How I Became A Believer

by Pastor John E. Dubler

I was flying daily combat missions in my Air Force F-4D Phantom II aircraft when it first struck me as reality - I could be killed or captured any day and there would be nothing or nobody to save me. Outwardly I was composed and confident - we had superior training and equipment when compared to the enemy - but inwardly I feared death, and even more, I feared being captured by the incredibly brutal North Vietnamese. Some of my friends had already been killed or captured. In point of fact, when I first arrived overseas, my Squadron, the famed 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron, was losing one of three aircrew members during their tours of duty. My concerns were resulting in loss of sleep. When I did sleep, I would awake with one thought on my mind:

"If I were to die today, I would be separated from God forever."

God's help arrived in the person of Billy Graham, in September of 1972, at Udorn Royal Thai AFB in Northeast Thailand. He was not the famous evangelist, but, true to his namesake, he was a committed Christian and a fellow air crewman. He insisted that I go with him to an officer's Bible study. As the military men introduced themselves, we realized that in this small group of five men, there was a Matthew, a Mark, a Luke, myself - John, and Billy Graham. It was in this setting that I first believed the exciting news of the scriptures that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and is alive today. I was able to see that the Bible accurately portrays the facts concerning Jesus: His sinless life, the atonement of His Blood for my sins, His death on the cross, and His bodily resurrection from the grave.

As I prayed to ask forgiveness for my sins and invited Jesus to be Lord and Master of my life, I knew that if I died I would be in the immediate presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was He who said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the who believes has eternal life" (John 6:47). His promise of eternal life for me when I believed has never faded, and to this day I do not fear death.

"I am the resurrection and the life:" said Jesus, "he who believes in me shall live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25-26). There is no more important question for you to answer: "Do you believe this?" If you do, you too shall live eternally and need not fear death.

I would like to invite you to confess your sins before the Lord Jesus who is someday returning to judge all the deeds done by everyone who has ever lived. Ask Him to forgive you of your sins and to be the Lord of your life. He will not reject anyone who approaches him with a repentant heart and believes that he is the Son of God, risen and alive from the dead. When you sincerely pray, acknowledging Him as Lord, and asking him to forgive you, you will be accepted as one of His own. You will be saved from eternal death. Then the Holy Spirit will come to dwell inside you, guiding you as you grow in the new life which you will have in Christ.

If you would like more information or have a question, please contact me. If you have become a believer by just now asking Jesus to be Lord of your life, I would very much like to hear from you.

May God bless you as you make the single most important decision of your life. -- Pastor John Dubler