MY CONVERSION AND CALL (91)    

by Eugene W. Badgley

I was born in September of 1940 and born again on May 16, 1963. I was brought up in a farming community in southeastern Ontario. There my father and mother worked hard to raise six children, especially during the First and Second World Wars, and the great depression of the 1930's. My father served overseas in the First World War, and at time spoke of his horrible experiences and how his life was spared on many occasions.

We all attended the United Church, and as long as I went there, I never heard the gospel preached. The sermons I heard centred on the events of the day, and that if you lived a respectable life you would likely be in Heaven. The Bible was never read in our home and the giving of thanks for food was only on rare occasions. However, there was a reverence for God and a respect for the first day of the week. Not until my late teens did some of the farmers in our area begin to work in their fields on Sunday.

Eternal things were impressed upon my mind at an early age when one day our next-door neighbour spoke to me about Noah, the flood, and the final judgment when God would destroy this world by fire. I do not know what prompted this conversation for I had never heard that they were Christians. Also, the reality of death and the fear of meeting God was instilled in my soul when close family members died suddenly.

However, it was not until February 1952 when my brother got saved that I heard about salvation and saw the reality of it in his life. Our family was greatly disturbed as he spoke of being born again. Such questions as, “Isn't our church good enough?”, and “what will our relatives and neighbours think?”, were brought up. More unrest took place a few months later when he told us that he was going to be baptised. His changed life had an effect upon me, and at 11 years of age I longed to have what he had. He told me about being born again and that I should read Rom.10.9. On several occasions I would go to our woodshed where my mother always did our weekly washing, and kneeling down by a chair I would read this verse, thinking that if I believed it hard enough a wonderful feeling would come, convincing me that I was saved. That feeling did not come so I tried to feel happy, but since I did not have Christ, it was not long before I realised that this was not the way of salvation. I thought salvation was in a text and that by believing it hard enough one would get saved. Rom.10.9 was pointing me to Christ and this was what I missed.

During High School the things of the world became my attraction. The friends I chummed around with only encouraged me to enjoy the things of time and sense; however, I continued going to our church and in my late teens became a member, which gave me a certain feeling of respectability. From time to time I also would go with my brother to a little assembly where he was in fellowship and to some gospel meetings. I recall once hearing Mr. Chas. Fleming preach in an old abandoned farm house. While I cannot remember anything that was preached, there were deep impressions made in my soul. I believed in Heaven and Hell, and knew about the gospel, but had not yet come to an end of myself. I was truly full of self and pride. The words of the hymn writer were true, “I felt not my danger and knew not my load, and Jehovah Tsidkenu meant nothing to me.”

In 1962 my oldest brother and his wife professed to be saved through the personal witness of a minister of an evangelical Baptist Church. My brother began witnessing to me and would invite me out to a Sunday night meeting at the Baptist Church where I heard the gospel. At times I would ask my brother about certain prophetic truths in the book of the Revelation, but he reminded me that this was not the important issue and that I was sidestepping the question of salvation.

God was working in my life and by His grace, soon removed from my life that which I had considered important. It was then that I had a conversation with the Baptist minister, Mr. Twilley, who asked me a pointed and all-important question, “Eugene, when would you like to be saved?” I said “I want to be saved now more than anything else.” Then he suggested that we pray. While on my knees I confessed my sin and guilt before God and accepted Christ as my Lord and Saviour. Almost immediately the disturbing thought came to me, ‘how do you know you are saved?’ Mr. Twilley said words to this effect, ‘Does God's salvation depend on feelings of faith?’ Of course, faith alone in Christ's work on the cross for me was enough, and I realised that Christ had died in my place.

That night in my bedroom, kneeling by the bed I thanked God for the first time for giving the Lord Jesus Christ to die for me. I saw the substitutionary work of Christ through the Old Testament story of Abraham and Isaac. A verse from 1Jn.5.11-13 gave the assurance that I needed.

            … these things I have written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God;
               that ye may KNOW that ye have eternal life …"

He was now my Saviour and Lord and I could lay my head upon my pillow knowing I was saved and ready for Heaven and no longer needed to fear death or judgment. This was Thursday evening, May 16, 1963. The next day when I went to work a Christian woman said, “You look happy this morning, you must have gotten saved.” I was happy to tell her that I had. After work, I went to buy a Bible in the same town where I had enjoyed the pleasures of sin. I recall walking down the street towards the store and thinking that I no longer belonged to this word or the devil.

I began to attend the Evangelistic Fellowship Baptist Church and was later baptised and took an interest in open-air work and door-to-door visitation. A year later I decided that I would attend a non-denominational Bible school so that I could learn the Word of God to equip myself for full time work. I was to learn later that this was not God's way of preparing one for the Lord's work. At the end of my third year I married a girl that had completed four years of Bible school. After I finished school I remained to teach some Bible courses. It was during this time that I began reading CHM's books on the Pentateuch that my wife had given to me, and learned that the Scriptures could not support many things we were practising.

This caused great unrest for us both and after much pondering of soul we decided to leave this ministry. It just came to this: it was either separation to Him outside the camp or remain in the confusion of the systems of men.

In June of 1970 we moved from Sault Ste. Marie to Belleville, Ontario. In a few months we were received to the fellowship of the assembly gathered to His Name in Picton. I began to get involved with the work associated with the assembly and during the next six years I spent time helping Mr. Timothy Kember in visiting work, children's meetings and gospel meetings, after which time it became clear to us that the Lord was calling us to full time work in the gospel. Circumstances, encouragement from my brethren and the guidance received from the Scriptures confirmed this exercise. In September of 1976 the assemblies of Picton and Deseronto commended us full time to the Lord's work in southeastern Ontario. For the past 28 years the Lord has blessed us in the saving of souls, the up building of the saints of God and the meeting of our needs. “He hath done this,” Ps.22.31; “Great is His Faithfulness,” Lam.3.23.