Charlie Petersen

What was life like before you met Jesus?

I grew up in a Christian household (technically, I am still growing up), and we would go to church every Sunday. I would go to Sunday school, which I didn’t like very much. It felt like a chore going there every Sunday. While there, I always wanted to go home and would rather be playing video games or with my friends. I was told the gospel many times as a child, but it never stuck, I never realized the true importance of Jesus’ death on the cross. I was selfish and only did what I wanted, didn’t care what others thought, and never considered others. Also, I teased and picked on my younger brothers, not knowing that was mean and unkind. I was living in my sin, but then I found the true meaning of life.

How did you meet Jesus?

The first time I believed the gospel was when I was 10 on Good Friday when I recognized my sin for the first time and what Jesus did for me, how he died on the cross for my sins so I could be made right in the eyes of God. I confessed that I was a sinner in need of a Savior and I shouldn’t be living this way. So, I changed my ways of living and started to follow Jesus because of the gospel and knowing that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the light. I want to be baptized because it symbolizes me being buried with Christ when I’m dunked under the water and raised to newness of life. Also, we are commanded to do so as servants of Jesus.

After being saved by Jesus, what is your life like now?

My life has changed dramatically because now I recognize the sin that I do in my life and it burdens me. So I ask for forgiveness, knowing what I did was wrong, and turn away from those sins, thanks to the mercy and grace of God. I also now enjoy church a lot, take notes, and am inspired to know more about God and grow in my faith and relationship with Him. I try to apply what I learn in the scriptures to my life and read at most a chapter of the bible each day in the morning so I continue my growth. 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”


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Baptism Salvation Stories
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