Please click on a person below to read the testimony of what God has done and is doing in their life. “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
~Galatians 2:20
I have been attending Barabbas Road Church for almost 4 years. During that time God has given me a love for HIS Word and a desire to seek out its authority for my life. A significant result of that desire has been a clearer understanding of the Gospel.
Before coming to Barabbas Road Church, I considered myself a Christian, but would have struggled to clearly communicate the Gospel. Or put another way, I would have struggled to explain to you what exactly a Christian believed and more importantly why.
The foundation of my faith was built on good intentions and personal experiences, but was not rooted in scriptural truth. One of the first things I was encouraged to do at Barabbas was to read through the bible. I was 28 years old, but had never read through the bible. In reading the bible cover to cover I encountered a God truly worthy of worship. As my understanding of God’s holiness and righteousness changed, so did my understanding of myself. Previously, I had understood sin to the extent that is was something God declared as bad. But as I read through the bible, I realized that my sin was against HIM. Being made in his image, when I lied, I declared God to be a liar. This helped me understand the “Good News” as truly good news, because I realized I desperately needed it. Jesus’ work on the cross suddenly took on a powerful, personal meaning.
This clearer understanding of the Gospel has changed my life in so many ways. In the past, I always felt my relationship with Christ was up and down. I would focus on what “I” could do and would end up feeling guilty about what “I” failed to do. But as I see the Gospel clearly, I am focused on what Christ has already done and am freed to live from a perspective of grace in a relationship with HIM where I have nothing to offer, but everything to gain.
I am thankful to have parents who know and desire to serve the Lord. Because of them, I grew up knowing about my Creator and His love for me, but that doesn’t mean that I had this whole “Christianity thing” figured out. They taught me what it meant to love my neighbor as myself and live my life for God. I was involved in my church youth group and went through the church program to make my “profession of faith” in front of my church in December of 1996. It wasn’t until high school that I really understood how to make my faith my own.
I got involved with Campus Life–part of the Youth for Christ organization. I was inspired by being around hundreds of high school students who held the same beliefs that I did. I felt the spirit moving in me and showing me what it was like to completely give my life over to Christ. I attended public school from K-12 and am beyond grateful for the Christian friends with whom God surrounded me.
As I continued growing, I felt really called to go to a Christian university. This was the first time that I really studied the Bible “hard core” and started seeing how God made all things, is in all things, and wants to redeem all things. I met my to-be-husband in college, and we were able to encourage each other in our walks with the Lord. What a blessing! Our goal was always to find a Bible based church that was less of a show and more of a deep dig into the Word of God. I soon realized this was quite different from what I grew up with, which was more of a cultural Christianity, a faith that was based more on feelings and experiences than truly knowing God’s Word and accepting even the hard stances that Christ modeled for us to take. So this “profession of faith” program I went through, though I’m sure was only based on good intentions, where did it come from? About 3 years ago, I was challenged by a pastor to get baptized “if you never had before”, since that’s what the disciples did after they accepted Christ – so I did! Not that my baptism saved me, but it felt good to proclaim my salvation in a way that was modeled for us in the Bible. Through God’s work in our hearts, by means of these great churches we were a part of, we have continued growing stronger in our faith, and we want to live our lives for the One who gave it to us.
As a teacher, I am challenged to examine my life daily as I have hundreds of discipleship opportunities before me – a scary thought, yet an amazing blessing. As a wife, I am challenged to serve selflessly and love unconditionally. As a sister (in-law) and daughter (in-law), I am challenged to pray regularly for family members and their true salvation. As a friend, I am challenged to be gracious and humble.
As a mom-to-be, I anticipate the challenge of daily discipleship. The Lord is good and the one who renews my strength each morning. My favorite worship song as of late has an encouraging section that I love reminding myself of: “The sun comes up, it’s a new day dawning. It’s time to sing your song again. Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me, let me be singing when the evening comes.” I want my life to reflect the joy I have in salvation. My name is Michelle and I am Barabbas
My testimony really begins with the salvation of my brother, Matthew. When he became a Christian, I could tell something changed in him. He was so excited about his faith, and he was very vocal about what he believed. When he spoke with me, he was pretty gentle and would tell me the good news of Christ. I always liked to hear about God, but didn’t really want to change. I thought I had a pretty good life. I had a well-paying job, a lot of friends, a family that loved me, and much to look forward to. However, I started thinking a bunch about life and death. Death scared me, and I started to get depressed thinking about the shortness of life. I realized how sad it was to live, maybe marry, maybe have kids and grandkids, and then die. That freaked me out, and the end sounded so lonely!
