Grace Evangelical Society

P.O. Box 1308, Denton, TX 76202
  • About
    • Home
    • Beliefs
    • Staff
    • Board of Directors
  • Resources
    • Grace in Focus Blog
    • Grace in Focus International Blogs
    • Grace in Focus Radio
    • Grace in Focus Magazine
    • Free eBooks
    • Journal of the GES
    • Book Reviews
    • Partners in Grace Newsletter
    • Audio Messages
    • Videos
    • Email Subscription
    • Bookstore
    • Online Tracts
  • Store
    • Main Page
    • On Sale
    • Return Policy
    • Your Cart
    • Your Account
  • Events
  • Connect
    • Contact Us
    • Free Grace Church and Bible Study Tracker
    • Free Grace Jobs
    • Ministry Links
  • Donate
    • One Time Donation
    • Monthly Donation
    • Your Account
  • Search
Home
→
Grace in Focus Articles
→
Saturday Mornings: The Rough Road of a Carnal Christian

Saturday Mornings: The Rough Road of a Carnal Christian

December 1, 1988 by GES Webmaster in Grace in Focus Articles

By Luis C. Rodriguez

It was a Saturday morning, but it could have been any morning. A night out drinking, smoking, shooting pool, laughing. Now a terrible hangover.

I hurt inside. And I could see that I was hurting the people I loved and the God who had saved me. This was painful-to think that though I was a Christian I was doing this.

My friends didn’t know that I was a Christian. When they looked at me all they saw was a drinking buddy. Keeping my mouth shut was the easiest thing to do. I just couldn’t tell my friends that I had accepted the gift of eternal life. I wanted to tell them; yet I was afraid how they’d react.

The place where we all hung out was City Park, south of downtown Dallas. We called it “City.” It was about four blocks long north to south and two blocks wide east to west. It had a clubhouse in the middle, a basketball court, and, down a small incline, a swimming pool. Our favorite place to drink was in a low area by the pool which we called “the hole.” However, we didn’t confine our drinking there. We drank all over City.

One day some of the guys at City said, “The preacher is trying to save some of us. He may have saved Ramon already.” I could barely keep quiet-but I did. I knew the preacher. He had led me to faith in Christ. I knew that he could not save anyone. But how could I tell my friends this? I was their drinking buddy! I wanted to tell them that Zane couldn’t save them but that Christ could. I wanted to, but I didn’t. Fear of rejection sealed my silence.

My life as a teenager was filled with drinking and run ins with the Law. Three times in one week I was thrown into jail for minor violations. Even so, even in my worst moments I knew that I was a child of God.

One day about six or seven of us were outside Zane’s house. Again one of the guys was saying, “He’s got one of the boys inside and he’s going to save him.” Finally I couldn’t take it any more.

“Look,” I said. “Zane can’t save anybody. Only Christ can do that. Somewhere in the Bible it says that if you hear His Word and believe on Him that you have eternal life.”

“How do you know that? Did he save you too?” someone asked.

“No! Zane did not save me. I already told you that he can’t save anyone. But he did show me how I could know Christ as my Savior. And he can show you too.”

At last! My friends now knew that I was a Christian. It felt great to let others know of my salvation.

It would be a long time before I would walk with Christ. Eventually I learned that when I would stop grieving God (Eph. 4:30) I would also stop hurting inside (Gal. 5:22-23). And that would sure make a big difference on Saturday mornings.


Luis Rodriguez is a member of the GES board and a pastor of Victor Street Bible Chapel in Dallas. The preacher referred to in the story, Zane, is Luis’ partner in ministry, Zane Hodges. For a fuller account of Luis’ stirring testimony see Here Walks My Enemy: The Story of Luis (Redención Viva Publishing Co., P.O. Box 141167, Dallas, TX 75214).

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

Cart

Recently Added

January 27, 2023

Who Are the Elect in 1 Peter 1:1-2 and in Romans 8:28-30? Are We to Understand the “Elect” in 1 Peter the Same as the “Predestined” in Romans 8?

Welcome to Grace in Focus radio. Today, Bob Wilkin and Ken Yates take up a question about election and predestination. What does the Bible say...
January 27, 2023

A Novel Argument Against Inerrancy 

Kathryn Wright shared with me an interesting argument against inerrancy: I heard something today and thought it might make a good blog topic for you....
January 26, 2023

Will There Be Poor People in Heaven?

Welcome to Grace in Focus radio. Today, Ken Yates and Bob Wilkin answer an interesting question about our status in Heaven or the quality of...

Grace in Focus Radio

All Episodes

Listen to Stitcher

Listen on Spotify

Grace In Focus Magazine

Grace In Focus is sent to subscribers in the United States free of charge.

Subscribe for Free

The primary source of Grace Evangelical Society's funding is through charitable contributions. GES uses all contributions and proceeds from the sales of our resources to further the gospel of grace in the United States and abroad.

Donate

Bookstore Specials

  • Here Walks My Enemy: The Story of Luis (Hardcover) $13.95 $5.00
  • The Journey of Faith $15.00 $9.00
  • Inerrancy for Dummies $7.95 $5.00
  • Here Walks My Enemy: The Story of Luis (Paperback) $6.95 $3.00
  • Confident in Christ, 2nd Edition $22.00 $5.00
Grace Evangelical Society

(940) 270-8827 / ges@faithalone.org

4851 S I-35E Suite 203, Corinth, TX 76210
P.O. Box 1308, Denton, TX 76202

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube