These past few weeks have been c r a z y, so my apologies for not posting this sooner.
But the most exciting thing that has happened was I got baptized on April 10th. Honestly it was one of the best nights of my life! Words can not explain my excitement for this! (I'm sorry to everyone who's ears I talked off about how stoked i was ;) But the Lord is so kind to me! He sent His Son to Earth, to die for my sins and take away the punishment I deserve. What a joy to follow His command to be baptized! :-)
"And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name."
{acts 22:16}
Below the pictures I put a copy of my testimony! :-)
my mom and sweet friend Lynese brought me flowers; how gracious of them :-)
Hello, my name is Brooke Johnson. I have been blessed to grow up in a Christian home, and have been attending Grace Church all my life. Growing up I always assumed I was a Christian because I knew a lot about the Bible, and thought that I was a good person. On the inside however, my heart was desperately wicked and sinful, and simply desired my own gratification. Upon entering public high school the hypocrisy in my life became much more evident. At church I appeared as a moral, Christian girl, but at school I wanted nothing more than to be accepted and loved, would vie for the affections of others, and had no desire to please the Lord. Home life was a terrible battle between trying to look like I was doing what’s right, but at the same time trying get my way. When I would be convicted about my sin I thought as long as I asked forgiveness, and acted better I would be okay, and if I was ever confronted about my sin, I would either justify it, or try to “do better.”
My senior year I started dating someone from church and thought I was doing pretty well; I had good grades, lots of friends, and a boyfriend who made me happy. Things stayed pretty much the same until the summer after graduation, when I went with the high school group, Oneighty, to summer camp in New Mexico. Little did I know, the Lord was preparing to rock my world that week. During one of the sessions, John Macarthur taught on the basics of regeneration, and what it truly means to be made alive in Christ. In my mind I knew those characteristics he was describing were the opposite of me, and began to be convicted of my sin. A few hours later, the staff surprised us by bringing in rapper Lecrae, who would be performing for us that night. In between songs he was preaching the gospel and saying how our identity is to be found in Christ alone, if we’re truly saved, and anything else leads to emptiness and death. My stomach dropped. For the first time ever, I actually admitted to myself that I wasn’t saved, and my identity was not found in Christ. I went to find my small group leader, who talked to me about the gospel, what it truly means to be a Christian, and encouraged me to go up to my room, seek the Lord and pray. When I got to my room I had never felt more alone. The Lord had opened my blind eyes to my sinfulness, showed me His perfection, and by His grace, for the first time ever, I desired to be His servant, and have Him as Lord of my life. On the floor I cried out to the Lord, confessing my sinfulness, asking him to forgive me and save me from my own wickedness. Ephesians 2:4-5 says it best; “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ— by grace you have been saved—” From there I immediately went and ended the worldly relationship I was in and began to live my life as what I now was; truly regenerated in Christ. He exchanged my old, dead, sinful heart for one that beats for Him with a desire to live my life for him alone. Each day since then has been a picture of Gods gracious work in my life. I now love learning about my Savior from His word, being around His people and pursuing what Christ would have me do. My whole life has radically changed since the Lord saved me, and though I often fail miserably and have so much more to learn, I am no longer a slave to sin, but can genuinely repent and find true forgiveness in his blood. One of my favorite passages is; Psalm 62:5-8: “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him, God is a refuge for us.” I desire to be baptized in obedience to His word, and as a public declaration of my salvation.