One day, driving home from work, I got a call on my cell. At this time it was legal to talk while driving! It was Matthew. He told me that he had been praying for me and my salvation. He gave me the Gospel again, but this time he was not as gentle as he had been before. He told me about Jesus, who He is and who He claimed to be. He told me how His death on the cross created a way for me to be reconciled with God.
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”-2 Corinthians 5:21
I realized that without Him I was an object of wrath. He asked me if I believed in a heaven and a hell. I wasn’t sure how to answer that question, but he immediately told me that without Christ, I was going to hell. That was harsh to hear, but I needed to hear the truth. As soon as I heard these words, I began to cry. The thing that was missing was my Creator. I had pushed God out of my life and denied Him many times. He gave me the gift to hear and something inside of me changed. I wanted to accept Christ as my Lord and Savior, and God knew I was ready. Matthew prayed for me and I was born again as a child of God. No longer was I a slave to the desires of the flesh. No longer was I unsure of my purpose or my existence. In one moment, God changed me. He made me new and from that day my passion and love for Christ has grown and will continue to grow. Everyday I wake up and thank Him for saving me; for making me new. I don’t ever want to go back to the person I was. I was dead and now live eternally with the Father, my Creator! My prayer is that if you read these words, the Holy Spirit will speak to your heart, and if you haven’t accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you will now! My name is Melissa and I am Barabbas.
“Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”-Romans 10:9
When I was 13 years old I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior while at a church conference. It was a great feeling at the time. I cried and felt very uplifted, but it was more of just an emotional thing for me. Afterwards, I was never told what to do after accepting our Lord and what it meant to live life as a Christian. So, I continued my life, believing I was a Christian, but never living my life accordingly or learning what it fully meant to be a believer.
Once I reached my teen years, I got into drinking and continued to be a big drinker all throughout my college years. Life was always so empty and lonely, living for myself and not for God. I would worry about every little thing, had great anxiety, and continuous drama within my life. After college I followed my dream and moved to San Diego. Life seemed great because I lived in such a beautiful city, but I still continued on with the party scene and continued to feel empty, alone, and filled with anxiety.
Whenever there was something to worry about, I would call my mom and complain to her about my worries and anxieties. She would pray with me, lead me to scripture, and tell me to find a church. This always irritated me, but I always found her prayers to be powerful, so I would continue to call her with my troubles. After almost a year of her bugging me about finding a church, I finally started my search. The first few churches I attended seemed great at the time, but I was never fed God’s Truth or discipled, so I continued the empty party scene while attending church on Sundays. Than God brought me to Barabbas Road Church and changed my life through this church. I finally understood what it meant to be a follower of Christ, to put Him first, and how to live life according to God’s will. Now I live my life focused on Christ without the disabling anxiety, emptiness, and worry ruling my life. I now understand that I am a Child of God, a Saint, and can be sure of my salvation in Christ and in Him alone. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the Life, and without Him, I am nothing. My name is Krystal and I am Barabbas.
This isn’t the story of something I did or how I came to know Christ. This is the story of what Jesus did and how He chose me as His own, before the foundation of the world, how in His own perfect timing and for His own amazing glory, He revealed Himself to me and the most incredible blessing possible in this God-given life—His grace to freely be given eternal life.
Like a lot of people, I grew up in the Catholic church. I attended mass every Sunday. I prayed every night. I thought that those actions were good enough for God. I thought that because I actually believed there was a God was enough to get me to Heaven because I knew a whole lot of people in my life who didn’t even believe in God. But the god I believed in was the god who could be reached with every religion. It didn’t matter if it was Buddhism, Islam, whatever—there was one god over all, one heaven, but multiple faiths/ways to get there. Jesus also didn’t really matter to me. I never really understood his “role” in the Christian faith and why He was important. For me, it was all about having a relationship with God the Father.
I lived a very worldly life. I went to college and lived the college life like everyone around me. I dated and had relationships in the way that was “normal” in the world. Looking back now it’s easy to see my sins, but at the time, you don’t see it that way. You see it as normal life. Even through my continuous disobedience though, I can say there were times in my life where I still felt really close to God. Of course, it was usually during times I needed something. Like after break ups, family member deaths or for some reason, I felt really close to God when I studied abroad a semester in Italy. It’s easy to see now how God kept me close, even through all my rebellion!
