raised a Roman Catholic, I had always had a deep love and
reverence for God and possessed a desire to please Him. I wanted to be
the best Catholic I could be. I accepted everything I was taught
without question. I even tried to read the Bible a few times, but would
always get discouraged and quit.
In my later teens I began to ask God to enlighten me spiritually so
that I could discern truth. I had a lot ow facts given to me by people
but no concrete proof that this was in fact what God wanted. I had all
along assumed that the priests and certainly the pope knew what they
were talking about. Yet, I never read the Bible to verify their
teachings for myself. I wanted truth but I guess I wasn't interested
enough to take the time to find it.
As I look back now, I can see how God honored my simple prayer for
truth and opened my eyes spiritually to a few of the things that were
happening around me. The Catholic church began making changes in their
teachings. It declared that eating meat on Fridays was no longer a
mortal sin. That really confused me. How could one generation be cast
into hell for something that was okay a generation later? Is that God's
fairness? Other issues began to arise through which God helped me to
realize that something was wrong. If God is the same yesterday, today,
and forever as it says in Hebrews 13:8, then how can things that were
once so wrong be perfectly permissible now. In spite of my confusion, I
continued to be faithful to my church and its beliefs.
During the next ten years as I married and raised a family, both my
husband and I were faithful Catholics but God continued to open both
our eyes to the inconsistencies in the Catholic church.
Unknowing to me, God was also dealing with my younger brother,
Larry. One evening I received a call informing me that Larry had left
the Catholic church and joined a Baptist church. I immediately called
Larry to find out why. We agreed on a family meeting to be held at the
end of the week in which Larry brought with him his new pastor.
The big evening finally arrived and we, as Catholics, were prepared.
We found our Catholic Bible and were ready to defend our faith even
though not one of us knew one Scripture verse. The Baptist minister
began to talk about heaven and hell. I began asking questions. He was
so sure he was going to heaven. I had tired to live my best but I sure
couldn't claim that I knew for sure I was going to heaven. The pastor
then showed me 1 John 5:11-13, "...These things have I written unto you
that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye
have eternal life..."
God was telling me here that I could know that I would have eternal
life. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:8, "We are confident, I say, and to
be present with the Lord." He knew where he was going when he died,
didn't he?
The pastor then asked me if I was trusting Jesus alone to be my
personal Saviour. Well, he had me there. I certainly knew that Jesus
had died for my sins on the cross and I believed in the Bible but I
couldn't say that my only trust was in Jesus. I trusted in a lot of
things to get me to heaven. I certainly had hoped that my good living,
my attending church, and the sacraments I received would help. I prayed
to Mary to intercede for me and many times have I said the rosary on
the first Saturday of each month so I could go to heaven. The pastor
then showed me what God had to say about my good works in Ephesians
2:8-9, "For by grace are ye saved through faith and that now of
yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should
boast." and Isaiah 64:6, "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all
our righteousnesses are as filthy rags..." He explained that my being
good and doing everything I was supposed to do would not help get me to
heaven. They may seem good to us but next to God's perfection, all the
goodness we can muster up is still filthy rags. He asked me to turn to
1 Timothy 2:5 and I read, "For there is one God and one mediator
between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." That was really convicting
to me. If there is only one then there is no other. My prayers to Mary
were not going anywhere. God says Jesus is the only go between. I was
practicing idolatry. I was trusting in other things to help me to
heaven.
That was it! Jesus totally paid for everyone's sins on Calvary. John
3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son
that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting
life." God offers us all His free gift of salvation through Jesus
Christ. All we must do is accept that gift and call upon the name of
the Lord. Your good works can't save you, Jesus can; your church can't
save you, Jesus can; and even Mary can't save you, only Jesus can.
It was all so clear now. I saw myself as a lost sinner trying to get
to heaven every way except the right way -- which is accepting God's
free gift of forgiveness of sin through Jesus Christ.
Needless to say, I accepted Christ as my Saviour. I no longer have
to worry about purgatory. There's no such place. Paul says in 2
Corinthians 5:8, "that to be absent for the body is to be present with
the Lord."
My life was totally changed. Christ says in 2 Corinthians 5:17,
"Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature'; old things
are passed away; behold, all things are become new." My husband also
called on the Jesus to save him. We promised God that we would begin
reading His Word, the Bible, and search for what God says is truth, not
man's truth. We joined a church that uses and teaches the Bible. Life
has new meaning for me now. I'm happy in Jesus and I want others to
find that happiness. Maybe God is speaking to you through this tract.
The Bible states in John 6:44, "No man can come to Me, except the
Father which hath sent Me draw him..." It could be that the Father is
trying to draw you into the true Body of Christ. The Bible also says in
2 Corinthians 6:2, "...behold, the accepted time; behold, now is the
day of salvation." It may cost you to take a stand. It may cause
friction between family members and friends but isn't everlasting life
worth it? Read Matthew 10:34-39.
The whole world is lost in the darkness of sin
The light of the world is Jesus.
Like sunshine at noonday His Glory shown in
The light of the world is Jesus.
Come to the light, tis shining for thee.
Sweetly the light had dawned upon me.
Once I was blind, but now I can see.
That the light of the world is Jesus.
YOUR DECISION FOR CHRIST
If you will turn to God in prayer and pray these words and mean them
with all your heart, then God will save you.
Dear Lord Jesus, I now realize I am a sinner in need of personal
salvation. I now put my full and complete trust in Your sacrifice on
the cross to save me. I now believe You are the only mediator between
God and men. I open my heart's door and receive You as Saviour and Lord
of my soul. I repent of my sins and ask You to take full control of my
life and help me to live for you from this day forward...Amen.
Joyce Mlinek
the Salvation Online Network
Testimonies of people changed by the power of God!