By Matthew Monfore on April 13, 2021 photo above by Mike Snow www.mikesnow.org
A testimony of false Christianity, drunkenness, pornography, and a broken family that God SAVED me from.
My testimony begins with my parents: as they raised me! My mom and dad had me in their middle age. But, to back up a bit…Dad was an engineering student and college quarterback at South Dakota School of Mines. Mom was a cheerleader and a nursing student through St. John’s McNamara School of Nursing. Both were in Rapid City, South Dakota. Mom was raised Lutheran (my grandma came from Germany, so go figure…), and my dad was raised Episcopal (which is the American form of the Church of England). My closest Grandma (meaning the one I spent the most time with; she was also a second marriage to my grandpa) was Catholic.
Dad grew up in eastern South Dakota, the son of a doctor. Mom grew up in western South Dakota, the daughter of a rancher and nurse. After college they were involved in pentecostal/charismatic churches (Think Kenneth Hagin, unbiblical tongues, etc…which we have since seen as a deception).
I grew up a nominal “Christian”. I attended “Youth groups” in baptist and Bible churches, and was confirmed in the Lutheran church. Also, My family attended a oneness pentecostal gathering (quite a mix, I know!) I also made a public profession of faith at a Christian concert! But I wasn’t saved. I was exposed to pornography around middle school, and I thought that made me more manly (sad, I know).
My life revolved around athletics and trying “to be the best I can be”. However, when we idolize ourselves, we set ourselves up for disappointment.
My dad developed parkinson-like symptoms when I was a youth, and was placed on medications, which, coupled with abuse of alcohol made for an eventful (and frightening) childhood- my dad is guilty in some way (but he is no longer on any of those things now! So, how necesssary were they, Doctors?) Also, they performed brain surgery on my dad in 2010 (unnecessarily) which made him lose his mind. I thank God that today, the device they put in, is out, and Dad is recovering sanity.
In high school, I heard the Biblical gospel of Jesus. Someone had died in a car accident, and the idea was that “he is in heaven having a beer”. But someone challenged that statement at a youth group.
I started going to a Bible study for men at a local Bible church. It was at like 5:30 in the morning! Noone ever witnessed to me, but I did read the gospel in the book Radical by David Platt. He mentioned many people who claim to be Christian aren’t, and that God is not just loving, but a righteous judge. He emphasized a change taking place in my heart, that needed to be done. I prayed, and asked God for a new heart and began to learn about Christ. That was in the fall of 2011.
Christ Set me free! Lust no longer controls me! My whole life changed. I no longer idolized sports, my top priority became knowing God through His Word.