After college I moved out to California for my first “real” job and continued the same lifestyle for the first few years I was out here. I can’t really say there was a unique circumstance that led me to the Lord, just a point where God decided to break me down and make me realize that what I was seeking fulfillment in—men, my career, partying—just wasn’t going to fulfill me in the way He could. I remember just feeling tired and exhausted with life and like nothing was really all that important. I remember Him changing my heart and giving me a desire to seek friends who were involved in a church. It was almost like His voice was telling me that I would never be happy, I would never live the life I wanted to live, unless I gave my life over to Him in every way I could. My mom gave me a biblically based book about Heaven and I remember reading it and feeling so much peace that it finally just struck me—I was made by God and for God and that’s what this life is all about.
So God brought me to Barabbas Road Church and introduced me to other Christians who showed me what it truly means to not be a casual Christian. Through this new church, God changed my heart to finally see that the Bible is Truth and the Word of God, and He finally introduced me to ALL that He is…and I fell in love with Jesus for the first time.
I experienced a joy I’d never experienced before. But more than anything, Christ gifted me with a deep understanding—finally—that my life wasn’t about me and what I wanted to get out of it, but that it’s all about Him and how He wants to use my life to glorify Himself. So, I repented, received the Holy Spirit, and Jesus took over my life, giving me an entirely new nature, new desires, and 100% fulfillment in Him. And Jesus Christ has been my Lord and Savior ever since.
At age 9 I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I had grown up in the church and was part of a Christian family. My parents were both actively involved in the church and had taught me my role as a young Christian in this world.
In my teen years I became very idle with my Christianity. By the time I went to college I was so removed from practicing my faith that my idleness left me wanting nothing to do with Christianity altogether. I actively chose to live a life filled with sin.
The capstone to my rejection of Christianity came In 2005 when my brother committed suicide. I was mad at God and the church, that He claimed, was suppose to be good for me. I thought that I could get through life on my own terms under my own power and my own strength. I had made myself to be my own God.
This self-serving, god-of-me attitude came to a drastic halt in 2012 when a series of events happened that were out of my control: A near death of a loved one and a debilitating injury that left me unable to perform my job as an EMT for the rest of my life.
These events made me realized that I was not in control all of my situations and that I was ultimately still subservient to some power out there that had a better grip on this reality than I did. No matter how hard I tried to “will” something to happen or “send good vibes” it was still futile in the outcome of actual reality.
Without anywhere else to turn I ended up returning to a church. I heard that the God of the bible was in control of all things and He was always working things out for my good and His glory. That He was sovereign in all things, including electing me to be one of his children by killing his only child, Jesus Christ. This was how much He loved me. This was the God that I wanted to serve. My name is Josh and I am Barabbas.
As a little girl that had been baptized as a baby into the Catholic religion, Church and God to me wasn’t more than the Catholic Mass that my mom took me to from time to time. I remember several things from those Sundays in Mass, like gazing at Jesus on the cross up in front, the pretty glass stained windows and the pictures framed underneath them that appeared to be telling a story. I remember kneeling on the cushy little footrest in the pew and being told “no” I could not get in line for communion because I had not been confirmed yet. Although I had no real understanding of what was going on during Mass, the idea of “Jesus and Praying” were not foreign to me because of the Catholicism practiced by most of my family.
I grew up an only child, raised by a single Catholic mom who became a Christian when I was going into the 5th grade. This changed both of our lives forever. Of course, her new faith would bring her to a new kind of Church, which it did for me too. From that time on I learned about Jesus and what it meant to be a Christian and I accepted Jesus into my heart as my Savior at that young age. As I grew older, Church was always a big part of our lives. I was involved in youth ministries that included choir, plays, and church camps. I was also confirmed and baptized again by my choice in Jr. High.
Once High School started though, a tug-war began that lasted until my late 20’s when my husband Jeff and I started dating and when Barabbas Road came into our lives. My real struggle all of those years was me trying to maintain both types of lives – the worldly and the Christian. For most of my 20’s my relationship with Christ was secondary and I justified that by going to Church, being a good person, reading Christian books, and remembering to pray. My priorities were based in the world like that of the “Casual Christian”. The Lord did not have all of me like he wanted.
