Jason’s Story: From Fame, Muscles & Money to Christ

I thought to not only preach the gospel, but also to speak on how God saved me. So I’m going to be sharing with you my testimony tonight.

Reading from Proverbs chapter 8, verse 35, it says: “For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favor of the Lord. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All that hate me love death.” I’ll read that one more time. “For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favor of the Lord. But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All that hate me love death.”

So there’s three things that I want to highlight in accordance with my testimony. One is popularity. The second one is vanity. And the third is wealth.

A Childhood Without Answers

Growing Up in the Bronx

So I grew up in a single-family home in the streets of the Bronx, New York. It was just my mom, my sister, and I. And I didn’t grow up in an environment that had the word of God, and I knew nothing of the Bible at all.

I was so accustomed to being in the streets of New York City, and if you’ve ever been there, it’s pretty much what you see on TV — it’s riddled with crime, and there’s a lot of rough things happening out there. For me it didn’t seem like it was something out of the ordinary, but it really is out of the ordinary, and it’s just something that’s very sad. There’s a lot of people there who haven’t even been outside of the Bronx and seen different parts of the world, and they just tend to stay stuck in that environment, which is sad to see.

But nonetheless, my mom raised my sister and I — it was a very secular home, as I mentioned. If we were to subscribe to a religion, it would have been Catholicism, even though we didn’t practice Catholicism at all. If you would have asked me how many books were in the Bible, or what the flood was about, or who was Moses, or why Jesus died on the cross, I probably would have responded to you — being that I was raised in an Italian neighborhood — I probably would have said, “Forget about it.” I couldn’t begin to tell you.

“Why Do We Have to Die?”

But I do know that, as I remember as a kid growing up, I would think to myself: why do we have to die? I always had that question in my mind. Why do we have to die? And as these thoughts troubled me, I would also ask my mom that question. And not only that — if I was really struggling, I would say to my mom, “Mom, I don’t want to die.” And sadly, because my mom is not a believer, she had no answer for that question. All she could provide was, “Well, I don’t know — that’s just the way it is.” So it was a really sad state of affairs for me, because it was a question that I really struggled with a lot, and it really bothered me.

Chasing Popularity

Touring the World in a Metal Band

In high school, I became popular, because I not only went to a vocational high school where I learned architecture, but I also joined a band. And looking at me now, you’ll probably be in shock for me to tell you that it was a hardcore metal band.

I will say it was kind of a blessing, but it wasn’t a blessing — because even though the music itself was very ungodly, the band took me to many parts of the world. I traveled all over Europe, all over the US, different places. We were very popular. And at the time, I was an agnostic. So I didn’t oppose the thought of there being a God, but I also had the thought: well, if there is a God, then great — but if there’s not a God, there’s nothing much that I could do about it.

Mocking God

And then, while I was in that band, with our five minutes of fame, we would actually drive to different areas in our van, and we would tend to play around and mock God. And at the time we thought it was funny, and it was a cool thing to do — but it was actually really horrible.

And strangely enough, one of the members of my band was Jewish. And to this very day, I don’t understand — he never spoke to us about God once. He never spoke positively about God. In fact, he just would join in the mockery. And it really shows you that — when God chose the nation of Israel to go forth and proclaim who He was to other nations — how they utterly failed. They failed over and over and over again. And this was just a small picture of that failure, now that I look back on it.

But that being said, I was so ignorant, not realizing the grave condition I was in. I was in my sin. Sure, I had popularity — sure, people knew me from overseas and even in the US — but no matter how much popularity I had, I still was without the Saviour, and I was still dead in my sins.

Chasing Vanity

Bodybuilding and Steroids

After I was in that band, I then moved on to going to the gym, and I started working out, and I became very good at it. I was a personal trainer, and I even got to the point where I started taking it so seriously that I got into competitive bodybuilding.

That kind of spiraled out of control once I started seeing results, and one thing led to another, and before you knew it, I was using PEDs. If you don’t know what PEDs are, those are steroids. And being that I was someone who is very afraid of needles, I was in my own home giving myself injections of steroids. That just shows you the lengths that sin will take you to — to the point that you would actually hurt yourself to try to gain something.

And not only was I using these illegal substances, but it was all vanity. Sure, I looked great. Sure, I felt great. I probably was nice and strong. But I was empty inside. Again, I didn’t have Christ. And all I was thinking was, well, I’m just going to go to the gym, I’m just going to get bigger, I’m just going to get stronger. But it doesn’t matter. If you have Christ, you could work out and be in the best physical health you want to be. But if you die in your sins, what good is that for you?

