Hi, my name is Steven Buffington.
I’m a Christian.
What is being a Christian? Part of it is believing that Jesus Christ is the son of God and is the Lord and Savior of your life, and that He died on the cross taking on all the worlds sin, then rose from the dead three days later and ascending into Heaven. As a Christian I believe that believing that fact is how we are givien salvation from eternal damnation. I also believe that salvation is only the first step to being a Christian.
So often, I think, that is what we miss in the American church. Sure part of the point is to get saved, but once you have your salvation, what will you do with it? I was an abusser of grace. I would say, “Oh, I know I’m saved it’s ok.” but actually I was breaking God’s heart. He convicted me with Hebrews 10:26 “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have recieved the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left.” God called me out. He was telling me that the sinning needed to stop. The hypocracy and luke warmness in my life had to be cut out. He created me for a purpose, and I was abusing everything God has so graciously given me.
Then it started. My heart had broken, and I had felt what I thought was only a fraction of the weight of my sin and the heartache I was causing the Lord. I asked my mom begging her to tell me if I was still saved. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know at the time God was bringing this about for the sake of repentance. 2 Corinthians 7:10 “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow bring death.” God had had enough and it was time to change.
This was the beginning of an amazing journey. Some times I wonder if this is actually when I got saved. I asked Jesus to come into my heart when I was four. Grew up in a Christian home, but I will admit I was rebellious up untill a couple years ago when all this whent down. I know I’m swaved now. I know what it actually is Christ has saved me from now, and if all that is being saved then I got saved back in 2012. I feel totally comfortable saying that.
I was baptised when I was 12, but I was still living a life of sin. I’ve considered getting rebaptized to really show what is going on in my life right now. Not to dismiss the first one, but I want to show the world that I am a new creation in Christ, and I want the world to see repentance in the hearts of Christitans all over the world. Especially in America. I want stagnancy and luke warm faith to be a thing of the past. God places in us a desire for more when we consiously make that choice to say, “yes, I’ll obey.” For me it was telling God, ” Yes, your so right. I’m sorry for what I’ve done and how I have treated your son and your grace.”
God was wanting me to get up from my mat and walk. Thats what He wants all of us to do. When we here sermons about dying to self, and taking it to the extreme of actually giving up all the clothes in our closet or actually selling everything we have and giving the money to the poor, it allows God room to do incredible things in us. Giving us new desires, new aspirations, and new goals. When we obey radically and take the gosple more literally God chips away at us. Our eyes are literally opened up. So often we just focus on avoiding sin and being good people while maintaining a decent life style. I want to tell you that is so boring and dare I say even missing the mark. God has used my world race to show me that God Himself is to be explored. God is not to be looked at through a glass window like at the zoo. God is a God to be followed where ever He takes you.
For me it was to 11 countries in 11 months, but it doesn’t end there. It was literally just the boot camp. Now it’s up to me to decide weather or not I’m going to seek His kingdom first, and once finding out what God has for me in His kingdom deciding weather or not I’m going to by into that. So I encourage you to seek first the Kingdom of God. What is the Holy Spirit telling you? Where is God asking you to go? What is He asking you to do? What does His word say about it? Are you going to buy in? Please here me when I say obediance to the Lord is way more gratifying then any meal or any paycheck. Trust me I’m learning this even now, and it’s probably a lesson that will take a life time to learn. All this to say is that I know that when I choase to say, “Yes I’ll go. I will obey and repent.” Something changed. I got closer to the Lord, and I was able to do what He asked of me and start living for the purpose He has for my life, and of course I’m not perfect, but God has placed me in a way better place than where I was two years ago, and I thank The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ eternally for that.
Be blessed,
Steven Buffington