Today the tug-war is over and my desires have changed and I want the Lord to have all of me. The idea of “living in the world, but not being of it” has never made more sense to me like it does today. As my walk continues to grow, I thank the Lord for his grace and forgiveness of my sinful ways and for never leaving me just like he has promised. I’m grateful for Barabbas Road for reminding me of who I am in Christ and what I am called to do as a Christian that puts Christ first in her life. It’s a great truth that this life isn’t about me or my works, but about him and his glory. Thank you Jesus. My name is Angelina and I am Barabbas.
It was a wonderful privilege to have grown up in a Christian home and to have supportive parents that took me to church each week. Because of this I was given a firm foundation in Christian doctrine at a young age.
I truly enjoyed going to church each week, and it was at the age of fourteen that I was given the chance to go to a youth retreat. I remember the speaker for that weekend talking about a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ and the wonderful growth, knowledge, and eternity that awaited me if I accepted the Lord into my life. I knew I had never truly asked the Lord to come into my life and was convicted that weekend to do so. From that day forward my life has never been the same. I was baptized in the faith by my grandfather who was a retired pastor at the time. I have continued to grow in my knowledge of Him and have been used by God in many ways.
I eventually went to a Christian college to receive a Christian studies degree in order for my life to be used for ministry. I have enjoyed serving on many missions trips as well as serving alongside my husband in youth ministry for several years. I look forward to how the Lord will continue to work and move in my life. I am excited to continue this exciting adventure. My name is Alison and I am Barabbas.
My name is Sarah Cheek, and I have been going to Barabbas Road Church for about two years. I grew up in a very healthy Christian family home life. My mom and dad were very genuine in their faith and walk with God. No rated R movies were allowed–only Christian music, etc. Mom would pray and sing worship songs with us every night before we went to bed. Dad led devotionals if we overslept on Sundays. We had midweek bible studies and saw God provide during tough times.
In my teens I was very shy. I had a hard time making friends. On Sunday nights, we attended an all-adult service, and I would sneak out and loiter around the church and hide from the security team. But one day, another teen found me and introduced herself to me and invited me to youth group. After that, I became very involved in youth and various ministries at church.
At the age of 15, I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior. As I grew spiritually, I had a hard time accepting the “Christian culture”. I always felt there was a lack of depth and healthy skepticism within. I met someone who challenged me on my beliefs, which helped me grow, but my skepticism grew as well. I never doubted God, but I had a lot of questions and was very open minded for discussion/ debate. I began to ask questions to the authority of the church that I grew up in and became involved in, which led them to ask me to leave.
Being asked to leave my childhood church was extremely difficult for me and my family. I still knew God was real, but the hurt of leaving was hard to understand, mainly for my parents and siblings, since it was my “skepticism” that led us there. I bounced around churches after that and dealt with the “it’s not fair I did everything right” attitude with God. I felt like I was an Israelite wondering around in the desert. I had to start all over again, had some trust issues with every church I visited, and yet I couldn’t just accept the “Jesus is just alright” mentality that a lot of people had.
Through this time, God showed me some very valuable lessons. One lesson was that I was finding my identity in who I was at church and what I did for God. Being asked to leave my church gave me some time to sit still and not be involved for once, which helped me grasp that He values me just as much as the busy Sarah I was before. My good works will not change His view or my identity in Him. The second and very important thing He taught me was that His people, including myself, are imperfect sinners and although we all strive to live for Him, it is His grace that keeps us in harmony. We cannot take each other’s imperfections personally because we are works in progress. We are also family and there will be disagreements and frustrations, but at the end of the day, we are all family, and we need to make it work to glorify God.
Since my departure and through lots of prayer, the relationships with my old church have been restored. I know that God wanted to show me so much through my “wandering in the desert” and that I could never understand or grasp all the questions in the world.
A couple of years ago, I started getting neighbors in my apartment complex that went to Barabbas Road Church, and they began to invite me. Of course, I “visited” for about 2 years and Pastor Matt answered all of my questions. At this church, I love and adore everyone’s genuine desire to read, understand and dissect God’s word. It’s a fairly young church, and I’m really excited to see what God does and how he uses the church to impact others. I’m glad to be a part of it. My name is Sarah Cheek and I am Barabbas!
