Seeking to evangelize, I ended up being evangelized!
What struck me most is that many of the things we argued about were believed by the first Christians. That is, the Christians who lived and shared with the apostles, and those who lived the next couple of centuries, believed the same thing the Catholic Church believes today.
I was a Christian before; now I am much more so
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Pentecostal for 23 years.
My testimony.
Hello, and may God bless you all. My name is Juan Carlos Colón Moya. I was born and raised in a Pentecostal home in Hatillo, Puerto Rico. In my home and in my congregation (Pentecostal Church of God, International Movement, of that same neighborhood) I learned many things about God.
My parents always instructed me to learn more and more of the Bible, and so I did. On several occasions I came across people of other beliefs, and they urged me to switch to their faith; however, since my faith was always based on Jesus Christ and on the Bible, they could never convince me. Everything they told me I checked against the Bible, and in it I found the peace of God in knowing the truth.
In my walk with God my favorite activities were: going to church as many days as I could (sometimes 6 out of 7, or even 7 days a week), evangelizing in the streets handing out tracts and visiting homes, preaching from someone’s house or at the temple, praying (very important), knowing the Bible (the Word of God), fasting, and drawing closer to God.
At my school (Luis Meléndez Rodríguez, of the Campo Alegre neighborhood, Hatillo, P.R.), at my university (University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo), and in my neighborhood (Sector Cuchí I, Campo Alegre) I tried to do what I could to serve God and spread the gospel to those who did not know it, or to those who were “in error” (I now realize that not everyone I thought was wrong really was).
I even made my own tracts, based entirely on the Bible, so that other people might believe in God through them. Above all things and in all of them, I strove to carry out my purpose: to do the will of God and to please Him.
Seeking to evangelize, I ended up being evangelized.
A few days ago some neighbors and friends began reading the Scriptures, and we were persuading a Catholic to “convert to the gospel”. But although we thought we were succeeding, our friend (Rey) felt in his heart that there was something not right in what he was doing.
So he began to investigate more deeply what he was hearing (that Mary had other children, that the saints cannot intercede for us, that the pope is the antichrist, etc.). He started with the first one, and in his research he found that there was never any reason to believe that Mary had other children. That surprised him, and he thought: “if the Catholic Church is right on one point, and all the other churches are wrong on it, it is very possible that they are wrong on other points”.
I still had not been convinced of that; however, I did not affirm that Mary had other children, for I had indeed examined the subject a little.
Everything went on quite normally until my friend went to a “defense of the faith” course given by Brother Martín Zavala, a Missionary of the Word of God. After the first day, my friend told me the conference had been extremely interesting.
I, in my greatest desire to help him seek God sincerely, accompanied him on the second day of the course to hear the talk by Brother Martín. I went the next four days, not because I had nothing to do, but because from the first day I attended I learned many things that struck me. Things that my church (Pentecostal M. I.) criticized about the Catholic Church and about which we were actually wrong (the same topics I mentioned above: the virginity of Mary, the pope being the antichrist, confessing to men (a priest), images, etc.)
And although all this impressed me, what struck me most is that many of the things we argued about were believed by the first Christians. That is, the Christians who lived and shared with the apostles, and those who lived the next couple of centuries, believed the same as the Catholic Church (and kept believing it to this day). And by “coincidence” they believed very differently from what the Pentecostal council to which I belonged believed.
I devoted the following days to continuing my research on some points I was still struggling with, but one by one they were resolved. Each day the teachings of the Catholic Church become more reasonable, and I understand more and more the faith of all times.
From Pentecostal Christian to Catholic Christian.
When I look at the many criticisms I made of Catholics, I realize that I judged them without reason, for I never investigated whether what the Church said was true or not. I simply believed “on faith” what I was taught in my Pentecostal faith.
Never, until a few weeks ago, had I compared my interpretations and my beliefs with those of the early church. That Church which went on believing God after the apostles. That church which God had left in this world to be the light of the world. That one and only church which would follow the Lamb even unto death. That same church to which Christ promised that He would be with them until the end (Mt 16:18; Mt 28:20). That church, whose members I (out of ignorance) called idolaters, to my surprise was the only church that Christ founded and that has remained from the days of Jesus Christ until today: the Catholic Church.
I give thanks to God, who taught me to be a little more responsible with my salvation and not to believe blindly what men told me, but to seek the truth sincerely.
Because I like to be sincere, I will continue to be so in this testimony. Even now I sometimes come across things that shock me a little, that I do not understand at first and that all my life I understood to be wrong. And of course it was to be expected that, after spending the first 23 years of my life in a church quite different from the Catholic one, I would still have things in my mind from my former church.
Nevertheless, I always say to my beloved God: “What You believe is what I want to believe. Do not allow me to believe in anything other than what You, Almighty God, believe.” And I know that this wonderful God who has kept me all my life, who loved me so very much that He sent Jesus Christ into the world to die for me, who receives me with open arms every time I come to Him… I know that this wonderful God will not forsake me, just as He did not in any of my 23 years.
I was a Christian before; now I am much more so. I loved God before; I love Him still, and I feel a wonderful joy, for now I am not only drawing closer to God, but every day I confirm that the Catholic Church is the only one that was founded by Jesus (unlike all the others), and it comforts me, makes me proud, and inspires me to know that I am part of Her. To God be the glory and honor for ever and ever, Amen.
My plans are to serve the Lord Jesus Christ in the Church He founded: the Catholic Church.
A few days ago I enrolled in my parish to take catechism classes so that I can be confirmed and make my First Communion, to receive Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. We have also begun in a defense of the faith (apologetics) ministry of the Missionaries of the Word of God.
And above all, my goal is to fulfill the commandment of Jesus Christ “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Mt. 28:19) Everyone has to know the Complete truth. And that truth is in the Church of Jesus Christ, the Catholic Church, which cannot be overcome even by Hades (Hell). (Mt 16:18) To God be the glory!
An invitation to my evangelical brothers.
Brother reader, I invite you to verify for yourself what I have said. Carefully read the articles found on this site www.defiendetufe.org and reflect on each point. Look for the interpretations of the first Christians, those who followed the apostles, the church of God on this earth, and verify that this early church believed the same things we Catholics believe. Becoming a Catholic is not a matter of denying everything you believed, but of improving it, bringing it to its fullness, believing God 100%.
I beg you not to judge me before checking the information that is on this site. Remember the verse of 2 Timothy 2:15 “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth”. Seek God sincerely and resolve to follow Him wherever He may lead you.
If you have any question about the church that Christ founded and about its faith, the Catholic faith, or if you have any question about my testimony, you can contact the Missionaries of the Word of God at the address you will find in the pages of this site.
God bless you, and I pray for you, that God may always guide you.
In Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord,
Your brother and friend, Juan Carlos.
Author: Juan Carlos Colón Moya
Source: Defiendetufe.org
