Ran, came back

[dwayner79]

I have been saved since I was 8 and grew up in an independent Baptist church my whole life. After high school I got away from the lord and wasn't living quite right and didn't have the right friends. I have now re-dedicated myself back to the Lord and very excited to be back and living right.

A welcome to our new member... and I hope s/he does not mind me using this to springboard a discussion.

This is a VERY common occurrence. Happens all the time. Having grown up myself in an IFB church, I watched many many do this. My brother is one, my sister another.

I never really "ran" but I did change my beliefs rather significantly.

So here is the question.

If you grew up in church, was there a time you strayed from the Lord?

If so, did you return to about the same theological position you were in or a different one. ?

[kevinmiller]

Tough question....

There was a time in my life for about a year where I really struggled with a lot of different things but I never really "ran" from God. I basically just wasn't living the way I should have.

Some of my beliefs have changed. Not a WHOLE lot but I have fine-tuned some beliefs, and adopted new ones. I basically went through everything I had been taught, challenged it with the Bible and with what made sense according the Bible and either made what I had been told my beliefs, rejected them or fine-tuned them. Typically, I will challenge it, go a little liberal on it and then swing back close to where I was originally. But I'm still 19 and still working out some of my beliefs. :smile

[annette_j]

I was raised Catholic, but was never really went to church. I was made to do all the things that a Catholic does for example: Infant baptism, first communion, Confirmation. I did it because that is what my parents told me to do. As I grew up, the last thing I looked for what God in anything. I even questioned if there was a Heaven and Hell, if there was a God.

[Bakershalfdozen]

Never left/ran/strayed but I did change some of my beliefs. I grew up in a Hyles church that promoted easy-believism and dictatorial pastorship. That has changed for me. I'm not looking for a discussion on what I just typed. I'm merely relating my experience.

[chev1958]

None of those really fit my situation. I was raised in a SBC church back when SBC were fundamental and conservative, but I didn't get saved. My parents split up, so we left the church. I was saved at my kitchen table about 10 years later, and have been in church ever since.

Mitch

[Faith81]

I have no problem with you using me for a discussion at all, this is a great topic.

Before I strayed away from the Lord I was a good christian, went to church 3x a week, read my bible almost everyday, blah, blah, blah. Once I strayed away and was living a different way, I felt a big void in my life that there was something missing. Things started to go all wrong and I was a really unhappy person. I finally realalized after a few years, and discussions with my mother who had been praying for me to come back to church, that these things were happening because I was out of God's will. I was not living for him anymore, I was living for myself. I decided to go to church one Sunday morning and got under conviction, that this is where I'm supossed to be, where I should be and this is the life I should be living not the one that I was. I went to the alter and re-dedicated myself to the Lord and completely changed the way I was living. I've become an even better christian then I was before and have a big excitement and desire to live right and learn and grow in the christian life. My old friends thought I was nuts, and that I was becoming an "old person" because I didn't go out anymore and party or just live how I was, but I didn't care. I am much happier now then I was when I was doing all those things. Since re-dedicating the Lord has blessed me in so many ways. I got a great new job with a great promotion, great new friends at church, more happiness then I could ever dream of!! I know all things happen for a reason and God has a plan for everyone and I guess it took me straying off, for me to ccome back as a better christian, granted I wish I had enver done some of things I did, but I wouldn't be who I am today if I hadn't. I don't think I would have grown as much as I've done now, if I hadn't strayed to know that you have to depend on God, you can't do it on your own, he wants you to depend on him, you wants to first in your life and now he is first in mine. :lol

[mainstays]

I was raised Catholic, but was never really went to church. I was made to do all the things that a Catholic does for example: Infant baptism, first communion, Confirmation. I did it because that is what my parents told me to do. As I grew up, the last thing I looked for what God in anything. I even questioned if there was a Heaven and Hell, if there was a God.

I was the exact same way except for I was lutheran. They also do the infant baptism, communion, and confirmation. I always had to go to sunday school, rarely had to go to an actual church service unless my father and to help with communion or I had to acrolight (sp?) which is lighting the candles in the front of the church. Once I had graduated from school, and also sunday school, I had never stepped into church again (with 1 exception of my daughter being baptized as a baby) till 7 years later. Long story short, was saved by a chick tract and started attending a baptist church with my husband and growing and loving the Lord eversince.

[Anon]

Once my family got into church and saved when I was age 8, then I was in a Christian home and never ran from that. I didn't always act great at home, but I didn't stray from church or God. Went to Bible college and got married.... now I do have some slightly different standards and beliefs than my parents but nothing that makes it difficult to fellowship, but I still checked the last one because I can list a few things we differ in now.

[Madeline]

My option is not on there. I grew up in church and but hadn't left/strayed/ran, because when I left church for a season I don't even think that I was actually saved at that time.

[Tim]

I strayed but came back to the same theology. Even when I was walking the wrong path I was under strong conviction, the further I tried to stray the stronger the conviction.

[Mountainview]

I attended a Independent Fundamental Baptist church in my youth and as a young adult, but had a rough patch and strayed, later the Lord chastened me, I returned. However I returned to a Independent Fundamental Bible church. Their doctrine was the same with the only difference being that the latter is under elder rule. I also found that there was much more grace [vs. made made rules] without losing any truth.

[Trish]

I grew up in a ibc family. Funny thing is that although my parents and siblings have changed their beliefs I haven't. I think that our pastor did not show from the Bible why we were ibc and that we were never grounded. About the time my family began 'wondering', I was getting grounded in Bible college. I still have a great relationship with my family though.

[IM4given]

I was raised Catholic, but was never really went to church. I was made to do all the things that a Catholic does for example: Infant baptism, first communion, Confirmation. I did it because that is what my parents told me to do. As I grew up, the last thing I looked for what God in anything. I even questioned if there was a Heaven and Hell, if there was a God.

Ditto plus -
I was raised Catholic, went to Latin Masses, sang in Latin songs like "Ave Maria", burned candles, said my Rosary every night, went to confession on Fridays, Mass on Sundays, 2 years of parochial school with Mass every morning before classes even. Memorized my chatechism and did everything a good little Catholic ought to do - except when I was about 12 I began wondering and asking too many questions. I think that was the Holy Spirit leading me away from that life and into the Word of God. Once I began reading scriptures, and attending church with my other friends I finally realized how wrong the RCC really is. I was saved/rescued at a revival on May 18, 1980.

[John81]

I'm not sure how to answer. I grew up attending Methodist Sunday School but I didn't really grow up in the church.

When I came to Christ shortly after turning 18 my theology drastically changed because I had never heard of the need to be born again, never heard of the Rapture, had no idea who or what the Holy Spirit was, etc. prior to just before I was saved.

At the time I was saved I was dating a Christian girl who attended the Assemblies of God. I began attending the Assembly of God church with her. They were not as "radical" then as some were, and as that one later became.

Then, years later after wondering through the wilderness I made a good Christian friend who took me to his Baptist church. Again, my theology radically changed as I learned under that excellent IFB pastor and discovered the Sword of the Lord.

So, I'm not sure which option fits this.