BaptistBibleBeliever's Testimony

[Baptist_Bible_Believer]

As an unsaved kid contemplating my future I often thought about religion and heaven. I knew that I wanted to go there, but I just didn't know how. I was not satisfied with the trappings of the Catholic church. It did not make sense to me that I could sin like the devil all week long and go talk to a priest behind a shade and recite a couple of prayers by rote and somehow I was set.

I started to hear snippets of opinions about being good enough to go to heaven. I'd make a personal commitment to do right and within an hour I found myself back to where I was before I made the commitment. I said, "Heck, this is impossible! There is no way that I'll ever be good enough!" So I basically gave up trying. Why bother?

When I was around 12 or 13 I went to a free movie at the local theater sponsored by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and was exposed for the first time to the concept that even though I was powerless to live the righteous life, Someone else had already done it for me and that I could live vicariously through Him. It made some sense to me and I'm really not sure if I acted upon it or not. I mean, I might have prayed the prayer at the end of the movie--but I doubt that I meant it. If nothing else occurred, a major league seed was planted in my soul that day which lay dormant for a decade.

Then when I was 23, I found myself in the Mormon church trying to deny the existence of hell and sin -- but I could not do that. They were too real to me -- and the flames of hell were all I could think about in the silence. About that time Campus Crusade for Christ started their "I Found It!" Campaign with billboards, pins and bumper stickers every where. People would ask, "What did you find?" and the answer was "I found a new life in Jesus Christ!"

I received, and read, the Four Spiritual Laws by Bill Bright and that old Billy Graham experience returned to me. At 3:45 p.m. I woke up from a nap wherein I dreamt of hell and fell to my knees by the side of my bed and asked Jesus Christ to be my Saviour. We've been walking together now these past 42 years and I've never had to look back or wonder why I couldn't last at least an hour . . . He was doing it for me!

Since then my wife (who is now with the Lord due to ovarian cancer) and I have gone to Bible College in Springfield, Missouri, I pastored a church for five years until health issues drove me to an online ministry where the Lord led in the establishing of BaptistBibleBelievers.com an online library with hundreds of old, out-of-print books in the public domain. No one needs to actually join the site, but you can download the books by chapter to your own computer and use them in whatever way the Lord leads.

Unfortunately, it is very difficult to minister online because of ecumenicity. My most recent online endeavor was ended abruptly when it was decided that my 'doctrine was too much over the top.' Sadly, almost every shade of New Ageism and works-based theologies are much akin to weeds choking out the Gospel wherever it can. They are happy to have folks join their forums, but they expect us to check our Bible and our convictions at the door. They don't like loaded weapons in their pews.

It is my desire and prayer that I might be a blessing to like-minded believers that are members of this site. I posted here before, about 100 years ago, and thought you all closed down. I'm happy to see that you are still going for the Lord. Believe me, there is a real famine of good KJB-Bible-based websites out there. When I tried to minister to some they treat me like I have something stuck to the bottom of my shoes.

[DaveW]

I have found some things on that site before, so thank you.

I have probably also downloaded some of the esword modules that have come from your site, so thanks again.

Oh and welcome.

Or is that welcome back? 

Whatever it is, good to have you here.

[Baptist_Bible_Believer]

Definitely a "welcome back' . . . I found my old screen name but couldn't pull anything up. Glad you found the website and were able to make good use of it! It all came about after the widow of a radio preacher gave me a few boxes of his material. Old stuff, and all in the public domain. I posted those and then started hunting for other stuff. Unfortunately, the technology has changed and I can no longer do anything with the site other than delete links that no longer work. I used DotNetNuke, but now it is no longer the same. that site was a real labor of love. It was started back in 2007.

btw, no one needs to actually join the site because everything is available to folks whether they are a member or not. It doesn't stop all the spambots from trying to join though.

Brother Virgil

[OFIB Preacher]

Appreciate your testimony and site, welcome back!  I too, have been gone for a while, but decided to come back and check out this forum again.

Edited December 29, 2018 by OFIB Preacher
Oh and I was taken aback by your town name, because we have a McHenry nearby LOL!

[Baptist_Bible_Believer]

Thank you, pastor!

[Alan]

Welcome!

Thank you for your testimony.

Looking forward to some fine discussions and fellowship.

[ldonjohn]

Baptist-Bible-Believer,

Thank you for your testimony. I noticed that you mentioned going to Bible College in Springfield, Missouri. No, I did not attend college there, but our former pastor did attend Baptist Bible College there probably back in the 1960's. Not sure about that, but his is retired now, is 80 years old, and lives just around the corner from us. His son is our pastor now.

 

Hey, if interested in reading my testimony I am listing the link below.

John

 

[Jerry]

Welcome back, Brother Virgil. Good to see your site is still up and going - though it moved urls a bit. I remember you thinking years ago it was going under and all that work you did (and some I helped you with) was going to be lost. Glad it is not - though it does seem some of the material was not moved over to the new site (unless I just missed it).

[Baptist_Bible_Believer]

Well, I was a bit younger when I made that site . . . now I'm old enough where homegoing isn't going to be so much to go. When the Lord calls, unless He makes other arrangements the site will no doubt disappear. I've been supporting it myself. I ran out of room on my site so I posted a few books on a different site that has since gone under.