Hello, my name is Dan McDonald and this is my story. I was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma and grew up in a home with loving parents who were faithful Christians. We attended church Sunday morning, Sunday evening and Wednesday night. In 1957 we moved to Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. We joined
Arrow Heights Baptist Church.
As a young boy of nine years I had sat through a lot of worship services, but I
never really listen very well to what was said. Then we had a revival with an
evangelist named Sam Friend. He always centered his message around a story
and boy could he tell stories. I would be sitting on the edge of the pew listening to
his sermon centered around a great story. On Wednesday night He preached a
message around a story of a man who shot and killed his wife, then ran off trying
to avoid being arrested. The state police tracked him down through several states
and caught him to bring him back to stand trial. He was tried, found guilty, and
sentenced to die.
While he was waiting to be executed someone ask Sam Friend to go talk with him
about Jesus. So Sam decided to go visit him. As a young boy I had in my mind
that Sam would go tell him about Jesus and he would become a Christian and go
to heaven after he died. But Sam told us that he did not accept Jesus as Lord and
Savior. The next day he was executed and went to Hell.
At that point I realized that everyone did not go to Heaven and I did not want to
go to Hell. I had a strong feeling I needed to do something about this situation. As
we left the church building, I told my mom and dad that tomorrow night I was
going to walk down the isle (that was all I knew about being saved). When they
heard what I said, they took me back to the pastor’s study and I talked with Sam
Friend. He told me I needed to put my faith in Jesus Christ. He used the
illustration of putting faith in a chair to hold my weight. I could look at the chair
and talk about how sturdy it was all day, but until I sat in it and let it hold my
weight, I had never really put my faith in it.
That night I prayed to Jesus, gave Him my heart and made Him Lord of my life.
He became my Savior. I have been and continue to be forgiven of my sin. I have
eternal hope of being with God the Father and Jesus the Son in Heaven forever. I
do not understand how a person can go through life without the peace and
comfort of a daily walk with my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. My desire is for
others to find the abundant life that only comes through knowing Jesus as their
personal Lord and Savior. Yours in Christ, Dan McDonald
Plan of Salvation
Sin separates us from God
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23
Because of our sinful nature we deserve eternal death, but desires for us to to
have abundant life with Him forever
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ
Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23
God does not ask us to become better on our own, He sent His own Son, Jesus, to
die for us just as we are.
“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet
sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8
If we will put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ, Because He has paid the debt of
our sin by His death, We exchange our sinfulness for the righteousness of Jesus
Christ.
“that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that
God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person
believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in
salvation.” Romans 10:9-10
By calling on the Name of the Lord I am saying I have made Him Lord of my life
and He has become my Savior.
For “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.” Romans 10:13