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Hear O’ Israel The Lord our God is One

  • Writer: Matty B. Duran
    Matty B. Duran
  • Dec 5, 2017
  • 3 min read

Updated: Feb 10


“For what I am doing I do not understand, for what I will to do that I do not practice, but what I hate is what I do.”(Romans 7:15)

It seemed the more I tried to live as God wanted me to the less I was able to do it. Getting along with momma was nearly impossible. We were two women in the same space. I was already old enough to live in my own apartment, with Emma. The rents were so high, and the voucher for HUD, hadn’t come through yet.

I was attending the Assemblies of God at this time. Finding a place to worship was difficult for me. I thought of myself as Yogi Bear when he tried to find the “Perfect Place.” Something was always wrong with the places they tried to live in, and they would fly in Yogi Bear’s ark to find another place to live. It was a children’s cartoon in the 70’s, Yogi traveled with Boo-Boo bear, Snagglepuss, Huckleberry Hound, Quick Draw McGraw, Auggie Doggie and Doggie daddy, and Magilla Gorilla to name a few of the characters.

Since I left the Catholic Church in 1985, I became a member of the Worldwide Church of God in 1992, where I was baptized as a believer and follower of Jesus Christ. This is the congregation where I became pregnant with Emma. I left in 1996. I then attended The Church of Christ. I met two girls who went to Fresno State. I attended a few worship services, but the minister never spoke to me, he would not talk to women. I thought that was strange, even Jesus spoke to women. He would not answer any of my questions. Like many cliques, this church believed they were the only ones who were saved. It went back to denomination.

Soon afterward, I began attending the Nazarene Church where I attended until 2001. The Nazarenes believed as a doctrine that you could lose your Salvation, and I knew this was a lie from hell. Why would God take our Salvation away when He was the one who gave it to us in the first place? We did not earn our Salvation we were dead in our trespasses, so why would He forsake us in the middle of Sanctification. Sanctification was the process of holiness. This was the work of the Holy Spirit, He transformed us.

I asked their leaders in the bible studies I attended. They referred me to Hebrews 10:26-27

“For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment and fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries.”

I referred them to Hebrews 13:5 “I will never leave nor forsake you.”

I couldn’t get on board with that lie. If I being evil did not forsake Emma, my daughter, how could God who is Righteous and Good ever forsake me? My whole life up until now had been a testament to God never leaving me, even though I deserved to be left.

I attended Mennonite services for awhile. Finally I drifted to the Assemblies of God who were Pentecostals. I began attending Valley Christian Center in 2004. Valley Christian was a foursquare denomination. I also continued to worship with my momma in the Catholic Church. But I am not a Catholic or any other denomination, no one can put that label on me, nor do I want it. Jesus is my faith, wherever I worship, I worship Him and Him alone. Jesus is God, The Holy Spirit is God, and the Father is God. I don’t pretend to understand how Father, Son and Holy Spirit are God, nor do I want to try and understand in this life.

But I know what the Word of God tells me, “Hear O’ Israel, The Lord our God, the Lord is One.” (Deuteronomy 6:4

 
 
 

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