So sadly, my life was riddled with more fame, more muscles, more money — more, more, more. It was a sad state of affairs.

Chasing Wealth

The Dream Tech Job

Then I landed a job. It was a dream job for me, in tech. This particular job was right across the street from where I used to live, and it was great pay, and it was a fun job. I was there for some time, and because of this job, I had a free membership to a gym — I didn’t have to pay for the gym, and I would go and do my thing there.

About two years go by, and I ended up moving jobs and got another job at another tech company. And because I switched jobs, I no longer was a member at this gym. But that didn’t stop me from going to the gym — I still went, even though I was not a member anymore.

So not only did I move jobs and wasn’t supposed to go to the gym because of that, I also moved apartments. I used to live in the Flatiron District in Manhattan, and then moved to Park Avenue, and I was going to this posh gym called New York Health and Racquet Club. It was a great gym, but as I said, I wasn’t a member anymore.

The Lie That Wouldn’t Let Go

A Small Lie at the Gym

And one day — the reason why I mentioned that I was going to a free gym is because this is a crucial part in my testimony. One day I went to the gym, and I was accustomed to just walking in and swiping my fob, and the people knew me — they just let me in, nobody questioned me.

But there was one particular guy who didn’t — he was never there, he didn’t work there. In fact, he told me he worked at another location and was only there for one day. So I went in as usual — I swiped my fob key and started walking away. And he said, “Hold on, wait a minute — the system is saying that you’re not a member.” And I said, “Oh, that’s strange — no, no, no, I’m a member, that must be a mistake.” And he took my word for it. He said, “Okay, no problem, have a good workout.” I go upstairs and start working out.

But now, because I lied, that sin was just weighing heavily on me. And I was working out, and I had this in my mind, and my thoughts were just racing in my head. I was like, “What am I doing? Why did I lie to this guy?” And I started to suppress it — I was like, “Well, it’s not that big of a deal, it’s just a little lie, who cares?” But those thoughts didn’t leave my mind.

Convicted — “A Slave to Sin”

It brings me to a verse in John chapter 8, verse 34, where the Lord Jesus says, “He who commits sin is a slave of sin.” And it rings true — because if you go back into the Old Testament, where we just read in Proverbs, Proverbs 5:22 has a similar statement, but in the CSB it says, “He who commits sins is tangled in the ropes of his own sin.” You’re literally in bondage to your own sin. And so that’s how I felt. There was nothing that I could do. I was completely rattled, and I was really overcome by what I had committed.

Losing the Job

Then it happened that the second job I was working at — I was let go, because they wanted me to hang out and go bar-hopping. And at the time I thought it was fun. But then at some point, God started working in my life. God started showing me that these things were wrong, and I started being convicted of my sin. I started feeling, well, I don’t want to go to these bars, I don’t want to go out and do all these things. And so the owner of that company thought I wasn’t a team player, and he let me go.

So at this point in time, now I’m without work, I’m not going to the gym, and I live on Park Avenue. And that whole time, even though I was chasing wealth and money, now that money has been taken away — and now I’m sitting there thinking to myself, well, I have rent to pay, and I’ve got to eat, and what am I going to do? And now I’m scrambling to look for a job. And at this point it was just — I felt so helpless. And God was just impressing that sin upon my heart and my soul, that I couldn’t forget what I did.

Confronting God

Challenging God to Prove Himself

So one day I actually started thinking — I said, you know what, I’m going to challenge God. I said, I’m going to challenge God, and I’m going to prove that it was a fluke. I said to God, I said, I’m going to go back to that gym, and I’m going to see if that gentleman is still there. If he’s not there, then I know there is no God — because that gentleman told me he was only working there for one day. And if I go there and that gentleman is there, then I’m going to have to reconsider what reality is, and I’m going to have to apologize.

And so I marched, and I started heading towards that gym, saying to myself, “There’s no way he’s going to be there, there’s no way he’s going to be there.” And I get to the front of the gym, I’m standing on the sidewalk, I look through the glass doors, and lo and behold, he was sitting there. And I said to myself, “This can’t be happening.”

Confession at the Gym

So I took a deep breath, and I walked into that gym with my head hanging low. I went up to the guy and I said, “Excuse me — do you remember me from the other night? I came in here, and you told me that the system said I wasn’t a member anymore.” He said, “Yeah, I remember.” I said, “Well, I have to apologize — that’s not true, I’m not a member, and I shouldn’t be here.” And he actually was appreciative of the fact that I was so open, and I confessed what I had done to him.

What Job Chapter 38 Taught Me

It makes me think of a chapter in the book of Job. In Job chapter 38, verses 1 through 3, it says: “Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man, for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.” And that’s how I felt. Job was questioning God, doing all these things — and here I am, challenging God in my foolishness.

And God had shown me that this man was there. He was reaching out to me, he was touching my life, he started to work in me. And now I was hit with the reality that no — there’s something more to life, that there must be a God. Now I’m starting to believe.

Coming to Christ

Discovering Street Preaching Online

And so, at this point in time, I’m searching for jobs online, as I mentioned. And at one point I decided to take a break from searching for jobs, and I was used to watching different shows online. As I was scrolling through the videos, I came across a street preaching video, and I said, “Hm, that’s interesting — let me check it out.” So I opened it up and started hearing the preaching of the gospel, and I was so intrigued by it. I said, “Wow, I want to hear another one.” So I opened up another video and started listening to that, and for whatever reason, I started binge-watching street preaching videos online. I was going for a few days, just listening to street preaching.

November 2015

And then one day, in my apartment, in November 2015, it finally hit me. I was sitting in my apartment, thinking to myself about all the preaching I was hearing, and I started saying to myself, “Wow — you know what? I’m a horrible person. There’s no way I’m a good person.” I used to think I was good, but now, seeing it from God’s perspective, there is no way that I could see myself as a good person. I said, I’m actually a sinner.

And at this point in time, I knew that I was in trouble with God. I felt the weight of my sin upon me. And just as we were hearing, there was nothing that I could do to save myself. I knew that the only way for me to be saved was through the Lord Jesus Christ.

And so, sitting there in my apartment, I confessed, and I turned to Christ, and I asked Him for His forgiveness, and I thanked Him for dying on the cross for me and saving me from my sins, and I entrusted my life to Him. And ever since then, I was never the same. That was in November 2015, before I moved overseas.

What Jason Learned About Sin and Salvation

Sin Separates Us From God

The Bible says that our sins have separated us from God. It doesn’t matter if we commit one sin or a hundred sins or countless sins — just one sin is enough to separate us from our Creator, and we would end up in hell if we died in that state.

Just as that verse said in Proverbs that we read earlier: “For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favor of the Lord, but he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul. All that hate me love death.” I found the Lord Jesus in November of 2015, and I’ve never been the same. And it’s true — if we sin against God, if we hate God, how could we expect to have life? If He is the source of life, and we’re against the giver of life, then by default, we’re actually accepting death. There is no way that we could have eternal life.

What Do You Have to Lose?

And so my message to all here and online, and those who might not have trusted in Christ as their Saviour, is: what do you have to lose? You could either choose death — be separated from God for all eternity, be in hell — or you could choose the Lord Jesus Christ, have your sins forgiven, have eternal life, and be in His presence for all eternity.

He actually loves you so much that He would die on a rugged cross, in excruciating pain, shedding His precious blood. And none of us deserve it. But I, for one, am very grateful that He has done that for me. And I know that if He saved me — a sinner who never read the Bible, who was in the Bronx, who was raised in a secular home — if He could reach and save me, He could save anybody.

And so my word to you is: there is life in Christ, and you could have salvation guaranteed. And how do I know that? Because this book here tells me that salvation is a free gift for anyone who would trust in His finished work for salvation.

Confidence in the Lord

There’s a few more verses in Proverbs that I’d like to read for you. In Proverbs chapter 22, verse 19, it says: “That thy trust may be in the Lord, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee.” And in the CSB it actually reads: “I have instructed you today, even you, so that you may have confidence in the Lord.” Our confidence is not in ourselves — our confidence is in the Saviour of sinners. If I was to trust in myself, I would have no salvation whatsoever.

Don’t Judge Christ by Believers

And there’s one more point that I’d like to point out — if you’re a visitor coming for the first time, or maybe you’ve been here a few times: please don’t judge the Lord Jesus Christ by what any of the believers here may be doing. Sure, we’re trying to live our life the best we can for the Lord, and we want to do that — but every one of us here is imperfect. We’re all sinners. We’re not perfect in any single way.

If you’re going to judge the Lord Jesus Christ, judge Him by going into the Bible for yourself and seeing if He has ever committed any sin whatsoever. I challenge you — because you won’t find one sin from the Lord Jesus Christ. He’s completely perfect, without sin, without blemish, and He will absolutely save you from your sins.

Eternity: Where Will You Spend It?

And so, as I close out this message, I would say: ponder these thoughts. Think about it. We’re talking about eternal life here. We’re talking about where you will spend all of your eternity. Eternity is not a few years, or even 20 years — it is forever. And you’re either going to be spending it without God, or you’re going to be spending it in His presence, because you trusted the Saviour.